Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Overcoming Style Indecisiveness (Part 2)-- The Pin Is Mightier Than the Sword


(Read Part 1-- Finding Your Personal Decorating Formula here.)

2) The Power of Pinterest

Everybody knows that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Along that same line, when it comes to identifying your personal style, I think you could say that "the PIN is mightier than the sword!" But believe it or not, Pinterest has been both a good thing and a bad thing when it comes to finding my style. Good, in that there is soooo much inspiration out there, it's easy for me to find something I like. Bad, in that there's soooo much stuff out there, that it's hard to narrow it down to what I really would want to live with! But I've found that the more I pin, the more I can look at my boards and see what the pictures I'm pinning have in common.



If you've been "pinning" for any length of time, chances are you'll be able to see common threads in most of the pictures you've chosen. If you took the style tests I shared yesterday, how do the results you got match up with what you see? If you look at my home decor board, it's pretty easy to tell that I'm drawn to light walls, neutral bases, lots of texture, and pops of color (particularly blues and greens)-- all elements of coastal style!




"But I'm not on Pinterest!" I can hear some of you say! Well, then what in the world are you waiting for?!? Just kidding, I'm sure you can survive without it (though I'm not quite sure how...) ;) But fret not-- there are other ways of finding your favorite styles...

3) Read, Read, Read
  

I know it seems like it nowadays, but decorating inspiration is not confined to Pinterest! From decorating magazines, to home catalogs, to (of course) blogs, there is sooo much inspiration out there! (I still have a huge stash of my old magazines, just because...)  Again, use the abundance of information to help you identify the things that you especially like! As you flip through their pages, do you find yourself more drawn to the photos showing formal spaces, or minimal, streamlined areas? Do neutral palettes resonate with you, or rooms filled with color?

The important thing, though is to gather your favorite pictures together.  I keep a binder full of magazine pages I've clipped (not to mention all my Pinterest boards!). You may even want to follow Shayna's directions to make a digital "signature style board". Either way, collect them all in one place, so you can see your favorite inspiration pics at a glance and identify their common elements.



Now that you've gotten your favorite decor photos in one place, your assignment is to write down five to eight words that describe them: words like traditional, modern, homey, airy, light, industrial, frilly, global, classic, colorful, comfy, neutral, bright, wood, coastal, glossy, feminine, French, western, rustic, sleek, chic, or classic. Now hold on to that list, so that whenever you go to make a purchase for your home, you'll have a good "measuring stick" to go by!

My list looks something like this: casual, coastal, neutral (with pops of color), bright, airy, classic, textured. Let's take another look at that mirror I ordered, and see how it "measures up" to my style description: :



 Casual? Check. Coastal? Check. Neutral? Check. Bright? Check. Airy? Check. Classic? Check. Textured? Check! (Oh, and $75 for a 36-inch mirror? Double-check!) It's so much easier to overcome that pesky "Decorating Indecisiveness" when I have a good idea of  my personal style description! ;)













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3 comments :

  1. Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow March 14, 2013 at 10:46 AM

    I do all the same things. Pinterest is the best. It saves me money and space!

    Great points!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tim, Allyson, and kidsMarch 16, 2013 at 5:44 PM

    I love how you used your pinterest board to discover your own style. I've done the same thing and find it so easy to see what I am really drawn to by checking to see what I've pinned. I think I do need a separate Home Inspiration Board to get all those pins in one place.

    Thanks for sharing your posts at our Finished Friday Link-Up Party.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AbhilashaMarch 20, 2013 at 1:36 AM

    hi there...I so love ur blog :)
    its so pretty n lovely...iv been lost here for a while now...keep up the great work..love from India
    lookingoodfeelingfab.blogspot.in
    do drop by :)

    ReplyDelete

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