What’s Your Style? – 7 Steps To Find Your Style

When you’re looking to remodel or renovate your home it’s always best to know the style you’re going for. But what if you don’t know what your style is? Well, no need to worry—we’ve got your back!

Before you head into the showroom or start working with someone to redo your home, lock in your own personal style.

7 Steps to Find Your Style

1. Take note of the design elements you have in your home already that you love.
2. Pin/clip/archive/save pics of design examples that you like, creating an inspiration board.
3. Learn more about different home styles (like the ones described below) and jot down the ones that entice you and why.
4. Use Pinterest or Houzz to look for images of the different styles to add to your board.
5. Go to malls, hotels, and showrooms to take pictures of the design elements that catch your eye.
6. Examine the through-lines between what you have that you love and what you’ve found for your inspiration board. What styles connect all these elements?
7. If all else fails, or for a little extra assistance, take a quiz!

Tips From A Designer

We spoke with Carlo LaCuesta from JSN Studio in L.A., a designer who’s had the pleasure of helping to decorate homes from coast to coast and overseas. He helped us come up with our strategy for finding your style. He also gave us a few tips on the process.

First of all, if you don’t identify with any particular style, don’t sweat it! You can always take from a smattering of styles. This is about what makes you happy.

Next, don’t expect to get it just right the first time. There will be some back and forth between you and your designer until you begin to understand each other. But don’t worry, you’ll get there!

Finally, most manufacturers have return policies. So, don’t stress about having to return something if it doesn’t work out! This is a process to find the home design that is perfect for you. It will take time, there may be some returns, but it will all be worth it.

Home Decor Styles

Our Designer’s Hot Picks for 2022

LaCuesta let us in on a few of the styles he’s seeing more of recently. Organic Modern and Wabi-sabi are super popular at the moment, while Cottagecore is gaining notice.

• Organic Modern

  • Clean lines and less clutter give a minimalist sense
  • Smooth surfaces and rounded shapes bring comfort
  • Warm, neutral, earthy colors
  • Natural materials, like reclaimed wood, stone, leather, linen, and concrete
  • Plants!
  • See examples here!
  • Flooring: hardwood or wood-look, stone, slate, or limestone tile, all in neutral colors. Try using flooring that flows from indoors to outdoors! Rugs of natural materials.

• Wabi-sabi

  • Simplicity, with plenty of negative space
  • Build around functional pieces, like furniture
  • Embrace the imperfections with unfinished edges and imperfect accessories
  • Use natural materials and bring nature inside
  • Authentic and unique pieces, nothing mass-produced
  • Flooring: plain, smooth surface, stone/slate, concrete, ceramic tile, or terrazzo.

• Cottagecore

  • Think of a romantic Victorian cottage in the woods
  • Floral patterns and flowers, fresh and dried
  • Vintage everything
  • Incorporate nature everywhere with butterflies, mushrooms, forest scenes, etc.
  • More, more, more baskets, old books, lace, etc.
  • Flooring: hardwood or wood-look vinyl or laminate

10 Most Popular Styles of 2022 According to Bustling Nest

• Traditional

  • Neutral colors
  • Symmetry
  • Intricate details, moldings & woodwork
  • Florals & landscapes
  • Brass, rich woods, sturdy furniture
  • Flooring: dark vinyl, laminate, or hardwood; thick, plush rugs or carpet

• Mid-century Modern

  • Neutral colors with pops of color in unexpected places
  • Sleek lines with slanted chair and table legs
  • Wood paneling
  • A mixture of functional and unique, old and new 
  • Flooring: terrazzo, polished concrete, cork, hardwood, luxury vinyl tile

• Rustic

  • Neutral colors, exposed beams, reclaimed wood, and natural stone countertops/backsplashes
  • Hand-crafted
  • Vintage
  • Flooring: Light-colored hardwood (or wood-look) or tile, varying plank widths. Covered with cozy rugs.

• Farmhouse

  • Neutral colors, like cream, black, grey, and beige
  • Reclaimed/natural woods
  • Mixed metal and industrial accents
  • Plaid, checker, striped patterns
  • Flooring: distressed or reclaimed, dark gray or brown engineered wood, or wood-look vinyl plank or laminate. 

• Minimalist

  • Light colors, like white, gray, and pastels
  • Clean lines
  • Lots of empty space with minimal clutter because less is always more
  • Large-scale art
  • Flooring: light hardwood, laminate, tile, bamboo

• Urban Modern

  • Metropolitan
  • Comfortable, with soft textures, and multi-functional
  • Vintage, industrial, and minimalist
  • Glass, concrete, and metal 
  • Feature wall
  • Play with scale
  • Flooring: Simple, white, gray, or wood-look

• Bohemian

  • Rich colors, jewel tones
  • Tons of accessories and textiles, the more the better!
  • Global inspirations
  • Handmade stuffs
  • Braided rugs
  • Flooring: Fun carpet! Or fur and elaborate rugs over wood-look or tile.

• Contemporary

  • Constantly evolving and up to the moment
  • Sleek and simple, light, airy, and open
  • Neutral and cool colors with rich textiles
  • Detailed moldings for originality
  • See examples here!
  • Flooring: hardwood or tile in neutral colors

• Transitional

  • “Traditional elegance with contemporary lines and textiles.”
  • Rugs and throw pillows to accessorize, but use minimally
  • Curved furniture
  • Wood, rattan, and steel surfaces
  • It should be comfortable, yet effortless 
  • Flooring: warm, hardwood floors or oversized tile

• Art Deco

  • Glamourous
  • Sharp, jagged corners
  • Bold accents and unique art
  • Deep colors on the walls
  • Oversized furniture
  • Wainscoting and metal
  • Flooring: intricate or lavish carpet, tile, or vinyl; geometric inlays encouraged

Other Common Home Decor Styles:

• Modern

  • Neutral colors with pops of color
  • Clean lines
  • Exposed wood with chrome/glass accents
  • Geometric patterns welcome!
  • Less is more
  • See examples here!
  • Flooring: hardwood and wood-look laminate or vinyl

• Scandinavian

  • Neutral colors with pops of color
  • Botanical accents/patterns
  • Smooth lines and natural wood
  • Integrate nature and candles as accessories
  • Flooring: tile or vinyl in white or gray tone

• Industrial

  • Black & gray colors
  • Worn, metal accents, raw wood, exposed pipes and brick—an unfinished look
  • Vintage furniture
  • Flooring: distressed wood or cement-like tile

• Coastal

  • Warm colors, like white, cream, blue and green
  • Nautical, beach-inspired decor
  • Soft, comfortable furniture
  • Wicker furniture
  • Shiplap!
  • Flooring: natural-finished hardwood or wood-like laminate

What’s Your Style?

So, you’ve taken the steps, you’ve done the research, have you figured it out? Are you traditional? Modern? Perhaps, a Cottagecore lover? Or are you more Eclectic than anything else? Well, we hope that we’ve aided you in finding a direction to head. Now the only thing left to do is head into that showroom and start designing. Good luck!

How Can Graham’s Flooring & Design Help?

We love it when you arrive with an idea of what you’d like, but we also understand that finding your style takes time and information. We’d be happy to help! Contact us today to set up an appointment and we will find you the ideal flooring, countertops, and backsplashes for your home design! Carpet, hardwood, vinyl, laminate, tile…we’ve got it all and we are experts in our field! 

For Loveland and Fort Collins flooring and installation, contact Graham’s Flooring & Design today! And for more information on flooring, design, and remodeling, read our blog.