How to Decorate with Your OWN Personal Taste
It seems like there’s a new decorating, decluttering, or design show popping up nearly every week on TV or Netflix. If you’re someone that finds yourself sucked in and constantly thinking of ways to change your home decorations based on the latest trends or designs and struggle to make these trends also fit your likes and styles, listen up – this is for you!
Decorating should be fun and reflect you!
Before I dive into giving you tips on how to make this happen, take a step back and remember if this is something that gives you anxiety or makes you feel like you should be constantly changing things to stay “up to date” remember this isn’t necessary. You don’t have to do any of those things. Your home should be a space that makes YOU feel comfortable and at home, and not be a showpiece for others.
With that in mind, let’s dig into ways to make this happen.
The first thing to keep in mind before you run out to purchase new things that you’ve seen online or on TV, do a quick pulse check to see if this is really something that is going to work for your family and your home. If the answer is no, then it’s probably best to pass up this item or items. If the answer is yes, then think about how it will work with the things you already have. Will it add to what you already have or will you need to redecorate or redesign it completely to make it work? If the latter, is this something you want to do right now?
Sometimes just going through this small exercise can really add some clarity to your design strategy. It also might jog your memory to an item you already have – and shopping items you already have is a great idea!
But, What Is My Style?
Have you gotten this far and started wondering what is my actual style? I have some ideas to help you figure this out. One of the best things you can do is to create a mood board. This sounds more intimidating than it actually is. A mood board is simply a collection of things that you like. Building one can help you narrow down the colors and textures you really like and allow you to see it all in one place.
You can create this on Pinterest or make it into a real project by cutting out items from magazines, grabbing paint chips, and fabric samples, and then putting them all together on cardboard or poster board. The idea is simply to collect all the things you like and have them in one place so you can see them. If you can rearrange, remove and add to them that’s even better because your style will evolve with time.
My Pinterest boards generally all have a sense of a mood board and if you look at specific boards like the bath board for example, you can see what I mean about mood boards.
Where Should I Look for Decorating Inspiration?
Aside from the places mentioned above, some other ideas that you can look to for inspiration are in plain sight – like your closet! What colors are you drawn to or do you really dislike in your wardrobe or your kids’ clothes?
Have you stayed in a hotel where you loved the color palette or there was furniture or dishes that you really loved? See if you can find pictures of these items that you can add to your mood board.
Finally, are there destinations that you really love? Most locations have their own color palette that is easily associated with it. For example, the red shades of Morocco, the white-washed buildings of Greece, or the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest might feel like colors and patterns you are drawn to. Likewise, if a rural, country feel calls to you more than a sleek urban vibe, this is something to try and capture.
When you put all of these things into your mood board, you’ll see at a glance what your style is. I would encourage you to stop yourself from editing this board until you’ve gone through and added many different things. Look at it all as a whole, and then you might even consider grouping things. Maybe you like a sleek feel for your kitchen, but for your bedroom, you’d rather something that’s more like a mountain retreat, group like items together.
The next time you’re ready to jump on the next trend, your mood board can come into play when you evaluate how it fits with your style or if it’s just a fleeting fad. Happy decorating!
