Define your style

If someone asked you to name the kind of decor you like, could you do it? Or would you stumble and mumble, mention a few stores, and look off into the distance in search of the right adjectives? You’re not alone.

But the thing is, articulating your style is the key to creating a room that really reflects it. If this sounds esoteric, have no fear: We’ve have some simple steps to help you identify the look you crave, a few visual tutorials to make you a mini expert on design, and dozens of sources to let you shop your style and bring it home. So whether you’re overhauling a mishmash of furniture bit by bit or doing a rapid-fire redecoration, you’ll learn how to make great choices and get cohesive results that you’ll love.

3 STEPS TO NAMING YOUR STYLE

Decorating is an extension of your personal style, but so much better, because it comes without the concerns of sizing and fit. That should make it fun, but for a lot of us it’s incredibly stressful — a too-blank canvas that involves big commitments and potentially pricey mistakes. Aside from the money part, choosing a sofa is not all that different from picking a pair of shoes: It’s all about who you are and what you like on a gut level.

Finding your decorating groove depends on getting in touch with that;  We’ve created a plan geared toward home decorating. Here’s what to do.

1. Tour your home, and really look at your furniture.

With a pad in hand, walk from room to room examining your belongings and make two truthful lists: “Love It” and “Wish I Could Replace It.  Catalog everything you can, including art — and be real, even if it’s difficult.  It’s all based on how things make you feel. Maybe you come across a piece of art that bugs you, but you’ve kept it around because it was your grandmother’s. Pay attention to that — and categorize accordingly.  You can also photograph the room, print out a copy of the photo and cross out what you don’t like and circle what you do.  You can think of that photo, as a bouncing off point and use it as reference when shopping or getting advice.

2. Pull together small items you love, including clothes.

Check the top of your dresser, your mantel, your bookshelves, your china cabinet. Sift through collections and mementos. Make a pile of favorites on your bed. Then pull special clothes from your closet. Focus on the items that make you feel beautiful and joyful, the ones that inspire you to stand tall. Take the same eye to your jewelry and accessories.  Open your closet doors and see what colors pop out the most.  You can see which color dominates and use that as a reference point for the “colors” that you are drawn to.

3. Tap your memory and your imagination.

Get comfortable, then close your eyes and think about places you love to be and why you love them — from a local cafe to a faraway beach. Recall paintings, movies, and books that have stuck with you for some reason. Then go into fantasy mode.  Imagine that real-world constraints don’t apply.  Picture your dream home. If you could live anywhere in the world, would you choose a loft in New York? An English manor? A tree house in the tropics?  Then think outside of home:  If you were invited to the Oscars, what would you wear? Include jewelry and shoes.  This moves you beyond the limitations of your own lifestyle and budget and into a new realm of creativity. Jot down your answers.

Now for the hard part. Look for common threads — design, colors, shapes, materials, vibe — among the things you love. You may find yourself attracted to a blend of styles rather than just one. Notice which features appeal to you and which don’t. This will help you translate your taste into smart decorating choices.

4.  When all else fails, call an Interior Designer.

“Style Samples”

SOPHISTICATED CLASSIC

An elegant blend of refined traditional furniture, jewelry-like accessories, and pale hues. Patrician old-world elements pair with cleaner Art Deco shapes. The look evokes a more formal lifestyle. Think Grace Kelly, Tiffany & Co., and Charlotte  from “Sex and the City”.

FEATURES
 Delicate furniture pieces with feminine lines and tapered legs.
 A palette of neutrals and soft colors.
 Grand chandeliers.
 Luxurious fabrics, like silk and velvet.
 Rich dark woods with polished veneers.
 Luxe accent materials, including metal, marble, and glass.
 Symmetrical floor plans.

COZY CASUAL

A warm, traditional look made for relaxing with family and friends. Draws on English and early-American furniture designs, as well as laid-back country, cottage, and farmhouse styles. Weathered, low-maintenance furnishings are easy, inviting, and built for daily life. Think golden retrievers, fuzzy slippers, and just about any movie by Nancy Meyers.

FEATURES

 Plush upholstery, often slip-covered, with roll or square arms and skirts or ball feet.
 Indestructible tables with turned legs, trestles, or substantial pedestal bases.
 Warm wood tones with rustic or distressed finishes.
 Natural fabrics, like cotton and wool.
 Solid textiles, simple stripes, or unfussy floral’s in muted colors.

MODERN GRAPHIC

A fresh, fun, contemporary look that combines urban styling (imagine a downtown loft) with edgy, colorful elements and mid-century design. Simple furniture forms balance out bold accents and patterns. Think the Museum of Modern Art, Frank Lloyd Wright, a Rubik’s Cube.

FEATURES

 Furniture with clean lines and no extra adornment.
 Blocks of saturated color.
 Boxy upholstery with plain legs or skirt-less bases.
 Lacquered finishes and a mix of woods, both light (birch, oak) and dark (walnut, mahogany).
 Geometric or abstract patterns and Pop Art–inspired accessories.

VINTAGE ECLECTIC

A rich, layered look combining flea-market finds, furniture designs from various time periods (including Victorian pieces and 18th-century French styles), and a diverse collection of accessories and artwork. Dusty colors, timeworn or handmade textiles, and collected objects create a lived-in feel. Think Paris flea markets, Granny’s teacups, the film Grey Gardens.

FEATURES
 Furniture with shapely, feminine silhouettes, intricate detailing, and weathered finishes.
 Jewel tones mixed with washed-out, chalky shades.
 Antique and vintage elements interspersed with newer, offbeat items.
 A varied mix of fabrics (on pillows, upholstery, and window treatments), including Jacquards, paisleys, ethnic tapestries, folk motifs, botanicals, and florals.
 Crystal chandeliers and embellished lamps.
 Abundant art and decorative accents on walls and surfaces.

For more information regarding these and other styles, contact pcdesign@mac.com.

Tags: affordable interior design, decorate, decorating styles, design blog, Design Styles, eclectic, Home, Home makeover, interior decorating, Interior Design, Interior design style, Interior Design Tips, modern, msn, paige castellini, pc design, vintage

Interior Design “Styles” Revealed.

What is your Interior Design Style?  Would you know if asked?

 

Probably not!  Many of my clients can’t.  

 

They tell me they love that “Pottery Barn” style.  Did Pottery Barn know they created their own individual style?  Probably!  Not only do they flood your mailbox with tons of catalogs (and many…variations of the same catalog just in a different order), they have stores located in most populated cities in the U.S.

When I have initial Client Consultations and have asked them to pull magazine pages of what they like…90% of the time, a Pottery Barn catalog is in the mix.

There are so many options out there, you shouldn’t limit yourself to what EVERYONE has access to.  The first key to any purchase is to have a plan.  Within that plan, you must have a “Style” to guide you so that you don’t have a mishmash of items that don’t flow together and serve no purpose to you, other than as dust collectors.

If you can’t define your “Style”, don’t worry, that’s what we, Interior Designer’s, are for.  They should be able to tell you right away after you describe, show or tell them about the look you are trying to achieve.

 

In this next series, you are going to gain insight into the many different styles out there AND,  see examples of items that coordinate, flow, create, beautify and enhance the overall appeal of your home.

 

Today’s “Interior Style”…..

MODERN.

The Modern style, “Modern Movement” in proper terms, was developed back in the 1920’s.  Frank Lloyd Wright is probably the most famous example, for his “Modern” Style of Architecture.  

Back in the 1920’s, people thought the “Modern Movement” was too bold in style and found it uncomfortable and too sparse. Clean, bold lines dominated the style and were carried through from the design and detailing of the room to the upholstered pieces that were used for seating.  White, one of the most common “Colors” associated with this style, emphasizing it’s clean, clutter-free look; has broaden these days incorporating many more colors into the palette beyond that traditional choice.

 

The best way to add the drama into a Modern Design today, is by incorporating Paint, the most changeable and cost efficient element.  Some popular Modern color choices today are; Lime, Tangarine, Zinc, Taupe and Camel.  These colors, when placed next to a nicely painted white semi-gloss trim and ceiling, POP!  They are sharp, pleasing to the eye and coordinate with almost anything you put with them.  The one thing you need to be careful with in a Modern design, is making these colors work into the color scheme without overpowering the overall design.  

For example, when you paint your walls Tangarine, everything else in the room might be various shades of a “Chocolate” color and the only other place you will see that tangerine, may be in that glass bowl on your Cocktail Table, or as an accent in a painting above your Chenille sofa.  Everything else in the area will be subtle, solid in color and clean lined with very little, if any, curves.  

Metal accents, Glass, plain Fabrics, minimal Accessories and large Artwork, also describe design aspects you will find in any Modern Design.  

The Architecture of the home within a “Modern” Style finds:

Flush Shelving, giving you an “Incorporated into the Wall” look.

Barely there Fireplace mantels (if any at all).

Recessed lighting (eliminating the needs for additional lighting while reducing clutter).

 

Minimal Trim/Woodwork.  You may find the only wood trim work you have, at all, are the baseboards that run throughout the home.  

Most windows, large in scale, will be naked (no casement and most likely undecorated) incorporating that sleek, unadorned look into that Modern Design, creating a sweeping, uninterrupted view.

Metal railings for sweeping staircases.

Stone, wood or concrete flooring are also widely used in the Modern Style.

 

 

Next “Style” revealed…………”Eclectic”.

Tags: decorating styles, Design Styles, Interior design style, Interior Styles, modern, modern design, modern style, styles