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How To Choose a Home Design Style

Name: Cworkshop
Brand: Cworkshop
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If you're re-decorating a room in your home or moving into a new place, you want to make your own, picking a unique home design style can be exciting and challenging.

Do you want to decorate your living room with a sophisticated mid-century modern aesthetic? Is your ideal bedroom an eclectic or boho-style room that mixes colours and textures, or are you dreaming of a minimalist kitchen? Do you have a lengthy Pinterest board for industrial interior design but don't know how you'll reconcile that with your love of vintage trinkets and art? Or do you have no idea where to start?

If any of these sounds like you, you're not alone. For many of us, the challenge of picking a home design style isn't struggling to find decorating ideas we like; it's that we want too many things at once!

So, how can you start narrowing down your interior design style to decide how you want to decorate?

This article will guide you through choosing a design style for your home. As this guide will demonstrate, you don't need to be an interior designer; you only need to explore the decorating styles you already like.

1. Take stock of the pieces you already have.

Whether you're moving into a new home that needs decorating or want to revamp the decor of your current place, one of the first things to do is consider the furniture, lighting, and decor you already have. What styles do they fit into? Which items go well together?

If all your existing pieces feel boring, consider how you could give them new life. Maybe the floor lamp you're bored of looking at in the living room would breathe new life into the bedroom; perhaps a paint job could turn that boring mirror into a shabby chic centrepiece.

Reusing your existing pieces is budget-friendly and more environmentally sustainable, and it helps you refine your personal interior design style over time. However, if you have furniture or decorations that you know you'll never use, consider donating it to a charity shop or giving it to a friend - there's no point holding onto pieces you hate!

2. Consider your personal style.

If you're struggling to find your interior design style, it can be helpful to look inside your wardrobe. We're not saying you should kit your dining room out in denim to match your favourite pair of jeans, but considering your fashion style can help you figure out your decorating style.

What colours, textures, and patterns do you like to wear? Do you want to opt for natural materials or durable fabrics? Is your style minimalist or maximalist? These questions can help you figure out the aesthetics and styles you are naturally drawn to, helping you refine your interior design style.

3. Play with your colour palette.

When decorating a home, many people are afraid of bright colours. What if it looks garish? Unsophisticated? Tacky? These anxieties make many homeowners fearfully avoid bold colours, opting only for neutrals.

However, decorating a room with a well-chosen splash of colour is a great way to breathe new life into the space without changing any other furniture or decor.

Colour doesn't have to be limited to paint jobs and wallpaper - they can be a great addition to furniture, cabinets, and closet doors. Consider midnight blue for a soothing, cosy living room or fjord green for an energising kitchen - a splash of colour is a great way to create mood and sophistication in your home.

Want to learn more about how colour can transform your spaces? Read our blog about how bold colours make your interiors pop.

4. Take inspiration from design trends.

Some people love trying out the latest interior design trends; others avoid them, worrying that they'll quickly become outdated. We think trying out different trends can be a great way to figure out the specific home decor aspects you like.

For example, if you find yourself drawn to both minimalism and Boho decor, two seemingly incompatible styles, consider the specific things they have in common: natural materials such as wood and wicker, earthy and neutral colours, and nature-inspired elements.

Instead of simply following trends, analysing what you like about specific trends is a helpful exercise when deciding how to decorate your home. Even if you realise that you are drawn to two different seemingly incompatible design styles (industrial beach house or rustic Art Deco, anyone?), there's probably an aspiring interior designer who has put together a Pinterest board for that exact combination. These can be a great source of inspiration for your home and a reminder that not every interior design has to be neatly categorised into a single style.

Need more decorating inspiration? Here are some of our favourite trends that are popular at the moment:

Mid-century modern style

Inspired by the mid-20th century love of clean lines and functional wooden furniture made of teak, oak, and rosewood, the mid-century modern design uses signature curved and geometric shapes with bold colours. Consider pairing mid-century modern elements with more contemporary items for an updated twist on the interior design style.

Minimalist style

Taking its cue from Japanese design, minimalism is a decorating style that keeps the decor simple, clean, and uncomplicated. For a minimalist interior, prioritise texture (wood grain, draped curtains, soft rugs) and reduce patterns. For a minimalist-inspired living room or bedroom, consider using sliding wardrobe doors and cabinets with push-to-open and soft close features.

Rustic style

Rustic interior design emphasises natural elements such as aged wood, rough bricks, and a neutral colour palette. The furniture pieces may have a unique and handmade appearance, while woven rugs and organic textiles also appear in rustic home decor. To create your perfect rustic style, take advantage of natural wood and stone textures in your furniture.

Eclectic style

Bringing together different colours, patterns and textures in unusual ways, this interior design style isn't just about throwing everything together for a cluttered aesthetic; it's about carefully choosing unique items that complement each other. Eclectic interior design often incorporates art, sculpture, vintage items, and other exciting accessories.

Modern farmhouse

Airy, casual, and with pastoral elements, modern farmhouse is an interior design style that combines a contemporary minimalist aesthetic with aspects of rustic country living. Key elements might include neutral and light colours, natural textures and finishes, and traditional touches such as shaker-style doors.

Industrial style

Spacious rooms, cool-toned colours, and a lot of glass and metal make up this interior design trend. However, this doesn't mean that your industrial style interior can't be cosy; pair those clean lines and sleek textures with softer elements like a statement sofa or rug, or add leafy plants as a focal point.

Traditional style

Inspired by 18th and 19th century England and Europe, this interior design style pairs dark wood with ornate details and decadent fabrics. This interior design style is all about harmony, so matching and complementary furniture is a must.

Beach-inspired style

You don't have to live on the coast to make the most of this home decor trend. Beachy neutrals like beige and white are paired with the occasional pop of a bold colour like blue to create this look. Layer interesting textures like a distressed rug and a light wood coffee table to create this relaxing coastal aesthetic in your home.

Art Deco style

Art Deco is an interior design style inspired by the French art and design of the 1920s. It uses sleek and shiny metal, geometric patterns, and eye-catching light fixtures and furniture. To use this style, opt for high gloss finishes and statement furniture.

Boho style

Boho or Bohemian style interior design is all about laid-back spaces, different patterns and textures, and interesting trinkets and decor. A favourite on Pinterest, Boho interior design is similar to eclectic in that it celebrates a unique style with a variety of different decorative elements. Laid-back sofas, soft throws, and colourful rugs are not amiss in a Boho interior.

Contemporary style

Sleek and simple, contemporary style borrows from minimalist interiors with sharp angles and airy, open spaces. Exposed furniture legs, reflective glass and neutral colours define this type of interior design - emulate it with high gloss finishes that reflect the light from your windows.

5. Create a mood board.

The next step in choosing your home's new interior design is to create a mood board. If you've never made one before, this type of collage or collection brings together the decoration and design ideas you like. This can include colours, patterns, textures, furniture styles, room ideas from interior design magazines, and anything that conveys the styles that appeal to you.

While many people tend to reach for Pinterest when creating mood boards, we recommend creating a physical scrapbook or collage. This way, you can more easily mix and match magazine cuttings, material samples, and wallpaper and paint samples in a hands-on way.

At this stage, there's no need to narrow your ideas down. It's OK to create multiple mood boards with different style ideas - feel free to create separate boards for different aesthetics that appeal to you.

6. Order some samples.

So, your mood board looks great on paper, but how will the style look in your home? At this stage, it's a good idea to order some samples and look at them in the rooms you're planning to decorate.

Consider the size of the room - will your potential styles make a small room feel bigger or smaller? It's also essential to think about lighting. Some interior design styles, such as industrial, benefit from a lot of natural light. If you don't have big windows, it may be time to consider installing mirrors or additional lighting to make the space feel brighter.

Playing around with samples is a great way to hone your preferences and inspire a new design. Not sure where to start with samples? Why not order a selection of the latest Egger swatches or the Kronospan decor reference guide to find the materials and textures that appeal to you?

7. Ready to get started?

After all these steps, you should have a pretty good idea of your interior style. Once you've figured this out, it's time to start sourcing the pieces for your home.

Here at Cworkshop, we have a wide range of boards to suit all your decorating needs. From our natural-looking XlyoCleaf collection, which brings natural textures to your rustic, minimalist, or Boho style home, to the elegant Saviola, which provides subtle and distinguished textures for your contemporary or mid-century modern design, or even the stylish Kronospan collection for your industrial-inspired interior design, there's something here to match every decorating style.

For stylish bedrooms, our sliding doors offer a range of different appearances for your aesthetic. In contrast, the more traditional shaker-style doors are the perfect addition to a modern farmhouse or beach-inspired kitchen and living room.

Whatever your preferences, Cworkshop can help you bring your interior design ideas to life. Want to find out more? Contact us or visit our London showroom today.