What's Your Style? Tips for Decorating Your Home

I loved this quaint, shabby chic look on a home near Camden Market in London.  Carefully chosen color and design make all the difference in making your house feel like your home.  

Your home is your own special place in an enormous world.  The design and colors you choose need to be highly personalized to make it your very own. 

But navigating all the different interior design options—minimalist, traditional, modern, transitional, industrial—may leave you at a loss.

You probably have clearly defined tastes in other areas of your life, and here are a few starting points for identifying your aesthetic and making decisions about décor. 

Suitable Colors

When choosing a color palette for a room in your home, look at the colors you wear in your capsule wardrobe.  If you're comfortable wearing something a lot, chances are you'll like seeing it every day as well. 

And don't rule out black—matte black in fixtures is a sophisticated trending look in modern kitchens and bathrooms. 

A Fitting Aesthetic

Your favorite brands, too, can be excellent starting points for identifying your aesthetic.

For example, Madewell sells a clean, laid back, sophisticated image. If you like this look, you may enjoy minimalist décor with shabby chic accents.  In a bathroom, for example, choose a light wood vanity, soft grey or pale pink shower tiling and antique sconces.

Tory Burch, on the other hand, sells bold, elegant, and bohemian clothing. If this is more for you, then flamboyant décor would suit you: things like leafy plants, jewel-toned accent walls and gold fixtures.

And if Nordstrom is your favorite place to shop, a modern, elegant and uncluttered look may be the way to go.  A powder bathroom with a vessel sink alongside a traditional wall with wainscot and crown molding would look lovely.

Of course these are only starting points, and it's important to remember that there's really no right or wrong when choosing colors and decór for your home.  Or that is to say, what you like is what's right for you.