How to Discover Your Own Personal Design Style & Aesthetic
When it comes to designing your home, there are no rules. Ultimately, what you like and how you feel are the two most important considerations. We live in a world where we are immersed in the opinions, rules, and likes of others. Do you know what it is that you like?
Here are some simple tips for discovering your unique style and a process for uncovering your personal design aesthetic.
Style and aesthetic, while they may seem the same, are actually two different sides of the same coin. Style could be described as your experience or opinion about a particular furniture piece, related to how you see the world and everything in it. This could involve past experiences, environment, or what is appealing to your personal senses. Aesthetic, however, is the way in which that style is expressed and the overall look of the piece. Aesthetic: the way it looks, opinion aside. Style: the way it looks based on your consumption of the world around you.
Without one, you cannot have the other, as both pieces are a crucial part to finding what will be a perfect match to your preferences and desires. When you own what you like, how you feel and how you want to feel in your space, that’s when the magic happens.
Here is a simple process for uncovering your personal design aesthetic.
When your interest lights up, pay attention to the space and things around you. This could be as simple as a funky wallpaper you saw in a friend’s house or a new color that you are drawn to. Perhaps it’s a favorite restaurant, outfit, or piece of jewelry. When you experience this spark of interest, write it down and include how it makes you feel. Keep an ongoing list of all the things that make you happy and why they make you feel that way.
Seek out inspiration. Pinterest is a great visual resource. Save rooms, furniture, outfits, color palettes, and patterns that inspire you. Take note of what you like about the spaces. Create a vision board of the items you pin and see what fits together.
Become aware of your everyday lifestyle needs. How do you function in your space and what would make it easier to do so?
Get rid of what you don’t like. If it doesn’t light you up and you don’t need it for practical reasons, get rid of it.
Be methodical when buying and bringing new items into your home. Be intentional and only purchase what you love.
Hope G. Pace is the Owner and Interior Style Designer of So Chic Home Design & Staging, a full-service boutique firm offering interior decorating, redesign and real estate staging services. Located in Indianapolis, Ind., So Chic’s thoughtful aesthetic for interiors offers high style design solutions that are expertly curated with personality and functionality.
