I have sort of an unpopular opinion when it comes to finding your interior design style: it doesn’t matter that much.
Have I ever told you about my mirrored nightstands? Kidding! If I have, you’re already exiting this because you’re tired of the weird emotional relationship I have with these two pieces of furniture. But please don’t exit this because I want to tell you about my mirrored nightstands and what they have to do with your interior design style.
Mirrored Nightstands
In my early twenties I was obsessed with mirrored furniture. Think Z Gallerie at its absolute peak. I spent a lot of time online watching DIY tutorials and trying to source materials to make my own, and even more time online shopping hoping I would be able to afford something in my budget. I was at that age where the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on furniture was an absolute non starter.
But dreams do come true because one day I went into Home Sense and I found two mirrored nightstands for $300 and I pulled the trigger. Bliss!
Unfortunately one day I woke up and I was no longer the same person I was when I was 22. To put it simply, my style was no longer Tom Ford coffee table books and pink peonies.
Moving On
Here is the problem with putting so much time and energy into wanting something: when you stop wanting it, you feel like all that time you were wanting it was wasted. There is a pressure to keep wanting that thing because you invested a lot of mental energy into it, not to mention $300 and hours typing “how to cut glass” into Google. You feel like you weren’t dialed in enough, like you should have made better choices.
This is true for your interior design style (it’s true for your relationships, and it’s true for your career). Just because there was a time in your life where you obsessively wanted something, it doesn’t mean you have to get it and be happy with it forever.
I tried really hard over the years trying to make these nightstands work. I sacrificed things I was drawn to that didn’t go with those stupid nightstands. So while Tom Ford books and pink peonies didn’t feel like me, they felt like those nightstands, so I kept the luxe package way too long.
Ironically, I would have been a lot happier with the nightstands if I had let my style evolve around them instead of being so rigid.
“How to Find My Interior Design Style”
If you ever type in “How to Find my Interior Design Style” into Google, you could probably spend the next ten years absorbing all the content out there. I have sort of an unpopular opinion when it comes to finding your interior design style: it doesn’t matter that much.
Humans love compartments and organization and sorting things into categories. This is not that necessary when it comes to finding your design style. Why are we trying to categorize our design style as if we are about to be on a game show where the right answer is “Eclectic Coastal European Farmhouse”.
I think that if you spend too much time identifying with a certain style you are confining yourself to a box. You are a multifaceted person, and your style can be multifaceted. You can like aspects of things without really committing to the genre.
Concrete Style Identity
If you decide that your entire style identity is concrete you might be missing out on a lot of things that would feel really authentically you. It’s fine to say “I’m really drawn to traditional design” or “I love clean lines and contemporary stylings”. However, if you are too married to one idea, you’re going to miss out on something really great. And even worse? You’re going to end up with things you hate.
You can hate Farmhouse design, but love gingham. You can love Traditional style, but hate wallpaper. You can outgrow certain pieces and certain elements without feeling guilt. You can realize that your dreams of barn doors and shiplap are dreams of the past.
It does NOT mean that you were not dialed in enough. It means that you’re growing and changing and becoming more YOU.
So! How do you find your interior design style? Don’t. Or at least don’t stress about labeling it.
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