Starting a renovation or just thinking about innovations and changes? Happy time! At this stage, everyone knows exactly what should turn out beautifully, conveniently, and harmoniously!
However, when the time comes to choose individual solutions and materials, then difficulties and painful searches for harmony begin. How to find your own interior style and create an atmosphere in which all household members will live comfortably?
Estimate your budget
Different styles have different principles and key characteristics. And how well it will turn out to embody the chosen style depends very much on the available budget.
In order to settle on a certain style, you need to understand the budget of the project. The Scandinavian style, for example, does not require decor in the form of stucco on the ceiling and on the walls; inexpensive furniture in this style can be bought at IKEA. And modern classics and American style will require a larger budget, they require expensive materials and furniture.
Describe how you would like your home to be
It can be a very short description of a few adjectives. Natural, soothing, impressive, luxurious, or discreet? In the future, all materials and objects in the interior must meet at least one of the selected adjectives. This is a kind of check for compliance with the general concept. The apartment has no place for random objects, textures, or colors. All of them should be part of a large whole, put together in a single puzzle.
Ask the family
If you are not going to live in an apartment alone, you will have to take into account the opinions of all family members. At the same time, people often like interiors that are opposite in style and character. Sometimes you have to look for a compromise, but you can take another step – choose a mixture of styles.
Don’t be afraid to mix styles. Recently, more and more often you can find projects that cannot be unambiguously attributed to any one style. The trend of recent years (which, by the way, also applies to the wardrobe) is a mixture of modernity and classics, a departure from pure styles, and eclecticism.
What design techniques are used if you need to make a smooth transition from one style to another?
If we are talking about a smooth transition (for example, in a classic kitchen, and in a modern style in the living room), it is necessary to provide unifying elements in all rooms. Such details can be doors, moldings, or flooring.
It is not the best option to combine styles within different rooms of the same house or apartment. It is better to combine the directions of the interior in the rooms. For example, combine classic stucco and modern dining set. Get more interesting and dynamic.
Consider the original plan of the apartment
The configuration of housing will also affect what style of interior you choose. Is it a country house, a studio, or maybe an apartment with high ceilings, where you can organize a mezzanine or an attic with a bed? For a compact studio, a functional Scandinavian style with its light colors is suitable, a country house can be solved in a cozy American style, and an apartment with high ceilings and a mezzanine can be decorated in a loft style.
Look for inspiration
Designers recommend not only viewing finished interiors. Photos of nature, art, a variety of prints, individual pieces of furniture, color schemes, photos of cities, and even stills from favorite films. It is desirable to collect all this on one board (moodboard), virtual or physical – this will be the starting point for creating an interior. You must feel the mood and character of the future home.
Assess the furniture and decor you already have
In any case, you move to a new house with certain baggage of things, including those that you will use in the interior. Even if before that you lived in a rented apartment and do not bring new furniture.
Perhaps you brought something from your travels with you, such as a handmade ceramic vase, or you got an antique chest from relatives, or loft-style posters you bought on a trip. It can become a part of your interior!
Decide on a color scheme
The colors you like will also influence the choice of interior style because different aesthetics have different palettes. The same popular Scandi is characterized by light colors and wood. But the choice of colors should be dictated not only by personal preferences but by the objective characteristics of the room.
“Take into account the floor of the apartment, the direction of the world, which the windows of the apartment face, whether the sun gets enough into the premises”,
Avoid trends
Of course, it is better to rely on what you need, and not follow the fashion. The interior is not a dress. You will not change it for the next 5-10 years. But it’s also not worth introducing outdated trends in the style of the 2000s. This is a sign of bad taste.
If your plans do not include a new renovation in a couple of years, it is better to refuse trendy styles and solutions. Timeless design is a win-win option.
How to understand that the trend is temporary? It flickers in most of the interiors created in recent years. It is better to turn to interiors created by world-class masters, no matter how old these works are.
Did you manage to find the style that attracts you the most? Or are there several? Why not, it shows your individuality.
If it’s hard for you to stop at something, you still like everything, or you don’t have time for this, invite a designer. Tell him about your preferences, favorite books, music, and movies. Yes, don’t be surprised. A good designer combines a psychologist, consultant, friend, economist, and sometimes a mentor.
