How do you choose a style?

13 years ago

This is a very general question, so perhaps it's not something anyone can easily answer. What I'm struggling with is finding too many looks that I like. I'm currently trying to redesign my living room (on a limited budget-I have to work with a lot of what I already have) and I'm amidst a complete bathroom gutting. My problem is I see all of these pictures of styles I love that are all so different and I'm left feeling totally confused. Maybe if I had a mansion where I could spread these ideas throughout a 20 room house I could be satisfied but with a 1,300 sf house I don't have that luxury and since my main rooms all open into each other I can't have totally different styles in different rooms. So, how do you choose? This is my first house and I'm not that great at decorating so that doesn't help. Does anyone have any advice?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

sweeby
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
You say you need to work with what you have --
What do you have?
And what style is your house?
prairiedawnpam
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Do you own anything that you love? What is it? Style, color? Do you have a photo of it? Rome wasn't built in a day. Move forward with baby steps and enjoy planning as you go. In time you'll have something you love. That said, if you need time to acquire pieces, you may want a more classic or traditional style that won't go out very quickly.

...Pam
Related Discussions
Cabinets -- how do you choose style, brand, color, custom?
Q
Comments (5)
your budget isn't huge (i know that dosen't sound right...given you can buy a car for that amount of money...but cabs are dear) so first off i think you need to think about priorities for the spaces and your design hopes. if blue granite is your dream...you're going to need to go with a simple and pretty basic cabinet to keep your costs down. inset doors for instance...they're about an average 20% upcharge...paint, ditto that. but if you want formica, or a less expensivee granite say prefab from china, you can do more with your cabs. keeping your door styles simple saves a lot on the budget. my son's bathroom cabs were rediculously expensive...but thats because i fell in love with a very expensive finish and door style...thank god he dsen't have many cabs! personally i went with the best built cabs i could afford. i like the look of those simple consoe sinks, but is there enough storage in a kids bth with those? an idea to keep some costs down are to use unusual items for your vanety...like an antique dresser or other cabinet. its an easy retrofit to a pretty oak piece to make it work well...add either a well finished top, or a simple marble top...and you have a lovely piece.
...See More
How do you choose window treatments?
Q
Comments (6)
Without knowing your style, it's difficult to comment. My best suggestion is to send us pictures of your rooms. I happen to like curtains and use simple panels which go with almost every style, unless of course you hate curtains. Look at Country Curtains and see if there's anything that looks good to you. The most important thing is to consider what you like, and there are many options to choose from. Obviously the kind of furniture you have will also dictate style to some extent. Posting pictures here of your rooms is the logical place to start.
...See More
New House - How best do you choose these Options? Insights?
Q
Comments (52)
How are property taxes assessed going forward? In my area, they can increase the assessed home value by 10% per year and also increase the assessment rate. Add in increased hazard insurance rates. A triple whammy for people who planned based on the initial combined mortgage payment. I know people who lost their homes because they failed to planned for foreseeable payment increases. Your financial comments worry me and I suggest you look hard at the numbers with increases. I like my home’s 10 ft ceilings and many windows so higher but not vaulted ceilings and more light appeal to me. Others have said the 2 car garage is undersized as designed by the builder, so I would seriously look into that. Look to see if the builder has any spec homes, where someone walked away from a home before closing or the builder determined a model had to be on a lot for the home style mix and lot size. Our home was a base style spec that happen to be my desired brick color and floor plan, with upgraded bay windows. It was the biggest model that would fix on the lot so the builder put it here. We paid considerably less than our neighbors who built their homes and we were able to move in 4 weeks after seeing the house. Over the years, we removed the laminate countertops and sheet vinyl, added granite counter and tile backsplash, hardwood flooring, etc for way less than the builder upgrade charges would have been. Being smart shoppers on the front end is crucial and our neighbors have been following our upgrade moves.
...See More
Can you help me choose window trim? Decision/research fatigue!
Q
Comments (3)
@cat_ky, thank you for clarifying the terminology. Here is a lighter picture for the side windows - I don't really have a better one for the french doors because there is currently no electricity and all the light comes in through them, makes it difficult to get a good picture! Would the 2-1/4 wide trim be correct for these windows, or something thicker? What is hanging me up about the doors and the double windows on that other wall, is the narrow strip between each window and its neighboring French door. The distance is just the width of three 2x4s between the door hinge and the frame of the adjacent window. Doesn't seem like room enough to get even a 2-1/4 inch trim, plus whatever one trims the French door with. Would another "center strip" be a solution? Or would the whole assembly look like one big window if we did that? Any pictures of double windows right up against french doors?
...See More
denifitz
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you for asking!

I have a 1920's side hall colonial. It has some original molding, but other than that doesn't really have much in the way of architectural interest.

My downstairs consists of a very small entryway with stairs immediately to the left, a living room to the right and straight ahead a small open hallway leading to the kitchen. Between the living room and kitchen is a dining room, and there is a bathroom off the kitchen. The total downstairs is about 650 SF and pretty much all of the spaces open up into each other.

Currently, my living room is painted a flat creamy white with the molding painted the same color which makes it fade into the walls. I'm think that painting the walls a different color than the molding might add more interest. I was thinking doing BM Dove White molding and BM Putnam Ivory walls.

I don't have a coffee table at the moment. I had a glass top coffee table and glass top side tables, but now that I have a 20-month old the glass became dangerous. (He tried to climb on it!) So I put my old tables in the basement and purchased these:

{{gwi:1852816}}

There are matching twin coffee tables but I thought maybe a large ottoman might be the most practical option for our lifestyle as my son is rambunctious and like to dive onto the furniture. :) Do you think that would be a bad look?

I just ordered this rug in blue, which hasn't arrived yet:

I think I might get rid of the window treatments, but I'm not sure what color to go with. I don't really like the built in painted wood rod holders so I might rip them out when I repaint and replace it with hardware. I would get rid of the metal side ties as well. I also need to replace the shades, as they have cords and are not safe for my little one to be around unattended.

I have an open bookshelf that I used to store things I don't want my son to get to but I need more decorations added to it. (It currently has the phone, a basket w/remotes, a lamp and little else.)

I think if I got some sort of corner entertainment center that looked nicer than what I currently have and a flat screen tv, it might help my "media corner". I would also be nice to have a place to put my surround sound speaker, but I don't know if that is realistic. I haven't found anything yet.

I wonder if my framed art looks too stuffy. I love Mattise and Picasso but I have five pictures all with the same fram and I wonder if it makes things too boring. I also wonder if it looks to juvenile - I'm 31. Do I need to replace them?

Of course changing all of these things will cost money, which is tight at the moment!

Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated! I'm going to post pictures as soon as I can. Thank you!
denifitz
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
darn! my links didn't post properly. Here is the rug I ordered in blue:

http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?GrpTyp=STY&ItemID=18a8ddb&Ntt=Wool+Hooked+Rectangle+Rug&hdnOnGo=true&Ne=840+4+877+878+5+961+6+29+3+598+11+15+12+506+10+23+585+596+1031+8+18+904+903+969+949+833&submit%20search.y=10&SearchString=Wool+Hooked+Rectangle+Rug&submit%20search.x=12&N=4294959029&Nao=0&SO=0&PSO=0&CmCatId=searchresults

And here are my side tables in espresso:
http://www.potterybarn.com/products/metropolitan-side-table/?pkey=e:metropolitan:6:best:0:1:24::5&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH::NoFacet--NoFacet--NoMerchRules
haley_comet
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This might sound wierd but I don't think you choose a style....the style is you....

I think you need to be true to yourself when you are decorating...forget the trends in furniture and the new 'it' paint colors...you need to find the things you love. WHat colors make you feel good inside? etc etc I think also finding one thing you really love and building off of it is a good building block - like a sofa, curtains, drapes..etc.

I will say don't worry or panic too much. Building your home to the place you are really satisfied takes time and self exploration. Enjoy the journey. My home of today is not like my first home as I discovered more about who I am getting older I also more defined my decorating style.

It is hard sometimes as even recently in picking my kitchen backsplash I had two tiles I LOVED (polished marble and a rustic travertine) both totally different looks and feels...it was hard and it came to the point of I just had to pick. Also with it being your first home (and probably not your last) when choosing permentant elements of design (tiles, flooring etc etc)..keep in mind of future resale when choosing a style.

Hope this helps.

Follow your heart and let your style shine that reflects you.
caminnc
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I like the rug and table you have picked. I think the first thing you should do is paint. Since you are a new home owner I would go to Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams paint store and buy a fan deck. It will come in handy for years to come. Pulling colors from your rug will make it easier for you to discover what you really like. Take it slow and just buy things you love.

How do you choose a style?

Comments (6)

sweeby

prairiedawnpam

Related Discussions

denifitz
Original Author

denifitz
Original Author

haley_comet

caminnc

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

How do you choose a style?

Comments (6)

sweeby

prairiedawnpam

Related Discussions

denifitzOriginal Author

denifitzOriginal Author

haley_comet

caminnc

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

denifitz
Original Author

denifitz
Original Author