Like it or not, you already have a decorating style. Every piece of furniture or decor you’ve brought into your home contributes to your current style. If you don’t like your current style, there’s still hope.
Inside of you, there’s another decorating style—how you really want your home to look and feel. I want to help you uncover that decorating style.
I’ve helped over 400 people do just that in my course Define Your Style Lab. They’ve proven my hypothesis that no two people have the same style. Your style is unlike anyone else’s. That’s why you can’t just choose a trendy style or copy a favorite designer. It won’t fit you.
Why You Need to Find Your Decorating Style
Knowing your true style is the only way to create a cohesive home that reflects you. It’s how you turn a house into a home. Any decorating style applied consistently can make a house look cohesive, but only your true style can make a house feel like you, like home.
When you feel like you have no decorating style, even small decisions like what color throw pillow to put on the sofa can throw you for a loop. Maybe you’ve already made a bunch of decisions and purchases for your home that you regret, and now you second-guess yourself and overthink everything. Now, you feel stuck in a house that’s become a time-capsule of your past decorating mistakes.
Maybe you think even if you knew your decorating style, you wouldn’t be able to switch to it. You assume it would cost too much and take too long to get from what you have now to what you really want.
Maybe you believe you’d have to be a designer yourself to pull it off.
But it’s easier than you think, and it doesn’t require a design degree. You can start to uncover your true decorating style without starting all over and replacing all your stuff. (Cue a sigh of relief.)
How Knowing Your Decorating Style Helps
- It makes decorating decisions for you. Instead of making decorating decisions on the fly and realizing later everything doesn’t look good together, developing your decorating style forces you to make key decisions up front. You’ll know what you want and what you don’t want for your home before you start shopping and decorating, which eliminates second-guessing, overthinking, and changing your mind every other day.
- It unifies your home. Nothing makes a house feel more choppy than a different style in every room. A decorating style keeps your choices consistent and your home cohesive.
- It helps you declutter your decor. Decluttering is hard. Sometimes you just need a reason to let something go. When you know a thing doesn’t fit your style, it’s easier to let it go. Removing the wrong pieces will reveal what you truly love.
- It keeps you from making bad purchases. Your decorating style is a shopping filter that helps you avoid buying mistakes. With your decorating style as a guide, you can narrow down the colors, furniture styles, and home stores you love, so you only bring home furniture and decor that fits your decorating style.
How to Find Your True Decorating Style
I’ve been teaching and writing about how to find your decorating style for over five years. On this page, I’ve pulled together my best advice and resources to help you find your style and start bringing it out in your home.
LET ME TEACH YOU
The Secret to No Regrets Decorating
Watch my free video training The Secret to No Regrets Decorating. You’ll learn how to make better decorating decisions, how to shop like a designer, and how to create a home that truly reflects you.
The best decorating style articles on School of Decorating:
Start by Being More Decisive
- Watch: The Secret to No Regrets Decorating – In the first video How To Make Better Decorating Decisions, I share seven decision-making tips that will help you move past the fear, self-doubt, and second-guessing that are keeping you stuck in your home.
- 6 Things I Wish You Knew About Decorating – It doesn’t matter if you plan to hire a decorator or do-it-yourself, you must know these six things before you start decorating.
- How To Exit the Decorating Decision Roundabout – Decorating is full of choice overload. Learn a simple three-step process for how to make a decorating decision without second-guessing yourself and agonizing over it for days or weeks.
Change Your Shopping Habits
- Watch: The Secret to No Regrets Decorating – In the second video How to Shop Like a Designer, you’ll learn my five-step shopping filter strategy. It will change the way you shop for your home and eliminate regretful purchases.
- 3 of the Worst Mistakes I Made Before I Found My Style – If you looked around my home today, you might assume style comes naturally to me. That decorating has always been easy. That I’ve never made a gigantic, embarrassing mistake. You’d be wrong. Don’t make the same decorating mistakes I did.
- How to Shop for Home Decor Without Getting Overwhelmed – I reveal how I shop home decor stores in 20 minutes or less. With this streamlined process, I don’t spend money on things I don’t love, and I don’t spend a ton of time shopping.
Declutter Your Decor and Discover What You Love
- 9 Simple Habits for a More Cohesive Home – Want to relax more at home, be present without thinking about undone projects, and enjoy more time with family and friends? These nine simple habits will help you make your home feel cohesive. They’re all essential, but #8 is a quick way to bring out your true style fast.
- Don’t Settle – I think all decisions big and small in life should be weighed against this question…am I settling?
Don’t Rush to a “Finished” Home
- 3 Reasons Decorating Has You Stressed Out – These are the three most common reasons decorating gets frustrating and what you can do differently.
- Stop Being a Perfectionist in Your Home – If you’re a perfectionist, unfortunately, you can’t just decide one day to not be a perfectionist. It’s a trait (or curse) you will always live with. But you can use these six simple strategies to stop being a perfectionist in your home.
- Why I Quit DIY – DIY took over my life. Then, I decided to stop. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself and my home. Even if you don’t DIY, it’s worth a read. It may inspire you to take a courageous step to stop doing something you feel you should do, but don’t enjoy.
- WARNING: 10 Signs You Might Be Over-Decorating – A lot of people aren’t sure when they’re finished decorating a room. They don’t know when to stop. These ten signs will help you recognize when to stop decorating.
Develop Your Sense of Style
- Watch: The Secret to No Regrets Decorating – In the final video of the series called How To Create a Home that Reflects You, I share my personal decorating journey and struggles. I also share the turning point that finally made my house feel like home.
- 3 Style Myths You Need to Stop Believing Now – When it comes to finding a decorating style, three myths come up over and over again. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients and students, and all of them believed one or more of these myths which kept them from discovering their true style and being comfortable in their own home.
- The Difference Between a Decorating Style and a Theme – A decorating style is bigger than a theme. When done well, a decorating style can showcase several different themes in subtle, sophisticated ways. The mix of themes builds a story that unfolds throughout the home.
- The 10 Worst Places to Look for Good Decorating Advice – There’s a lot of decorating advice out there. But finding good decorating advice for your specific wants, needs, and constraints is tough. Beware of these ten sources of advice that might not lead you to do what’s best for your home.
FREE TRAINING
The Secret to No Regrets Decorating
Learn how to stop second-guessing yourself, shop with confidence, and create a home that reflects you. Click the button below for instant access to the first video in this free three-part training.
