The most welcoming homes are those that are full of personality … your personality. You know who you are but how do you express that in the décor and styling of your home? Well, the easiest way to do this is to start with you. What you like, if you don't immediately know try some of the these steps.
Working out your Style
1: Start with your favourite room.
Look around the space and pin point the things in it that you love and why you love them. For example I love the shape of that vase. I love the greens and blues in that painting. I love the bold print on that cushion cover.
Is there a common theme or style that ties them all together?
It might be a repetition of a colour, a particular type shape or form, the predominace of a pattern (geometric, organic, linear, abstract) or a certain period style – antique/classic, retro, boho etc.
Sometimes we can't find a common theme and that is okay too - some of the most beautiful interiors are an eclectic mix of things. More on making these work together in a bit.
2: Go and look in your wardrobe.
Yep that’s right look at your clothes. We tend to be more able to define our style in our clothes than we are able to in our décor. This is because we think about what we wear more than we think about our soft furnishings.
Just as particular items of clothing make you feel fantastic, a well crafted home will also make you feel fantastic.
What colours and patterns do you tend towards in the clothes you really love?
Pulling these colours and patterns into your decor is sure to lift your mood.
3: Jump on to Pintrest or Insta or flick through some magazines.
Save or mark the interiors you like and then apply the same process from step 1 - what is it you like about these interiors? Which ones would you love to actually live in?
Bringing it all together
By now you should be building up a bit of an idea of things you are drawn to. Don’t feel that you need to have one particular style.
Colour, pattern and form are great ways to tie together a disparate range of objects.
Remember your colour wheel from school? Colours can work either because they are complimentary, for example shades of green and blue or because they are diametrically opposed think lime green and hot pink or orange and teal. Bringing a line of colours that work together into your room will help create a cohesive space.
You can also use pattern and form to bring a room together. Repeated motifs such as circles or hand drawn forms, lines and geometrics. Even clashing patterns can work well if you have colours that pull them together. Don't think absolutely everything needs to be tied to the same link as long as there are connections between some objects a natural cohesiveness will form.
Variety can add a lot of depth to a room so don't be afraid to experiment - vary heights of items, sizes of cushions, textures, colours and patterns.
Always remember there is no right or wrong way to style a room - the best interiors are the ones that really reflect you, and like you they grow and change over time. They are concious and slow, give them room to develop, but most of all make sure they make you feel good!
If you find you do need any extra little bit of advice please don't hesitate to reach out, I'd love to help.
Sarah
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