Home Decorating Styles

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Urban Chic or Modern

Pure urban chic! Clean lines and very little clutter.

This style uses clean, straight lines, minimum textures and solid colors. It is very un-cluttered (think lots of hidden storage) with only art and carefully chosen pieces out on display. Any patterns in the artwork really stand out because the other elements are streamlined.
Colors schemes tend to be white or metal with another color. Or black and white with a “pop” of another bright color. Accessories are kept to a minimum to give them emphasis.
Furnishings are clean, streamlined and devoid of frilly or fussy details.

Casual – Also called French, European Country, Cottage, Americana and others.

Casual living room in rich browns and cream

Here the colors are muted, but can be soft or they can be quite deep, but not bright, loud colors. It’s characterized by being very homey and comfortable. You’ll use fabrics like leather, suede, and linen. There’s usually a mix of textures on the floor, walls and furnishings. Think of a comfortable, kid-friendly home with sturdy furniture.
This style works well with family photos, and collections displayed tastefully. The problem is controlling clutter so it doesn’t overwhelm you.
Room decorating basics tip: Use baskets and covered boxes to store clutter.

Eclectic – A Real Mix of Contemporary and Traditional- Not Electric (as my young daughter used to say)

Open storage is ok with this mix of styles!

Some say that this style is “anything goes” but if you do that, you end up with no style. So, blend carefully and you’ll get a refreshing, unexpected look that is fun and easy to live in. Pick one style that will dominate – say, contemporary. Then, add in touches of traditional with furniture pieces or artwork. Not too much, the first one has to be stronger.
Colors are fun and light. Use a complimentary color scheme to achieve it. That means using colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. Combos of green and pink. Or blue and orange. Yellow with purple. Add touches of white to punch it up and let one of your colors dominate.
Have fun with this one – it’s light-hearted and bright. Think of a beach cottage or casual summer home.

Traditional living room with a wood framed fireplace

Historic – Traditional

Just as it sounds, you like things that have a history. Good china and crystal. Antiques with details. Rugged textures in the fabrics such as tweeds. Dark wood tones and smooth textures. Furniture has lots of curves – in the legs, the back of sofas, chairs and so on.
This style is quite formal. Colors are bold, but less comlex than today’s colors that have much more subtle nuances. Keep the trim either white or polished wood. Fabrics are usually silk, polished chinz, damask, florals and linen.
Family photos and collections work well in this style, but don’t let them get too cluttered.
Victorian and Antique fits with this style also. Both of these styles use lace, and delicate fabrics and florals to express themselves.

Natural – Cabin, North Woods, Santa Fe, Southwest, California

Rich wood complements this cozy family room

These rooms will have almost a Zen-like quality. They are calm and relaxing, taking their cues from nature. You’ll find a lot of wood, bamboo, cork, dark wood and stone in this style. The fabrics are rich and natural such as silk, linen, velvet, wool and cotton.
The colors are earthy in forest greens, bark-colored browns, tans and taupes like stones. And in southwest and Santa Fe, use the beautiful colors of the desert landscapes. Muted blues, pinks, yellows and peach. They blend together to create a soft, peaceful feeling. In each of these sub-styles, think nature and draw your colors and materials from there.
Room decorating basics tip: Go “green” with all the natural and recycled materials here.

An animal print rug and exotic looking artifacts give this room a global look

Exotic – Global – Foreign

Of course, “foreign” depends on where you are from, but mostly here we’re talking about looks from Africa, Asia, Egypt, South Seas or Australia. Use strong patterns with spicy colors. Tribal, animal and textured leather are good room decorating basics along with wood, rattan, bamboo and woven woods.
The colors are usually rich, dark and earthy. Blend in “pops” of bright colors in natural tones of red, yellow, blue, purple and green. This style is not so much about family photos and collections, but artifacts from travels and fun storage pieces that are “one-of-a-kind.”
Wall-art can be tribal paintings, masks, fabric wall-hangings. Set out baskets, pottery, groupings of bamboo sticks, stones and candles, carvings and intricately inlaid artifacts.

You may find that you prefer some elements of a couple of styles. That’s OK! You can mix n match styles if you let one style dominate and bring in another style in small amounts.

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