Advice for Defining Your Personal Interior Design Style
Discovering your personal interior design style is a journey of self-expression and creativity. This article delves into expert-backed strategies for uncovering and refining your unique aesthetic preferences. From analyzing past experiences to trusting your instincts, these insights will guide you towards creating spaces that truly resonate with your personality and lifestyle.
- Remember Your Style Through Past Experiences
- Collect and Analyze Your Visual Preferences
- Trust Your Instincts Over Design Trends
- Experience Spaces Throughout the Day
- Evolve Your Style Through Trial and Error
- Choose Colors That Evoke Emotional Responses
- Explore Design Books for Inspiration
Remember Your Style Through Past Experiences
Style isn't found. It's remembered.
If I could offer just one piece of advice to someone searching for their personal interior design style, it would be this: don't look forward—look inward. The spaces we're drawn to are often not aspirational but ancestral. They whisper back to us from childhood rooms, travels that stayed with us, or the way afternoon light hit a grandmother's sunroom.
When people ask how I discovered my own style, I think of the first home I fell in love with. A large estate, updated beautifully. I remember the warmth of woodwork, the elegance of the drapes and fixtures, and the way the home felt dressed to meet me. At the time, I didn't know the principles of design. I just knew it felt right. Years later, standing in a Paris flea market or styling a coastal home in New England, I find myself instinctively drawn to the same elements—natural textures, sculptural silhouettes, a quiet sophistication that honors both the past and present.
"The spaces that move us most aren't trends—they're echoes."
Defining your design style isn't about labels like "modern" or "traditional." It's about listening for resonance. Pay attention to what makes you linger. Is it a room that makes you exhale? A color that you love because it reminds you of your mother's scarf? That's the start.
"We think we're searching for a style, but really, we're seeking alignment—with who we are, and how we want to feel in our homes."
It's less about copying a magazine spread and more about curating a life. Choose pieces that carry meaning. Let your home become a living memory—layered, personal, and unapologetically yours.
Collect and Analyze Your Visual Preferences
If you're feeling overwhelmed trying to define your personal style when it comes to interiors, you're not alone. With so many design trends, aesthetics, and sources of inspiration out there, it's easy to feel pulled in multiple directions. But here's the truth: your style isn't something you need to invent; it's already there. You just need to notice it.
One of the simplest and most authentic ways to uncover your style is by paying close attention to what consistently catches your eye and stirs something in you. Look at your wardrobe. Think about the hotels or restaurants that have left a lasting impression. What textures, colors, or atmospheres are you drawn to?
Don't overthink it; just start collecting. I personally love saving anything that resonates with me to a Pinterest board. Whether it's a kitchen in a magazine spread, a hotel bedroom I've stayed in, or a beautifully styled café corner, I pin it. Over time, this collection has become a window into my own design aesthetic.
Once you've gathered enough images, take a step back and look at them as a whole. You'll begin to notice common threads and recurring materials like linen, marble, or wood; color palettes like moody neutrals, soft earth tones, or bold contrasts; or even emotional qualities like warmth, minimalism, or drama. These patterns are your style speaking to you. You might be surprised by how clearly it reveals itself.
Don't feel pressured to fit into a predefined category like "Scandinavian" or "Mid-Century Modern." Instead, focus on the themes and feelings that resonate most with you at this moment in time. That's your personal interior design style.
Trust Your Instincts Over Design Trends
I believe the most important advice I can offer is this: don't begin with trends or Pinterest boards—start with your instincts.
I recall when I first entered the field of interior design, I attempted to follow all these "rules" and styles that appeared popular—such as minimalism or industrial.
However, something always seemed slightly amiss.
Then one day, I simply paused and asked myself: "What spaces actually evoke emotion in me?"
I realized I was consistently drawn to interiors that had this soothing blend of natural textures, atmospheric lighting, and warm tones—even if they weren't particularly trendy.
So I began collecting images of those types of spaces. Not from magazines, but from real places I had visited, like cozy restaurants, boutique hotels, even Airbnb apartments.
I paid attention to what made me stop and think, "Wow, I could live here."
That's how I discovered my sweet spot—warm modernism with plenty of earthy tones, layered lighting, and clean but soft edges.
I use that same process with clients today: we discuss less about styles like "Scandinavian" or "Mid-century" and more about how they want to feel in a space.
So yes, I think the best way to define your style is to stop thinking in categories and start noticing emotional reactions. That's where the real design story begins.
Experience Spaces Throughout the Day
The best advice I can give is this: live with your choices before you commit to them. Pinterest boards are great. Actual living experience is better.
At Eyda Homes, we always tell clients to think about how a space feels across a full day.
Not just how it photographs.
Does it energize you in the morning?
Does it calm you down at night?
Does it still feel like you, even when the trends change?
Personally, I discovered my own style by noticing what I kept coming back to.
Simple, grounded materials.
Natural light.
Spaces that felt connected but never cluttered.
I realized that I did not want a house that looked like a magazine spread.
I wanted a home that looked better the more life happened inside it.
Good design is not about chasing inspiration.
It is about recognizing yourself in a space and building around that.
Evolve Your Style Through Trial and Error
One piece of advice I would give to someone trying to define their personal interior design style is to pay attention to what naturally catches your eye. This may sound basic, but it's easy to fall into trends or others' opinions without listening to what truly resonates with you. One way to do this is by creating a visual collection. Browse through magazines, your favorite design blogs, or even Pinterest for a while. Don't focus too much on the "how-to" but on the "why" of what you love. What is it about certain pieces or color combinations that instinctively draw you in? Do you love earthy colors and natural textures, or are you drawn to clean, modern lines?
Finding my own style was a natural process. At the beginning of my career, I was attracted to minimalist spaces - everything in its place, clean lines, open shelves. However, as I continued, I realized I had a knack for creating spaces that were both straightforward and warm. I started to add more natural elements, using wood and textiles to soften the modern feeling and build layers of texture. It wasn't an "aha" moment, but rather a process of trial and error that evolved as a result of my own life experiences and the spaces I worked on.
For example, while designing vacation homes for Airbnb, I learned how powerful natural light and earthy elements could be in cultivating a welcoming, peaceful environment. This is when I began to focus on designing spaces that felt modern and rooted - incorporating aspects of Scandinavian design and toning them down with softer, more eclectic touches.
This process helped me realize that interior design isn't about rigidly following a single trend, but about making your space adapt to your specific needs and wants. It's about creating a curated space that feels right to you - a space that speaks for you, not to you.
Choose Colors That Evoke Emotional Responses
Trust your gut. It might sound cliché, but hear me out. When it comes to your space, there's no magic formula, no one-size-fits-all solution. Your home should be a reflection of you, not what's trendy or what someone else says is "in."
I remember when I was first starting to define my own style. The idea of picking out paint colors was kind of paralyzing. I mean, there are literally thousands of options, and I felt like the colors I chose were going to set the tone for my entire home. It was overwhelming! But one day, I just threw caution to the wind and decided to go with colors that made me feel something—colors that spoke to me, even if they didn't exactly follow the rulebook.
For me, that meant picking a soft, dusty blue for the bedroom, and a deep forest green for the living room. What I realized was, I wasn't just choosing pretty shades; I was picking colors that made me feel something. The blue was calming, the green felt cozy and natural, and all of a sudden, my space started to feel more like me.
It wasn't about what was "cool" or "safe." I started to realize that my version of home was all about warmth and comfort. Nature-inspired vibes, grounded tones, and lots of cozy textures—like wood, soft textiles, and vintage finds. It's funny because now, when I look around, I can see how those initial color choices were the foundation of everything else that came together. They gave me the confidence to explore my style more.
Explore Design Books for Inspiration
Visit a bookstore or the library and look at books on design, color, geography, and history. Take note (with paper and pen!) of the images you linger longer on - what do they have in common? Is there a color family you are consistently drawn to and inspired by? Is there a cultural influence or feeling that awakens your design eye? The reason I say to do this with physical books is that it's too easy to get distracted and pulled away in the digital ecosystem - before you know it, you'll end up buying a pair of jeans or watching videos on social media and lose focus. Go analog for this one!
