How to Find Your Personal Decor Style (I Promise, It’s Easy!)
“Personal style” is something we talk about a lot at Apartment Therapy. As much as we follow and report on home design trends, we also encourage all of our readers to find what really works for them and makes them feel at home. We’ll never yuck your yum!
But as many people know firsthand, making your home feel like “you” is a lot easier said than done. It can be hard to distinguish the trends you enjoy from the pieces and aesthetics that really reflect who you are. The same can be said for fashion, beauty, or any kind of creative expression. So when it comes to defining your personal style, where should you begin? Apartment Therapy’s experts have some thoughts.
In the latest episode of Friends with Houses, our new YouTube series starring Apartment Therapy’s Editor-in-Chief Charli Penn and Executive Home Director Danielle Blundell, the two neighbors, friends, and fellow home experts are sharing all their best tips and advice on how to find your personal style — and how to make your home feel authentically you.
Start by Setting the Mood
Pictures speak louder than words, right? So when in doubt, always start with a mood board. Danielle says this part of the process is less about putting a label on your style, and more about looking at elements of other trends, other homes and other people’s styles and “seeing what you like about it.” Ask yourself: “Is it the color palette that you’re gravitating toward? Is it the type of furniture? Is it clean lines? Is it curvy?”
And yes, what you like can (and should!) be your own mix of what inspires you.
Take inspiration from Pinterest, from Apartment Therapy (wink wink) or screenshots from social media, or try snapping some pictures in the wild of moments that make you feel inspired. Include swatches of colors you like. As you go, try using our digital mood board tool to pull it all together and make it feel cohesive.
Work with What You’ve Got
Another great method for jump-starting your design process is to assemble some of your favorite pieces that you already own — artwork, a funky couch, an heirloom rug — that feel totally and undeniably you, and see what patterns emerge! Even just a single piece of artwork may help you determine a color palette.
Charli used this method when decorating her own home. “The painting in the hallway was the first thing we bought when we bought the house,” she explains in the video. “It was just the thing I saw that I loved … so every single color on this floor comes from that one painting. I was like, I’m just going to start here. This is going to be the palette.” It’s a pretty foolproof way to make your space feel polished — just don’t try to make everything match too perfectly.
Try to Avoid the “Copy/Paste”
You’ve probably fallen into the trap once or twice: You see a trend online, you love it, you replicate it, and in a few months, you realize it’s just not you. Danielle calls this a “copy/paste” phase: “Where you just see something and you implement it almost with, like, no notes,” she explains. “Like, I’m just going to literally take this and try to make my space look like that.” The line between inspiration and inauthenticity is a very thin one; avoid the copy/paste and instead, pull bits of inspiration from each trend or space you love.
Charli coins the broader term “persuasion decor.” “It’s like, you maybe like one piece in that catalog photo or one piece in that showroom setup,” she explains, “but suddenly you’re like, I need the lamp and I need the table,” etc. For obvious reasons, avoid doing this when trying to find your personal style; maybe try a bouquet of hydrangeas before you make your entire space “coastal grandma.”
Remember: There’s No Rush!
Last but not least, always keep in mind that Rome wasn’t built in a day. I made this mistake with my very first apartment; eager to settle in, I ordered all of my furniture and decor before ever even staying the night there. Now, I always tell my friends: You need time to get a feel for the space and how you use it before deciding how to decorate.
Once you’ve got the basics (i.e. major furniture and layout) all settled, remember there’s no such thing as a “finished” room. Charli recalls a piece of advice she received when she first bought her home: Stop hopping around. “I would buy like one thing for this room, one thing for that room,” Charli says.“Just pick one room that you care about and focus your energy on it. Even if it takes you 6 months or a year to finish that room, stop just buying things randomly.”
Like our selves, our style is always evolving. That’s the beauty of it! So be open to change, be open to trying new things, and most of all, follow your heart. If you love it, ask yourself why — what about this space or this piece feels like me? And stay tuned for more of Charli and Danielle’s expert advice on our YouTube Series Friends with Houses.