Permission to Break The Rules!

Do you have a room that is your albatross and you don’t know where to start to make it feel like home? One of the things stymieing homeowners is getting hung up on defining the style they want. Whether it is industrial, farmhouse, mid-century modern, bohemian, shabby chic, or traditional design styles that inspire you, it’s easy to achieve the look while still keeping core pieces that fit into many categories of design.
​Photo via Build Force ​​

Your style doesn’t need to be specific to one of the many out there. In fact, I’m giving you permission to break the rules. With one exception, when designing your room create a look that speaks to you. One that emulates a feeling you want to achieve when you walk in the door every night after work.

First, forget about following all the trends. For example, the farmhouse movement took the world by storm in 2018.  This doesn’t mean that if you are drawn to one element that you need to run out and buy every piece of buffalo check, grab every galvanized container you can find or replace all your vases with vintage milk glass. Nor do you need to replace every core piece of furniture. ​(Pic via Hayneedle)

Instead as you begin to define or refine your design style take into consideration these questions we ask our clients when we renovate a home. ​

• What are your favorite colors? What colors do you dislike?
• What are your favorite elements about your room or home? What are your least favorite elements?
• Do you like things from the past or those trending currently?
• How do you want your room or home to function?
• Are you a minimalist favoring clean lines, calming colors and devoid of clutter or a maximist who leans towards bold colors, many layers and lots to see and touch?
• What things make you happy? A worn buffet from Grandma? A subdued piece of art? Or maybe its baubles you have picked up from your travels?

Once you have asked yourself these questions you can begin to scan your rooms and determine what stays and what goes. What furnishings to invest in and what home decor to add to the feeling you are hoping to achieve. Not to worry, in the coming months we will define several of the popular design styles to help you in creating a home that speaks to you. In the end, fill your home with what you love, because that my friends is an extension of your personal brand!

As always we love your comments and your insights. We love to learn from our readers. Cheers, Angela