Is this familiar terrain?
Are you embarking on a home renovation and/or decoration? Or about to move into a new space and you need ideas on how to style and transform that space into one you have always dreamed of?
What are your likes and maybe more importantly your dislikes when it comes to interior décor? Which colors do you love? Which do you dislike? Does any theme or pattern come to mind? What is your general idea of a style you want to create or have created for you?
Do you sometimes get the feeling that you know what you want but you cannot really figure out how to put it all together?
If you have hired an interior designer/decorator, you should also be ready to answer related questions about your design style as this is an important part of the job to ensure tremendous outcomes, true to imagination, are obtained.
Whether you are carrying out your space renovation/transformation project all by yourself or you are hiring a professional to do the job, it sure helps to work out a unique style that suits your design/décor needs and bring to live that aesthetic appeal that you only originally imagined.
Finding your unique style
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know whether you are Traditional, Victorian, Contemporary or even Eclectic. It matters even less if you do not have a clue about the makeup of these design styles or how one differs from the other. What is important is finding your unique style.
Finding your unique style means exactly that. It is that creation that is projected as imagined by you, true to you and one that exudes comfort, warmth, happiness and even special memories that resonates in a special way you and your loved ones can truly identify with.
It is also important to note that your unique style could be a combination of two or more different styles. Isn’t that what variety being the spice of life is all about?
A good place to start will be to begin capturing inspirational images that denote those things you love and can easily relate with when it comes to styling your space. It could be a colour theme, an upholstery design, a light fitting or general lighting pattern, accent colors and accessories etc.
Pictures, they say are worth a thousand words and the idea is to save as much of these images as possible until a trend/pattern begins to emerge that can guide you on your own decoration and/or renovation journey as well as provide a visual representation of your personal design style.
Now don’t worry too much about the pattern you are likely to create as this takes out all the fun and may also inhibit the style and harmony that could be created from your inspirational images.
There is however some logic to this process and I will be sharing some tips you need to follow in order to achieve optimum results.
Create your vision Board
A great and incredibly easy way to achieve this is by making use of digital platforms like Pinterest (www.pinterest.com) or Houzz (www.houzz.com).
Both platforms warehouse tons of images that relate to whatever design/décor style you are searching for.
The major difference between the two is that while Houzz is specifically made for designing, decorating and remodeling ideas, Pinterest can be used by anyone to search for anything. I personally make use of Pinterest a lot but you can try both to know which suits your preferences best.
Once decided on your platform of choice, sign up on same and create a Board. In Pinterest for example, a Board is like your electronic memory that stores all your ideas – the individual items/posts that you interact with (also known as Pins) in one place. In Houzz, it is called an Idea Book.
Boards are also used to organize your Pins such that a collection of similar Pins can be saved using different Boards. You are also able to create multiple boards and name them accordingly depending on how you want them to be organized.
For example, it could be by different sections of your house – Living Room, Kitchen, Children’s Room or by design themes such as Lighting, Flooring, Window Blinds, Upholstery and Furniture, etc. You get the idea right? Pin as many images as you like across the various Board categories created.
These options are completely up to you and you should go for what works best in your situation. Remember, this should be fun and not tiring! The process is a very simple one and you would get a hang of it easily. However, a quick Google search can also be helpful where necessary.
Embrace the Psychology of Interior Design/Décor
Psychology is an essential part of any design or décor job. And so, before you save those images, take a moment to reflect on the feeling each image you peruse evokes as well as the feeling you wish to create in the spaces under consideration.
For example, does an image exude happiness, coziness, feeling of warmth and comfort? A well-lighted living room with good air circulation and a touch of luxurious feel embodies a feeling that creates a lasting impression on family members and guests alike.
Pay attention to how your visual sense interprets colors. Lighter colors give that impression of openness while darker colors portray heaviness and an enclosed space. White could be used to depict elegance especially when combined with a touch of brighter accent colors.
Similarly, Pink has always been great for children’s bedrooms.
What is most important here is that you concentrate on why you are drawn to a particular image, focus on how the image makes you feel as much as how it looks to you. You will find that gradually, you would begin to make sense of the style that suits your space, one image at a time.
Tailor Inspirations to your Reality
Every Pin that is saved on your Board(s) represent images that you are drawn to for various reasons ranging from aesthetic appeal to inspirational color combinations and to even ‘little’ details such as a flower vase sitting atop a console table and wall bracket light options.
These images are therefore inspirations to help construct your own version. Attempting to recreate every single detail present in your saved image will only overwhelm you and not achieve the desired objective of finding your unique style, especially when the layout of your space or home is not the same as the one in your saved image.
If having a console table in your living room will make your space appear too cramped, then you can consider placing the vase on a beautifully constructed wall shelf instead.
You should also take note of particular needs. For example, having younger children at home may mean that while your living room is left tiled, the staircase area should be carpeted with child safe banisters and railing installed. Consider blocking both ends of the stairs with a baby gate if required.
It is important to tailor specific “inspo-details” in your saved collections to your own reality such that your space is not only effectively utilized but also exquisitely accentuated.
So…what next?
Having pinned as much images to your Board as possible, your style pattern should begin to emerge at this point and should now also begin to make sense to you.
If this is not the case, then it may mean that you have overthought the pinning process and pinned images that do not resonate with you. Go ahead to review your Boards again and get rid of unwanted images. Repeat this process if necessary.
Once you have pruned your images to a reasonable extent, you should now be able to view a visual representation of your design style as well as interpret your aesthetic appeal.
A huge part of this exciting adventure is unravelling your personal design style. Identifying images that resonate with you and saving these images in an organized manner, taking cognizance of the foregoing tips are an excellent way to explore and discover what inspires you design wise and what kind of personal style and preferences you evoke as a person.
It is also a great starting point to begin execution of that design, decoration or renovation job, whether you are hiring a design professional or you’re having a go at it alone.
Whatever rocks your boat, I wish you all the best.
The old saying … a picture is worth a thousand words has never been truer in this sense!.
Photo credit : www.galaxydraperies.com, https://blog.oka.com, www.pinterest.com
About Arteriors By Ella
Arteriors By Ella is an Interior Design and Decoration outfit primarily focused on helping clients create lasting impressions in their home spaces. We aim to consistently deliver innovative and impactful interiors by infusing our touch of originality and innovation into every project, whilst upholding our commitment to quality operations and to delivering exceptional service to our clients.
Contact us on 0803 305 2919 or [email protected].