Defining Your Personal Style at Home
So you’re ready to redesign, refresh, or redecorate your home.
If you’re like so many of my clients, you’re asking yourself, ‘where do I begin? What’s my style, really? Then there’s the sometimes exciting, and sometimes very trying, furniture-shopping process.
Here are a few tips and tricks to get started:
Style and Appearance: Get Inspired
Ever hear the phrase, “I'll know it when I see it?”
Magazines and websites offer lots of ideas and pictures to
inspire your imagination. For example, in print, take a look at issues of
Architectural Digest, Veranda, or Traditional Home. On the Internet,
browse home design sites such as Houzz, or social media sites like
Pinterest or Instagram.
While you’re browsing, save those images that appeal to you,
even if they are very different from the style in your current home.
Make a folder, and label it Inspiration. Have fun with it, and don’t play it safe!
After a while, you will begin to see a trend or pattern in your chosen images.
If you’re not sure how well this newly discovered vision will work in your space, put that concern aside for now. Perhaps an interior designer can help you make your dream more livable and functional. For example, let’s say you envision an airy, clean living room done all in white. For more practicality, we’d be able to use performance fabrics. If, instead, you like many different styles in the same space, then maybe an eclectic combination of patterns, colors, and fabrics is your true aesthetic.
Existing Furniture: What to Do?
Next, take a good look at your existing home furnishings. Really pause and take stock. Is there anything that you cherish? Is there anything you used to like that you’ve gotten tired of? For each of the large items, consider if you are ready for a change or love what you have.
Function
How do you truly spend your day-to-day life? What’s important to you, and how do you prioritize? One common reason for a new look is that as your personal needs and priorities change, so, too, will the ways you utilize each room in your home. For instance, you might develop a hobby that needs a space of its own. Your family needs and lifestyle might also evolve. This is why I recommend that when life transitions happen, each room in your home needs to be suitable for the function you now require. For instance, a growing family may need to take a second look at their existing furniture if it requires tender loving care. The furnishings, although beautiful, might need to be tweaked because they no longer serve your purposes.
How Does Your Home Make You Feel?
Feeling good about the space you live in is essential.
Go through each room and think about who is using the space and how. Do you have sufficient storage and adequate lighting to do your activities? Do you feel great in the space, or would a new coat of paint and change of pillows make a difference?
Also, remember that not every room needs to look the same. For instance, if your master bedroom is your sanctuary, you may want to evoke a different feel than your family room, which is shared by many other people. You can still maintain a consistent style, even if the functionality and the feel of each room may be different.
There’s always more than one right solution or way to decorate a space. The desire to redecorate may be both exciting and overwhelming, and new furnishings can get expensive. To help prevent making costly mistakes, consult an experienced interior designer. My clients hire me so that we can ditch the overwhelm while bringing on the fun and creativity.
Feel free to email me at dafna@interiorsbydafnaadler.com or call (516) 234-5425 o rbook a complimentary discovery call
