Defining Your Decorating Style
By Leslie Shannon
How do you define your decorating style, what you like, what suits you? Well, in pretty much the same way that you find clothes to wear that you like. By knowing yourself and what suits you; seeing what’s out there, in stores and on other people; and seeking out constant inspiration in magazines and the media!
Take Your Time
If at all possible, try not to pressure yourself, or let others rush you. Spend time looking for ideas and inspiration in books, magazines, catalogs and on-line. Live in the space for a while, look at the light at various times of the day, and see how you actually use the rooms. In short, find out what the space needs.
Develop Your Eye for Design
Make a point of looking around houses that are open to the public—model homes, furnished homes for sale and so on.
If you’re eating out at a nice restaurant or visiting a museum or gallery, take note of the décor and details. It’s probably the work of a highly experienced interior designer.
You can even sharpen your design sense at the movies, by looking at the sets and scenes with rooms in them, which are usually styled by skilled set designers down to the smallest details.
Ask friends and acquaintances whose homes you admire how they created their look—most people are flattered and will love to give you tips.
But don’t just go with what others say is good. Be honest with yourself. Look for what you truly like.
What Attracts You?
What colors do you particularly respond to? Do you like light or dark? Strong or muted? How about textures—man-made or natural? Do you like antiques, or reproduction, or modern? Or all of the above? What rooms do you most enjoy being in—cozy, or ultra-modern?
Don’t design to impress others, or just to demonstrate that you know the latest trends (without perhaps actually liking them very much). Design for yourself and your family. After all, friends and colleagues just visit. You have to live there, day in and day out!
To assist you in defining your personal decorating style, some general styles are outlined below.
Traditional Warmth
A traditional style is generally formal, sophisticated and timeless, using antiques or high quality furniture reproductions, rich woods, overstuffed seating and muted understated colors. The emphasis is on comfort, style and classic, refined elegance.
Fabrics are luxurious and rich, fixtures are of high quality, and accessories may include paintings, vintage prints, and sculpture and framed personal mementos. Traditional rooms are thoughtfully composed and generally have a rather formal feel.
Modern Elegance
With its roots in the Bauhaus art movement of the 1920s, classic modern (which may also be called contemporary), treats interior spaces almost as pieces of three-dimensional art, balancing form, shape, color and texture, and banishing clutter and fussiness.
Surfaces are plain, colors are usually clean and pure, and shapes are geometric, with immaculate detail and finishing. The whole look is pared down and polished. Materials may be either the highest quality natural (silk and cotton, slate and marble, for example) or quality man-made.
Country Comfort
Country today is an assemblage of related styles, with names that include rustic, peasant, pastoral, natural, floral, romantic, nautical, beach, cottage, country house, colonial, New England, Shaker and Provençal, to name a few.
Signature elements are materials and textures that are natural rather than man-made; colors and designs that echo nature (floral motifs, for example); furniture that is simple and hand-crafted; and an absence of modern artifacts (they may be there, but are concealed).
Casual Blends
Casual can also be called eclectic—it’s a well-chosen and harmonious mix of furniture, fixtures, colors, textures and treasured accessories that appeal to you.
Casual requires a confident hand to team up ancient and modern, to combine, say, the clean lines of contemporary with the warmth of country, and tie it all together with color and texture.
The most successful casual rooms generally confine themselves to two or three different styles, and frequently use a common decorating theme, such as color or shape.
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