How to Easily Identify Your Personal Design Style & Showcase it in Your Home

Your home is a reflection of you-who you are, your likes, your values, your preferences, your personality, your family...And for that reason, there is no one-size-fits all for how it should be designed. People often ask me what my design "style" is when I do a project, and I always answer them that I don't have one! Other than the guarantee that I will never give you the Palace of Versailles, the rest is a journey with the client to find out what they're after, and how to give it to them in the most beautiful, most contemporary, most comfortable way. Your house should be a reflection of you-I'm just here to help you get there!

Step 1: Find Visual Inspiration Without Overthinking

Part of my onboarding process with new clients is to give them homework. Yes, you heard that correctly-you're hiring me, but they have work to do too! I ask for images of homes, furniture, spaces etc. that they like. A key direction I always give as part of this assignment is to not think too hard about why they like a certain image. It's enough at this point just to know that they like it. So when you are finding visual inspiration, don't overthink it. You can use apps like Pinterest and create boards for each room that you want to redo. Don't try to assign labels (traditional, modern farmhouse, transitional, etc.) to an image. At this point the idea is just to find as many images as you can that you like and organize them by space. That's it.

Step 2: Determine the Common Thread Between Each Image

Once my client has gathered a bunch of photos that she/he likes, THEN we go through the boards/screenshots/magazine clippings to find common design themes. What do I mean by this? Well, an example would be to look at the living room: Is there a large, colorful rug in almost every picture? Then that's something the client likes. Is there a sectional sofa upholstered in blue velvet in several of the photos? Then that's something that appears to be a strong preference. Is the coffee table in 4 out of the 6 images made out of wood? Again, a preference, this time in material. See how this works? This is how you can begin to figure out your style direction.

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

The next step after analyzing the images is to narrow down design details that you love into a design concept for each space you have in mind. This is the mood board/design board phase of work in our office. We come up with a new layout plan, and then choose furniture, materials, drapery, lighting, rugs, etc. based on the preferences we discerned from your homework. The choices are fine-tuned as the board comes together, so that the design direction becomes clear and all the pieces are aligned. This takes time and a lot of experimentation to get right, but when it all comes together, it’s totally worth it.

So start exploring!

Figuring out how you want your interiors to look isn't a mystery-it's a process. Take it step by step and don't worry so much about making mistakes. Sometimes "mistakes" end up being the best catalyst for an amazing design. However, if this still feels daunting and you still want some help in the process, B Squared Design is always here to walk through it with you. Schedule a discovery call and we can get started!

Until next month,