Discovering Your Design Style by Fran Joyce
Quarantining during COVID19 has changed the way many of us use our homes and influenced our design aesthetic. For some people it was comforting to have all their favorite things around them, but others felt the need to simplify and purge the clutter from their homes.
If you’ve been watching HGTV this past year and a half, you’ve heard designers ask their clients about their design style or aesthetic. Most clients’ answers are a mix of a couple of styles and the challenge falls to the designer to translate that mishmash into a cohesive design. If you can afford a consultation with a designer, it can keep you from making expensive mistakes.
Home renovation shows have influenced how we want our homes to look and feel. If you’re a seasoned HGTV veteran, you’ve probably figured out what you want your design aesthetic to be.
There are also online quizzes to help you define your style. It’s fun and exciting to imagine living in these beautiful spaces, but it’s equally important to remember most of us have partners, kids and pets who must live there too. It takes compromise to make everyone comfortable, and it can be tricky. The custom of closed off living rooms and dining rooms that only adults are allowed to enter is less popular. However, a home office with a door you can shut for phone calls and Zoom Meetings is growing in demand. If you aren’t a fan of open concept, you can have separation with an open feel by using a unifying color palette and opening or closing doors as needed.
Good home design should appeal to the senses. Most of us see our environment first, so color, pattern, and presentation are the first things we notice. Those more tactile are drawn to textures and finishes. Stagers will often put out a bowl of lemons or limes because citrus fruit is so aromatic. They are also visually appealing and associated with cleanliness and freshness. Wireless speakers can provide soothing background music or liven up any party.
Are you a maximalist or a minimalist? I didn’t know there was such a thing as a maximalist until I watched an episode of 50K Three Ways and the designer, Tiffany Brooks, described her personal design style as maximalist. A maximalist is not someone who stuffs every inch of the room with furniture and accessories. They prefer bold style choices such as repetition, mixing patterns, bold color palettes, intricate graphic details, curated collections, and showcasing unique possessions. A minimalist prefers getting rid of excess items and using only what you need. Minimalists tend to like clean lines, calm, uncluttered spaces with a monochromatic color scheme and use color as an accent. Minimalists believe spaces should be the backdrop for the people who use them. Maximalists want their space to be a memorable experience (in a positive way of course).
Both design styles have their challenges. If you don’t plan your design carefully, maximalism can seem busy, chaotic, and disorganized. Minimalism can seem cold and utilitarian instead of calm and uncluttered.
Most of us fall somewhere in between minimalism and maximalism. Who are you decorating for? Do you entertain family, friends, or business associates? Are you decorating to impress or to make your guests feel like family? Can you do both? How you use your space and how you want your guests and your family to feel in the space should be factored into every design decision.
Do you have small children, teens, cats, or dogs? These are important considerations when you choose furniture, wall coverings and floor coverings. Is it possible to have kid space, teen space, and adult space in an average sized home? If your floor needs to withstand an active toddler or a friendly big dog luxury vinyl plank flooring might be a better option than hardwoods. Which color hides pet hair best? Traditional blinds with exterior cords can be choking hazards for little ones or pets. If you have them and have pets or small children who live with you or visit, replace them as soon as possible. If you have pets or littles ones, spray fabric protector is your best friend along with durable scrubbable paint.
Before you move on to determining whether you prefer rustic, industrial, mid-century modern, beachy, modern, or farmhouse, determine what you need in that space and how your space will be used, so you don’t fall in love with a piece that’s totally wrong.
https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-maximalist-style-4685629