Contemporary Decor, Decor, Eclectic Decor

Know Your Decorating Style

Posted on

February 4, 2014

by

Disha Mishra Dubey

Decorate your home.

It gives the illusion that your life is more interesting than it really is.

-Charles M Schulz

We all want to transform our house into a home. Decorating in a style plays an important role in this transformation. Learn about the most popular interior design styles. Let’s discover your decor style.

Contemporary/Modern Style: Straight lines, Clean edges, bold colors, uncluttered, minimal furnishings, clean-lined furniture, floors should be bare and smooth, furnishings should blend with the wall color rather than contrast, all these are characteristics of contemporary style decorating. ‘Less is more’ is the main rule while doing up a home in a Contemporary style. This style promotes serenity and simplicity to your home. It can be very comfortable and at the same time very stylish.

Vintage/Retro Style: Decorating style that is inspired and influenced by trends from the past i.e. 50’s 60’s & 70’s. Little worn and vintage furniture that looks dated, broad sofas with colorful pillows, shag carpeting or linoleum tiles in a checkerboard pattern, bold color theme, lamps with tasseled or lacy shades, vintage accessories, patterned and lacy fabric for furnishings, floral print artwork in a vintage style frame, vintage pottery, glassware and statuary, wallpaper with floral pattern & display of vintage items on shelves. All these are elements of retro-style decorating.

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Traditional Style: Traditional style is a timeless decorating style that is very calm, inviting, comfortable, orderly, casual, and uncluttered. The main feature of this design style is consistency. For walls there should be moldings or rails and wall colors should be neutral, color scheme should be lighter for walls and deeper color for upholstery, wooden flooring with carpets/rugs, furniture with a good combination of curved and straight lines, placement of the furniture in pairs and should be symmetrical, furnishing is classic, fabric mainly Damask and floral/understated stripes/small overall pattern are common, lighting fixture should be classic, silky lamp shades, table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces & candles all these can be used. Accessorize traditional style home with, mirrors, vases, urns, lamps, oil paintings, and crystal chandeliers. But keep in mind to use accessories in pairs and arrange them in symmetry to achieve a traditional look for your home.

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Rustic Style: Rustic decorating style is very close to nature. Wood in its natural state, unfinished & rough looking (i.e. without paint and sheen) is the main element of this style. Wall with wooden panel, plank wood floor, weathered ceiling beams, wall color in muted earthy tones, furniture in dark tone contrasting to wall color, the fabric should be rough burlap, wool or linen, a fireplace is a must for rustic style, and put rocking chairs in front of it, large floor lamps and hanging lights especially of wrought iron/ distressed metal, accessorize rustic style home with all-natural elements like river rocks, pine cone, twigs, dried leaves, animal head, rustic clock, landscape prints, and naturalistic paintings add all these elements to achieve the look of rustic style home.

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Eclectic Style: This one is my favorite as I don’t want to stick to a single decor style. If you don’t want to adhere to any particular decorating style this is the style for you. This style is a perfect mix of various periods and styles. Gather elements from different styles that all work together. Here’s how to pick elements: color palette neutral, wall and floor in the same hue, all the furniture line, finishes, and material should tie together with paint or fabric, furnishing in a neutral color and add to it colored trim, tassels or fringe, uncluttered, good mix of old and new, unique artwork and accessories from different styles but put together cohesively.