Ah! Home décor, one of my passions :) there are some people in my circle of friends and family that do not fully understand why I am so passionate about home décor. For me, having a nicely decorated home goes way beyond just the materialistic aspect of it, when you are able to dig deep you can find that it is about bringing positivity and creativeness into your life. I’ve always wondered why some homes are decorated completely different from others and why that is. So, this is something I did some research on a couple of years ago when I was brainstorming topics for my grad school thesis. What I found is that home décor is really an extension of one’s personality! To many of you that may have been obvious, but to me that was an AH HA moment!
There are many types of home décor styles and some very tasteful ways of combining a couple of different styles together. I have put together characteristics of the 6 styles that are the most commonly seen today. While some homes will typically fall into one general category, many homes do a great job at combining two (or even three) different styles and make it look divine.
TRADITIONAL
A traditional style home décor is very warm and welcoming. You will see a lot of dark and rich colored furniture. Walls are usually painted in a neutral palette (think: tan, beige). Furniture placement for this style is typically very formal and symmetrical. Another thing you will likely find in this style home is an oriental rug – these as you may know are the epitome of the traditional style.
CONTEMPORARY
A contemporary style home will have a lot of clean lines and a “less is more” attitude. The use of color in furniture is quite neutral, however, white seems to dominate this arena. The color palette in a contemporary home is also neutral but in a bit more sophisticated manner – light grey-blues, creams and white. Another common theme found in this style is a lot of natural sunlight and open space.
TRANSITIONAL
A transitional style home is a perfect blend of traditional and contemporary. The furniture for this style can be dark rich tones or light tones (think white furniture), but the common thread here is that the furniture will always have elegant yet clean lines. The color palette for this style is (like the traditional style) neutral palette – tan, cream, grey. Pops of color in this style can be found in throw pillows, lamps or a rug, for example.
RUSTIC
A rustic style home is rugged and will leave you feeling as if you were in nature. The furniture in this style is typically comprised of natural wood in rich tones, you will also see plenty of beams in these homes. The color palette for this style is very earthy colors, meaning you could see a lot of brown tones, some red and few splashes of green or yellow.
COASTAL
A coastal style home is in one word – beachy! The furniture used in this style is very casual and for the most part white, however, every now and then you could find light brown tones. The color palette in coastal style homes is also typically white if the walls are not white, you will find other crisp pale colored walls.
ECLECTIC
An eclectic style home is quite colorful, playful and bold. Furniture for this style is a free for all, you can find all types of styles, textures and colors – you could see a blend of traditional (an oriental rug), coastal (a piece of art with sea shells) and contemporary (a glass coffee table), for example, and it would look like a piece of art. As far as color for this style home, you will find an array of colors and patterns, however, the trick to pulling this style off is to make sure that they feel cohesive with one another.
What’s my style?
I find that my decorating style falls very much in line with the transitional style, with a slight tilt towards the contemporary style. I LOVE white contemporary furniture but find that most contemporary only style homes feel sort of cold and un-cozy. So insert the transitional style, it is the perfect blend of traditional (which screams cozy) and contemporary (which screams clean lines and openness). I love white furniture and am a sucker for light grey-blues, light tans for wall colors and pure white trim. In an upcoming post I will share tips and tricks that worked for me in defining what my decorating style is. If you are not sure what your decorating style is, that’s okay! Not many people are able to pin point that as quickly as it may seem.
So, how about you? Which style resonates the most with you?