Decorate 101 - Define your Style

Did you try Sproost to help you define your style in this post? Was it right on or did it point you in a different direction than you were thinking? Still have questions? Maybe this will help.

Defining your style is so important in decorating. You need to have a plan and a direction or otherwise you will wander stores randomly purchasing things only to bring them home and have then not "go". Return and try again. When you have a defined style (and write it down -- it helps) and use it your house will have a cohesive pulled together look. Shopping will be easier because you'll know what to look for. You can also "shop your house" because items work in multiple rooms (same style) and can be moved around.

I think your decorating style should reflect you and your family - are you laid back or formal? do you have durable fabrics because of kids and dogs even though you would love silk? do you have a large dining table for big gatherings and love to entertain? do you decorate in a romantic style and are a girly-girl? do you keep a couch even though it's uncomfortable because you like the way it looks? Your style should fit you, not be a stage that you live on. Am I making sense? Decorate for who you are, not who you think you should be. You'll be happier in the end and actually use your spaces.

One of the best ways to determine your style is to sit in a comfy chair with something nice to drink and pour through magazines, catalogs and decorating books. Remember the posts about how to read a decorating magazine here and here? Give them a quick review as there is tons of good info in them. Now when you get these magazines to look through, pick up a couple that you normally wouldn't purchase. Try some kitchen and bath ones also.  If you only buy country decorating magazines to look through you are limiting your style determining process.

Mark or tear out pictures of rooms or elements that speak to you. Use a sticky note and write down what it was that attracted you - was it the texture, the color, the layout, a specific table, the lack of something? It's also helpful to find elements you don't like so tear out and mark those pages also.

You need a large pile of pages 30-50. Then start to look though your marked/torn out pages with the notes and look for common threads. Are all the walls a soft or neutral color? Do you like painted furniture? Are you drawn to plants and open spaces? leather sofas? Do you dislike queen ann legs and cherry wood? Do you like a lot of accessories? Do you like the look of only one statement piece as an accessory?

As you look through the pile create a consolidated list of your likes and dislikes. Go ahead ... I'll wait.

Done yet? Now you should have a pretty clear idea of your likes and dislikes. Which is fantastic! Way to go. Did that exercise just wear you out? I always get brain overload when I look at too many magazines at once. You can break this process down into multiple steps/days to give your eyes and brain a chance to rest! You don't want to hurry the process and it should be fun!

You know your likes and dislikes, however, we have this need to label things. It's helpful to communicate to someone else in just a few words, instead of saying: informal, slipcover, light colors, plants, no cherry wood, no exposed wood on the furniture, comfy sink into it couch, painted furniture, wall to wall carpet,  matching lamps, throw pillows, wicker baskets for toys, etc., etc.

In my next Decorating 101 post I'll talk about some major styles and what their elements are so that you can add some labels to your style and fine tune it. Stay tuned!

This is part of a Decorating 101 series of posts. Check out Decorating Basics here.

Decorating 101 - The Basics

Are you new to decorating? Been decorating for awhile, but getting a little off track? Think you are on track, but are going to read my post anyway? (Thanks!) Maybe it's time for a review of some of the basic rules of decorating. 

I use the term rules loosely - truly. As far as I know there is no definitive book on how to decorate (if there is would somebody send me a copy?!). These are just tips and techniques that have worked well for me in the past and I use when helping out friends.

Style: save a lot of headaches, define your style in writing and be specific. My style is Mid Century Modern (clean lines with subtle curves, simplicity, organic and geometric forms, texture, wood) with a color scheme that is dark turquoise, light aqua blue, olive green, brown, and cream with black accents; a focus on folk or hand made art and accessories; live plants and comfortable functionality. That's my entire house. (OK, my condo is small, but this works with big houses also). When I'm out shopping and see an adorable purple silk fleur de lis pillow that is 95% off and now only $1.25 !! I know to walk past it because it won't go anywhere in my house. Confused what your style is? Watch for an article about learning to define your style coming up.

Link your rooms: repeat colors, fabrics or themes in various combination so all your rooms flow from one to another. If you do this, you can "shop your house" and move accessories around from various rooms and it will all work. You can also pick up that fantastic pillow on sale, even if you don't have a specific place for it in mind, because you know it will go in multiple rooms.

Inspiration piece: pick a fabric, rug, plate or something beautiful to focus your decorating decisions. (OK, this means before you start decorating. It goes along with defining your style). It should reflect your color scheme, style and mood of the room. My issues with my decorating crossroads post were because I didn't pick an inspiration piece and stick with it. 

Repetition: If you have an orange accent in a room, repeat the orange color at least 3 times so it doesn't appear as a misstep. Use an imaginary triangle to place the items in the room for interest. You don't usually want 3 orange things clumped on one shelf and no other orange in the room.

Accessorizing:  use odd numbers (3, 5, 7) and place items high, medium and low. Again use the imaginary triangle, but this time a wonky one.

Function over fashion: make sure there are end tables for drinks, lights to read by, and clear pathways. Pillows are great and all, but if a guest has to move pillows to the floor in order to sit down, you have too many pillows (gasp! - bet you didn't know there was such a thing).

Carry samples: keep your inspiration piece or a picture of it, paint samples, fabric swatches and room (or couch or wall) dimensions with you all the time, even if you aren't specifically shopping for an item. Some of the best buys are the unexpected ones! I have mine in a cute photo album/clutch. I try to have it in my purse always. (OK, this isn't a lie. I try to have it with me all the time. I just don't succeed. And when I don't have it I can't tell if an aqua has too much gray in it to go in my home, and then I have to leave the item, and then I think obsessively about said item, until I eventually go back to the store with my swatches, and said item is now gone, so I think obsessively about the one that got away - true story about a bath rug.) It even has some inspiration photos to help remind me of the look I'm trying to achieve.

Look at your room with an editing eye (as Tim Gunn would say). If you have an item that doesn't fit in with your defined style or is completely out of sync with your inspiration piece think about replacing it. Unless you are going for an eclectic look this is good decorating advice but might not be practical life advice. I realize this doesn't always work in the real world when you have family heirlooms, children's accessories and toys or even hand me downs that you can't afford to replace just yet. Looking at your room with an editing eye will help you evaluate your existing room and develop a plan on where you want to go next.

What are the basic decorating "rules" that you find helpful?