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If you have no idea where to start when it comes to decorating your home, you should know that that is normal, especially if this is your first time decorating. 

So, if you have found yourself mindlessly filling up Pinterest boards or rapidly searching for an interior design quiz online, this guide may be just what you’re looking for to help you find your own interior design style.  

The process of determining your style can feel overwhelming. Even browsing online at furniture will display a multitude of options and stir up a bunch of questions. What colours should you choose? Which patterns look best? How do you style your home so that it transitions through the seasons? 

Honestly, when you dive into the world of interior design, you might be surprised at how much you start to care about even the smallest of details in your new place.

If you don’t have any experience decorating, you can find yourself feeling clueless and randomly buying furniture, crossing your fingers and hoping that it comes together in the end. However, this method can be expensive and time consuming. The best way to avoid this? Getting clear on what the overall design of your home will be.

So without further ado, here is how to find your design style.

 

Things To Consider When Defining Your Design Style

This guide will teach you how to find your interior design style, my best interior design tips for beginners and popular home decor styles.

Think About The Feeling

The list of interior design styles is endless but your main priority should be the overall feeling you would like to have in your home. 

To determine that, think of places where you felt the most at home, the most peaceful or the most alive.

It’s up to you to think about how you would like to feel after returning home after a long day at work. Do you want to feel inspired by your home to innovate and create new ideas? Or, would you like to have a peaceful oasis to sink into?

There’s no wrong answer to this question, it's just how you would like your home to be presented. 

When you have decided on the feeling you would like to have, think of adjectives that represent that feeling. This could be: relaxing, fresh, bubbly, elegant, or luxurious. 

Keep those words in mind as you start to furnish your home. 

 

Take Inspiration From Your Wardrobe

You style yourself every single day and oftentimes the way that we dress is represented in the things that we like in our homes. 

For example, if you dress in a more modern relaxed style with oversized sweatshirts and matching tracksuits, then this may be reflected in your design style by calming colours and a relaxed atmosphere. Whereas if you choose, blazers, tightfitting skirts and pants suits, you may want a more modern or elegant vibe in your home.

Consider your style preferences and compare them to homeware that you like. Do they complement one another?

 

 

Create a Pinterest Board 

Pinterest will become your new best friend while determining your design style. 

Pinterest is a search engine and by simply typing in “home decor” you will be subjected to millions of results. 

Type in different design styles and start saving your favourite photos to boards. You can do this process for every room in your house and have multiple boards for the same room. The more pins you save, the more Pinterest will recommend images that they think you will like.

Once you have added pins to boards, you will start to notice patterns. You’ll see which themes keep popping up, what colours draw your attention and which home decorations you like the most. 

Another great aspect of using Pinterest for designing and planning your home is that you can buy certain pieces directly through Pinterest which is very convenient.

Consider What You Already Have 

If you do have furniture from previous homes, flats or rooms that you have stayed in, you should take inventory of what you already have and decide what you are choosing to keep and what you are choosing to get rid of. 

You should use the Marie Kondo method on all of your homeware. When deciding what to keep, consider if the item brings you joy and if this is the type of energy you want to bring into your new place.

You’ll find that the items you choose to keep will closely represent your preferred design style.

Keep in mind that style preferences do change. If you find yourself throwing away the majority of your previous furniture and home decor, it may be time to switch up your home theme entirely.

If you don’t have any furniture yet, don’t worry, you can skip this step! 

Refine

Now that you have considered your favourite styles, consolidated Pinterest boards and considered what you already have, you need to refine your style. 

Here you need to take a look into the research you have done and ask yourself specific questions such as:

• What colours keep popping up?
• Are my design choices more minimalistic or adventurous?
• Do my design choices represent a more traditional or modern atmosphere?
• Do my design choices showcase patterns?

After asking yourself these questions, you should be in a great mindset to start picking out furniture and designing your home.

Photo: www.jessannkirby.com

Consider Hiring a Designer 

If you are struggling to redecorate or design your home, you can consider hiring an interior designer. 

This can usually be quite pricey but if you have the budget to accommodate this, this is a great option. Hiring a designer will give you access to their wealth of knowledge in the interior design industry and they will be able to put together aspects of your home just the way you imagined. 

Remember to do your research when hiring a designer. A good designer should work with you directly to pinpoint your design style and communicate with you whilst they decorate your home.

List of Interior Design Styles

Now you know how to find your style, you just need to know what styles you can pick from.

As previously mentioned there are so many decor styles and design trends that are popular in 2023.

At first, this may feel overwhelming but this is actually a great thing as you’re more likely to find the style you are searching for.

You should also know that you don’t need to stick with one interior design style throughout your entire home. Although the house will look more cohesive if you stick with one theme, there is no harm in having a room that stands out from the rest.

Here are 10 popular home design styles.

1. Traditional Home Decor

Traditional home decorating is all about the glamour.

It’s those homes that you walk into that are almost like show homes with a certain historic element to them throughout.

Think grande home decor, pops of colours, textures, large mirrors and dark wood furniture. You’ll also often see bright white walls with accents of colours throughout the home. 

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Photos: Interior Design Info | The Boutique Handle Co

2. Contemporary Home Decor

We’re seeing more and more contemporary houses in this modern age.

Contemporary home decoration combines minimalism with a specific coloured flare. This is one of the most popular interior design trends and you’ll enjoy this style if you like to stick with basic colours (greys, whites, beiges and blacks) with pops of colour and abstract furniture too.

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Photos: Stephanie Nereece | The Boutique Handle Co

3. Bohemian Home Decor

Boho home decor or boho chic decor is ideal for those who love to experiment in their homes. It’s also a great way to make your home stand out from the crowd.

Bohemian home decorating is all about natural textures, colours, bamboo furniture and exotic patterns. If you love tapestry, mosaics and unique artwork, you will love this type of theme. Just keep in mind that this style can quickly make a space feel cluttered, so try to be selective with the pieces that you buy and plan where they will be placed in your home. 

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Photos: Rue Mag | The Boutique Handle Co

4. Cottage Core Home Decor

Also recognised as “granny chic”, cottage core room decor is all about replicating that nostalgic feeling that you would get when walking into your grandparent's home. 

You’ll adore this style if you love pastel pinks and blues, floral patterned cushions, statement rugs and vases upon vases of fresh flowers. These houses also feature warm lighting, candles and a “lived in” vibe.  

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Photos: Unique Home Stays | The Boutique Handle Co

5. Coastal Home Decor 

Even if you’re not lucky enough to live by the beach, you can still take inspiration from oceanfront homes. 

You’ll like this style if you crave fresh open spaces and love clean white linen, ocean blues and emerald green accents and light oak furniture. This is for those that love the “lake house vibe” that makes you feel relaxed as soon as you enter the door. Beach house decorating ideas consist of sea inspired accessories, shells and wicker furniture.

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Photos: Megan Molton | The Boutique Handle Co

6. Industrial Home Decor 

Usually featured in bachelor pads, industrial home design features open spaces, raw organic materials such as metals and woods as well as open brick walls.

Industrial home decor often has a warehouse ambience that is brought together with vintage furniture and one-of-a-kind pieces. 

You’ll love industrial design if you like to keep the natural aspects of a home and even potentially expose even more of the house's raw architecture. You’ll also like this style if you like dark colours. Blacks and dark greys are often featured as a contrast against the dark wood furniture.

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Photos: Soho House LA | The Boutique Handle Co

7. Scandinavian Home Decor

Productivity and purpose are the key aspects of the Scandinavian design style.

Also known as Nordic design, you’ll need to head straight to IKEA to gather inspiration for this one. This style is perfect for those who love functionality, calming colours, minimalism and different textures. In these homes, everything has a place and nothing feels out of line.

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Photos: The White Company | The Boutique Handle Co

8. Modern Farmhouse Home Decor

Similar to cottagecore, modern farmhouse decor has been taking over the interior design industry. The farmhouse style is a subtle mix of industrial and granny chic.

Farmhouse decor ideas often include accent walls that feature patterned wallpaper, rustic animal paintings, chicken wire decor and a traditional ambience.

This is the type of feeling you would experience if you escaped to a farmhouse on a family vacation in the middle of nowhere.

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Photos: Unique Home Stays | The Boutique Handle Co

9. French Country Home Decor 

French country decor it’s all about elegance, luxury and Parisian style. 

Vintage Café tables are often featured with wooden beams and an allure of high quality will travel throughout your entire home. 

These homes make you feel like you have been transported back in time to a Parisian palace and are perfect for those that love elegant and timeless furniture. Some of the key features included in these homes are grand chandeliers, muted colours and marble accents.

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Photos: Rue Mag | The Boutique Handle Co

10. Minimalist Home Decor 

If you find yourself getting overstimulated by clutter, minimalist home decorating may be just what you need. 

Minimalism is all about sharp corners and having limited clutter. You will often find that workspaces are empty in these homes and storage is maximised, so that everything is neatly tucked away out of sight. This style is for you if you love beiges, blacks and whites, open spaces and find yourself at your best when your home is tidy. 

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Key Takeaways

The main thing to remember when deciding your decor style is that there are no specific rules to decorating, it’s supposed to be an exciting experience!

To make sure that you don’t waste money or time, try to plan ahead as much as possible. Determine your design style by building Pinterest boards, consider what you already have and refine your taste by deciding on core features that you can’t live without.

Then, experiment! Your home is an extension of you and you should have fun with that.

Here at Boutique Handle Co, we offer affordable door knobs and door handles to take your home to the next level, be sure to check out the selection to match your favourite home design style!