5 Tips to Help You Find Your Personal Style

Last Updated on February 12, 2014

If you’re thinking about redecorating but you don’t know where to start, it’s helpful to find your personal style. Your home says a lot about who you are—from the way you arrange furniture to the color of your walls, every piece is a personal choice. Figuring out which designs suit you is the best place to start, and by aligning your aesthetic and your personality, you’re more likely to enjoy your home.

1. Browse Magazines

We’ve all flipped through home decorating magazines and been impressed with the designs. But when you see a finished room, it’s difficult to figure out where they started. Purchase a variety of home magazines and flip through them, cutting out each page that appeals to you. When you’re finished, look though what you’ve selected and search for a common theme. It could be as obvious as a color palette or as subtle as how the furniture is arranged. Once you find those common themes, you’re on your way to understanding what appeals to you, and discovering your own personal style.

2. That Uncomfortable Chair

Think hard: is there a piece of furniture in your home that you don’t like to use, but you can’t bear the thought of throwing it away? If you have pieces in your home that seem to represent form over function, you may have your first hint. You might not have realized it, but by holding onto that chair, that couch, or that stool, you’ve already revealed its aesthetic importance to you. Consider the style and color of the object, and think about designing your room with its characteristics in mind. Odds are that you’ll be closer to unveiling an aesthetic you didn’t know you loved.

3. Note Where You Window Shop

We all have our favorite places to shop—and to window shop. Next time you’re out, notice the places you gravitate toward, even if you’ve never bought anything there. Often, we’ll decide early on that a specific store carries the style we want, or we’ll just be so used to buying from there that we don’t consider other options. If you feel your eye drawn toward another business, go there! It seems silly, but when we get comfortable with a style we’ve bought, we want to keep buying it. Let your heart guide you. Explore!

4. One Odd Item

Think about your living room. Is there an item in it that doesn’t aesthetically belong? Maybe you currently have a modern style, with straight lines and light colors, but can’t seem to get rid of that glass floral lamp. This is a good indication that you’re holding on to the style that most suits you—in this example, classic. Think about redesigning the room around that one object. What kind of sofas, rugs, and tables would you buy to compliment it? If the space you envision is one that you’d like, you’re on the right track.

5. Be Brave

This might be the most difficult step to follow. Above all, always remember that this is your space, that each design choice is yours, and that you’re going to be living there. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and buy something surprising. Try new things, consider other options, and if your heart tells you something feels right, it probably will. Magazines and television shows can be a guide to highlighting particular aesthetics you can connect to, but by no means does it contain the only options. Your style is only limited by your imagination. Be brave. Try it all.