Here’s how to find your interior design: Expert tips

In recent years, have been full of lessons. For a homebody and serial (re) decorator like me, here is a big: never underestimate the value of creating a home you like to spend time in. (In some cases pulp of the time.)

To actually do that is easier said than done, and there is far from a size that fits all approaches. Some things – some features in your space, or maybe your current circumstances – can make it difficult to take on major changes or expensive Reno projects. But a place we can all start? To find (or create) a home decor style that reason and then take the steps, large or small, to bring it to life.

I have lived at 11 addresses in my life (a good bit of them thanks to the New York City rental market) and made some questionable decor choices along the way. But my ninth home, a 350 square meter studio apartment and my first solo adult space, was a significant turning point to understand the power of making an empty box to my own. It is important that it allowed me to discover my eclectic and Colorful decor style in the process.

Now, a few years and two places later, I have created a home that feels more personal – more like me and the partner I share it with – than ever. It is a development of the style I established in the small studio that has grown with me and which I know will only continue.

So if you feel inspired to think about your space during the new year, or just looking for some advice to refer back to later, maybe I can help. Here are some decor tips to make your home feel more like you, so you can enjoy it fully.

How to find your interior style

1. Familiar with what you like

We do it with food, fashion and even dating. So why does it seem so much harder to nail down an inner style (or styles) that we like? I have a sigh. Furniture and decor are not the same as fashion; It is bigger, more expensive and takes up more space. Apart from collecting blankets and tchotchkes, it is much easier to own more coats or change lipstick than to replace your sofa or have a different set of dining chairs in rotation. The pieces in your home are designed to be lived with every day, and you want to like what you share space with. In this case, decision paralysis can be very real.

So where should I start? You have options. For some, an inner design-style quiz, may point you in the right direction (especially a thought-provoking from a designer, This is how). For others, browsing through Pinterest and Instagram is the best ways to find variety at hand (and save what you like). Don’t think about it; You know what of course you lose.

I take a hybrid method: to save and be attached while I also snap photos of things (hotel lobby, wall and furniture color combinations in restaurants) I see in real life. I also browse online stores that All -ModeVintage furniture resale sites such as PresidentAnd even Facebook Marketplace.

As you browse, don’t ignore the little things – even if you don’t love the big picture. For example, you may not like what a whole room looks like, but you may love a certain side table. Or you can see a mating of structures you love in a lamp but find a way to use that combination in a mirror. I recently saw an aged, almost black brown wooden pallet on Pinterest that inspired me to buy a similar colored bar cabinet on Facebook Marketplace. It is now one of my favorite pieces.

2. Find a style sweet place

You may want your home to look like a newspaper, or Even the set of a Nancy Meyers movie. But any things you may be less anxious about? Create a coal copy of someone else’s home or a time capsule in a hyperspecific decorative-style-time 21st’s kitchen in olive garden style or Y2K-Sovrum. (We can, however, take back inflature chairs and lava lamps.)

While this can be difficult to avoid when trends cycle in and out of style, mixing and matching can be a smart way to maintain a transitional appearance. Whether it is mating vintage with modern, integrate the family’s heritage into the mixture or put trends and structures (think: checkerboard or bouclé) over more subtle fabrics, this can help your space feel balanced and versatile.

No matter where you can ultimately help define your decor style taste further. And that place can sit somewhere between some distinct decor styles, or many – coastal and Scandinavian, preppy meets the French country, industrial with hints of art deco and glam. There is no pressure to fit nicely in a box.

Let my space be an example: My living room is home to a mix of Chinese and Japanese accents, a Moroccan rug, a postmodern coffee table, a modern CB2 Credenza with clean lines, a lamp in the 70s and curtains that I found at IKEA . It is eclectic and varied, just as I like it.

3. Embrace the development

All good things have to end, or at least change and grow. You know when it’s time to let your space – or your taste – develop.

Maybe you move into a larger space and need the furniture to match, or maybe you are going into a new life phase and ready to replace an old table with a harder investment. In cases like mine, you can switch from living alone with a dog, a roommate and eventually a partner. Or maybe you’re just ready for something new.

Whatever the reason, trust your instincts about what remains and what goes and take the time. You may want to keep sentimental works of art, statement furniture and your sofa. But it may be time to change the mat, a table lamp or your bedding.

And if you like what you have already created but just want to iterate on it, find replacement pieces with familiar properties such as colors, silhouettes or patterns. Black and white pattern has become a staple in my spaces, as well as bold uses of green in different shades. I interpret them a little differently every time – on a rug and then a headboard, or on towels and then a lamp – but now they are a signature. Where they are feels like home.

Carrie Carrollo is a PS Contributor and was previously the brand’s associate branded beauty editor.