How to choose a home decorating style that you love!
How you choose the right style really comes down to personal taste. What do you want your home to “say” about you and your personality?
I know many of you are saying “that doesn’t help” so the best way to choose the right design style for your home is to learn a bit about several styles and choose which style or mix of styles suits you the best.
- Farmhouse Style: Farmhouse design style is comfortable, rustic, and heavily influenced by country decor but with cleaner lines & less fuss than you usually find in country style homes.
- Modern: Modern style embraces straight lines and minimal accents & neutral whites with pops of color. You won’t find furniture coverings and tablecloths in strictly Modern style homes.
- Contemporary: Contempory style is sleek straight lines and curves and minimal accents are defining characteristics of this style.
- Mid-Century Modern: Mid-Century design is marked by simplicity. It embraces smooth, sleek lines and curves.Happy reds and oranges reflect the general mood & embrace synthetic materials.
- Eclectic: Eclectic style can be one of the easiest or most frustrating decor styles to pull off. It is a mix of styles pulled together in a cohesive decor scheme.
- Bohemian: Bohemian style is popping up a lot! It embraces bold jewel tones and metallics. Decorating with lots of tchotchkes and accessories also characterizes this style. The most important thing in Bohemian style is that the chosen accent pieces are meaningful to the decorator.
- Mediterranean: Mediterranean style is generally subdivided into Italian, Spanish, and Greek Mediterranean styles. Bold, lively blues and purples complement natural clay browns, whites, and terra cottas decor.
- Industrial: Industrial style is heavily influenced by the look of factories and warehouses. In traditional homes, ductwork, wires, light fixtures, and other innards are typically masked or hidden.Industrial style embraces these home necessities and makes them part of the decor. Greys, browns, and blacks dominate the color palette.
- Scandinavian: Scandinavian decor can be characterized as straightforward & practical simplicity style. Understated color palettes that incorporate shades of white, simple accessories, bare, light colored wood floors are popular. Think pine or beech. Rugs, if there are any, are generally simple sheepskin.
- Shabby Chic: Shabby Chic is decidedly pretty and delicate with its lace and pastel accents. But, distressed and vintage furnishing helps to balance the delicate sweetness of the color palette. I like to think of as the“elegant but without trying too hard” look.
And there you have it, a brief summary of the popular design styles.
You’re almost certain to find just the right style or mix of styles for your home. Remember, the style of your home should be a reflection of your personality.
If your personality is a “mix” of several of these styles or completely different, go with it. As a decorator I seldom adhere to only one decor style and follow it to the letter. It’s much more common to mix and match elements to suit your personal taste & budget!
Start Decorating!
