How To Define Your Design Style: A Step-by-Step Guide

by Joy Edwards Design

July 15, 2024

Designing a Space That Reflects Who You Are

Creating a home that feels uniquely “you” starts with defining your interior design style. Your style serves as the foundation for every design decision, ensuring your space reflects your personality, values and lifestyle. It's where every great designer starts, and it's exactly where you should begin, too. Whether you work with a designer or go at it alone, understanding and defining your design style is essential for bringing your vision to life and clearly communicating what you want in your space.

Step 1: Draw Design Inspiration from Everywhere

Start exploring your style by looking around and taking note of the things you are drawn to. Inspiration can show up anywhere, from color palletes to architectural features and more. Below are three key areas that are helpful to begin exploring.

Design Resources: Pinterest - Instagram - Houzz

Finding inspiration photos is a fun and essential step in defining your interior design style. Platforms like Pinterest, Houzz, and Instagram offer endless images to spark your creativity.

To begin with, create a board or folder for each room you're designing and save anything that catches your eye—even if you’re unsure why it appeals to you. Pin images of rooms, furniture, color palettes, tile patterns, lighting, and anything else that has the potential to help you design your space.

The most important part of this process is that you don’t overthink your choices. The goal is to gather a variety of ideas. If you are struggling to find images you like, then try using keywords like "cozy modern living room" or "modern farmhouse kitchen design" to refine your searches and discover images that align with your vision.

Magazines & Books

Inspiration for your home design can come from almost anywhere—it’s just a matter of knowing where to look. You can start by flipping through design publications or picking up interior designer portfolio books that you love, but inspiration doesn't have to come solely from interior design sources.

Some of the most unique and personal ideas come from unexpected places like magazines or books on travel, art, or even nature. Maybe it’s a photo of a seaside escape or a charming villa that resonates with a mood or color palette you love. As a result, by keeping an open mind and exploring a variety of sources, you can uncover the elements that truly resonate with your design style.

Shopping

There may be no greater understanding of what you like than when you see things in person. The possibilities are endless on where to look for home decor and furniture, from the quaint boutique shop on the corner, the antique store down the road or the furniture store that sells many of the things you love. While you are out and about, take note of what you enjoy. Is it the rugged feel of a dining room table, the curves of mid century modern design or the soft fabric on a pillow?

Step 2: Identify Your Favorite Designs

Taking time to thoroughly review the photos you’ve gathered is the second step in understanding your design style. The goal is to identify the images that resonate most with your vision for the space. Start by grouping photos with similar design themes. Once grouped, carefully evaluate each image and narrow down your selections to 5 or 10 favorites that best capture the look and feel you want.

Finally, from the images you selected, answer the questions below to hone in on color palette, textures, furniture style, and patterns. This will serve as a clear visual guide to help you make the right choices for your design project or provide your designer with a clear understanding of your vision.

Color Pallette

Are particular colors consistently showing up in the photos? If so, where are they showing up? Write down the colors in the images that you prefer for fabrics, paint, furniture, flooring, finishes and anything else that will be part of your design.

Different types of finishes for a interior design project.

Textures

What textures do you see in the photos? Are they smooth, sleek, woven, natural, refective or rustic. Consider each of the different types of materials and finishes in your design and make a list of your preferences. For example, a smooth rustic dining table or a reflective glass tile.

Examples of different interior design styles for furniture.

Furniture Styles

Which furniture styles are you drawn to in the photos? Is it modern, minimal, vintage, rustic, or somewhere in between? Make a note of what inspires you and would also work well in your space.

Patterns

Do you love clean, simple lines or intricate, detailed prints? Where do patterns show up in the images and where do they not? For finishes, are the wood flooring widths wide or narrow? Is there a particular tile pattern you want to include? Identify what works well together in the photos and what patterns you want to include in your space.

Step 3: Define Your Primary Design Style

Using your favorite photos from Step 2, identify the style that stands out most. This primary interior design style will serve as the foundation for your design decisions. If you notice other styles appearing in your selections, these can become secondary layers, adding depth and personality to your overall design. By defining a dominant style and incorporating complementary influences, you’ll create a cohesive and uniquely personalized space.

Below are some common styles to consider:

Interior Design Styles

Design Style Highlights

Modern

Clean line, minimal decor and functional furniture

Contemporary

Trends of the moment

Transitional

Mix of contemporary and traditional

Industrial

Exposed materials like brick and metal, paired with urban-inspired furnishings

Farmhouse

Rustic charm, natural materials, and a cozy, lived-in feel

Coastal

Relaxed, breezy, natural materials

Bohemian

Layered textures, eclectic patterns, and a mix of global influences

Mid Century Modern

curved, organic shape with flat lines

Craftsman

Quality workmanship, refined, simple

Step 4: Assess Your Space & Lifestyle

Your design style should not only look good but also function seamlessly with your life. As much as finding your interior design style is important, a well-designed space must also identify and address problems with flow, function and storage. You can resolve these issues by answering three questions:

What do I need to troubleshoot?

What do I need to eliminate?

What do I need to invest in?

Understanding how you live in your space and the things you need to support your lifestyle will help you create a design that works with how you live.

Step 5: Create a Mood Board

Example of a mood board for interior design.

Bring your ideas together in one place. Use a physical or digital mood board to combine furniture, paint samples, textures, and accessories. Seeing everything side by side can help you refine your choices and spot any inconsistencies. Physical mood boards can be a combination of material samples and photos and are wonderful to see how they look in your space. In contrast, Digital mood boards can be done in Canva, PowerPoint, or another application and are great to view while shopping to keep you focused on what you want to find. Simply find a way to bring everything together so you can see the balance of colors, compatibility of styles and mixture of materials, ensuring everything is complementary.

Step 6: Work with a Professional

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, an interior designer can help bring your ideas to life. Professionals have the expertise to blend design styles, select finishes, and create layouts that work for your space and budget. To learn more about how a designer can help, read our article on the 5 Valuable Reasons to Hire an Interior Designer.

Final Thoughts

Defining your interior design style is an exciting and personal journey. It’s about discovering what resonates with you and transforming that vision into a home you love. Most importantly, take your time, trust your instincts, and enjoy the process!

Ready to start designing the home of your dreams? Let’s bring your style to life together! Contact us today for a design consultation.

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