How Do You Define Your Decorating Style?

How Do You Define Your Decorating Style?

Happy Monday! I have a little something different for you today that’s been on my mind for a while. I’d love to hear what you think about this…

Did you ever watch Emily Henderson’s show on HGTV, “Secrets From a Stylist,” aka the best decorating/design show on HGTV ever, back when HGTV actually had decorating/design shows instead of just flashy remodeling and real estate shows? (grumble grumble) Anyway, she did this thing at the beginning of each episode where she conducted a “style diagnostic” on her clients to define their style, like, “your style is Disco meets Downton Abbey,” or something crazy like that. And then she’d somehow manage to seamlessly mix these two completely different styles.

I think about that a lot when I try to figure out my own style. I feel like I’m SO all over the place and change my mind constantly. It’s kind of impossible for me to choose just one style because every time I think I have, I see something in a magazine or on a blog, or some new trend at a store, and fall in love with it. Does anyone else feel that way?

So I thought it would be fun to run a sort of style diagnostic on myself and narrow it down, not so much to one all-encompassing style since that’s just impossible for me, but maybe to a few that come together to make up my own personal decorating style, no matter how crazy the mix may be!

Here’s what I came up with:

A lot California Midcentury Modern. I like clean lines, midcentury-inspired furniture, simple shapes, a lot of white and wood with some beachy California-style boho thrown in to keep things from getting too boring. This example from Veneer Designs is pretty spot on. The lines of the couch are fantastic and I love, love that midcentury bookshelf behind it. The mix of pillows give this room a comfortable, slightly boho vibe.

A little Coastal Cottage. I like the colorful, comfortable vibe of an East Coast casual coastal cottage style with lots of preppy blue and white stripes, beadboard, some raw woods and natural fibers like rope baskets and sisal rugs. This example from Mix and Chic (unsure of original source) gives off the laid back coastal vibe that I like, with its blue paint and wood plank walls. It’s just missing a good dose of stripes!

A dash of Casual Minimalist. I like spaces to look clean, calm, without a lot of clutter and knickknacks all over, but in a casual way that’s not severe and cold and impersonal. I think of this as “casual minimalist” because it’s nice to have some personal items to make a space feel homey and welcoming, without covering every inch of space with stuff. I think this entryway from Amber Interiors is pretty much perfect. It has just enough stuff to make it both useful and interesting, but it’s not the least bit cluttered or overly busy.

So, hmm, Casual Midcentury Minimalist Cottage … does that work? I seriously just made that up and I kind of love it. Ha! I think I might stick with that … until I change my mind again!

I think the most important thing when decorating is to figure out what works for YOU, what works for YOUR house, and what works for YOUR family, and if you change your mind or you make a mistake, that’s totally ok! We’ve made a million mistakes in this house (um, remember the red walls?), which are kind of embarrassing to look back on now, but it also was a necessary progression for us to live and learn. And as much as I think it would be nice to be one of those people who has a totally recognizable and definable style, who doesn’t make the occasional bad decorating decision, I also think it would be totally boring to stick with the same style forever. Decorating above all else should be fun!

So how do you define your decorating style? Can you come up with your own personal style diagnostic? Do you think you’re able to actually decorate in the style you love most — does it fit with your house, your family? I’d love to hear what you think!!

P.S. We’re in London! Follow along on Instagram @burritosbubbly!