Do you ever look around your home and feel like you are just never satisfied with the decor? Well, this post is all about how to identifying your design style and identifying those itmes to decorate the spaces in your home so you never want to leave them!
The first step to identify your design style is to first understand the basics of the main design styles. Now, don’t think your style has to conform to any one of these styles. My personal style takes different characteristics from about 3 different design styles to make my personal style. So lets get started!
Farmhouse Style – Identifying your Design Style
When I think Farmhouse I think of older and used items. Those that reside in farm homes usually spend their life on the farm and their children take over the family business and the home is passed down through the generations. The decor in a farmhouse is older, nostalgic, and simple. It is usually neutral in color, made of wood, metal or brick. Things that come to mind that would give the farmhouse vibe to me would be brick, aged wood, antique items, wide wood plank, shiplap, and other distressed items.
The site listed below go over additional inspirational ideas to get the Farmhouse look.
Modern/Minimalist Style
The Modern home style decor encapsulates decor of the the current/ present time. Those that are drawn to the modern look like only the essentials and prefer a minimalist approach. Meaning only essentials displayed within the home. If you are drawn to this style you enjoy the simplicity of spaces. Modern is focused on functionality in the space. A few words that describe this type of decor are monochromatic, contrast, clean lines, minimal, and contemporary.
This picture below depicts the Modern Style. You can also check out this site for more Modern Decor Inspiration: https://www.decorilla.com/online-decorating/10-best-tips-for-creating-beautiful-modern-interior-design/
Industrial Style
Industrial is broad term used to identify all things used in industry. Those that prefer this style like the unfinished product. This style blends well with the Farmhouse and Rustic Styles. The industrial style gravitates more to the exposed raw metals – exposed metal beams, metal piping, and concrete floors or counter tops.
This site gives some great examples on Industrial Design. Click the link below for additional Industrial decor inspiration:
https://www.digsdigs.com/category/home-design/industrial-home-designs/
Rustic Style
The Rustic Style gets a lot of it’s characteristics from the Farmhouse style. The Rustic style focuses on materials that come from nature. Rustic home decor embraces the rough, natural beauty, and earth tones. It’s a more organic look, not flashy, but still makes a statement. Rustic uses the natural metals and woods. Some words that come to mind when thinking about the rustic style are- unfinished, natural stone, earth tones, cabins, ranch, hand crafted items from iron,copper, stone, and handcrafted wood beams.
The site below has additional Rustic Style inspiration. Picture below also comes from the below website:
https://medium.com/interior-design-collection/the-principles-of-rustic-design-40d80951a093
Traditional Style
The Traditional style Is a classic design style. Some characteristics of the Traditional Style are paneled doors, built in cabinetry furniture may have some small embellishments ( such as fringe), bronze accents, and wood, earthy tones . If you like this style you like the classic, brass accents, detailed trim work, refined, craftsmanship, sophisticated, and timeless decor.
The site below has additional information on the traditional home style.
Bohemian Style
The Bohemian Style or Boho is vibrant and quirky. Those that are drawn to this style like to mix textures, patterns, and rich colors. This style is the most eclectic style and opposite the minimalist approach. Some key features that make up the Boho style are layered textures, patterns, unique shapes, colorful, and woven textiles.
The site below gives additional details and inspiration on how to get this Boho look.
https://www.thespruce.com/decorators-guide-to-bohemian-style-1977570
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Brainstorming
Now that we styles down lets figure out where your style fits. How to identify your design style – when considering all these styles and descriptions which items are you drawn to the most? Look around your home what do you like about the spaces you have decorated and what do you not like? To help with the brainstorming process try to write these things down. It will help you pinpoint your style. Create a decor style board on Pintrest and pin all the pictures of spaces that you are drawn to. Once you have about 20-30 pictures you should be able to tell what style your style is.
Remember the above mentioned styles do not encompass all decor styles. However the above mentioned styles are the main decor styles. I have found the other styles all take parts of these main styles to makeup these other styles. For Example the Style Modern Farmhouse is Modern and Farmhouse mixed together. These other decor styles come from these 6 basic styles.
My Style
I enjoy everything Farmhouse related. I love the older items that look used, and homemade. However, I also add touches of industrial and rustic in my decor. I incorporate the raw metal pipping and raw metal canisters in my home decor (Industrial style). I enjoy decorating with textured and raw materials that are distressed and unpolished which comes from the rustic home style. Each style uses the natural materials and incorporates different elements and textures to create my story.
Identifying Your Style and Finding Your Story
When picking your style don’t feel as though you need to stick to one particular style. Don’t worry/stress about following the guidelines for each style – just focus on the things that matter to you and those that share your home. Sure, if you don’t have a knack for decorating this may not be as easy for you as it is for others. Just like all things if you do not succeed the first time just try again. Once you realize decorating isn’t about sticking to a particular set of rules, but telling your story it will become freeing and enjoyable. Play with the different details, paint colors, and decor items you are drawn to. If you don’t like it you can always change it up. So, along the way you may even find yourself developing a new hobby all while creating a house into a home.
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