What’s your interior style?
Guest blog by our resident interior designer Eliza.
There are many different interior design styles to choose from when decorating, designing and styling your home. An interior design style can be defined as a set of colours, shapes, furniture styles, patterns and textures that were popular throughout a certain era in history or are popular in a specific geographic location. For example, mid-century modern and traditional style interiors came to fruition during a certain era in history whereas styles such as Hamptons, Scandinavian or Mediterranean started from a place and location. Defining and refining your interior design style can be hard when there are so many to choose from, but we always suggest taking elements of your favourite styles to create something that works perfectly for you.
Let’s Talk Shapes
What shapes do you gravitate towards in your home? This can be a great starting point when trying to define your interior decorating style and what to lean into. We suggest looking at the existing furniture in your home that you love (disregard anything you’re thinking of changing) and take note of the shape, size and details of it. Are the edges rounded and soft or are they sleek and square? Do you tend to gravitate towards a style of furniture that has intricate detail or a more minimal aesthetic? Even the size of the pieces of furniture you love can determine what kind of style suits you best. Once you have defined what shape your furniture is, we can narrow down what design style these fall into. If your furniture has curved edges, appears soft in shape and is quite minimal in design you could gravitate towards a Scandinavian, Coastal or Mid-Century Modern Style. Whereas if your furniture has more intricate detailing and is larger in size you will most likely love Traditional, Hamptons or Country style.
Colour Is Key
Colour is such a huge part of interior decorating and styling a home. The use of certain colours in a space can reflect not only your personality and lifestyle, but what interior design style you are portraying as well. Light and bright interiors have been very popular in recent years and work perfectly with styles such as Coastal, Hamptons, Minimalism or Mediterranean. Whereas if you love a moody interior you could lean into the design styles of industrial, mid-century or a warm and cosy country style. Using pops of colour through decorative accessories, rugs and soft furnishings is a great way to have fun with an interior design style. Colours such as navy blue and forest green are perfect for a Hamptons home whereas pale blue and soft pink are great for Scandinavian style decorating. If you love a neutral home and layering shades of white, beige or grey you probably fall into more of a Coastal, Japandi or Minimalism style.
Texture & Patten
Texture and pattern can really help to define your decorating style as the shapes and details used can often reflect a specific period in history or geographical location. Patterns in soft furnishings such as flowers and leaves work perfectly in a country style home whereas fruit motives and pottery shapes stem from the Mediterranean design style. Graphic patterns have been popular throughout history in items such as wallpaper, rugs and cushions and are popular in mid-century modern, eclectic and ultra-modern design styles. The texture and colour of timbers used in furniture can also play a big role in defining your design style. For example, darker and more ornate timbers suit a traditional style in contrast to lighter and more organic timbers reflecting a coastal aesthetic.
Blending Interior Design Styles
When it comes to interior design, the great thing is that there are no set rules, and these design styles can be used as a guide to help with defining your home and knowing what you do and don’t like. To avoid your home looking like a museum or display home we always recommend blending complimenting interior design styles together to create your own unique look. When blending design styles together it is important to choose styles that have a similar colour palette and use complimenting shapes and furniture styles. For example, Country style and Hamptons style work perfectly together as they use similar shapes and put emphasis on pattern in and plenty of decorative accessories. Another great style that works well together is incorporating a more Minimalism take on the ‘Coastal’ design style. Both use a light and bright colour palette and have furniture and decorative pieces for predominantly functional purposes. Have fun with what styles you like best and try mixing and matching furniture and accessories that you love the most to create a home that reflects you and your family’s personality and lifestyle.