Design Style Philosophy

As a designer, one of the most common questions I receive is related to my personal design style. So often people will ask about the trends and styles I most often use or what specific furniture types or color palettes are preferable. The answer? It depends!

Not only do clients vary in personal design preference or home style, but their personalities and lifestyle needs also play a large factor in those choices. Instead of narrowing in on a specific niche or style category, I primarily focus on the feeling and lifestyle needs of the homeowner.

So, if you are a homeowner considering changing up your space, I would encourage you to start with this simple question: what is the feeling or mood you are trying to create in this room?

For instance, do you want your room to feel calming, inspiring, energizing or exciting? Do you want it to help you relax or give you feelings of comfort and nostalgia? I like to find out the general emotion my clients are seeking to feel in their living space before getting into more specific patterns, textures, colors or lighting settings.

The reason this is so powerful is that our homes have such an influence on our mood, and are the place where we and our families come home to at the end of each day and make countless memories. Different spaces have different functions and design holds the power to maximize that potential.

The moral of the story here? Challenge yourself to think about the mood and feeling they most to create in their homes. Reflect on your lifestyle and role of your home in light of that. Do you entertain a lot? Do you have young children or are you an empty nester? Do you want your home to reflect different cultures or prefer it to be more streamlined and soft? These are great first steps towards creating your home design journey as it will truly focus each decision moving forward.