3 Easy Steps to Discover Your Interior Design Style
A home’s interior decor reflects a person’s taste and style. There is no right or wrong answer. Discovering your likes and dislikes is personal. While you can take cues from other sources to find ideas, sticking to styles that work with your way of life is crucial. I personally love the beginning of a job with a client when I take the time to get to know them. After all, my passion is creating homes, not unlivable showcases.
Here are 3 steps you can take to explore your unique design style…
Step 1: Find Visual Inspiration You Like and Dislike
I will never forget when early on in my career, I did a huge presentation for a client's Hamptons home, only to discover after weeks and hours of work that my client hated green and rattan, which was the main accent threaded into my design scheme! How was I to know? The client didn't even know until he saw it on my mood boards. Ever since that debacle of a presentation, I request that clients make Pinterest boards of images they like and those they hate.
Discovering your style can be difficult when every image on the internet is perfectly curated and styled. As you start collecting your favorites, create a file of those images you find horrific, and ask yourself why? It makes the narrowing down process so much easier. Have fun with it! It's your journey of self-discovery!
Step 2: Discover the Repeated Themes Between Each Image
Once you have assembled a gazillion Pinterest board/magazine clippings, note the common threads. Then, I will sit with a client and have them give me three words or design aspects of each photo that describe why they chose it. It's a fun process; we often laugh at the "hate" photos. They are so telling of personal taste. Do you hate green and never realized it? Do all your "like" images have dramatic drapery? Moody hues? Or are they all clean and white? Finally, your style begins to appear! Check out my post on digital photo organization for tips!
Step 3: Start a Mood Board Based on Function & Style
Once you have determined some specifics, it is time to start breaking down your home into rooms and what you want to accomplish in each. Of course, we all want a beautiful space, but first, you must decide how you want to live.
What is the function of the room? Take your bedroom, for instance. This is your place of rest, your sanctuary. You want it cozy, but what is cozy to you? Is it a cluster of pillows and objects or minimal furniture with no color space? Do you have a hard time falling asleep? Do you need minimal distraction? It could be a simple room with little detail.
Start organizing your saved images on your boards with the room's end purpose in mind. Mood boards are like puzzles! If discovering your sense of style was easy, I wouldn't have a job! We have a great team of designers and are happy to help you create your dream home!
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Cheers,
Lori