What's your Style?

This is one of the first things a decorator will ask you and it is a very hard question to answer. Many of us are not sure what styles there are – other than “it belonged to my parents” or “it goes with the carpet”. If we do understand styles such as Mid Century Modern, Modern, Arts and Crafts, Contemporary, Country, Rustic, Shabby Chic – how do we really know where we fit in?

Every description of the above styles, and the many more that are out there, differ by where you are getting your information. If we were to look closely we would see that many of the décor styles overlap. Where you may prefer Arts and Crafts, you might find a funky 60’s light that just has to go home with you. Other than labeling everything Eclectic (which is things from all different styles) why not just go with things you love? If you keep in mind scale, colour and functionality you can’t go wrong. Remember not every tree in the forest is the same and everything goes with green and blue, just look at the sky and the grass. If you have things that you love, proudly show or use them. How wonderful it is to walk into a room and something catches your eye. You just know that it is something special to that homeowner and you can hardly wait to hear the story! Good taste is not style specific. Those special things in your house make it a home.

Remember that not everything has to serve its original purpose. You may have a coffee table that has great detailing on the wood but doesn’t fit in your space. Why not put some padding and funky fabric on it and use it as an entry bench? Or that 60’s bedroom suite your parents gave you….a coat of chalk paint and some distressing and it is now Shabby Chic.

When you are starting to decorate, edit what you have. Get rid of the things you truly don’t want and keep the ones you do and the ones that are classic, solid pieces. Empty the room as much as possible and put that one, beloved item in the middle. It can be something new, something old or something repurposed. When you see it without other things to draw your eye, you will see how you want the room to look. It will show you the direction the room should go.

And remember, it is your style, it is what you like…you don’t have to explain it to anyone, you just have to enjoy it!