Decorating
6 Tactics to Help You Discover Your Personal Decorating Style
From focusing on curiosity, to taking notes on the world and collecting, the discovery of your true decorating style is at your fingertips
I love the following quote by American fashion legend Iris Apfel, who said: “Fashion you can buy. But style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There’s no road map to style. It’s about self-expression and, above all, attitude.”
Indeed, in a recent Houzz survey it was revealed that one of the major reasons why people use Houzz is that they are looking to define their personal decorating style. For some, this might be a longer journey than for others. The key is to bring your personality to life in your home, to create a sanctuary where you can relax and re-energise. Don’t worry what everyone else is telling you, or what the retailers suggest you need to buy this season. Trust your gut feeling and go with what you love!
With the right attitude, finding your decorating style will be not only be a breeze, but also fun and a creative process. So, step out of your comfort zone, and discover new and exciting things by trying one or all of the exercises below.
Indeed, in a recent Houzz survey it was revealed that one of the major reasons why people use Houzz is that they are looking to define their personal decorating style. For some, this might be a longer journey than for others. The key is to bring your personality to life in your home, to create a sanctuary where you can relax and re-energise. Don’t worry what everyone else is telling you, or what the retailers suggest you need to buy this season. Trust your gut feeling and go with what you love!
With the right attitude, finding your decorating style will be not only be a breeze, but also fun and a creative process. So, step out of your comfort zone, and discover new and exciting things by trying one or all of the exercises below.
Now it is time to go back to your childhood. Think about a one-minute story about one of the following topics:
- What was a favourite place when you were young and what made it special to you?
- How did you manage to overcome an obstacle when you were young?
- Describe an incident with a person you admired or who influenced you
- What was the most significant thing that happened to you in your childhood?
Once you have chosen your story, give it a name. Then review it for the following points:
- Does your story reflect the person you are today?
- Are your personal values reflected in your story?
- Does your story distinguish you from other people?
- Is your story consistent? Does it reflect the way you lead your life now?
2. Become an explorer at home
Discover your home with fresh eyes. Walk through your rooms and spend some time in each without distractions. Sit down and observe. Look at your furniture and furnishings, decorator items and artworks, and think about what you like in this particular room. Then, take a picture of your favourite piece(s) or collect the item(s) you fancy and move on to the next room.
Once finished with your home tour, spread your objects and images on a table and look for a pattern or common theme. Don’t worry if you can’t see it straight away. Move on to another exercise and compare your findings. Your outcome may be that you have a very eclectic style and love mixing and matching like I do.
Discover your home with fresh eyes. Walk through your rooms and spend some time in each without distractions. Sit down and observe. Look at your furniture and furnishings, decorator items and artworks, and think about what you like in this particular room. Then, take a picture of your favourite piece(s) or collect the item(s) you fancy and move on to the next room.
Once finished with your home tour, spread your objects and images on a table and look for a pattern or common theme. Don’t worry if you can’t see it straight away. Move on to another exercise and compare your findings. Your outcome may be that you have a very eclectic style and love mixing and matching like I do.
3. Go on a world discovery tour
If you are more of an outdoor type, you may prefer to depart on a world discovery tour. The good thing is you don’t have to travel far and wide. Start in your hometown. Go for a walk and explore the world around you. Discover nature, architecture, exhibitions, markets, and shopping malls. Keep your eyes open and your mind excited! See the world through the eyes of an artist and use your imagination. Look for the details in everything that grabs your attention. For example, if you spot an interesting piece of art or an eye-catching building, stop and take a picture and note why you like it. Capture the details of the chosen objects.
You can even find inspiration browsing a shopping centre. Eye-catching, quirky window displays always grab my attention. As most big shops have their in-store visual merchandising team, you can learn a lot about how to create an interesting display in your own home by observing what professional product stylists have implemented in a shop window.
Read more: 20 Inventive Ways to Decorate With Your Holiday Souvenirs
If you are more of an outdoor type, you may prefer to depart on a world discovery tour. The good thing is you don’t have to travel far and wide. Start in your hometown. Go for a walk and explore the world around you. Discover nature, architecture, exhibitions, markets, and shopping malls. Keep your eyes open and your mind excited! See the world through the eyes of an artist and use your imagination. Look for the details in everything that grabs your attention. For example, if you spot an interesting piece of art or an eye-catching building, stop and take a picture and note why you like it. Capture the details of the chosen objects.
You can even find inspiration browsing a shopping centre. Eye-catching, quirky window displays always grab my attention. As most big shops have their in-store visual merchandising team, you can learn a lot about how to create an interesting display in your own home by observing what professional product stylists have implemented in a shop window.
Read more: 20 Inventive Ways to Decorate With Your Holiday Souvenirs
4. Be part of the art
Have you been to a museum or an art gallery lately? No? Plan a weekend visit and explore an exhibition you don’t know anything about. Immerse yourself in the world of art and see what happens. Remember to study things that seem meaningless and irrelevant at first glance. The creative process is all about twists and turns and will lead you to unexpected and important findings. In his book, The Artist’s Eye, Peter Jenny states: “Any forms, colour, and textures that activate our visual thinking can create meaning precisely because of their ambiguity. They can be sources of ideas and complex images as long as we allow them to be so.”
Always carry a little notebook and a camera with you – which is easy in our world of smartphones – to write down and capture what inspires you. Do this consistently, and you will see a pattern emerge regarding the colours, textures and styles you like.
Have you been to a museum or an art gallery lately? No? Plan a weekend visit and explore an exhibition you don’t know anything about. Immerse yourself in the world of art and see what happens. Remember to study things that seem meaningless and irrelevant at first glance. The creative process is all about twists and turns and will lead you to unexpected and important findings. In his book, The Artist’s Eye, Peter Jenny states: “Any forms, colour, and textures that activate our visual thinking can create meaning precisely because of their ambiguity. They can be sources of ideas and complex images as long as we allow them to be so.”
Always carry a little notebook and a camera with you – which is easy in our world of smartphones – to write down and capture what inspires you. Do this consistently, and you will see a pattern emerge regarding the colours, textures and styles you like.
5. Become a cut-out junkie
Dive into the realm of interior design and special interest magazines. The best way to get an idea of what’s out there is to visit a well-sorted newsagent and browse the shelves. Flick through magazines that instantly grab your attention and purchase a few. Start a collection of tear sheets from your magazines. You can, of course, also use any brochures or catalogues you come across while retail shopping. Choose anything that speaks to you: a particular colour scheme, textures, furniture pieces, single homeware or decorator products, or an image of an entire room. Keep collecting inspirational images for four to eight weeks, and you will see a pattern emerge. Compare your tear sheets with the images and notes from your discovery tours.
Dive into the realm of interior design and special interest magazines. The best way to get an idea of what’s out there is to visit a well-sorted newsagent and browse the shelves. Flick through magazines that instantly grab your attention and purchase a few. Start a collection of tear sheets from your magazines. You can, of course, also use any brochures or catalogues you come across while retail shopping. Choose anything that speaks to you: a particular colour scheme, textures, furniture pieces, single homeware or decorator products, or an image of an entire room. Keep collecting inspirational images for four to eight weeks, and you will see a pattern emerge. Compare your tear sheets with the images and notes from your discovery tours.
6. Make Houzz your best friend
Use Houzz to research brand new ideas from local and international designers, architects, bloggers and other home professionals. Browse the photo section by style, room or particular items you fancy and start saving photos that inspire you to your ideabooks. I remember hearing from a Houzzer last year that someone was looking for a living room incorporating a hippo, because this person obviously loved hippos. And – I could not believe it – a living room with a timber hippo sculpture came up for them. Choose categories that interest you, and click into the photo to see other ideabooks it has been added to.
For example, if you love retro furniture, cooking, and the colour purple, type these words in the search field and see what comes up. Choose images that inspire you for your personal ideabooks.
Ideabook ideas:
Use Houzz to research brand new ideas from local and international designers, architects, bloggers and other home professionals. Browse the photo section by style, room or particular items you fancy and start saving photos that inspire you to your ideabooks. I remember hearing from a Houzzer last year that someone was looking for a living room incorporating a hippo, because this person obviously loved hippos. And – I could not believe it – a living room with a timber hippo sculpture came up for them. Choose categories that interest you, and click into the photo to see other ideabooks it has been added to.
For example, if you love retro furniture, cooking, and the colour purple, type these words in the search field and see what comes up. Choose images that inspire you for your personal ideabooks.
Ideabook ideas:
- Your favourite colours
- Dream kitchen (replicate for other rooms)
- Dream homes
- Eye-catching vignettes
- Creative walls
- Shelving displays
- Flooring inspiration
- Product wish list
Illustrations: Joaquín Gonzalez Dorao
TELL US
Tell us about your journey to find your true decorating style and if some of the exercises above worked for you, or, if you have come up with another method. Share your challenges and ask questions. We can all learn from each other!
MORE INSPIRATION
Houzz Quiz: What Style of Kitchen Should You Have?
How to Matchmake Two Completely Different Decor Styles in One Abode
How to Love Your Home Just the Way It Is
TELL US
Tell us about your journey to find your true decorating style and if some of the exercises above worked for you, or, if you have come up with another method. Share your challenges and ask questions. We can all learn from each other!
MORE INSPIRATION
Houzz Quiz: What Style of Kitchen Should You Have?
How to Matchmake Two Completely Different Decor Styles in One Abode
How to Love Your Home Just the Way It Is
An interesting way to find out more about yourself is to create a story of who you are. I found this exercise in The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling by Stephen Denning. I have done it myself and found it quite astonishing. What I am passionate about now clearly relates back to my childhood. All you need is a pen and paper.
Divide your piece of paper into three sections. Draw a dot in the middle section and title this section: ‘Where I am now’. Then, draw a cross in the first section and name this section: ‘Where I have come from’. The third section represents the future. Draw a circle and name it: ‘Where I am heading’. In this section, you write your life goal or any thoughts you connect to your future. You could answer the question: ‘What do I want to achieve in the future?’ The next step is to draw a line from the cross through the dot to the circle. This line represents the journey of your life.