Channeling your inner designer: finding your own style
If anyone asked you about the style you have used to decorate your house, could you answer them? We often tend to throw different elements at a room without thinking about whether they will work together or are cohesive at all. Transforming spaces, creating a style for a room, giving it that wow effect - those can be very tricky things to do! Creating a coherent, stylish, and yet not all too polluted space that makes you and others feel comfortable is not an easy task. As Coco Chanel, the famous haute couturière and perfume designer, once said: “An interior is the natural projection of a soul”. That is why we have put together a set of ideas that will help you understand how to get in sync with yourself and put that into practice.
The very first step to redesigning the spaces you inhabit might seem obvious, but is often not taken as seriously as it should be. It is very important to plan the design of a room before starting any kind of renovation. So how does one do that?
1. Get to know yourself!
When we design, we are telling a story about ourselves. But how could we possibly guide someone through a plot without getting to know the main character? You need to get in touch with what you like and what says something about you. We recommend that you observe and write down how you feel when you enter the different rooms in your house:
What is your general feeling?
Is this a place that you like to be in? Why? Why not?
What do you expect of this specific room and are those expectations being fulfilled?
Which elements in this room give you joy?
Which ones don’t you like or would you like to change?
Now, think of spaces that you know and feel especially well in. You might think of a room in a family member’s or friend’s home or of your favourite restaurant. Even places within your workspace may come to mind. Next, ask yourself the questions listed above, this time applied to those spaces that are not necessarily decorated by yourself.
Once you do this, it will be easier to determine colors, patterns and materials that you like.
2. Create a mood board
The next step would be putting together the elements that you have identified as your style and seeing if they fit together. It can be very helpful to create one or multiple mood boards in this step. This way you could agglomerate those elements that go together on different boards and later choose what board would go better with what you envisioned for a specific room. Mood boards you don’t choose to use can be saved for future occasions.
3. Visit stores
Don’t be afraid of wandering off into the world of design in order to inspire yourself with ideas. A Saturday afternoon walk to the next interior design store can already be very eye-opening in that sense. If you can, visit different retail establishments related to interior design and let your imagination flow. It is recommendable to bring your mood boards or a copy of them with you.
There are also many different websites where you can search for different colors, patterns and themes and even save the items you liked to a Pinterest board or a board on some other website. These give you the chance to find many different styles and inspirations. There, you can discover different kinds of wallpaper, wall colours and other items. Visiting websites can be very beneficial for the creation of a room style, as a room design can sometimes start with one item that you like. This way, you can revolve the style of your room around the chosen element.
In this case, the rug has a quite eye-catching effect on the room. It would be perfectly combined with items that are rather unpolluted in colour.
4. Research about what you like
Now that you have mapped out your style and favourite elements, you can research about the effects they produce in a room. What does a particular colour do for a room? What is the best position for a standing lamp? In which rooms should you utilise plants as decoration and where within those rooms? What effect would, for example, a wallpaper with flowers have? Those are subjects that various websites write about and that one could find a variety of books and magazines on. Knowing what a certain element can contribute to your style, helps create a coherent and thought-out atmosphere.
The room in this picture looks fresh! Many elements combined show that a common thread used to decorate the space.
5. Understand what works according to your life style
A room design also needs to meet your needs in terms of practicality. That is why it is also crucial to think about the items that you make use of on a daily basis. In some cases you might even find better ways to store them or to highlight them in a fun and harmonious way.
Even though, all these tips might be very helpful, never forget to rely on your own intuition and sensation about a room. After all, style is something very personal and can vary amongst individuals. Always find the perfect compromise between what is practical and what you like. It is a good idea to bear in mind what
Nate Berkus, the interior design firm owner, reiterates: “I believe your home should tell your story. What you love most collected and assembled in one place.”
