What is your decorating style? Could you sum it up in a couple words? If not, don’t despair. Most of us have mismatched furniture, a combination of items passed on from relatives and pieces bought cheaply to fill a need. What these furniture pieces have in common is simple: you did not choose them necessarily because you liked them. But what do you like? If you feel like a displaced mermaid, perhaps your preferred style is nautical decor.
Nautical items show up on many people’s lists of decorating trinkets. A porthole clock or nautical wheel are instantly recognizable and have an unmistakable element of ‘cool.’ Having a recognizable item matters because you don’t necessarily want a guest to wonder what in the world you have on your wall or end table. You want them to feel comfortable in your home. You want them to ask if there is a story behind that replica diving helmet or nautical wheel, not have them wondering what that odd sculpture really is.
The main categories of popular decorating are Traditional (44%), Modern (22%), Eclectic (13%), Country (10%), and Global (2%). Which category do you identify with? Unsure? It’s simple, really. Take a moment to imagine a room, any room. It could be a kitchen you would like to make breakfast in, or the living room you want to relax in after a long day. Picture the bedroom you want to wake up in on a lazy Sunday morning. These rooms will have certain elements in common, such as colors or materials. The lines of the furniture will tell you a lot about your preferred style. Traditional and country tend to have thicker, heavier looking furniture, while modern features sleek lines and minimal flourishes.
Now that you have an idea of what appeals to you, it is time to take a look at what your current home looks like. How closely does it match your fantasies, if at all? Don’t be surprised if you imagine one room, only to realize your reality looks nothing like it. Many of us are hesitant to take that leap; especially if we favor eclectic tastes. About 14% of people, strangely enough, say their decor makes them feel gloomy. Only 20% of people are actually happy with their home decorating. So where do you fall on that spectrum? More on this topic.