How to find my Decorating Style (with a List of Decor Styles in 2023!)

Do you have a hard time defining your home decor style and shopping for it? Today I'm sharing 3 simple steps to nailing down your decorating style as well as a list of 10 common decor styles with examples. I'm answering one of the most common questions I get on how to find my decor style!

I often get asked how to find your own decor style and how to shop for it. Today, I want to answer all your decorating style questions! I hope you find this content helpful as you decorate your own home to be cozy and beautiful for you and your family.

Defining your personal decorating style will help you shop for furniture, accessories and paint colours for your home. It's a really handy piece of info to know!

A couple of home decor style notes before we begin:

• You don't have to use only one style. Most people are a mix of 2 or 3 styles.
• You can change your decorating style as you learn and grow. Your style will usually evolve as your tastes and family life changes.

How to find my decor style

Here are the 3 steps I suggest you take if you want to find your decorating style:

1: Take note of what you have

Have a look around your home and see what furniture, accessories and paint colours you're already using. If these things make you smile, they're your style! Don't forget that anything you already own can be relatively easily updated with paint or a hardware change.

2: Create a Pinterest board of rooms you love

Pinterest is a great tool to create a collection of images that help you nail down your style. Simply scroll through the Home Decor section at Pinterest and Pin your favourite room photos to a board on your account. After a while, you should be able to see reoccurring elements like furniture styles, colours, paint colours and fabric styles in all of the photos. Houzz.com is another site that I enjoy where you can create collections of interior images that inspire you.

3: Study both what you have and what you want and match it up with a style

Using the items you already have in your home and your Pinterest photo collection as a reference, make a list of all of the distinct features you see in the furniture, accessories, fabrics and paint colours. For example, you might note that you have or love things like weathered wood furniture, black metal accents, white linen furniture, vintage look accessories and antique finds. After you've made your list, match it up to 1, 2 or 3 of the 10 common decor styles I've listed below to find what home style (or styles!) you are! (If your list is something like the example I've just made, you might love Modern Farmhouse Style!)

STILL CONFUSED? Take my FREE home decor style quiz that will help you narrow down your decorating style and start creating a home you absolutely adore! Click here to start the quiz now

Common home decor styles

There are dozens of decor styles that are popular in 2022, but the following 10 are the most common today:

1. Traditional
2. Transitional
3. Contemporary
4. Modern Farmhouse
5. Modern Coastal
6. Mid-Century Modern
7. Bohemian
8. Industrial
9. French Country
10. Scandinavian

Each of these styles has a specific feel, colour scheme and comment elements that pulls it all together. Once you discover your most favourite style, it will be SO much easier to start planning your room makeover. I promise!

These 10 decorating styles of the most common styles I've seen over the past year or two, but there are certainly more. If you don't think you're any of these, do a quick Google or Pinterest search of "decor styles" to see if you might be something else!

10 Common Home Decorating Styles

Traditional

Look for:

• neutral colours like beige and white
• intricate details like tufting and carving
• symmetry in styling
• patterns like florals and damask
• porcelain accessories, landscape art, brass accents

Transitional

Photo licensed from Adobe Stock

Look for:

• a mix of traditional and modern pieces
• neutral colors
• a focus on comfort (comfortable seating, soft accents)
• symmetry, statement light fixtures & a clutter-free approach to decorating

Contemporary

Look for:

• the latest trends in home decor (right now, this is a mix of transitional, bohemian and mid-century modern styles)
• a mix of clean lines and rounded shapes
• neutral & warm colours with pops of bright accent colours
• exposed woods, chrome & glass accents, geometric patterns

Modern Farmhouse

Look for:

• neutral colours like white, cream, black and grey
• reclaimed & natural woods, mixed metals, industrial accents
• rustic and vintage accessories
• patterns like buffalo check and stripes

Modern Coastal

Look for:

• colours like warm white and ocean inspired hues like blue and green
• nautical decor accents
• soft furnishings, beach inspired accessories
• shiplap, wicker furniture

Mid-Century Modern

Look for:

• retro furniture from the 50s & 60s
• rounded shapes mixed with square shapes
• textiles with geometric patterns
• bright accent colours

Bohemian

Look for:

• rich colours like deep jewel tones (you can also do a neutral version of this style!)
• an overabundance of textiles and accessories
• global inspired accents, handmade items like wall hangings, pottery and braided rugs
• a "more is more" or maximalist approach to decorating

Industrial

Look for:

• dark colours like black and grey
• lots of worn metal accents, exposed pipes and ducts
• unfinished elements, raw wood accents
• vintage furniture and accessories

Scandinavian

Look for:

• neutral and simple colours like white and grey, accents with pops of colour
• a minimalist approach to decorating
• botanical and animal patterns
• natural wood, smooth lines, simplicity, nature-inspired accents
• "hygge" inspired accents like warm textiles and candles.

French Country

Look for:

• soothing colours like grey, white, blue & yellow
• textiles with floral and striped patterns
• glamourous lighting features
• antique and vintage home decor accents

I hope you found these 3 steps to find your style and this list of 10 common decorating styles helpful as you decorate your own home to make it uniquely YOU!

Watch my video on how to find your decorating style in 2022:

Take my FREE interior design style quiz that will help you narrow down your decorating style and start creating a home you absolutely adore! Click here to start the quiz now

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This post was originally published in 2018 and has since been updated.