What Interior Design Style Am I? 💋 🤌
If you’ve ever wondered, “What interior design style am I?”—you’re not alone. This is one of the most popular search questions about design, and for good reason. With so many beautiful styles to choose from, it can feel overwhelming to pin yourself down to one. 📌
The truth is: you don’t have to.
Just as no single adjective could fully capture who you are as a person, no single design label may completely describe your style. People are multi-faceted, shaped by different life experiences, values, and lifestyles. This diversity yields beauty, uniqueness, and authenticity. 🦄 It makes perfect sense that your home—an expression of you—may be a blend of styles.
Popular Interior Design Styles (and Their Signatures)
While you may already have an instinct for what you like, it helps to know the key characteristics of some popular design styles:
Modern: Clean lines, minimal ornamentation, open layouts, and a focus on function.
Traditional: Rich wood tones, symmetry, and timeless furnishings with classic detailing.
Contemporary: Of-the-moment and ever-evolving, with current trends in color, form, and materials shaping the look.
Transitional: A mix of traditional and modern—balanced, approachable, and versatile.
Mid-Century Modern: Streamlined furniture, organic curves, warm wood tones, and retro flair.
Industrial: Exposed brick, concrete, metals, and a raw, utilitarian vibe.
Coastal: Airy spaces, natural textures and materials, and breezy palettes inspired by water and sky.
Bohemian (Boho): Eclectic, layered, collected, and vintage—mixing colors, patterns, and textures freely.
Scandinavian: Minimalist warmth, pale woods, soft textiles, and a calming, uncluttered atmosphere.
Farmhouse: Cozy comfort, rustic details, and materials like reclaimed wood and shiplap.
Art Deco: High-end materials, symmetrical forms, bold geometric patterns and intricate details, luxurious finishes like lacquer, mirror and gilding, and a rich, often contrasting, color palette.
The Influence of Trends
It’s important to remember that styles aren’t static. They’re refreshed over time by trends in color, material, and cultural influence. Changing social norms and the state of the economy also influence fashion and design trends. For example, today’s “farmhouse” style often incorporates cleaner lines and sleeker finishes than its rustic predecessor. Contemporary interpretations of “farmhouse” may lean European with a French provincial flair or evoke an American Western spirit with an upscale ranch design. Similarly, mid-century modern has been reinterpreted with today’s emphasis on sustainability and multifunctional living or successfully blended with Art Nouveau’s biophilic appreciation for nature motifs and organic flow.
Trends can spark inspiration, but they shouldn’t dictate your home. They work best when they’re layered thoughtfully into a style that is personalized and feels authentic to you.
Finding Your Personal Style
The process of discovering your style is less about labeling and more about curating. It’s about taking what resonates from a style and leaving what doesn’t. For example, you may love the warmth of farmhouse design but prefer the cleaner lines of modern furniture. You may gravitate toward the natural textures of boho but crave the simplicity of Scandinavian. Or, you like the boldness of Art Deco but seek an uncluttered take on maximalism.
To get started, try a style quiz like the Interior Design Style Quiz by the Designer Society of America. Think of it as a fun tool to spark ideas—not the final word on your design identity.
Authenticity Over Labels
At the end of the day, the goal is to create a home that feels like you—not a catalogue version of a trend, and not someone else’s idea of what your home should look like. Authenticity shines when your space reflects how you live, what you value, and the emotional experience you want to have in your home.
What’s Next
In a follow-up post, I’ll be sharing tips on how to choose an interior designer who can help you achieve your unique style vision. The right designer will:
Invest time in getting to know you and your lifestyle.
Avoid dictating a single style or imposing their personal preferences.
Skillfully mix styles to create a cohesive, personalized design that feels like yours.
Because ultimately, the most successful interior design isn’t about following a trend—it’s about bringing your story to life. 🌱