The Most Important Factor in Determining Your Home Decor Style

Deciding on a decorating style is the single hardest part of turning your house into a home. You like it all or you hate it all. Or you like opposite styles and don’t know how to bring them together. And who has the budget for all of this stuff anyway? But maybe your DIY skills look a little too DIY and that’s not the look you’re going for either. For me personally, there is one thing that is the most important factor in determining your home decor style.

For all of these problems, my solution is to give it more time.

Decide which types of projects you can DIY, and which ones you shouldn’t.

Remember when Pinterest got popular just a few years ago? I was like YES!!! I CAN DIY ALL THE THINGS! And I did, and then all the things looked pretty DIYed. Weird, I know. I’ve learned which kinds of DIY projects I like and can pull off, and which ones to avoid. Sleek painted furniture works for me. (Get my furniture painting guide here!) Homemade poorly painted canvas wall decor does not. You can check out this early blog post for proof. And at the time I was super proud of that project…we all make mistakes. It took time to realize how bad that was, ha!

Take the time to find the right pieces to help express your personal style.

As far as incorporating all the random styles you like, it’s possible! I read somewhere that you need have at least 3 items of each style you introduce so it doesn’t look out of place. So say you like farmhouse with a little bit of a beach vibe – if you just put a huge random seashell as your centerpiece on a table surrounded by a farmhouse stuff, that might be a little weird. But if you sprinkle beachy decor throughout your home, in at least 3 different ways, then the styles will come together. But once again, take your time. Make sure they’re the right pieces. Visit a good mix of local shops, chains and discount stores (like HomeGoods) and even thrift stores to find the stuff that really feels like you!

Budget for the higher priced pieces you really want, and keep your eye out for something better.

For those of you on a budget like me, time is your best best friend. No one is going to die because your front room is completely bare while you take more time to decide what you want and save up money for the right pieces <— speaking from experience here, as my front room only has one piece of furniture in it. Wide open spaces for the win! You can use a site like shopstyle.com and save the pieces you have your eye on and get notified when they’re one sale. And by taking a little time to think things over and shop around, you might find something you like better for a better price.

My dining room chairs are the perfect example of this. I was searching EVERYWHERE for some fun original chairs, and almost broke down and spent 100s of dollars on the same chairs everyone else has – because you can only go so long without any chairs. At the last minute, I found these for sale at a local vintage shop for $100 for the set and I knew right away that these were just what I had been looking for!

Refine your style – add new things you love and get rid of things that don’t work anymore.

The best part of taking your time is really getting to refine your style over and over. If I had been able to decorate my home the week we moved in, I would HATE it by now. The things I thought I liked at first would be so boring to me now. I wouldn’t have found those chairs for my kitchen! After 2 years of living in our home, I LOVE how some of my stuff is finally coming along. Our master bedroom has a nice modern, mid century vibe that gives me all the feels and I’m so excited about my plans for the kitchen!  It pays off to slowly bring in things you love and move out things you don’t love anymore. You end up with a revolving decor style, which is what we all have anyways thanks to fantastic marketing that keeps us looking for the next best thing. Most interior designers agree that a room is never truly “done” so take your time and enjoy the process!

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