A home and its interiors are, by nature, such important and personal spaces. Regardless of the economic situation of its occupants or its location, the home is directly reflective of the personalities of each person living there! So, to try to cram those aesthetic personalities all into one box and mark it "style" seems a fruitless exercise, doesn't it?

But to make it appear cohesive and well-designed, it is important to come up with a general feel of the interiors. And style categories can help us get there relatively quickly. Though no one person is going to fall 100% into purely one style, most of us can narrow ourselves down to one or two dominant styles, with touches of a couple more.

Here are some ideas on how to zero-in on what decorating styles will work best for you and your household.

Step 1: Find Visual Inspiration Without Overthinking

The easiest way to develop a sense of your personal style is to create an inspiration board. As I teach in my course, The Envied Nest Academy, you can do this one of two ways;

1) What I call The Paper Doll Way: clipping photos from magazines and gluing them on a board, or my personal favorite,

2) The Geek Squad Way: saving images you like digitally onto a Pinterest board or a lookbook in Houzz. To start your quest, initiate a search of common, well-known styles such as mid-century modern, farmhouse, traditional, transitional, coastal, contemporary, or bohemian. You can branch off from there!

Whatever method you use to collect your photos, do it a little bit at a time to avoid overwhelm. Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes, find looks you like, and collect them until the timer goes off. Then take a look at your new stash and try to narrow it down to 2 or 3 of your favorites. Keep those and let go of the rest. After having a few sessions like this you will notice the things you tend to save the most will have similarities that instruct you on your taste.

Step 2: Determine the Common Thread Between Each Image

What are those facets that keep coming up for you in your saved images? Are you drawn to a particular color palette? Do you love rooms that have lots of windows framing the natural environment outside? Are they rustic or do they have some polish to them? Or even some glam? Are they intimate and cozy? Airy and bright?

Maybe you have a friend who could help you decipher the themes they see recurring as you show them your photos.

Step 3: Begin a Concept Board Based on Theme & Style

Once you feel good about the general direction you want your style preferences to take, it's time to create another board, a concept board that narrows your favorite style details down even further in relation to the particular space you would like to redecorate. 

When I am doing this for a client I begin to loosely source products that would work very well with their style category and color ideas. We are not actually pulling the "purchase" trigger yet. But when selections in the concept development phase have received their final approval, it is super empowering to know we have identified the pieces required and can move forward with excitement and confidence.

There is nothing like walking into a room that is a gorgeous representation of the person or household that lives there! If your interior spaces need a good dose of your personality to wake them up, do some "style" fishing to see what looks best sum up who you are. And if you need a hand, don't be afraid to reach out! I love helping people get their design projects going on the right foot!

Looking for more inspiration you can act on right away? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

Warmly,

Joyce

PS: If you are the kind of person who likes to do things on your own, check out my free Masterclass, The 5-Step Method To Decorate Your Home Like A Pro