How should you style your home?

Even though we are all unique human beings. It’s surprising how as individuals we all tend to have the same basic furnishings in our homes. With the rise of social media. We can assume our homes and how we style them, is heavily influenced on trend. Don’t get me Wrong I am one of those people that post inspirational home content. However, I too can be swept in and copy how someone else has styled their home, rather than use the space for my personal home needs. Whereas I continue my studies into interior design. I’m learning that creating an individual space for individual needs are much more important.

What should determine how we furnish our homes, is how we want to use them. If you have a three bedroom home and only need two of them. Who is to say you cant use that space as a dreamy walk-in wardrobe? After all the layout of our homes and the furniture we choose, will in some extent define the kind of life we lead. – Well sort of!

I’m the sort of person who likes to spend my leisurely time entertaining family and friends. So my home needs a large sofa in the living room to accommodate my social past time. However, if you prefer your own company and like to hibernate alone relaxing with a good book? Then presumably spending your money on a comfy arm chair would make more practical sense.

So how should you go about styling and furnishing your home? And is there a rule we all have to follow? A trend perhaps? – I am still a novice and I haven’t got all my interior design stripes yet. But what I have learnt so far, furnishing your home to suit your personality and the way you want to live works best. So how do you that? Start by Analysing when and where you feel most at ease and then try apply it to your own home.

Match your personality

As i said before I’m a social beautiful and one thing that is a must when we extend, is optimising our social space. If you too are sociable and outgoing? Invest in a larger dinning table with more seating than family members. And having plenty of room on your sofa will accommodate visitors with minimal fuss. If you are more reserved, devoting more time to your hobbies than to big family knees up? Set up your home up to suits you. Don’t waste your time Or money buying big bulky furniture or a large dinning table if you are never going to use it.

Anyone that knows me knows, i am sensitive to noise. I suffer with a condition called Misophonia. When i hear certain pitches or trigger sound, I feel an unbearable feeling of rage inside, get stressed out and my heart beats faster. If you too are sensitive to noise, minimise sound by choosing quieter kitchen appliances such as, extractor fan, washing machine and other white goods. Think of the acoustics – arrange things to deaden the sound of echoes. In our home other than the kitchen, we tend to have carpets in our home. This is to quiet down those pitter patter foot steps.

If you have more of a neat and organised personality, you may think about minimising the visual disruption. Having closed storage spaces can easily tidy away and hide everyday bits and pieces. I love a little bit of both, clean lines – and what i like to call styled clutter. So around our home I incorporated both closed storage and open shelving to satisfy both of my characters.

What ever type of personality you have, let it shine through to your home.

What don’t you like.

When I’m with a client in my day job, more of the time they struggle to explain what they actually want or even like. So throughout my consultations I always ask clients their dislikes rather than what takes their fancy. It’s not long before we’ve collectively come together and understand what they actually want. I tend to put this into practice when I am designing a space. This kind of thinking or brainstorming, can teach you a great deal about your intuitive feeling for style and taste. Instead of just focusing on room inspiration or furniture that your attracted too, look at those pieces and styles that aren’t really your vibe. It can be rather helpful considering why you don’t like a particular style as much as to why you are attracted to another. And what you actually love becomes a lot clearer.

What do you do in your home

There is one rule designers or stylists do before they begin working on a project, is ask the clients needs and what they do in their home. Not everyone can afford an interior designer or consultant, but it is free to start thinking like one. Ask yourself who lives in your home, what do you do in your home and what are your practical needs. If you have a home with small children who like to run around then perhaps, furniture with sharp edges or glass accessories placed down low may not be practical choice in your home. If you want to be satisfied with how your home functions and avoid unnecessary purchases. The best tip that i have learnt is to start by a thorough analysis of what you actually need from your home rather than what looks pretty in someone else’s.

These days houses are more than just a roof over our heads. People identify With their homes and want them to reflect their personality. This is especially obvious on social media, where are private lives become public property. I am happy to post photographs of my home to show other people. There is a misconception of interiors on social media. Some criticise and interpret over sharing is all about social status. However, for me my Instagram is more about inspiration and showing others ideas, diy tips and reviews on products they may of thought to buy. Not everyone can afford an interior designer or trades man. Being able to ’influence’ someone to have confidence to create something similar or provide a visual aid of inspiration is why I do what I do.

There is nothing wrong with being inspired by other peoples ideas however, we must not lose sight of the fact the real answer to your own comfortable home can only be found within ourselves, and practical needs. This invaluable insight can lead to style our homes individually for living rather than for others to admire.