Finding Your Design Style

This post shares three tips for identifying your design style in a bedroom space. This space should provide rest, a wonderful start and relaxing finish to your day.

Function First

Simply making your bed and putting away clothes is a quick and simple way to keep your space looking nice. Your retreat will be different than mine, which includes an attractive ceiling fan but no TV. Take a few minutes to jot down a few of the must-haves for your space.

Staying organized with functional storage is critical to a stress-free space. The beautiful, affordable midcentury modern dresser and chest provide lots of storage and look great in our Coastal Modern design. We also added affordable closet organizers from Home Depot that Jim customized to our needs. I added hooks from Etsy for hats and clear shoe boxes to keep shoes dust-free. A colorful jewelry box holds earrings and bracelets, but I still needed something for necklaces. My necklaces look great hanging from the moon, star and sun hooks from Urban Outfitters.

Pro Tip: Storage expert, Lu Wei has a useful tip called the 2:8 principle: The idea is to reduce visual ‘noise’ by putting away 80 percent of your things and leaving only 20 percent on view. Remember to keep this tip in mind when planning open and closed storage spaces in your home.

Color Style

When you look at interior spaces on websites what colors draw your eye? Do you prefer neutral spaces or a riot of color? Maybe, you are like me and prefer pops of color. Quality bed linens and decorative pillows are a great way to introduce color in a bedroom. The proper use of color will help establish the mood of a room: Bright or Dark, Joyful or Solemn, Dramatic or Casual, Edgy or Serene. Take a moment to jot down the colors and saturation levels you’re drawn to in your search results.

Pro Tip: If you are looking to create a restful effect, you should consider selecting colors next to each other on the color wheel (Adjacent Color Scheme). If you’re looking to spice things up, choose colors that are opposite on the color wheel (Complementary Color Scheme).

Visualizing Your Space – Mood Board

A mood board is a great way to spark ideas and create a visual impression of your space. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this task, including Canva, Pinterest, Houzz, or placing printed photos placed on foam or cork board. I used Canva to create the Coastal Modern Mood Board shown below:

Some clients find this step overwhelming, so take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts in each category below to create a successful mood board.

Lifestyle & Feel – Start by considering how you envision living in the space. How do you want your space to look? What lifestyle and feel are you trying to achieve? Search for photos that illustrate and embody the mood and activities you want in your space. Keep an open mind and save any photos that appeal – nice rooms, smart solutions, wonderful colors, anything that makes you happy. You will find lots of inspiration online but also look at magazines, catalogues, and brochures.

Exterior & Interior – Consider the exterior or architecture of your home to get your project started. Do you love the style, color, facade, materials – anything that could get you started?

Interior Style – Once you’ve gone through this process, your style preferences will start to emerge. Now you’ll want to sort and move photos that aren’t 100% your vision into their own categories.

Achievable Goals – Use an image of the $8,000 couch on Google Image Search to find ones in your budget.

Existing Furniture – Remember to add existing furniture, decor, art and other elements you’re keeping in your space.

Color and Materials Palette – Include colors that work for you, as well as materials that you prefer. Are you drawn to a warm or cool colors (red and orange, or blue and green)? Do you prefer light or dark wood? Do you like warm or cold metals (brass and cooper, or chrome, silver and pewter)? Do you enjoy natural materials or powder-coated finishes?

Textiles Palette – Adding textures helps your home feel cozy and lived in. They also come in a variety of color and textures, so you will want to look for pictures and fabric samples that you would like to add to your home.

Other Senses – In addition to how a space looks visually, you will want to consider how a space feels to the touch. Consider how you want your space to smell, as well as a room’s soundscape. To full grasp what you are trying to achieve, in every sensory detail, imagine describing it to someone who cannot see.

Why Do You Love It? – What attracts you to these pictures? What features and stylistic elements will you emulate in your home?

• Type of furniture and key accessories
• Pronounced shapes and silhouettes (draped or fixed fabrics, etc.)
• Details such as picture walls or individual pictures
• Lighting and lamps that create mood and reflect style.
• Rugs and types of flooring
• Plants
• Feel (bohemian or minimalist, etc.)
• Color palette (warm or cold)

You’re now prepared to create a beautiful, personalized and restful space! Reach out in the comments below if you’d like my assistant creating beautiful interiors in your home.

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