Going shopping for furniture and decor for your home can be easy and fun, but, without a strategy in mind, it can be time consuming and costly. Once you get your purchases home or have them delivered, step back and ask yourself – have those new purchases brought your space together for a cohesive look? Meaning – do you see a theme developing? Do these pieces add flow to your home? Do they exude the feeling you were envisioning? If your home is having an identity crisis we are here to help!

There are endless online resources to help identify your personal aesthetic. Websites and publications like Houzz, Pinterest, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Domino Magazine, or HGTV… are all great resources. We recommend you follow these five easy steps that include these resources to narrow down your style identity.

1) Research:

Spend some time going through at least 3 of the resources we listed. You can use their website, magazine, or my favorite; their Instagram feed. Look through the image galleries of completed spaces, try not to micro focus on singular items. Keep in mind, you are not necessarily looking to replicate the spaces you find, but to use them as ‘inspiration’. As you respond to colors, textures and style of decor and furnishings, save them and note what you like about each image. In reviewing your saves, you’ll notice common themes. This will help you recognize your personal style – you may be surprised! Is your image(s) collection retro inspired? Traditional? Maybe, more of a retreat in a relaxing spa-like environment? It could be that your response is a strong pull towards more modern spaces with a clean and simple look. Or, is it possible that you really want to let your abundance of energy spill into a room, using bold statements of bright colors and patterns and the something of the unexpected?

2) Collect:    

Once you start to find imagery that intrigues, save them! Take screenshots and save them to a folder on your desktop, dropbox, phone, Pinterest board or Houzz ideabook. It doesn’t matter where or how you  save the images as long as you save it with a note as to why you did.

3) Assess:

Once you have collected maybe 20 images, go through to select 3-5 of your absolute favorites.

4) Ponder:

Once you have selected your top 3-5 images, print them out, in color. Tape them on a wall in the space you would like to change. Leave these images up for a week or two and look at them daily! This will give you enough time to adapt to the images and allow you to see which one you find yourself gravitating to the most.

5) Time to Design:

Once you have selected the image (possibly two), take them to a professional interior designer. Be specific and honest. Tell them what you like most about the images. This will help the designer understand your style identity. Now it is time to allow the design process to begin!

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to finding your style identity. For some people, they may see an image and know immediately that’s the style that makes you happiest. For others, it might take longer. They may need all the steps to assist in the process of elimination. but, that’s OK! Designing a space takes time, direction, confidence and-oh yes-money. Take your time, be convinced that your selections are right for you!