via my Apartment Guide living room design picks 2011
I love designing rooms and imagining how different elements come together. I enjoy paging through magazines and browsing Pinterest, but at some point you need to define your own style. You can look at pictures all day and collect a million ideas, and still not find the perfect one for your home.
An inspiration board helps because it makes you commit—at least on paper. For me, accepting that I have a 2,500 square foot house to decorate (not six houses around the world) is the first step toward realistic decisions. You can’t choose everything you love, but you can choose a cohesive style you’ll truly enjoy living with.
Modern Bedroom Design
Last year I had fun creating inspiration boards for a contest at Apartment Guide. On June 20th a new group of bloggers will take the reins and design fresh boards, and I’m excited to see their ideas.
For that contest the rooms had specific style and budget guidelines, so they weren’t necessarily my dream spaces or a perfect fit for my own home. It was enjoyable to imagine rooms on a budget where my own money wasn’t involved and there were no limits on room size or existing furniture to work around.
When your actual budget and limitations come into play, defining your style becomes more complicated than dreaming up a design board. Your style shifts from idealistic dreams to a balance between aspiration and reality. Reality might include a tight budget, a less-than-perfect home, pets and children, hand-me-down furniture, and other constraints.
Yet these constraints are often what make your style unique and authentic.
via my “Traditional” Coastal Home Office Design Board
I love seeing personality and character in a room—they bring warmth and depth. The quirks and limitations we work around often define our current style and give our home a genuine creative spirit.
Your style will evolve over time as life changes and different needs arise. That ongoing challenge—making the most of what you have—is part of the fun of creating a space that feels authentic.
My daughters and I are having a blast planning a redesign so our home better fits our needs and taste. I can’t wait to share the progress and show you how the plans come together. Stay tuned for before photos and a look at the direction we’re taking our style!
Good luck to the new bloggers participating in Apartment Guide’s Your Picks Your Place sweepstakes—I’m looking forward to following their designs!
Do you enjoy creating a fresh style using what you already have?
Stay tuned to Apartment Guide for a chance to win $10,000 to redo your place to fit your personal design style. You can follow Apartment Guide on social media for tips and updates on decorating your space. Apartment Guide and owner Consumer Source, Inc. partner with bloggers to run these programs; as part of that collaboration I received compensation. They did not dictate purchases or opinions. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.