Find your style.
Not just a style, a personality
What’s your style?
Interior decoration can be accomplished on any budget. In fact, having an seemingly endless budget will not necessarily result in a well styled space. What is most important is to figure out what style you are looking for and to stick to that style. Some of the most common styles include Traditional, Modern, Mid-Century Modern, Coastal Modern, and Modern Farmhouse. Not to be confused with Contemporary, the Modern style is one that was popularized at the turn of the 20th century as a minimalist approach to interior design to move away from the more elaborate Victorian styles popular at the time. Each of the styles are introduced below to help get you inspired!
Modern.
The modern style was popularized around the turn of the 20th century and brought focus on simplifying things and focusing on natural colors and tones. In its simplicity, the focus becomes “form follows function”. Drawing from the Scandinavian styles of decoration, the design of decorations should reflect their intended purpose, and, if any piece does not provide a use for the space, it should be eliminated. Since we all know it can be difficult to say goodbye to those vacation purchases you’ve had for many years, it's a good idea to keep the principle of minimization in mind while shopping to keep those ancillary items out of your shopping basket.
Things to focus on:
Keep it simple and minimize the excess decorative pieces
Bring in leather and natural materials
Keep clean straight lines, a few curves are ‘ok’, but lines is simple
Use natural woods and wood veneer to bring out the natural look
Colors:
Neutral/Earthy
Modern Farmhouse.
Take the simplicity and neutral colors from modern design and add in the coziness of the country. Keeping in mind ‘form follows function’, modern farmhouse, gets away from the cluttered knick-knacks of traditional farm house and focuses on accents to bring in the warm country feel. Using furniture build from reclaimed wood, salvaged materials, traditional fabrics, and wrought iron accents will bring the vintage feel without the clutter. Also, and try to layer in different textures across the furniture. Finally, keep the neutral colors and keep it simple, but work in a few well placed accessories to complete the look and add a bit of sophistication.
Things to focus on:
Keep it simple and minimize the excess decorative pieces
Work in multiple textures across the different pieces
Think reclaimed wood and metals for accessories and work in different materials
Keep things soft and comfortable to make it visually welcoming
Colors:
Neutral/Earthy
