Page 191 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2020

If you aren’t familiar with many design genres start by looking at the captions used in the things you save and craft new searches based on the terms you see repeated. Some examples include modern, coastal, transitional, Hollywood Regency, Art Deco, etc. You will start to recognize the common elements that de ne a style and nd those aspects that excite you.
Most of us are drawn to several styles and colors, but it is important to try and narrow that down and then re ne the selections in your home so that they are cohesive with the style you’ve chosen. When I’m designing an entire home, even as I leave one room and enter the next it is important that it feels familiar and related to the room before. This is often achieved with a common accent color that repeats throughout the home. Perhaps the main accent color from your living room becomes the cabinet color
in a cozy study and is repeated in your powder room tile.
Once you’ve de ned your style, study it. If you are building or remodeling, look at architectural details that might make a big impact if you can replicate them. You probably wouldn’t put arched windows on a farmhouse. Even though you may like arches, knowing that they aren’t compatible with your style will
Transitional
Modern
make the decision for you and keep you from spending time and money on projects or purchases that don’t work stylistically with your space.
You’ll furniture shop with con dence if you’ve established your style ahead of time. While matching furniture sets can lack interest, you still want to pair pieces that evoke the same feel
or time period. Study the photos of rooms you like for the lines of the furnishings. What are the arm styles, back heights, or leg shapes that you see most often? Armed with these facts you can alter your choices and eliminate things that you may like, but don’t t with the overall style of your home.
Finally, it’s important to know when to forget everything I’ve
just said if you nd that unlikely combination that just works! If you’re ruthless with your editing 90 percent of the time, then you’ll likely know when it’s right to break the mold and create something exciting and unique. Your home
is one of the most personal expressions of your individual style. Educate yourself, do some detailed planning before making big investments, and then let your unique vision shine!
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