It is hard to start out on a home with a blank slate and furniture you were given. Almost everyone starts there, but how do you get to a well curated home with coordinating styles and colors?
When I first started buying house furnishings in my apartment after college, I had no idea where to start and no money. I turned to thrift shops and discount stores for everything I needed. As time went on, I got married, moved to a town house, another one, and then our first home. I bought sets of furniture that all coordinated because I knew it all matched and didn't think it was possible to get the well curated magazine look without spending a lot of money.
Now that we are on our second house, have done multiple renovation projects, and I've gotten a handle on the toy influx that is 3 children, I have started to figure out what my true style is. I've also learned how to curate a non-boxy look.
A good interior designer friend once told me to pull out any picture I loved from a magazine and keep it in a box. After a time, I should go back through and look at the similarities in the pictures and THAT would be my style.
I followed her advice and noticed that everything was either a shot of something outside on a body of water, or had some sort of blue theme. So I started there.
I am from the New England area, and, although we do not live there now, I still am pulled to that classic, relaxed way of decorating. I've always had an affinity for vintage things, most likely from selling vintage clothes on Etsy in college or scouring dirty antique stores for cheap furniture, so I knew that would be part of my design as well.
Now that I have my design direction down, I am slowly going through my "set" furniture and buying pieces that are more inspiring and tell a story. This is a process and is taking a while. I don't always find what I am looking for and it often takes months (and mess ups) to get the look I am going for with just one piece. My favorite place to look currently is Facebook Marketplace. I have found some amazing antiques and one off pieces. Just changing lamps out has completely changed the look of my bedroom.
When discussing a client's style or starting a new room renovation, I always discuss what they love, where they like to vacation and where they were married (if that applies of course). These are always indicators of what they love and how the room will work for them.
Do this for yourself and let me know what you find out!
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