It doesn’t always come easy as it does for some when trying to figure out what your own unique home decor style is. There are many reasons for this. However, in order to figure out what yours is, we must start from the beginning such as, “what stands out for you immediately when walking into a room”? Another is, “what in this space do you immediately critique”? Maybe, you’re someone who believes you have no business criticizing someone else’s style. As your virtual friend, let me help with these 10 Tips To Excavating Your Authentic Home Decor Style.
Stop Saying You Don’t Know How To Decorate Your Home!
Moving to a different home might be among the greatest joys of life, but this could also be a source of anxiety, especially with regard to decorating. What can you do to make your area seem its finest while also expressing your particular style? When you’re doing it correctly, you will eventually wind up with quite a pleasant, happy house. You’ll also have a considerably better chance of succeeding if you prepare ahead of time and take the very same steps that experienced interior designers take.
Don’t ever go purchasing in a frenzy simply because you possess an empty house. Of course, you do require a sofa. However, if you choose the purple and white sofa solely based on its appearance at the shop, before collecting measurements or considering the remainder of the space, you will be trapped with it. The remainder of said room would need to be created around the sofa you impulsively purchased, and if the sofa is too big for the area, it’ll look weird for the remainder of its life. Begin in the space you want to furnish, equipped with a tape measure and a notebook.
Have Fun Being Inspired
Designing your space, whether it’s a dorm, apartment or home should be fun and exciting! The possibilities of where to get inspiration is ENDLESS. If you love shopping, well now you have a new excuse to browse nearby Interior Decor stores. Also, if you’re open to thrifting, check out those places too and watch your money go much further. You may find nice preowned furniture at Consignment Shops too. I’ve included my list of favorite stores to shop at for home decor. Most also provide online shopping, but if not, just check the store locator to find one near you. I highly recomment Wayfair because of their return policies and wonderful customer service. Same goes for Amazon and Houzz.
- Wayfair
- Houzz
- Z Galleries
- Crate & Barrel
- Amazon (Of course, they have everything!)
- Pier 1
- World Market
- Kirklands
- At Home
- Home Goods
- IKEA
- Ross
- Burlington
- Hobby Lobby
- Macy’s
You can also get inspiration from Home Decor magazines, Pinterest and Instagram. Just take your time and have fun.
Don’t Compare Yourself With Others
Browsing on sites such as Instagram and Pinterest offers an abundance of inspiration. However, sometimes people can get caught up in the IG smoke or facade and may end up comparing themselves and what they have to what you’re constantly seeing promoted by someone else, especially those that seem to be able to afford anything and everything. It’s never what it seems. You were created to be your own authentic unique being. So as my favorite quote by Dr Seuss goes, “Why fit in when You are born to stand out?” Honestly, be a trailblazer yourself. Remember, only dead fish go with the flow.
Know thy measurements. Don’t buy any rugs, furniture, large mirrors or large purchases prior to knowing measurements. It is vital to coordinate the size of furniture with the size of a space. Before you begin planning, measure the width and length of each space you wish to furnish, as well as the height of the ceiling and any obstacles. To prepare for window treatments, measure the openings where the windows are as well as the space underneath, above, as well as the left and right of each window.
After you obtain your space measurements, you can use that information to create an accurate floor plan which offers you an excellent bird’s eye perspective of the whole house.
When you’ve completed the floor plan, you’re free to design your home as you like.
What Styles and Colors Are You Drawn To And What Colors Do You Despise?
Image from: The Manual
Red is an extremely emotive color. It boosts metabolism, speeds up breathing, and elevates blood pressure levels. It provides a high level of visibility, hence why stoplights, stop signs, as well as fire apparatus are typically colored red. Red has been used to represent bravery in heraldry.
Green is said to have healing properties. It is considered the most relaxing hue in the visible spectrum, and it can help with eyesight. Green denotes endurance, but also stability. Green can also signify inexperience; for example, someone called ‘greenhorn’ would be thought to be a newcomer by whoever called them that. Green represents development and promise within heraldry. Green, in contrast to red, represents safety; it has become the color representing a clear path in transportation.
Grey is the chic neutral. Color expert Kate Smith states, “Gray is the color of intellect and of compromise. It’s a diplomatic color, negotiating all the distance between black and white. We typically consider gray to be conservative, elegant, and cool, though it can be a bit mysterious”.
Yellow has a warming impact, promotes cerebral activity, and develops muscular energy. The color yellow is frequently connected with food. Vivid, clear yellow catches the eye, which is why taxi cars are painted in this color. When used excessively, yellow may be unsettling; it is well known that newborns scream more when they’re in a yellow room. When put against black, yellow is noticed before other hues; such a combination is frequently employed to send a warning. Yellow represents respect and devotion in heraldry.
Blue is said to be good to both the intellect and also the body. This color reduces human metabolism but also has a soothing effect. The color blue is often connected with peace and tranquility. Blue is a heraldic color that represents piety and honesty.
Black is an enigmatic hue that conjures up images of terror and the unfathomable. This one has a bad meaning most of the time. Black is indeed the color of sorrow in heraldry. Check out my Goth Home Interior Trends.
White is connected with righteousness, honesty, and innocence. It is regarded as the hue of excellence. White represents security, safety, and purity. White, in contrast to black, it typically carries a positive meaning. White might signify a prosperous start. White represents trust and integrity in heraldry.
Orange mixes the vigor of red with the joy of yellow. It is connected with happiness, sunlight, and the tropical regions. Orange is a color that indicates zeal, curiosity, enjoyment, creativity, determination, attractiveness, success, inspiration, and excitement.
Purple is a color that blends the solidity of blue with the vibrancy of red. This color represents power, nobility, elegance, and aspiration. It represents riches and excess. Purple represents knowledge, dignity, individuality, creativity, intrigue, and enchantment.
What Annoys You About Other Living Spaces?
Image from: Homedit
There are several things that irritate people about many other people’s houses and how they have been decorated. Continue reading to learn about the most typical annoyances one could encounter at someone’s home.
The pure white, minimalistic aesthetic is unsuitable for the majority of homes. White textiles, particularly white leather, are quickly stained. This aesthetic is trendy in online publications, therefore designers are regularly commissioned to create it, but individuals are frequently saddled with potentially excessive cleaning as well as maintenance bills.
Open shelving can be both stylish and difficult to carry off. During this time, this has become overdone. It’s also highly impractical, because very few individuals like to spend the time organizing their plates and glasses.
Faux-distressed décor might be unappealing. For years, people have been weathering as well as chalk-painting their furniture. I actually purchased my dining room set second hand and painted the whole set with chalk paint. I saved a lot of money too There was this dining table set I wanted from Horchow department store, but it was $2200 so, Nope! I found a table very similar to it on Craigslist so I painted it to look very similar. You can read about my chalk painted dining set here.
Palm prints have been all over the place, but not in any pleasant manner. Cheaply done palm prints appear to be ubiquitous, and the overuse of palm prints has diminished its attraction.
When You Walk Into A Room, What Makes You Feel Invited and Excited?
Image from: Decower
If you want to have a place feeling welcoming and lively, here are several ideas.
Display artwork up on your walls since studies indicate that just gazing at art may relieve anxiety and bring you joy.
Display objects that bring back memories of your old childhood home. To many of us, the childhood home represents the pinnacle of what it means to be “at home.” It was the first place we felt loved and secure.
Softness should be all around you. A comfortable blanket will come a long distance in making any environment more serene and inviting, there are plenty of comfy throws available for any price. If you struggle from worry or tension, consider getting a good weighted blanket. All these trendy bedding accessories provide modest pressure onto your body which will cause you to feel so calm and collected.
Now, Name Your Home or Even Every Room
Formerly, only big mansions, palaces, and beachfront cottages got names. But all those beautiful properties out by the sea don’t have to be the sole homes with names. In essence, I heartily advise you to give your house a name. What for? This is another way to express yourself and add a personal touch to anything, similar to your online nickname or a personalized license plate. For fun, I’ll start and then you have to come up with your own as well. So, I named my home, The Fabulous Fortress! Now, your turn!
Frankly, the idea of naming your home is nice, even if you don’t reside in a “mansion,” and even if your house isn’t close to being a mansion at all. Townhomes, condominiums, dorms or studios may still have a name. It’s still “Home” and deserves a name.
12 Popular Interior Design Styles
There are probably 100s of Interior Design styles. You may find your home decor design style to be a combination of several styles. You don’t really need to have the same style throughout your home. For example, my home and all it’s rooms is a combination of Coastal, Modern, Hollywood Regency, French, Glam, Vintage and Traditional. Check out the links below to see photos of multitudes of various Interior Design Styles. Which ones are you drawn to?
- Modern
- Bohemian
- Gothic
- Transitional
- Glam/Chic
- Rustic
- Eclectic
- Contemporary
- Hollywood Regency
- Farmhouse
- Country
- Industrial
Try A Home Décor Style Quiz
Try taking a short quiz to find your Home Décor Style like this one called, Trust Your Taste on Apartment Therapy. It was the most accurate test for me so far.
Another interesting quiz on finding your home decor style at My Move to quickly discover your home decor style so that you can begin to prepare for your move to your new space.
If you find you don’t agree with the results of either quiz, it’s still fun to see things from another perspective.
It’s Okay To Change Your Mind
Sometimes you will find something you like, purchase it, then realize it is not a good fit and it’s OKAY! See it as a learning curve. You didn’t know you didn’t like it at first and now you do. Don’t stress, keep it fun. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed with designing your home, just take a day to chill and do what makes you happy, and then come back and continue on with your project. Don’t ever let the perfectionist in you defeat you. This is suppose to be Exciting!!
There will be times when you’ll need to see something in our home before committing to it so SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS! Become familiar with return policies. Which again is why I recommend Wayfair, Amazon and Houzz.
Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve been inspired to taking the steps necessary in identifying your very own unique style with these 10 Tips To Excavating Your Authentic Home Decor Style.
