How to Choose Your Interior Design Style
by Mae Osz on Aug 29, 2026
Figuring out how to find my interior design style is something I get asked about almost every single week — and honestly, it's one of my favourite conversations to have, because once you crack it, everything else about decorating your home becomes so much easier.
By Mae Osz | Interior Design Consultant & Home Decor Expert with 12+ years of experience.
Have you ever stood in the middle of a room you've decorated yourself and felt like something was just... off? Maybe you loved every individual piece when you bought it, but together they don't quite speak the same language. It's one of the most common frustrations I hear from people who are passionate about their homes — and the good news is, it almost always comes down to not yet having a clear sense of your own style. A great starting point is paying attention to the wall art and decor you're naturally drawn to, because your instincts are telling you something important.
Interior design style is essentially the visual and emotional language your home speaks — it's the combination of shapes, colours, materials and mood that makes a space feel coherent and personal. When you understand your style, choosing unique wall art and unique home decor stops feeling like guesswork and starts feeling genuinely enjoyable. Think of it as your decorating vocabulary — once you know it, everything you choose starts to make sense together.
List of Contents
- What is your interior design style and why it matters
- How to identify your interior design style step by step
- Actionable style-discovery process without requiring a quiz tool
- Overview of the most popular interior design styles (with visual cues)
- How wall art choices reveal and reinforce your design style
- How to use your style to choose wall art and home decor
- Room-by-room style application tips
- Common mistakes people make when defining their style
- How to blend multiple styles into a cohesive look
- Interior Design Style Inspiration: Looks Worth Saving
- More on Finding Your Interior Design Style
What Is Your Interior Design Style and Why It Matters
Your interior design style is the consistent set of visual preferences that make a space feel like you — it covers everything from the colours you reach for to the materials you love, the level of clutter you're comfortable with, and the overall mood you want a room to create. It's not a rigid rulebook, but more of a guiding thread that runs through all your choices.
Without it, decorating becomes really expensive trial and error. I've worked with clients who had spent thousands on furniture they ended up hating because each purchase was made in isolation, without a unifying idea. When you know your style, even small decisions — like which cushion or print to pick — become straightforward.
Why getting this right changes everything
- You stop buying things you later regret — every purchase has a clear purpose.
- Your home feels coherent rather than a collection of random pieces.
- You save time because you know what to look for and what to walk past.
- Guests notice the difference — rooms that have a clear style feel intentional and welcoming.
- It makes future decorating decisions — when you redecorate or move house — so much faster.
How to Identify Your Interior Design Style Step by Step
The best way to work out how to find your interior design style is to look at the evidence you've already left behind — the things you've pinned, saved, photographed or bought without overthinking it. Your instincts are remarkably consistent, even when your conscious choices feel scattered.
This is a process I walk every new client through, and it usually takes no more than a good afternoon. The results are always more useful than any online quiz, because they're based on YOUR actual choices, not a set of pre-packaged answers.
Step-by-step style identification process
- Step 1 — Gather your saved images. Scroll through your phone photos, Pinterest boards, saved Instagram posts and any magazine clippings you've kept. Don't filter — include everything you love.
- Step 2 — Look for patterns. After 20–30 images, themes will emerge. Are most rooms light or dark? Minimal or layered? Natural materials or sleek surfaces? Calm or bold colours?
- Step 3 — Write down three words. Describe the mood of the rooms you're drawn to in three words — "calm, warm, natural" or "bold, modern, playful", for example.
- Step 4 — Walk through your own home. Look at what you already own with fresh eyes. Which pieces do you genuinely love? Which feel wrong? The pieces you love are clues.
- Step 5 — Check your wardrobe. Sounds odd, but the colours and textures you wear daily often mirror what you want to live in — people who wear muted tones rarely feel comfortable in a bold maximalist interior.
- Step 6 — Match to a style family. Use the patterns you've found to identify which recognised interior style or styles best describe what you're seeing. More on those below.
Actionable Style-Discovery Process Without Requiring a Quiz Tool
Online style quizzes are fine as a starting point, but they tend to funnel you into a box based on a handful of questions — and most people's style is more nuanced than that. The process I prefer is based on direct observation, and you can do it entirely on your own, today.
The key is to treat it like detective work rather than a personality test. You're looking for evidence, not a verdict.
Practical self-discovery exercises you can do right now
- The "keep or ditch" walk. Go room by room and honestly decide — if you were moving house tomorrow, which pieces would you definitely take with you? Those are your style anchors.
- The shop floor test. Next time you're in a homeware shop, notice which section you head to first — and which pieces make you stop walking. Don't analyse it, just notice.
- The colour audit. Look at every room in your home and identify the two or three colours that appear most often. Are they warm or cool? Saturated or muted? These are your instinctive palette.
- The texture check. Run your hand along your sofa, your curtains, your favourite cushion. Do you love rough linen? Smooth velvet? Chunky knit? Texture preference is a huge style indicator.
- The "one room" imagination exercise. If you could redesign just one room in your home with no budget restrictions, what would it look like? Let yourself daydream freely, then notice the details that appear.
I tried this exercise myself a few years ago when I was redecorating my own kitchen and feeling completely stuck. When I did the "keep or ditch" walk, I realised I was holding onto every single piece of raw wood and aged ceramic I owned — and trying to get rid of anything too polished or modern. That told me everything: I was instinctively a Wabi-Sabi person, not the clean Scandinavian minimalist I thought I wanted to be.
Overview of the Most Popular Interior Design Styles (With Visual Cues)
Once you've done your observation work, it helps to match what you've found to a recognised style family. These styles aren't rigid categories — they're useful shorthand that helps you communicate your preferences and shop more purposefully.
Here's a quick reference to the most popular styles and their defining visual cues.
| Style | Key Visual Cues | Typical Palette | Best for you if... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scandinavian | Clean lines, light wood, minimal clutter, lots of white | White, soft grey, warm beige | You crave calm and find clutter stressful |
| Japandi | Low furniture, natural materials, wabi-sabi imperfection, stillness | Warm neutrals, charcoal, sage, clay | You love minimalism but want it to feel warmer and more soulful |
| Industrial | Exposed brick, metal, raw concrete, dark accents | Charcoal, steel grey, rust, black | You love raw, unfinished textures and an urban edge |
| Coastal / Hamptons | Rattan, linen, light blues, natural textures, relaxed layers | White, navy, sandy beige, soft blue | You're drawn to light, airy spaces that feel like a permanent holiday |
| Mid-Century Modern | Tapered legs, bold geometric shapes, teak, statement lighting | Mustard, burnt orange, avocado, warm brown | You love retro warmth but want it to feel contemporary |
| Maximalist / Eclectic | Pattern mixing, bold colour, layered textiles, collected objects | Rich jewel tones, botanical greens, warm reds | You feel hemmed in by minimalism and love visual richness |
| Traditional / Classic | Symmetry, ornate detail, antiques, rich fabrics, timeless shapes | Deep navy, forest green, burgundy, cream | You value craftsmanship, heritage and rooms that feel established |
How Wall Art Choices Reveal and Reinforce Your Design Style
Here's something I genuinely believe: wall art is one of the most honest indicators of your interior design style. Unlike furniture — which is often bought for practical reasons — the prints, photographs and artwork you choose are almost entirely emotional decisions. That makes them incredibly revealing.
When a client doesn't know where to start, I often ask them to show me the last three pieces of art or prints they bookmarked or saved online. Nine times out of ten, those three pieces point clearly in one direction — and from there, the rest of the room follows naturally.
What your art choices say about your style
- Abstract prints in muted tones — You're likely drawn to Scandinavian, Japandi or contemporary minimalist style.
- Botanical illustrations or nature photography — Suggests a Coastal, Biophilic or Earthy Boho aesthetic.
- Bold geometric prints in warm colours — Points strongly toward Mid-Century Modern or Eclectic.
- Black and white photography or typography prints — Often aligns with Industrial, Modern Minimal or Classic.
- Maximalist pattern, florals or folk art — Typically points toward Maximalist, Eclectic or Traditional styles.
- Calm ink drawings, wabi-sabi motifs, negative space — Very much a Japandi or Zen aesthetic.
How to Use Your Style to Choose Wall Art and Home Decor
Once you know your style, choosing wall art and decor stops feeling like a gamble. You have a filter — and that filter is incredibly useful when you're standing in a shop or scrolling through hundreds of prints online.
The practical rule I always use is: before buying anything for a room, ask yourself two questions. Does this fit my style family? And does it work with what I already have in this room? If the answer to both is yes, buy it. If either is no, put it back.
Practical rules for choosing wall art and decor that fits your style
- Stick to your style's palette. Even if a print is beautiful, if its colours don't belong in your palette, it will always look slightly wrong in the room.
- Match the mood, not just the colour. A Japandi room needs calm, restrained art — not busy patterns, even if they're in the right colours.
- Think about scale. Minimalist rooms suit fewer, larger pieces; maximalist rooms can handle more, smaller pieces layered together.
- Repeat materials across art and decor. If you have rattan furniture, look for art with warm, organic tones. If you have marble, look for clean, graphic prints.
- Use decor accessories to bridge the gap. A lamp, a rug or a plant can often do the work of tying a room's style together even better than another art piece.
Room-by-Room Style Application Tips
Knowing your overall style is one thing — applying it room by room is where it gets really practical. Different rooms have different functions, and that function should influence how prominently you express your style in each space.
A bedroom calls for a calmer, more personal expression of your style, while a living room can carry bolder, more social choices. Here's how I think about it, room by room.
Room-by-room style tips
- Living room. This is your main style showcase. Go for your strongest, most confident style choices here — statement art, a textural rug, layered lighting. This is the room where your style should be most readable to a visitor.
- Bedroom. A calmer, more intimate version of your style works best. Stick to your palette but choose softer textures and more personal art — something that feels genuinely restful and meaningful to you.
- Kitchen. Function leads here, but style still matters. A few well-chosen decor items — a ceramic pot, a small shelf with herbs, one framed print near the dining area — can bring your style in without overwhelming the practical space.
- Hallway. Your hallway makes the first impression. One or two strong pieces — a good mirror, a small console with a plant, and one piece of wall decor in your style — go a very long way.
- Home office. This is often the most neglected room stylistically. A piece of art that inspires you, a plant for life and softness, and decor accessories that keep surfaces tidy — these three things can transform a functional room into one you actually want to spend time in.
- Children's rooms. Let the child's personality lead, but you can still apply your broader home palette in a softer, playful way — using matching tones in textiles, shelving and subtle wall decor.
I had a client once who had done an absolutely beautiful Japandi living room and then completely ignored the hallway — plain white walls, a coat rack, nothing else. Every time she walked into her home, the transition felt jarring. We added a slim wooden shelf, a trailing plant and a single round mirror, and the whole house suddenly felt intentional from the moment you walked in. It cost almost nothing.
Common Mistakes People Make When Defining Their Style
Over twelve years of helping people with their homes, I've seen the same style-definition mistakes come up again and again. None of them are disasters — but they do slow people down and lead to rooms that feel frustrating rather than finished.
The most common one? Copying a room they've seen online without checking whether it actually reflects their own preferences. A room can look incredible in a photo and feel completely wrong to live in — because it was designed for someone else's life.
Mistakes to avoid when finding your interior design style
- Copying a look wholesale. Inspiration is brilliant — but copying a room exactly rarely works, because your space, your light and your life are different from the photographer's.
- Choosing style based on trends. Trends are useful for updates, not foundations. If you build your home around what's currently popular, you'll want to redecorate in two years.
- Ignoring how you actually use the room. A beautiful all-white minimalist living room is lovely in theory — until you have children, pets or a partner who loves spreading out on the sofa with a blanket and a snack.
- Deciding on style before assessing what you already own. The pieces you already have — and love — should be your starting point, not an afterthought.
- Thinking style means expensive. Style is about coherence, not cost. A consistent, well-considered room with budget pieces will always look better than an incoherent room full of expensive ones.
- Mixing too many styles without a unifying thread. Two or three complementary styles can work beautifully — but four or more start to feel chaotic unless you're a very experienced decorator.
- Being too rigid. A style framework is a guide, not a cage. If you love one piece that doesn't perfectly fit your label, you're allowed to have it.
How to Blend Multiple Styles Into a Cohesive Look
Most people I work with don't fit neatly into one style box — and that's completely fine. The homes that feel most personal and interesting are usually a considered blend of two or sometimes three compatible styles. The trick is doing it with intention, not by accident.
The key word there is compatible. Some styles blend naturally — Scandinavian and Japandi, for example, share enough DNA (natural materials, restrained palette, calm mood) that they sit together easily. Others — say, full-on Maximalist and Industrial — need a much more experienced hand to stop them clashing.
Rules for blending interior design styles successfully
- Pick one dominant style and one accent style. Give one style roughly 70% of the room — it's the foundation. The other style adds interest at around 30%.
- Choose a shared palette. When two styles share a colour story, they automatically feel connected. A Coastal room and a Scandi room can coexist beautifully if both lean into the same warm neutrals.
- Find shared materials. Natural wood, linen, rattan and stone all appear across multiple styles — they act as a bridge between aesthetics.
- Use art to make the link. A print that combines elements of both styles — abstract botanical, for example — can visually tie two different style influences together on a single wall.
- Keep the level of visual "busyness" consistent. Don't mix a maximalist textile palette with very minimal, stripped-back furniture — the contrast in visual energy will feel unsettling rather than interesting.
- Test the blend in one room first. Before committing the whole house to a style blend, try it in one room and live with it for a few weeks. You'll know quickly whether it works for you.
Interior Design Style Inspiration: Looks Worth Saving
Sometimes the quickest way to clarify your style preferences is simply to see a broad range of looks and notice which ones make you stop scrolling. Here are some of the most-searched, most-loved interior looks right now — perfect for building your own inspiration file.
Visual Inspiration
Explore complementary design ideas on our Home Decor by Trend page:
- Modern Contemporary Home Decor Trend - sleek spaces with timeless appeal
- Transitional Interior Design Trend - blending styles for personal taste
- Eclectic Maximalist Home Decor Trend - mixing bold styles fearlessly together
More on Finding Your Interior Design Style
Understanding your style is an ongoing process — and the more you pay attention to your own reactions to rooms, the sharper your instincts become over time.
If you want to go even deeper into the self-discovery side of this, professional interior designers have shared some genuinely useful perspectives — including how your day-to-day routines and personal history can influence the style you're most comfortable living in. The piece How do you work out your interior design style? 13 tips on discovering your look from interior designers, from Homes & Gardens, is well worth a read for additional expert perspectives alongside the practical process I've outlined above.
WATCH: HOW TO Find Your Interior Design Style | Top Insider Styling Tips
Ready to Make Your Home Feel Like Yours?
Finding your interior design style isn't about following rules or fitting yourself into a label — it's about building a clearer picture of what genuinely makes you feel at home. Once you have that, every decor choice becomes easier, more confident and more satisfying.
Start small if it feels overwhelming. One afternoon of honest observation, a handful of saved images and a few words to describe the mood you're after is genuinely all it takes to get started. The rest follows naturally from there.
I'd love to know — have you always had a clear sense of your style, or is it something you're still working out? And if you've tried any of the exercises above, which one gave you the most useful "aha" moment?
