When I was a fiber artist (aka quilt maker) and attended quilt shows this trick really helped me to analyze quilts. Pick 3 things you really like in a quilt and 3 things you don't like or would change in it. This trick will train your eyes to break down the image into components that you can then analyze. Works great on Pinterest images and images in design/decor magazines. Before long you'll know what colors, textures, style, size, price range, etc. you favor. Then you'll be ready to shop with confidence.
I would also recommend to stay in different styles in Airbnb places. My husband and I stayed in Scandinavian minimalistic house and we both hated it. We were surprised cause we liked the pictures before. But living in and feel it around was different.
I have lived in my home for 3 years now, and still have no decor simply because I am so bad at making decisions. This is the first video that has actually helped me! Thank you so much! The idea of picking a few key words for your style, and then picking what you like in a photo, is so helpful. I see things in Pinterest that I really like, but can’t pinpoint why I like it, so I can’t incorporate it into my house. This video has such good suggestions!
I’m so in to interior design but have yet to find something that ACTUALLY helps me figure out how to deliver what I want/know my interior design style. THIS video helped so much. I tend to get overwhelmed and my inspiration evaporates because of it but this video really simplifies it all for me! Thank u thank u!
I love this video so much!! The idea of leaning into how a space makes you feel is a newer one to me, very different than "which image appeals to you more?" Leaning into the analysis, and what we like about different images, this is great!!!!
This technique is what I used when preparing to remodel my kitchen. I looked at a lot of kitchens in Houzz and asked myself what I liked about each one. It helped me choose cabinets, backsplash, hardware, etc. That was in 2014 and I still love it!
I think you also need to consider the architectural style. I’ve gone from a English Tudor cottage to a two story Georgian and each was decorated in a style to complement the style of the architect. Now I’m moving into a condo in the city.
Yes, people always forget that aspect. I went from a colonial style home with hardwood floors, a formal dining room with pillars and bay windows to a mountain rustic home with wood floors, white walls and lots of rod iron accents. Had to change up some things for sure. Some pieces of furniture straight up had to GO as they were far too formal for the new rustic space. If you work against the architecture, it just looks wrong.
For the longest time I was torn between styles and I couldn't pick just one. I knew all the different elements I liked of various styles but coulnt figure out how to combine them into a cohesive style. Until one day on pinterest I stumbled upon British Colonial style and it was exactly everything I liked. Never knew that style even existed. All this time I was trying to style bohemian/farmhouse but I was never fully satisfied with it.
Hi Viv. Big fan from the UK. My style is definitely within the modern oeuvre; I like vintage and some mid-century modern. However, I do like some traditonal ornate pieces thrown in the mix too (especially the frames). I recently came across the term "dark academia" which perfectly encapsulates the look and feel I am going for in my living room. I bought a house last year and have been busy consuming your videos and a few others on youtube to really help me narrow my focus when it comes to decorating, paint colour, furnishings and overall styling. Am tackling one room at a time, which helps prevent me over-thinking or getting overwhelmed by too many choices and am very happy with how things are progressing.
@@PoshPennies Will you be doing a video on it? I've noticed a lot of interior design channels on youtube always tend to focus primarily on light/airy/warm/neutral. But never really mention the dark and moody side of interior design. I painted the walls, ceiling and skirting board in my living room mallard green (part of the dulux heritage range). Looks wonderful during the day with all he natural light from the windows (especially against my select mid century modern pieces). But the colour really comes into it's own when the sun goes down.
Awesome advice. I think that 80/20 rule for styles is a great idea. Just bought and renovated my first house, went for an 80/20 Neo Classical/Scandinavian vibe. It turned out very well!
I'm definitely a mix of modern farmhouse with a touch of Scandinavian. But I do love to make it my own by adding a little bit of a light color on the walls. That, to me, is what truly makes it my signature style for my home
Even though after buying and owning a flat with very limited budget I managed to make the spaces I have fit for purpose and aesthetically pleasing (which turned out to be Japandi according to my designer friends) I can see how logical you have made the process to be without over simplifying the concept. Very impressed.
Hi Vivien! I love your videos. I’m from Brazil and I can tell you I’ve learnt more about design with them than I’ve done in my last 2 years Interior Design college classes. Thanks a lot!!!
Yes! First time moving out on my own and started out with a Pinterest board for visuals. What I thought I wanted vs what I ended up with was completely different! There were furniture and decor pieces that caught my eye which eventually narrowed down my keywords to modern earthy contemporary. The one word I wanted to feel when I’m home was, “grounded.” ❤
I started (and it is what I like) with white clean coastal - which seems to be the most misunderstood style (very hard to find a classy coastal look without going to a disney seashell anchors horror, or a disney surfer wannabe horror or a cluttered farmhouse). ...but my sofa came with a traditional cover...I then chose a traditional sideboard...I also have a traditional round table and I found two emperor's lampshades which I didn't resist to bring home, so I chose a traditional ceramic base for them ...I'm scared. I think I'm traditional and I may end up with a grandma's house...classy, though
You read my mind. I’m about to redesign my house furnitures and so on. I was kind of confused. Now I know what falls under traditional design style and modern
this video is gold! thank you so much. i used to ask people how to decorate my space bc i was completely oblivious on how to take decisions about it, now i slowly am developing my taske and loving the process.
I ended up with a mid century modern style with a steampunk flare. I wasn't sure how it would come out but we get compliments all the time. It really gave me the Calming and warm feeling I was going for.
I love this video! I always went with the feeling as well. But despite loving interior design, I haven't been able to pinpoint my style -- I love so many of them! I definitely lean heavily into the modern/contemporary styles, but some touches of traditional are nice as well. I'd say my abolute favorite styles are boho (but more on the cleaner, less cluttered side), contemporary, japandi, scandi, and industrial. So, a pretty weird mix! But I try to also take into account the architecture of the space -- my previous apartment was more modern, so I leaned more heavily into that, but my current apartment is older and has more character, so my boho side is soaring higher haha
Thank you for this wonderful video! I screenshot many, many rooms you show in your videos, you have no idea! So much inspiration! Right now, at this point in my life, I like Scandi, MCM, and even some details of the Farmhouse design. 😊
I don't usually comment on videos but this one I just had to! We have just bought our first home together and how you have explained to use Pinterest for saving decor ideas is fantastic and fun! Now i can organise and analyse the decor and ideas that will really make me feel good in my new home, thank you!
I really like your videos and the way you explain things. I binge watched your old videos and i like how your video and content is improving. Look forward for more of your videos!
What an amazingly clear and step by step tutorial! Once I started creating a Pinterest board for my photo inspirations I found a style for myself I hadn't thought of: part Mediterranean, part Spanish, part Zen, all warm natural colors where a touch of green or neutral colors really make it feel more cozy. Thanks for being awesome and sharing your down-to-earth, creative advice.
I wanted an artistic curated space. I want it to be creative the way I am creative, and artistic, but I also want it to feel like you have walked into a time capsule. That doesn't feel outdated. I want that sense of nostalgia you get from looking at historical design. Feeling words: Bold, Creative, and Dramatic [not for every room]. Probably Victorian and Art Deco or even Glam Art Deco - I am always flippy flopping between 70s designs and 50s designs and Victorian. I still want it to feel contemporary/modern, but taking elements from a historical time and place. Edit - what we struggle with pinterest is all of these White Rooms. We absolutely know we don't like white rooms. Years, in rentals we couldn't do anything with the space and being in a mental ward, means white = imprisoning. And it's hard to get inspiration when everyone wants white walls.
this was a really good and clear explanation! I've been pinning thousands of pins throughout the years but I only recently started to sometimes microanalyze individual interiors more closely instead of solely just collecting and not getting as specific as one would like. I find curated videos with photo examples like this helpful as well since it is hard to dwell on individual images sometimes on social media when you don't have the same design-specific context for it. it's helped me a lot as well to refine my taste through making different sections under my interiors board on pinterest - everything from ideas for a specific and actual room I'm gonna decorate to explorations of my dream place, to color/texture/feelings/moodboards. I've very recently made a future apartment section and it's my favorite section I've done so far as I've slowly narrowed down my taste to a quite specific collection of ideas. I have a pretty hybrid style mix that I like to call something along the lines of 'Greek island meets japandi-industrial with a touch of colorful ethereal'...
One approach is to start by looking in your wardrobe. It will give you a huge amount of infos on you: What colours, fabrics, style(s) …. you wear and are comfortable with. You can easily thén translate this in your home décoration.
I'm 23 and I'll be moving into my own apartment soon for the first time. I've always just put up my parent's preference for mid-century modern because I didn't have the space or agency to decorate myself, but I need to start thinking about what I want my own place to look like.
I’m leaning towards calling my style Modern Archipelago - a little bit Scandi, little mid modern, little bit Aussie coastal. Mine is a real mishmash haha
Interesting. Our previous house was quite art deco and we matched it with an Aussie coastal (lots from Beachwood). Our new house is much more modern and we’ve gone very Scandi meets mid mod while keeping the coastal pieces that still work. Such a great style. I’m now stealing your style name 😉
This is a really, helpful, practical approach. Thank you, Vivienne. I don't know what my style is. I will spend more time analysing it. I think in some rooms my style is more boho, in others, more contemporary and probably something like mid-century modern. I know I love to include both antique or vintage pieces with modern. So, in my bedroom, I have fairly modern furniture, but I've bought two light fittings - one a vintage chandelier and another is a replica George Nelson Bubble pendant (I decided since I eventually want to move, I wanted to keep the vintage chandelier). My bathroom is very modern but includes an antique meat safe to hold towels and the like. No idea if what I'm doing is right or wrong from an interior design perspective, but I like it!
Love your vlog!!! Can you please post a video on how to decorate tall/high ceiling large walls especially minimalistic (toned down/neutral color tone) boho style? Thank you!
Vivien, please ask your hubby to translate the words/concept ordning och reda. Those are my key words for our home🤩! It’s not minimalism, it’s more lagom then that, it is cozy but clutterfree😍 it means more then just functional, it actually looks good too🤓 always enjoy your videos!
This is such a helpful guide on learning how to understand yourself in this space. Thank you. You said it's fine to have different feelings for different rooms. Does it work to have a living room that is light and airy adjacent (and visibile) to a dining room that is dark and intimate? Or would those two rooms clash?
Hi there! I'm not an expert, but thinking about it made me feel very interested in how to make those two ideas contrast beautifully! I think if you choose some commonality between them (be it part of the color palette, if the furniture is modern x traditional, or something like that), it's very possible to create a harmonious contrast!
One thing I learned in fashion is, to combine two colors that have nothing to do with each other (like, say, night yellow and olive green), add an accessory (like a scarf or chunky necklace) that contains, among others, those two colors. Translating: matching or coordinated rugs, same window treatments, similar artwork might help.
This was such a helpful video to me as I'm looking to bring some life to my dated home. I have no clue about style but I definitely tend to gravitate to things that make me feel something special. I've been scouring pinterest but with no rhyme or reason, which can get a little frustrating. Now I feel like I have some direction. Thank you
I like traditional furniture but presented in a modern way, i.e. no clutter, no heavy drapes, no busy patterns. I figured out that I like transitional.
Lol, right?! And even if you happen find a company that does, it’s ridiculously expensive. But at least I’m on O’ahu; one less shipping charge to another island.
My style is rustic log cabin (think natural elements, wood pieces with a lot of character, warm and cozy), my FH's style is modern (think clean lines, less clutter). Do you have any tips on how to combine those two designs?
My preferred style is Modern Mid Century Eclectic but an awful lot of Moroccan/Turkish lamps, rugs, cushions, fruit bowls and brass trays have somehow snucked in as well, lol! Great video. :)
I realize now my style is modern with some traditional in the mix. We’re building our first home and putting all new furniture in so knowing what our style is here in the next few months is key!
I would also say to pay attention to the natural and artificial lighting in a space. Is there a lot of natural light in the space from things like large windows or skylights? Does it have layered lighting? Like recessed lighting, accent lighting or lamps for task lighting? Is it warm lighting or cool lighting? Most of the gorgeous homes on Pinterest, Houzz, or Google search will have high ceilings and lots of light in natural and artificial forms. Even if you don't have high ceilings adding as much natural and layered artificial light can make a huge difference no matter your design style.
