Developing Your Sense Of Style - part 1

Since I've started this blog I've had quite a few people tell me that they think it's pretty cool that I know exactly what I want to do with our house. While I don't have all the little details down yet, it is true that in general I know what style I want to do and how to get there. I thought I'd spend some time sharing how I developed my sense of style and maybe it can help someone else do the same. :)

My parents were always very supportive of my creativity, especially when it came to decorating my own room. I still can't believe they let me paint my room four colors when I was in 6th grade. Each wall was a different color, oh and did I mention they were all neon? My poor father had to use like 3 or 4 coats of paint to cover it up two years later when we moved. I've also painted my room to look like a sky (light blue with clouds all over it), painted the Texas A&M symbol on one wall, painted squares of blue and green on white walls, and even painted a room to look like many different rooms (each section was a different color and style)... and I can tell you, none of those ideas panned out very well.

About the time I got married (21 years old) I stopped painting and started observing. I started taking mental notes on rooms I thought were pretty. I learned something that I think a lot of people don't realize; just because I like something doesn't mean it is my style. I used to think that if I thought a room was really pretty that meant that I liked that style. For example, I think this space is beautiful:

Old me would have thought "gee, I should use this as an inspiration picture like they do on those shows on TLC" and then I would have proceeded to try and find the exact items in this picture. The problem with this way of decorating is you'll never recreate the exact space you see. For one, your house is surely to have a different floor plan, so some things (like a wide open space or the built in shelves) might be impossible. Another problem is you'll never find the exact same furniture and textiles. You may take you picture shopping and get the closest thing you can, but then who says all those 'almost' purchases will mach each other?

I believe the key is to ask WHY think a space is pretty. I like that picture because of the clean lines and use of the color blue. If I take the time and really look at all the details, the table isn't my favorite and the whole thing just feels a little to country for me. It's a very beautiful home, it's just not my personal style. If you can go through pictures and figure out why you like what you like you'll start learning things about your own style.

You can find a lot of tools online to help you figure out what you're own sense of style is. Lots of quizzes that can help point you in the general direction. One I've found eerily accurate is the Home Goods online quiz found here:
http://www.homegoods.com/stylescope/

I think a quiz like this one is a good place to start, but too many people stop there. Decor isn't constrained to one option in each general style. It's a lot like your personality. You can have a similar personality to someone, but it doesn't mean you'll react the same in every situation. There is a huge variety of ways to implement every style. I say my style is very modern, but my house isn't going to be all sharp angles and uncomfortable metal chairs.

My personal version of modern actually has a very colonial twist. I know it's weird, but I find both colonial and modern looks very inspiring. In fact one of the homes I've found the most inspiring is Mount Vernon (George Washington's home) in Virginia. Check out his dining room:

See all that color??? Bet that's not what you think of when you think of colonial. :)

After I first saw this house I thought about the dining room and why I liked it so much. I realized it is the bright use of color, white accents and nice hard wood pieces (and obviously the big windows as well). I've painted my own dining room gray, so obviously I'm not going for a literal reproduction of this room. Bit you'll notice the floors are similar colors and my trim is bright white. Oh, and I've got big plans for adding a lot of color to that room.

My point is that the first step to decorating a house is actually to learn not only what style you like but why you like it. It will help you determine what you should do in your own home to make it beautiful. I suggest spending some serious time on sites like houzz.com where you can just browse picture after picture of homes. The best part is that looking is free. :)

I'll talk a little more about this later this week.