How to define your unique interior style

I have been thinking a lot about interiors recently.  Just like my wardrobe, my taste has evolved and become more defined over the years.  In a sea of cookie cutter insta-homes it can be tricky to carve your own path but, when you take that leap, you create a space you love – not just this season but for years to come.  And if ever there has been a time for loving our homes it is now.  So I urge you to have the confidence to go your own way and define your unique interior style.

Scroll down for my tips…

FOLLOW YOUR HEART NOT THE TRENDS

The thing about trends is that they are just that – a flash in the pan.  Remember five years ago when copper was all the rage?  Where are all those unloved copper lamps now?  Landfill (shudder).  To some extent the current fads are unavoidable because naturally they dictate what is available but I would urge you to follow your heart.  Some of my most treasured pieces are bits I have picked up, usually on impulse, on travels because they just ‘spoke’ to me.  The wooden dog lamp I discovered at a French interiors show was not in fashion then and it certainly is not now but, geesh, I love that thing.  I do not accept that I have a weakness for animalia – I embrace it.  Terracotta birds fly over my walls, ceramic fish sit in frames and an unapologetic abundance of dog shaped pieces grace my rooms.   It is my ‘thing’.

When we first ‘did’ this room I immediately chose a berber style rug (it was incredible for the price which made it an easy choice) but, honestly, as time went on and I saw that rug again and again and again on Instagram, my love for it started to wane.  When I set eyes on this beauty from La Redoute (sadly sold out but this one is equally incredible) I was like a love struck teenager with hearts in my eyes and the impact of switching out that rug was HUGE.  Which brings me nicely to my next point…

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Or should I say look outside the grid?  It can be all too easy to get stuck on the current trend if it is all you are exposed to.  Expand your horizons –  sign up to some inspiring newsletters (I love LivingEtc and Domino) or flick through some magazines (I just got a 6 month subscription to House & Garden for £6).  Delve into your memory;  take a trip through your personal archives and perhaps you will rediscover a hotel that inspired you or some aspect of your Grandmother’s house that you really loved.  Try to decipher which elements of those interiors sucked you in and try to imagine how they might work in your own place.   Five years ago we stayed at Cobbler’s Cove in Barbados and fell hard for just about everything; the pink and green colour scheme, the blue and white prints, the natural rattan, the striped pool towels and parasols…  it is not hard to see that we have spent half of the last decade incorporating many of those details into our own home particularly in the master bedroom and, more recently, in this room too.

Side note – those raw plaster walls were inspired by the ceiling in our fav Glasgow coffee shop before we even got the keys to this place.  Shortly after they refurbished, I looked up at the unfinished ceiling and just knew THAT was a texture and colour I needed in our new place.  The choice was met with some parental opposition at the time and visitors still regularly question if we are in the midst of decorating but we adore it.

SHOP VINTAGE

One of the best ways to source those pieces that make your heart skip a beat is to shop preloved.  My treasured vintage rugs, for example, were languishing in my Mum’s loft but, to me, they were just perfect.  In a nutshell, the simplest way to create a truly unique space is to hunt down those one off items.

 

TAKE CUES FROM YOUR HOME

Take some time to think about what will truly ‘work’ in your space.  I mean, minimal concrete will undoubtedly look sleek in an Australian new build but it might not marry with Victorian architecture so well…  When we began decorating this room we knew we wanted to reintroduce a ceiling rose – a design feature that we had loved so much in our tenement flat and it works equally well here because it is fitting for the era.

Caveat – if you happen to be drawn to styles that juxtapose the period of your property, just get on Pinterest and search ‘concrete in a period home’, for example, and you can bet someone somewhere will have made it work.

THINK COHESIVELY

One of the questions sent in ahead of putting together this feature was ‘How to avoid a mish-mash of randomness?’.  I have given it a lot of thought and the conclusion I came to was this – a little bit of randomness is what makes a house a home, what makes it uniquely yours.  I do believe if you consider the steps above then your home will look perfectly put together but you need that confidence.  You know that woman who wears a wild leopard print with socks and sandals and pulls it off?  The only thing she has on you is the confidence to go for it.  I did a poll before I ordered the fabric for these cushions and the runaway winner was the black stripe…  but I was personally more drawn to the green so I went for the more eclectic option and I love them – to me they are perfect and therefore I declare they ‘match’.

That being said, I do follow a couple of rules to keep things cohesive to some extent.  The hardware is all brass or gold, where possible, as dictated by the original door handles (it also happens to be my preference).  And, whilst my colour palette is varied, it does flow from room to room – you will be unlikely to find a purple chair making an appearance for example.  But you will see blue and white details repeating here and there, accents of ochre in every room and, as I mentioned, a definite affection for green and pink.

 

I urge you to carve your own path and create a space you can really call your own.  It takes time to make a house a home and there should be no rush – we are three years in and I can wholeheartedly say part of the joy is the journey.

If you have any specific questions please do not hesitate to leave them in the comments or drop me a DM on Instagram.

This post contains affiliate links and gifts

 

ROOM DETAILS

yoro rug – La Redoute (also ADORE this one)
blush linen mabel armchairs – Sofa.com
linen cushion fabric – The Stripes Company
drinks trolley – Houseology
Carol Moore painting – Green Gallery
floor lamp – Houseology
burley antique mirror – Houseology
radiator cover – Screwfix
large glass vase – H&M
Shona Harcus painting – Green Gallery
retro ride on car
scott 3 seater grass green velvet sofa – Made
izmir ceiling light – Cotterell & Co (found it here on sale)