How do I find my Interior Décor Style?
Bohemian: Free spirited with a penchant for —Your— creative self-expression
Do you know what you like?
What I am going to focus on here, coming from how we look at interior styles, is the design of a home that represents You, not what is popular to the masses.
What makes you feel Your best in a given space depends on how You fill your space in order to manifest the right atmosphere, relative to its purpose.
There are 8 Essential Elements
- space
- light
- shape
- material/texture
- color
- scent
- life ~ plants
- sound
Find inspiration from what's available and then decide what's possible
A simple search on Pinterest (…) can render some amazing examples which you can in turn take to create a concept ~ inspiration board from:
Relaxing, Fun & Rewarding Exercise
This is what we've done and will do next time we're ready to redecorate: collect as many photos from a handful of sites as you like, pin 'em up on your cork board and later go through, prioritize them in by what resonates with you the most. Unless your interior redecorating is an emergency, take your time to visualize and feel your options.
The following examples are my picks while keeping the above elements in mind. For the photos you'd pick for you with different keywords, ask yourself, which of those would lend themselves to relaxation, hosting friends, working, eating, resting ...
Note: Photos that I do want to show you from Pinterest are copyrighted, hence I cannot place them here without permission (fair use ≠ commercial use), so I'll link to them - next best thing, right?
1. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/36802921954354998/
2. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/96616354500135056/
3. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/124060164726495361/
4. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/271482683780072557/
5. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/9781324184335666/
6. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/355432595605081816/
7. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1970393579634821/
8. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/70437488112278/
9. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/868702215604716401/
10. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/65231894595983007/
11. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/613545149249191242/
12. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/390898442672784249/
These examples resonate with, rejuvenate and inspire me, regardless of anyone else. As you can see, I gravitate towards warmer atmospheres created by quaint lighting, pleasant shapes, cozy textures and colors without which a given space would feel lifeless, even draining.
The public domain photos below that I did find lack a little in terms of color, texture and depth compared to the above examples, but it's something:
Now do the same with your own search. If you want Your spaces to resonate You, you'll need to filter anyone else's preferences and opinions. Select samples for any of the rooms you want to breathe new life in to by looking at relevant examples of a layout for a reading room versus a bedroom versus and work room versus a living room versus a workout space.
Keep the list of elements in mind as they provide some rules of thumb in terms of positive/negative space (think spaciousness versus clutter). Lighting and color will determine the mood and level of alertness versus a relaxed/romantic atmosphere. Texture affects comfort (compare a fluffy rug with a flat granite surface).
More ætherial elements are those of smell and sound. Certain scents can have a soothing, relaxing aromatherapy effect on our emotional being just as instrumental music can create a grounded, peaceful, near mind altering environment that helps transcend the mundane mind and inspire e.g. writing. —As I'm writing this I'm listening to a wonderful sequence on youtube.
How do you want to experience each room?
This fun little endeavor is something you'll want to take your time with —you'll know when it's ready to guide you to the next step. Along the way I'm sure you'll find furniture and home décor possibilities you've never even seen before or even dreamt of.
Final thought: I did not write this as an expert in interior design but from experience of when I listen to my soul versus when intellect needs to participate because I need to re-engineer ~ renovate (structural changes) a given space. Any interior design expert is only ever going to give you an approximation of what you want to achieve based on your description, resulting in a design that you'll decide to settle for when done.
You are the expert in the end in how a given combination of design elements will make you feel in a given space … question is, will you take the time to delve into your soul?
