If you are just joining our How to Decorate {for the DIY’er} Series, welcome! Miss a post? You can find all the entries for our series listed conveniently on one page here.
Welcome back class! Good-ness, has this series been amazing or what? I’m sad we are in our final week but excited to bring you these last few inspirational posts! And good grief, if you didn’t know how to decorate before you simply have no excuses after this series :)! I think every guest has done an outstanding job at helping the average gal feel equipped to make her nest her OWN. Today’s guest is no exception. Traci from Beneath My Heart is here to help us discover our decorating styles. But before she does, let’s see some of her decorating style in action!
Traci recently moved to a new home which includes five acres of land, fruit trees, grape vines, and a little guest cottage. It’s going to be so much fun to watch her transform her new home!
Here are a few of my favorite projects Traci completed in her last home! Her laundry room/mudroom was fantastic.
And her guest house was perfection. What lucky guests!
Traci knows her decorating style and works within it with confidence. If you’re still struggling to find your own style, this post is just for YOU! Let’s get to it….
……………………………………
Hello! I am so happy to be guest posting here at Beth’s place today. She has had a fabulous decorating series this month, and I have really enjoyed each and every post.
Today, I wanted to share with you how to discover your decorating style.
I am not an expert on this topic, but I do feel I have discovered my decorating style over the past two years that I have been blogging.
What is my style?
Well, it’s cottage with a little vintage mixed in, some traditional, and touches of french farmhouse. HUH?
What I have discovered is that I do not fit into just one decorating style, as I think most of you probably wouldn’t either.
And that’s fine.
So how did I discover what my decorating style is?
Two ways:
Inspiration and Time
One of the best ways to discover your decorating style is to fill your mind with inspiration.
Here are my favorite places to find inspiration:
1. MAGAZINES
Who doesn’t love magazines? There is something heavenly about curling up with a magazine and a blanket in your favorite chair. And as much as I love looking at pictures on the internet, there is just something about flipping the pages of a magazine and looking at the pictures up close. Wouldn’t you agree?
I look in all kinds of magazines…Country Living, Better Homes and Garden, Southern Living, Veranda, Traditional Home, Flea Market Style, and my favorite catalogs…Ballard Designs and Pottery Barn. Those are just a few.
When my magazines start to take over the space in our home, I will tear out my favorite pictures and place them in my decorating notebook. It’s a really fancy notebook (so don’t go gettin’ jealous of me)…
I labeled the notebooks with tags, and then I tape the favorite pictures that I tore out of my magazines and place them in the corresponding section.
I love that the top picture of the bathroom on the above page was placed in the notebook over ten years ago! And I still love pedestal sinks, white wood floors, antique furniture, clawfoot tubs…I think it is safe to say that if I still love these elements 10 years later, I might be discovering my decorating style! 🙂
Placing these pictures in my notebook has helped me to see that my eye is often drawn to the same decorating elements….white cabinets, open shelves, wood flooring, antique pieces, white slipcovers, etc. This has helped me to determine my style.
When I find something in a magazine that I really love, I try to duplicate it in my own home (but for a lot less). Can you see the inspiration I found in these pictures?
Ballard Designs Catalog Shelves I made for my kitchen
Another amazing place to gather inspiration is Pinterest. It is an online resource of inspiration boards. When I find a picture online that I love, I can “pin” it to an inspiration board. I have a board for every room in a home, and I plan on adding more!
You can follow your favorite bloggers (or anyone else for that matter!) and they can follow you! It’s so much fun.
I’m not going to go into the detail of how to use it, because Beth has already done a great job of it on this fabulous blog right here. You can visit her Pinterest Tutorial HERE.
Pinterest is quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to gather inspirational photos. I even have an app for it on my phone!
3. HOUZZ
Houzz is another great place for inspiration. You can store your own pictures at Houzz, and you can browse through a ton of inspirational pictures there as well. When you find a picture you like, you can store it in your own “idea book”.
Whenever I am looking for decorating ideas for a room, I will go to my Houzz idea book to get some inspiration.
4. DECORATING BLOGS
Hello?! How crazy would I be if I didn’t mention home decorating blogs?… I AM ONE. 🙂
The inspiration in blogland is insane! There are so many blogs out there with so much inspiration.
I started to realize that my decorating style was somewhat cottage when I stumbled on Layla’s blog (2 years ago), The Lettered Cottage. I love everything about the way she decorates. Every single one of her posts inspire me! So when Layla talks about her style being “cottage”, then I realized that must be what mine is too. Thanks, Layla!
When you find a blog you love, click on their sidebar to see the blogs they follow. They usually follow blogs that are similar to their own. You will discover so many other amazing blogs through the blogs your love.
But be careful, you can get lost in blog land. Time seems to slip away from me when I am blog hopping. You might want to set a timer by your computer to help you be conscious of your time. 🙂 Just sayin’…
Of course, there are many other ways to gather inspiration. You may have some different resources of your own.
But now that you’ve gathered your inspiration, the next component of developing your decorating style is TIME.
Discovering your decorating style does not happen overnight. It takes time.
About 7 years ago, I had a friend ask me what my decorating style was, and I didn’t even know what she meant! I didn’t even think I had one. I was basically living with hand-me-down furniture, so my decor was a hodge podge of sorts.
It has taken me many years to finally feel comfortable saying I know what my decorating style is.
Looking through all of the above decorating resources over the past two years has helped me come to the conclusion of what my style is. I like to call it a New Cottage style. I like to mix the old with the new.
But I’ve also noticed that styles I liked a few years ago do not really tickle my fancy anymore. So your style may change a little, and that is okay.
Over time, as you gather pictures from all kinds of different resources, you will begin to see similarities. You will begin to see the same decorating elements appear over and over that make your heart go pitter patter.
If they stand the test of time, and they still make you happy every time you look at them…add those elements to your decor.
So that’s it!
It’s simple, but true.
If you want to find your decorating style, gather lots of INSPIRATION and see which ones remain your favorite over TIME.
And have fun with it during the process. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas in your home. If you do not like it, no biggie. You will never know unless you try. 🙂
If you would like a little help in finding your decor style, I found some fun online quizzes you can take to help you. (Nothing scientific, ya know!) 🙂
Here are the links:
Sproost: Discover your personal style
Stylefinder at MyDesignGuide.com
Kaboose: What’s your decorating style?
Quick and Simple: What is your decorating style?
Thanks again, Beth! I have loved being a part of this fabulous series!
Blessings,
Kim B. says
GREAT post!! Thanks Beth for ALL the wonderful inspiration & thanks Traci for buying your new home & the excitement we all have in being a part of your renovation 🙂 I LOVED your old house & know your new home will be just as darling one project at a time.
Emily says
Great post! I think my style is “Beneath my Thrifty Decor Home Stories Sycamore.” =) You ladies always produce something beautiful!!!
Beth @A to Z says
Hee, hee ;)! Love it!
susan bush says
Liking the laundry/mudroom storage….might have to give that project a try….
Linda Slattery says
Hi Tracy, I have enjoyed your post on this blog. I have been hearing so much about Pintrest, but am afraid to check into it for the fear of loosing all sense of time while there. I like your idea of a timer, but my problem would be that I KNOW they can be reset!! I do appreciate all the references you gave us. By the way, I want to tell you what a fabulous post this was, and that you have certainly inspired me to redecorate my entire home!! So what time should I meet you and DH at the airport!?! Linda S. in NE
Traci says
Wow?! You really thought this was fabulous? And I have inspired you to redecorate your entire home? I’m so surprised! {wink}
🙂
Larri @ Seams Inspired says
Great post, Traci! Thanks for the links. I took the one at Sproost and found I lean towards Classic and Wine Country Styles (50/50). What would be really interesting is to have my husband take the same quiz and find if his decor is the same as mine. ☺ Happy Wedensday!
Beth @ Free Stylin' says
Great ideas Traci! I had to laugh because all my inspirations magazines are the exact ones you named! I could take the same picture you posted. 🙂 You have a beautiful decorating style – I love your home and projects, and I look forward to every post! 🙂
Mindy says
Thanks for reminding me that it takes time. I’ve been in my place for 2 years and feel like I don’t know what my style is and how to complete every room 🙁
Tiffany says
I am currently weeding out magazines that have things that I like – decorating, crafts, holiday ideas, etc…and the notebooks are the way I am going with that.Pinterest – perhaps I can figure that one out after I am done with The Great Declutter of 2011. 😀
Glad to know that I am not the only one that can’t focus on just one style…coastal cottage with a modern twist set in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains…LOL. Now if that doesn’t sound confusing, I don’t know what does.
Melisa says
Great post! I recently started using pinterest and have been meaning to start a notebook like that, too. I am drawn to so many different things that I am afraid I won’t be able to have a cohesive look. I took the style quizzes and got a different style with each one, LOL.
Heidi @ Show Some Decor says
Great advice, Traci! I am working on my inspiration/blog ideas notebook today ~ decided it was TIME and you’ve given me the kick in the hiney I needed. 🙂
I’m still a newbie to Pinterest, but I’m getting there. Love mags and blogs the best right now. Thanks, Beth and Traci!
Cyndi Spivey says
Great post sis! But you forgot to mention how much I help you too! hehehe
Love ya!
Janell says
Thanks for your great post! I like how you described the fact that you can have several different decorating styles. I’ve always felt like I was torn in several directions. Now I realize that it is OK to have several styles. I love your blog and your commitment that you have to your family. My husband and I also love to work on do-it-yourself projects together. I think it is a great way to bond together in a marriage! We also enjoy including our three kids into the projects. It is a great way to teach them skills that they will hopefully take to their own homes someday.
Layla says
Thanks for the sweet shout out Traci! 😀
I loved all your tips and MUST get over to check out Pinterest soon. I signed up for an account but haven’t had a chance to actually check out the site!
Shelter mags and design blogs remain my favorite sources for inspiration too!
Layla 🙂
Linda Burt Independent Willow House Design Consultant says
Very fun, and I love Pinterest! Lots of inspriation out on the Web and you hit them all! It will be fun to follow your journey!
Linda
Marty@A Stroll thru Life says
Such a great series, and Traci, your style is so fresh and inviting. I always love seeing what you and your hubby create. I really look forward to the transformation of your new home. Hugs, Marty