Home design trends come and go, but a tastefully designed space has enduring style. How do you make a space your own, however? You could simply incorporate all your favorite colors and styles, but to create a space that looks and feels put together, you’ll need to pinpoint the right design scheme. We explain how to tap into your personal style to make your home your own.
1. Find What Speaks to You
Photos, blogs, art, and nature: You likely draw inspiration from many sources. The first step in pinpointing your interior design style is to find what speaks to you. Mood and vision boards can be excellent resources that help you connect with those ideas and translate them into reality.
Don’t discount the power of social media when it comes to creating a mood board. Because social media sites use algorithms based on your interests, the site will populate with images and designs that are more likely to resonate with you. These online resources make it easy to pinpoint the exact aesthetic you want and discover new designers or lines that match your needs.
2. Embrace What You Love
Many design trends have a short shelf life, but great style never expires. Instead of drenching your home in trendy colors and styles regardless of how much or little you like them, consider the colors you love.
Color can affect our moods powerfully, bringing us joy, peace, comfort, inspiration, and relaxation. Consider not just the colors you like but how they’ll work in a certain space. Instead of using lavender, for example, in a moody library, try a rich eggplant or burgundy to create a dramatic, sumptuous effect.
If you’re redoing your entire home, consider using a theme to ensure a smooth transition from one room to another. One easy way to do this is by using paint swatches from your local paint store. Each chip has a series of coordinating or complementary colors. You can also use an online color picker to “pick up” colors from a piece of fabric, wallpaper, a favorite painting, or even a dress. The color picker will analyze your uploaded image and provide you with a palette you can use to brighten and beautify your space.
3. Curate a Meaningful Collection
Once you’ve got an idea of the colors and styles you like, you will likely be excited to get started on your new look. Rather than buying all new furnishings and accessories, however, take the time to browse and shop for pieces that are meaningful to you. Furniture and home goods shops are just two options. Expand your shopping horizons to include thrift stores, secondhand shops, consignment shops, and even family members’ basements. Choose only pieces that ignite happy feelings and memories. Heirloom pieces, in particular, can carry not just style but meaningful personal and family history, adding depth and meaning to your design scheme.
You don’t have to overhaul your home all at once, either. Think of it as a labor of love, adding only pieces that bring joy and ruthlessly discarding what doesn’t fit your space or life, taking it one day at a time and enjoying the process.
4. Work with a Pro
Are you still struggling to pinpoint the best design for you? Ask a pro for guidance. Professional interior designers understand how best to unite colors, highlight collections, and incorporate your passions to create a cohesive style. Professionals will consider your needs, preferences, likes and dislikes, and even your home’s period, layout, and architecture as they develop a vision. You will work closely with them to plan your color scheme, develop ideas based on what you love, and transform your space. Textures, patterns, and even natural elements can all play a role here, and your design pro will guide you every step of the way as you bring your space to life.
