In this post: Learn the top 3 reasons you need to know your unique decorating style. Plus how to find it! (Don’t try to start or continue decorating your home without knowing this first…)
Have you ever wondered how to describe your decorating style? How to really put it into words? Figuring out your unique decorating style is an important first step in decorating your home. It’s the start of making home your happy place.
3 Reasons Why You Need to Know Your Unique Decorating Style
Each of these three reasons are interrelated. They are also the results of knowing your style. Sort of a chicken and the egg situation! 😉
1. Knowing your style gives you “bumpers” (guidelines)
This one is by far the biggest reason you need to know your style.
Do you remember those bumpers that they used to put in the gutters for little kids at the bowling alley? They were designed to help guide the bowling ball down the alley to the pins. Even if the ball was thrown a little wildly, those bumpers provided success for the beginners by keeping the ball on the right track.
Well, knowing your unique decorating style gives the same sort of guidance to your decorating endeavors. Especially when you’re a beginner. Knowing your style keeps you from veering wildly off-course as you pull your home decor together because you have a framework to guide you.
Imagine if someone tells you you don’t need to know your own style. You don’t need to know how to describe it. Or they tell you that you do know what it is…”inside” (vague much?). Picture walking into your favorite decor shop and trying to ask for a lamp. Or doing a search online and simply typing in “table lamp”. How overwhelming do you think those results would be? I’ll tell you…966,000,000 results overwhelming (I just Googled it!).
But what if you know your style and can describe it too? Just by adding the words “French country” before “table lamp” in the same search above, the results are reduced by over 900 million!
Guidelines are good, my friend!
2. Knowing your style saves you time and money
When you know your style, you will no longer be buffeted to and fro by whatever you see, unable to make a choice. You won’t waste anymore time and money. With a firm grasp on what you know you love and what you don’t, you will be able make decisions based on that. And you will be able say “no” to things that don’t fit with what you’ve decided your style is!
Let’s take my style for example: I’m 35% French country, 35% Transitional and 29% Farmhouse. (For all you beautiful math lovers, the other 1% is made up of a myriad of styles.)
Now, truthfully I like lots of things and can appreciate a lot of decor styles. But those are my top three favorites, which make up the basis of my unique style.
If I were out shopping for a clock and saw a beautiful ivory-colored Mora clock for a price that was in my budget, I’d buy it in a second. It’s French in origin, with classy lines (which hits the Transitional button) and it’s neutral (hello, Farmhouse). Perfect!
But if I were out shopping and saw a big industrial clock with gears and metal and a grungy look (still in my budget), I would not buy it. Would I love it? Yes. Would I find it unique and interesting? Yes. Would it tick all my boxes – and therefore fit in with my decor? No.
By following the guidelines I’ve set for myself with my unique decorating style, I no longer waste my time or money on something that won’t work in my space!
3. Knowing your style gives you confidence
And finally when you know your decorating style and you don’t waste any more time or money, you can feel confident in your choices. A lack of confidence in decorating can all but be eliminated when you know what you’re doing. And being able to identify and describe your unique decorating style is the first step in knowing how to decorate your home!
So, Do YOU Know Your UNIQUE Decorating Style?
If you don’t, or don’t know it really well, I highly encourage you to take my quiz to learn which home decor style is the best match for you!
Take the quiz!
Next steps
The quiz will help you discover the top 3 styles you like most.
But you may find you need further help to really hone in on your unique style.
If that’s the case, check out our Find Your Style Workbook. It’s a great place to start your decorating when you really don’t know where to start!
And if you want help with ALL of the decorating, check out our course, Decorating Uncomplicated! It’s got EVERYTHING you need to decorate your entire home from start to finish!
Pin for later and share with your friends!
Your quiz nailed me to a “T”.
1. Rustic
2. Farmhouse
3. Boho/Scandinavian
Although, I do lean more towards Modern than the traditional or country Farmhouse style.
Oh that makes me so happy, Haley! And yes, the Farmhouse the quiz is referring to is modern farmhouse! 🙂 Yay!
Hi Shannon, this is a really fun quiz, but it kind of had me stumped. I took it twice with the same results, but the funny thing is that it identified me with “coastal cottage” at about 30% when in reality I’m not into “coastal” at all. Now the “cottage” part, YES, just not interested in the coastal part. I’m cottage, french country, and traditional in my own terms. (Maybe a little farmhouse) I didn’t even want to live by the sea, so I’m not sure where that part is coming from. Like I said, it’s a fun post, but the quiz itself was just a little off from my own experience.
Hello Debra,
I’d be curious what your second and third style quiz results were? I’m guessing you got Coastal Cottage likely because Coastal and Cottage as separate styles have a lot of elements in common: neutrals, light, laid back, etc. It’s also casual and charming like French country. 🙂
I could not get the quiz to start.
Hmmm. That’s strange! I’m sorry. Maybe try at this link: https://homemadelovely.com/style-quiz/
nailed it
Woohoo! Awesome!!!
I got Country, Farmhouse and French Country. What is the difference between Country and French Country?
Hi Joanie, you’ll get an email with all the style guides in it. The full descriptions will be there!
You absolutely nailed it! Mostly farmhouse with a bit of beach and French country! I do love a little bling and the curved legs. I also like antiques and would kill (not really) to live in a 100 year old farmhouse!
Woohoo! That’s awesome!!! 🙂
In several cases I choose the “best” answer because none of the choices were exactly correct. I’m sure that’s why my results aren’t accurate. I got 38% Boho/Scandi; 38% Coastal Cottage and 25% Farmhouse. I call my style French Country or European Country. Your bedroom furniture question didn’t have an option that covers painted French Country so I choose the thrifted/chalk paint option since that was the closest description. I think your style breakdown of French country/transitional/farmhouse is closer to my style. The “neutral with pops of color” was also a difficult choice. I almost chose the blue and white option since that’s what I used in my master bedroom/bath and the dining room rug is ivory/blue. The living room has two chairs with a blue background and a floral print with a deep red, greens and tans. The print coordinates with the beige sofa, the linen chair, the tan chair and the deep wine-colored drapes. The unifying colors used throughout all the rooms used to be burgundy and forest green but now it’s blue! Maybe I should take the test again!
It sounds like you’re in the midst of transitioning some of your decor – ie the color changes. You could try taking it again. It seems quite accurate most of the time, but every once in awhile it can’t quite figure someone out. 🙂
The quiz said I was
Coastal cottage
Farmhouse
French country
I would agree plus a little transitional. ..
Thanks, that was fun.
What a fun combination, Daphne! 🙂
French country farmhouse Boho/Scandi but I think I also lean towards Hamptons style.
🙂 Sounds like you’ve got a good handle on it! 😉
1. Country
2. Farmhouse
3. Rustic
Now if I can just figure out how to make it happen!
1. Coastal
2. Country
3. Farmhouse
Oh what a fun combo!