Three Straightforward Ways To Figure Out Your Style

One of the most common questions that we hear nearly every day is “how do I know what style truly appeals to me? I seem to like a few conflicting things and I simply cannot seem to make a decision with any confidence.” Well, here are three ways to get over decorator’s block swiftly and relatively painlessly.

Pointer #1. Gather inspiration images and see what they all have in common. We have mentioned that we keep our go-to rooms organized in a pleasant thick plastic-sleeve-riddled binder (read more about that here). And this anthology of sorts was truly paramount when it came to pinning down our style and learning what we enjoy. It is remarkable how an arsenal of enjoy-it-so-much images can assist you identify commonalities in rooms that truly grab your attention. Sure you might find that you have a million “go-to” rooms sitting in a pile (or in a binder if you are Captain Organized like me) but it will not be until you go through them and make a separate pile of about 15 rooms that TRULY stand out to you (read: the best of the best) that you will begin to notice some common color schemes, furniture finishes, and overarching style cues that many of these rooms have in common.

Take note of the wood finishes that you are drawn to. The wall colors. The furniture shapes. The textiles and accessories. The art. The overall effect (high contrast? dreamy? tone-on-tone? pops of color?). Of course your go-to rooms might not all be especially obvious and similar when you study them as a group, but simply try to see what patterns you can pick up. Perhaps they all have dramatic floor to ceiling curtains or dark velvet sofas? Or perhaps it is more about patterned rugs or bright modern art on the walls? You might notice they all have neutral backdrops with pops of color in the pillows or accessories. Or a high contrast vibe (like dark wood floors paired with white walls). If you look long sufficient, we are sure you will see some definite commonalities- and that is how you can start to develop your confidence and create a real overarching “look” for your home.

This exercise is the single most essential thing you can do to assist define your style and hone in on your aesthetic, so do not rush through it or halfheartedly select your go-to rooms without some serious thought. Heck even if you only have five cream-of-the-crop-holy-cow-I-enjoy-this-room images, it is still more effective than tossing ten more eh-this-room-is-ok images into the mix. So truly do some serious soul searching (and magazine and online searching) to see what tickles your fancy. Then lay them all out to study what they have in common- and what you can adapt and introduce into your quite own home. Oh and check out these strong online sites (here, here, and here) for galleries full of vivid rooms in a variety of styles.

Pointer #2. Take a few find-your-style quizzes to see what they say that you like. Sure they could all be complete hooey, but it is not like they can truly hurt. And they are all fairly swift to complete. Sometimes one or two of them will hit on something so eye-opening and illuminating that you will literally feel like you at last know exactly what you like. Or at least like you are a lot closer to cracking the code.

Pointer #3. Do not get caught up with a label like “Elegant Classic” or “Cottage Meets Vintage.” Sure sometimes they can assist (and if a label or a specific descriptor keeps you on track then by all means embrace it). But we do not truly go out of our way to describe our exact style in any words at all. We simply know what we like (capiz, jute, neutrals mixed with sea glass-esque greens and blues, dark wood, bamboo blinds, natural materials, glass based lamps, and white white white). Here is a post all about that. It is safe to say that we at last know what we enjoy and can easily identify what will fit seamlessly into our house (and what will not – which is simply as essential).

But even though we have a handle on what fries our bacon when it comes to furnishings, accessories and so on, if you were to ask us to label our style we’d likely hem and haw while tossing out a slew of general terms like: clean-lined, airy, light, breezy, beachy, modern, classic, transitional… the list goes on and on! So do not worry if you do not end up with a specific decorating style name at the end of your figure-out-what-I-like pilgrimage. Simply be open to embracing the colors, shapes, materials, and elements that you’ve identified time and time again as your cup of tea. Because a label does not make the room, and sometimes trying to encapsulate your style with some two or three word description is nearly impossible anyway.

Oh and remember that our we-know-what-we-like confidence did not happen overnight. It was all thanks to decorating in stages and taking the time to figure out what worked and what did not (the wrong paint color can be painted over & the wrong pillows, rugs and blinds can consistently be returned or upgraded down the line). Sometimes it is the mistakes that tell you the most about what you like and get you a lot closer to pinning down your true style. So do not be paralyzed with indecision- it will not get you anywhere! You have to start somewhere, and after you try out these three style sleuthing pointers you will hopefully have a pleasant little map that will get you closer to your own personal decorating holy grail.

But sufficient about what we think. We’d enjoy to hear any and all pointers that you folks have on the subject of pinning down your style and making your house feel welcoming, chic, and oh-so-you.

Psst- Looking for more decorating advice when it comes to pinning down your style and figuring out what will work. Here is a post all about avoiding decorating indecision and here is one about keeping things looking layered and lovely as opposed to hodge podge or matchy-matchy.