3 NO-FUSS WAYS TO FIGURING OUT YOUR INTERIOR DESIGN STYLE
When we moved into our home, four years ago now, we were a little overwhelmed. The house certainly was a fixer upper and getting by as two, reasonably poor, self-employed twenty-somethings in a house with no kitchen for the first year was not easy. It was an emotional time, neither of us had really thought about how hard it was to decorate and furnish a home from scratch. The task of making a home from a few empty rooms was daunting, and it took a lot of our brain power. From our planning time I’ve devised a 3 step, no-fuss plan to help you figure out your interior design style. Styling your house needs to be fun, not overwhelming, especially if like me you have never had to think about it before!
Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook groups
When it comes to interiors, we quickly realised that there is no better place to start than online. Pinterest was our favourite space for making mood boards and discovering what interior design styles appealed to us. Compared with Facebook groups and Instagram, Pinterest has all of your collection in one place to search and browse. When you find something you like or relate to the suggested pins can help you develop that idea. Contrasted with looking at interior design magazines these online resources show far more practical solutions. With our home we wanted it to be clean and calming but also functional and minimal. For us, we realised we loved big white spaces and clean, uncluttered rooms. Pin away to your heart is content – it is never wrong to have too many ideas or too much research. After that have a look on Instagram for some influencers who share a similar interior to the one you desire. See how they style each room and use this to build on your aesthetic. After that Facebook groups are great for accessing multiple DIY projects and giving you creative ideas in regular homes. Whether it’s finding out about how to create something unique for your home like cushion printing by Countryside Art or learning how to save, find bargains and shop around when completing interior designs you’ll find fantastic advice and inspiration.
Plan and pace your purchases
Shopping for your home styling without any idea of what you want or need is completely overwhelming, and you will make decisions you regret. Homeware stores are enormous and with so much variety. There is just too much choice, and it is easy to get carried away. Whether its an itemised list of pictures on your phone have a plan of what you are looking for before heading to the store. Online shopping can help cull the impulse buying every first-time homeowner goes through. Before making big decisions see if your ideas work in realisation. Whether it’s looking at friends beautiful interior collection or taking a reference picture of a cute cafes tiles, real-life experiences are a great way to soak up and have a better idea of how all the items, colours and configurations will fit together. When it comes to making each room’s wish list firstly consider large furniture items that are needed, then the lighting and once they are in the space start thinking about what complimentary soft furnishings and further decorative objects and plants would fit in well. Working out how your area will work in this way breaks down the work and makes the task a lot less overwhelming. It forces you to stop and think about each room as a whole. This helps cut out unnecessary purchases or picking up cute items that you then have no idea where to put when you get them home.
It doesn’t have to be new
Interior design style always has an expensive connotation, and it needs not to have. I know there are people out there who hate the idea of second-hand items, but it really is an excellent way of finding impressive pieces of furniture. Some of my favourite household items came from charity shops, so not only were they much cheaper than buying them first hand, it was more environmentally friendly, and it raised money for the charities — this was my method for finding a few more unique items. My living room coffee table was a designer table, originally over £700 that I fell in love with at an Emmaus stall in Leeds market for £90. I’d not seen anything like it but loved its chic design and knew instantly it would look awesome in our home. Other items we were lucky enough to inherit and use to fit into our own style. My favourite find in the house so far was a solid marble top living room table that came from Gumtree for £80 (including the chairs). I want to upgrade the chairs at some point, but I adore the marble table, it is my favourite piece of furniture, looks so expensive and always gets compliments. Don’t rush your interior design style. Taking the time to research and hunt for fresh and interesting items can personalise your space far more than merely buying new. Look at alternatives, shop around and DIY sections of your design to add your own unique look.
