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May 12, 2016 8 Comments

Find Your Decorating Style

Filed Under: Decorating Tips, home decor 8 Comments

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Finding your decorating style is the single most important thing you will do when it comes creating a home that you will love forever (FOR-EV-ER). What I mean is, without a consistent decorating style your home likely will lack cohesiveness. You will probably grow tired of the decor after awhile and get the itch to redecorate. You may become victim to the habit of trend chasing and feel the need to constantly redecorate every time a new trend rolls out. Lack of decorating style makes your life hard and honestly before I had a decorating style I was feeling burnt out. I didn’t even want to bother anymore because I could never get the cohesive home I was attempting to achieve.

I’ve talked on my blog before about why it’s important to me to decorate my home (even in my rentals). My people live here. I want a comfortable and tranquil place that serves as a backdrop for all of our memories as we do life together. Having a home that we all love and reflects our family as a whole is important to me. When I finally decided to shut out outside influences and discover my personal decorating style, I paid attention to things that were important to me. Experiences. Things I love. Places I’ve visited. Things that inspire me. I began to notice a consistency in what I was drawn too. In addition, I took my family’s needs into account – I have small children so I didn’t want any space to be “off limits.” All of these things inspired my decorating style.

How to find your decorating style (1)Some of you may already know exactly what look you like for your home and that’s awesome! For others finding your style can seem daunting because you like a lot of different styles or you don’t feel like you can be placed in one of the style boxes.

If you search around the web you’ll see that word used a ton. Styles like boho chic, industrial modern, rustic charm, modern farmhouse, french cottage, vintage modern, etc.

Spring Home Tour - Decorating the living room

Forget all of the labels. Just focus and try to hone in on what you like.

The actual definition of the word style is: is a distinctive appearance. To me that means, does your home represent YOU? Is a distinct reflection of YOU? I say forget the labels. Discover some consistencies in what you are drawn to, you can “describe” it or “label” it later.

Write down things that make you happy: What experiences, things, places do you love? When you imagine your own personal oasis what does that look like? Can that be translated into home decor? If so, write down a detailed description of it. My decor is very much inspired by the fact that we have lived near bodies of water in almost every home we’ve had. I love beach inspired decor and I attempt to bring elements of that in my home.

Browse the web: I know I saw to shut out outside influences but a great way to hone in on your personal style is to hop on Pinterest and check out the DIY/home decor section. Create a board dedicated to spaces you LOVE. Start in the DIY/Home Decor section and then start seaching specific terms related to the things you wrote down that inspire you. For example, I would search, “beach inspired home” or “beachy living room.” Take note of any consistencies of the specific pins and write them down. Maybe you are pinning a lot of bright colors and pattern mixes, or maybe you love spaces that are neutral in color with a vintage vibe. Paying attention to what you like will help you to focus in on your style.

Budget Friendly Bathroom Makeover

Go out and notice places: When you are out at stores and at restaurants, take notice of their decor or items for sale. Does anything jump out at you? Are you loving the succulent garden at your hipster coffee shop or the planked walls at your lunch bistro? Snap a picture with your phone and file it away. Are you feeling like you can’t live without the new nautical line at Target? Or maybe you found an amazing throw pillow at Home Goods that has the perfect colors. Don’t BUY! Take a photo! Come home and regroup. Is this true love or is it a trend crush? Hop on your Pinterest board and see if there are some similarities there. Can you build a space around those items that you will love forever?

Look around: Look around your current space. Do you see any current consistencies? You might be on your way to your unique style without even knowing it.

Gray and White Kitchen Makeover

Go to model homes: This one is my favorite. Model houses are always dressed up to the nines. They are perfectly styled and can make you feel inadequate but, they can also be really helpful. Looking online and in catalogs at decor isn’t the same as seeing it in person. In person, you can really imagine how it might look in your home. You can really determine whether or not this style feels like YOU.

So, are you ready to conquer this decorating thing and finally discover your style?

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About Chelsea

Chelsea Coulston is the resident decorator, baker, and pillow hoarder around these parts. A wife to an active duty Sailor and mom of two girls, Chelsea's got a knack for decorating even the most challenging spaces (just see her military base house!) She's inspired by cool beach tones and warm natural elements that remind you of a day at the beach. After living in a half dozen rentals, she's enjoyed spending the last few years in a cute ranch style home that she and her husband have almost completely renovated themselves. Chelsea lives in sunny Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and two daughters.

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Comments

  1. Rondell Konat says

    May 12, 2016 at 1:54 pm

    i really enjoyed your post today and signed up for your how to find your decorating style!

    Reply
  2. Anna says

    May 25, 2016 at 8:28 pm

    I love all of these tips! It has taken me four homes until I realized how to piece my style together.

    Reply
    • Chelsea says

      May 31, 2016 at 3:10 pm

      It’s taken me tons of trial and error as well! It’s a journey – always evolving for sure!

      Reply
  3. Randi says

    July 16, 2016 at 7:38 am

    This was so amazingly helpful! I just bought a house and have been feeling guilty for not falling into a style category, I sort of by what I like and make it work. I love color but also have 5 kids from 13 down to 2, so functionality and durability are key; but so is style 🙂 Thanks so much!!

    Reply
    • Randi says

      July 16, 2016 at 7:41 am

      Oops *buy

      Reply
    • Chelsea says

      July 16, 2016 at 9:04 pm

      That is so great, Randi! Functionality and purpose is huge but you definitely don’t have to sacrifice style – you can totally have both!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Chelsea!

I'm Chelsea. Wife to Matt, and mama to P and Millie. I'm a fan of making and decorating things and everything blue + white. I believe that there is no such thing as too many throw pillows. Lover of iced coffee and cocktail Fridays. I'm glad you're here.

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#ad Homeschool/General parent “pro” tip - buy #ad Homeschool/General parent “pro” tip - buy a shower caddy and stuff it full of art supplies to keep your kids from having their markers and crayons all over the place. For real though, this was a game changer. Previously, I had one hard and heavy caddy for all of our supplies that I would plop on the table during our school day but I found my kids constantly getting up to grab a pink crayon or the blue marker. Or at the end of the day things weren’t getting put away properly and the next day we couldn’t find the glue or the scissors. Now, they each have a caddy that they are responsible for. I’ve partnered with @walmart to share this simple organizing solution. The girls keep their supplies together and carry the caddy around to wherever they choose to school that day/minute. I used my Walmart+ membership again to pull this off. I was able to order all the art caddy necessities online using the W+ free shipping, no order minimum (excludes oversized/freight & Marketplace items) benefit so I can limit my time in stores. #walmartplus
Sitting here thinking about everything that’s go Sitting here thinking about everything that’s gotten me through this last year.
1. My family - having my girls home has been everything I never knew I needed. 
1a. My mom - in those early pandemic days, when we didn’t leave the house, she would meet me halfway between here and Vegas. We would sit in the middle of the desert with our masks on and just visit. I needed that so much and I know she did too.
2. My friends - it’s hard to imagine making it through this year without the friendships I have. They’ve carried me. A small group of neighbors here that would meet at the park for some outdoor fellowship and our weekly dinners made life feel a little more normal. Having regular calls with my best friend in FL was gold especially since we can’t see each other. And regular chats with @bykaithanson got me through especially in those early days.
3. Regular therapy - if I wasn’t already going before all this happened I surely would need to now. This all is very heavy stuff and having someone that is outside your circle to talk to is so important. This saves me again and again.
4. Making bread. I started making last year so when it blew up during that first quarantine I was so excited that we all were baking together. Whenever I’m feeling anxious making dough helps.
5. Exercise - this was the year I finally made exercise a priority. I love how much better I feel when I move my body each day. I’m less anxious and I’m more at peace.
6. All the technology that connects us. Marco Polo, FaceTime, texting, FB Messenger, all of it. Being able to reach all of my loved ones with the tips of my fingers has made it a lot easier when I can’t see them.
7. Television - how many shows have we binged this year? I don’t even know but I remember tackling Friday Night Lights in the beginning of the pandemic and being so sad it was over. 
8. This community. One thing I wanted in 2020 was to CONNECT with you all here and that has happened and its been wonderful getting to know each of you!
💙
We’ve been through a lot this year what has carried you? Tag a friend that’s gotten you through. 
Hoping and praying for a truly happy new year. 💙💙
Merry Christmas from our home to yours! I wish you Merry Christmas from our home to yours! I wish you everything good this Christmas and in the new year. 🎄
#ad Fun festive morning with the girls! My girls l #ad Fun festive morning with the girls! My girls love making and baking anything! We made cinnamon roll Christmas trees then decorated them with m&ms and sprinkles. I bought everything from Walmart, used canned cinnamon rolls to make them quick and easy so we could focus our energy on decorating them. Holiday memories made! How are you making memories with your family this season? @walmart http://liketk.it/34rdO #liketkit @liketoknow.it #walmart
I want to hear about your collections!! I don’t I want to hear about your collections!! I don’t collect much but I do have a few Christmas things that I’ve been collecting over the years. These nutcrackers are one. The girls pick out a new one each year. I have a small collection little white village houses and since the first year we were married we bought a peace dove ornament from Pier 1 (Li Bien brand) - they quit selling them so this will be the first in 14 years that we don’t get one of those. What do you collect???
Military base house kitchen but make it Christmas! Military base house kitchen but make it Christmas! 🥰🥰🥰🎄
I really don’t love this kitchen but I’ve worked hard to make it easier on the eyes with a faux backsplash and with some mini wreaths on the cabs. Feelin’ festive. Sources for the backsplash are on the blog + @liketoknow.it 👍

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