This post on finding your decorating style is weeks in the making… It’s just been one of those months where I’ve had a lot on my plate, and blogging keeps falling to the bottom of the priority list. Things seem to be regulating a bit now, so hopefully I can get back on a more consistent blogging schedule… Thanks for hanging in there with me!

I am working on a master bedroom redesign for my friend Megan. You can check out before pictures and our inspiration board here. Megan and I randomly met at a Hirshfield’s almost three years back (both big Benjamin Moore paint fans!) and she has quickly become one of my besties. Since we first met, she has mentioned repeatedly that her master bedroom needs some work, and now she is ready to tackle it (with a little help from yours truly).

Like a lot of people, Megan had a hard time pinpointing her decorating style. With the barrage of gorgeous rooms bombarding us from social media these days, it seems most people can easily identify a room they like… But it is increasingly difficult to identify their own personal decorating style that they want to live with every day, probably because they are torn by the many directions to go in.

I STILL struggle with this sometimes when I see a gorgeous room outside of my typical style… I can start to question if I should move more in that direction, even though for the most part, I am confident my decorating style is Colorful Modern Vintage Glam. I know that’s a mouthful, but all it really means is that I like a mix of modern and vintage/classic pieces, I need bright color in my space, and I love lots of glam accents thrown in. But more on that a different day. This post is about you and finding YOUR decorating style. So let’s get started.

1. Pin a bunch of images (15-20 at the least)… For example, you are decorating your living room. Browse Pinterest and pin ANY living room you fall in love with. Houzz is another great source for gorgeous images. They might be a variety of different styles. This is OK. We will home in on your style in a later step. 😉 Megan’s master bedroom Pinterest board looks like this:
2.  Look for common elements that are repeated in many of your inspiration pictures. You might be surprised! When I was picking out finishes for our kitchen while building our house a few years ago, I thought I wanted dark traditional raised-panel cabinets. But then when I started looking at all of the kitchens I had saved on Houzz and Pinterest, I realized that almost every kitchen had white shaker style cabinets. SOOO glad I figured out what I really loved BEFORE our design meeting! 😉
   For Megan’s master bedroom, common elements include a tufted upholstered headboard, modern clean-lined furniture and framed art, white or neutral bedding, grey or navy walls, subtle patterns that add texture, white and mirrored furniture, and gold accents.

   

   

3. Note which of the major styles you gravitate to. Styles include contemporary, traditional, transitional, rustic, industrial, modern, romantic/glam, shabby chic, bohemian, modern, mid-century modern, and coastal/beachy. No worries if you are not familiar with what each style means. I will be posting on the major styles soon, but for now check out some of my Pinterest boards with popular style combinations. Some of my favorites are Modern Vintage Glam, Rustic Refined, and Bohemian Global. Also, it’s great if you gravitate to more than one style. A combination is actually better, because the closer you stick to one style, the more one dimensional a room feels. The last thing you want is for your house to look like you ordered all of the furniture and accessories out of one catalog! The best designed rooms effortlessly blend at least two styles, if not more.

   

4. Think about how you want your space to look and feel and brainstorm words to describe it… In Megan’s case, words she brainstormed were timeless, sophisticated, classic, hotel, relaxing, glamorous, rich, and beautiful. Ultimately, she wants her bedroom to feel like a beautiful, relaxing hotel room.
5. Pick your favorite elements that tie into the look and feel you want for the room. Megan ultimately decided that she wants navy over grey walls, a grey tufted headboard, white bedding, and gold accents throughout the room.
6. Create a name from your inspiration words… We are going to call Megan’s style Timeless Hotel Glam.

How about you? Do you already know your signature decorating style? If so, what do you call it?