When it comes to styling your home, do you find yourself frozen in indecision? Do you love elements of several different decorating styles and don’t know which to choose? That feeling of option overload can leave us feeling stuck and worried about making the wrong choices, so therefore making no choices at all. What’s missing, though, is the one reliable superpower you need in your wheelhouse: your personal design style.
Let’s have a real talk about creating a home that’s more than just four walls and some furniture. Let’s focus on creating one that’s uniquely you. Try to forget about which style you gravitate toward most and instead focus on honing your design style. This is about crafting a space that emanates your personality, quietly whispers your secrets, wraps you in comfort, and makes your heart sing every single time you walk through the door.
Finding Joy in Your Space: Why Personal Style Matters
Take Your Time, Sis
Designing a home isn’t a race. It’s your own journey of self-discovery. It took me a long time to learn this, as I wanted relatively instant gratification, just like what happens on all the HGTV shows where homeowners get the reveal of their dreams.
Let me remind you that much of what we see on those shows happens over several weeks with full teams of professionals on the project, and still there is nearly always stress and scrambling from landscapers and stagers and subcontractors to finish everything on time before the homeowners arrive. You, my friend, are only one person. No rushing, no settling just to wrap things up more quickly. Your dream home deserves patience.
In a world of instant everything, think of designing your living spaces as a sacred ritual, completed slowly, thoughtfully, and carefully. One of the purest joys of home ownership is to let your abode, no matter how grand or humble, be a love letter to yourself – a space that knows you, tells your story, celebrates your chosen path, and makes you feel completely and unapologetically at home, safe, comfy, and at ease.
The Art of Choosing Pieces That Last
Investing in your space doesn’t mean you need to drop thousands on designer furniture. Instead, opt for pieces that speak to you and that will stand the test of time. By speaking to you, I mean that one that you see in a boutique, or at a flea market, or yes, even at Target or Crate and Barrel, that you keep thinking about days, weeks, or months later. Those are the pieces that you want to wait for and collect.
Look for quality first before simply trying to fill a space. Consider how a piece functions just as much as how it looks. A stunning chair that sinks too far or is too stiff is just pretty torture. The true beauty in it is lost if it doesn’t serve you well.
Choose timeless materials like solid wood and classic fabrics that offer versatility and can transition between decor styles with ease. Neutral core pieces will adapt to your evolving tastes and will go the duration. Much like the workhorses of your wardrobe that you reach for day in and day out, your furnishings, if selected with care, will provide reliable comfort for years to come and feel authentically like you.
Tell Your Story with Your Design Style
Memory Lane Decor
Your home isn’t just a living space – it’s a living scrapbook. That vintage throw pillow from your grandmother? Those travel souvenirs? They are not just objects – they’re chapters of your life, loaded with stories and memories. If you edit and curate thoughtfully, you can display them to highlight your history while infusing your personal design style at the same time. Here are some ways to bring your story to life throughout your home:
- Create gallery walls with meaningful photos (even better if the photos are in black and white – they add an unspoken sense of history).
- Use family heirlooms as statement pieces. My siblings and I have pieces in our homes that were restored and refinished by my dad in the basement of the house I grew up in, as well as antique art and collectibles lovingly curated by my mom. Having them brings back stories, memories, even sounds and scents from our past that would otherwise be lost. For me, it’s sandpaper and varnish co-mingled with scenes from our parents’ antique shop.
- Mix unexpected vintage finds and cherished items with your modern decor to create authentic spaces that give clues to who you truly are and what matters to you most. These can be whimsical, dramatic, studious, glamorous – whatever your heart desires.
Learning Your Unique Design Style
Become a Design Detective
While design trends urge us each new season to jump on board and change things up, it’s important to know thyself: Be true to what you love and thoughtful about which changes, if any, you want and are willing to make. Your personal design style is a work in progress, and with practice and refinement, you’ll end up with a fail-safe yet flexible set of guidelines that always reflect your personal tastes and preferences.
Grab your favorite design books, fire up Pinterest, and start collecting snapshots that make you gush about the home you’re excited to create for yourself. If you love it, save the pic. There are no rules here. As you build your collection of inspo, you’ll begin to see color palettes emerge and similar shapes and themes stand out.
Fashion Meets Function
Create both physical and digital mood boards. Make detailed notes where you can on the images that make you stop your scroll and take notice. What do you love about this space? How does it make you feel? If you struggle to find the answer, try flipping the question: How do you want to feel in this space? What do you need to make it work well for you? If you love cozy textures, prioritize soft throws and plush rugs. If you need smart storage, look for woven baskets or other smart storage solutions that work hard but look beautiful, too.
Building Confidence in Your Choices
Your Style is a Journey, Not a Destination
Here’s the real tea: your style will evolve. What you love now might look different in a year or two or five, and that’s completely okay. The bohemian maximalist in you today might become the timeless traditionalist of tomorrow. Your home is meant to change and grow with you.
Since all you have now is the present-day you, trust your gut – it won’t fail you – and employ a tiny bit of caution. If you’re going in a new direction and you’re not entirely sure how you feel about it yet, start with a small corner instead of an entire room. Don’t be afraid to incorporate new items that have caught your eye into your existing space. Just be sure to give yourself some time to see how you like the mix. Remember, you’re developing your own personal style, and it takes time and a bit of trial and error.
You’ll learn to go bigger and bolder once you’re confident with your choices. And if you don’t love it in the end, you can always change it back! Paint dries quickly for a reason, and Facebook Marketplace makes design mistakes easier to handle when you can sell pieces you’ve changed your mind on. There is no failing when styling your home, only learning. Finding out what you don’t love is every bit as valuable as discovering what you do.
A Few Last Design Style Thoughts
Your home is the backdrop to your life. It’s deeply personal. Let what you see online or in the home stores be a starting point, then get creative and courageous and make it your own. Above all else, don’t try to fit your authentic, personal design style into a box of common decor trends. Let your style be authentically you – no hard rules to follow, no apologies to make, no explanations needed.
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