Everyone has a style. You may be very aware of your likes and dislikes. You may have a favourite colour and use it everywhere. Our home environments are important spaces and we choose furniture and colours to make us feel happy and secure.
When we moved into our current home a few years back it was quite obvious someone in the family liked turquoise. The rooms of the house were various shades of turquoise, even the exterior front stairs were turquoise. I am normally a strong advocate of colour, so I surprised myself by suggesting we paint every room white thinking we would start to choose colour as we went along making the space our own.
The last house I owned was full of colour. I knew from the moment I purchased it that I wanted the exterior to be green with red windows and dark brown trim. It took several years for this to be realized, but in reality it looked exactly how I had imagined, and I loved it. All of the rooms were various warm colours and I loved them too. The rooms in our current home are still white. I have not had the desire to change it. I have solved my love of colour by adding it with the furniture and soft furnishings.
How do we develop style? Some people just know what they like, and always have. Some people see images in magazines, and wish to replicate. Some are influenced by furniture at a friend or family member's house. Some people choose comfort over looks. Some people do the opposite. Some prefer handmade, or one-of-a-kind. Others tend to modern, antique, or eclectic. All of these decisions create a style.
Trends and fads of colour combination often inspire and influence people with their home decor. Remember the movie Barbie? I saw so many images of pink living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens after the movie aired. Some of which were quite lovely.
Moving into a new space can dictates choices, you may buy all new furniture for a fresh start. You may root out your favourite pieces and part with others. I like to try to use what I already have before purchasing something new. This has worked well for me. Having the ability to weave and reupholster the furniture I own does help. Although, after a piece has been upholstered once. I am not likely to do it again, so I'd better like what I choose.
There are so many approaches to style that really it is all about what you like. For me, I like to mix antique and vintage with a little modern. It is a hard mix to get right, and I often have to fiddle with a room set up, or colour choice, or pairing of furniture for awhile before it feels right.
One way you can start to determine your style is by creating a mood board for a particular room. You can start as simply as writing a list of inspiring colours. You can search the internet items in these colours. You can look for images of furniture you desire. You can visit second hand shops, or venture to an auction to see if there is anything you like. By adding all of this information together in a mood board on your computer -or the old fashioned way by cutting and pasting images from magazines- you can start to form an idea of what you like.
Smaller items like pillows and throws are easy to change up with colour trends, or for the season. I like having the ability to make my own soft furnishings, and being able to make them for other people. It is one thing to walk into a store and by cushion covers you like for your newly remodelled living room, or just for something fresh. It is another thing entirely to be able to choose the fibre for your covers, the colours and the design of the fabric itself. I am in the process right now designing some pillows for our sectional couch. We have tried a variety of textures and colours with it; all of them have been too neutral. I am in the process of gathering the materials to weave some cloth using two different patterns. I am exploring colour combinations and have landed on a deep rich wine red to go with the luscious gold I already possess.
I didn't need to write a list, or create a mood board for the cushion cover cloth, but I strongly encourage anyone who is feeling a little insecure about exploring style or colour to try it. It is a great way to give yourself an idea of what you are after, and there are no wrong answers!
As for soft furnishings, I have a variety of pillow covers available on my website right now. You can also get in touch if you think you would like some hand woven cushion covers made especially for you!
