I’m sorry about your divorce, Jakebedy, but glad that you’re in a good place in your life now. Your new home sounds like a wonderful challenge to make it totally yours.

And, for the record, despite having lived here in New Mexico for the past 25+ years, my very favorite home design and decor has always been (and will always be) Cottage.

Jakabedy, yes, sorry to hear that. I hope you enjoy decorating your new house exactly to your tastes as you make it your home.

I do see your point about how the house dictates the style, esp styles as distinctive as tudor or MCM. I hadn't considered that i have only, oddly, owned homes built in 1904, except for our lakehouse.

LynnNM, interesting, i see a cottagey style in your MBR suite especially.

Jakabedy, I'm sorry you are going through a divorce, but I'm glad your work life is stable and that you love your house. It sure helps to have positive things when one aspect of our life doesn't work out the way we would like.

I think my basic style has stayed within eclectic traditionalism throughout the years, but overall has become more casual. Gone are the tapestry pillows and fringes on the sofas. Gone are the silk and jacquard upholstery fabrics, replaced by cottons and linens. However, I still have oriental carpets and blue and white pottery pieces.

I love cottage style, too. I have a bit of that look in our bedroom.

Jakabedy, I am so sorry about your divorce. I hope working on your new house offers a good distraction and metaphor for building a-new.

I have a fairly consistent style, what evolves is my ability to execute it with greater panache. My style is quite capacious though, encompassing classic European furnishings and art, with some some very modern punctuation marks. By European, I mean Louis XVI, Sheraton, Gustavian, so pretty clean lines. My style is an extension of my mother's and grandmother's.

I have a project that is really stretching my ability to work in my preferred style, a very Disney-esque ski house. It has been very interesting trying to find a way of decorating a Western American lodge style house that works for my sensibilities.

Mtn, you actually had a hand in helping me decide to buy this particular house. A few months ago I was asking for advice about a ski house we were about to buy and I emphasized how non-kitchy I wanted the place to be - it was a new construction in a resort and had nods to the mountains. You mentioned how having an area specific decor was part of the charm of having a vacation house and helped cement the concept of being on vacation when you are there. A few days later DH showed me this house made of timbers from Yellowstone that looked like it was out of a RL Chaps catalogue circa 1987- completely and totally OTT- but so perfect for us in size and location- with your words in mind- I said sure- so long as I have the budget to make it my own.

My style has always been there. However this has been the first time that I was able to chose how the entire home looked/felt. No husband, no manfriend, no kids

it is currently pretty done. Interestingly "beachy" seems to be the (sort of) theme. Lots of mint green/aqua/blue/green, driftwood color, reclaimed wood, texture and large artwork. I have been told it's very welcoming and peaceful. Which is so odd to me, the peaceful part. My home in California was never ever peaceful, seven teenagers don't know anything about peace lol. I really love my little house, it's very me.

Jakabedy. sending you big hugs as you go through the divorce. Peace to you. We are now settled into modern, happily.

I too wish you only the best as you go through this transition, Jakabedy. I completely understand the eagerness you feel to make the home you shared completely your own. I remember how almost astounded I felt to realize that I could buy whatever style of bedding I wanted for myself when my ex and I parted many years ago. It was heady. I hope you revel in your independence.

My style has definitely evolved, especially with regard to the style of home in which I live. I still adore cottage style, but while I still have a touch or two to remind me of the travels that inspired that style, my current home is not conducive and I'm embracing the very dominant persona in me that has long gravitated towards a southwest style. In fact, my bedroom is currently being tweaked to bring in more of that sort of look. (Not howling coyotes and cheesy dreamcatchers, but Native American artwork and colors that remind me of the high desert.)

I've recently realized how much I truly enjoy my current home -- so much so that I rarely want to go anywhere else. I do look forward to our travels, but I also feel that nowhere we stay is going to compare to the comfortable nest I've created in my very own place, and it's always so satisfying to return home.

My style has been eclectic traditionalism, like Fun2BeHere. Upholstered pieces tend to be traditional while case and accent pieces have a wide range of eras, or are inspired by them. It's also evolving. I used to be more Cottage Living. Then, liked lots of stuff around while leaning more Traditional Home and mostly deep or moody colors. Now, the rooms I see in mags and blogs that make me pause have less things, white/light walls, some rusticity and aged items.

I want a driftwood palette as the base, while also using colorful textiles, a few sparkly items, and a touch of the tropical beach vibe mixing with the traditional pieces I still have and love. It's going to be interesting.

I'm in love with how the new bronze windows, dark faux cedar beam, and the newly mudded white walls in the living room look together. The latter two I used to dislike!

I’ve always loved classic architecture. Georgian, Federal...those are my loves, mixed with my southern tall ceilings and lush painted trim. I have never been a fan of clutter or “smalls”...you’ll never see ornate table top displays in my house. I have noticed becoming a bit more interested in negative space, and a slight shift toward more modern art...while still loving dark wood, traditional case goods. I think these pieces can still look very fresh IF they aren’t encumbered by fussy drapery, over-accessorization, and heavy upholstered pieces. Everything just needs to breathe, in my world. My absolute favorite designer is Phoebe Howard. Her rooms are exquisite.

All the best going forward Jakabedy. Transition is always difficult particularly with deep emotion involved. It's great if you are a planner and can stick to the plan.

I don't think I have a style per se. I do gravitate towards the Cottage look but then become frustrated with the tchotchke land. I put things on my counter or shelves and then in a little bit I want them gone. I love them but I can't have too many of them.

So I would say it is evolving. When I had my migraines I always wanted to have a lot of different things to look at. It was a great and much-needed distraction. Now I don't need the distraction!

I have noticed becoming a bit more interested in negative space, and a slight shift toward more modern art

Yes - same here. Although I don't always follow through, I feel I've become much more aware of what to take away to make a space complete. Negative space is vital, whereas I used to want to fill every nook and cranny. Modern art seems to go hand-in-hand with a clean style that I find greatly appealing.

As me to the chorus jakeabedy in wishing you peace through this change in your life. And I too kept every issues of Cottage Living, even moved them with me from IL to NC!

There have always been elements of Cottage in my homes but only around the edges. Much as I love the look on the pages or blogs, when it comes time to actually buy things for my home I pick cleaner traditional items every time. And this house we built, although in my head and Pinterest picks, would be more Cottage, it's anything but. The exterior is a bit of a riff on a southern farmhouse but the dormers are inspired from a friend's backyard shed! Inside is very much a work in process, we sold a great deal before moving. I need to make sure what we kept doesn't drive the rest of the design though.

Hmmm another lover of cottage style. I would say our home is more traditional/cottage/eclectic LOL. But it's definitely us which is exactly one reason why I have never considered a decorator because I want "us" to show in our home(s). I'm sure my style has evolved somewhat although I've always been pulled by a certain look. We both have a love of antiques so that is a strong factor in our "style".

I have always been somewhat eclectic. Excluding game room or more formal seating areas I have always had light colored sofa's in off white/cream , or warm off whites and usually in leather. What I mix with that depends on the house but there is normally a lot of contemporary within the mix. I almost always have a dark anchor color. Since I live in Florida (the land of vast floor tile) I always have either texture in wall art or rugs or pillows & throws. My bedroom is always in soft colors with limited pattern and off warm white with darker furniture. I always have some pale yellow/off white somewhere and there is often a bit of golden somewhere.

Saying that though, my living area accent colors change. The mix within the contemporary change. Sometimes there's a pinch of French or traditional or modern. Depends on the house.

While writing this it dawned on me how eggplant colors always seem to creep in in small doses.

I'd have to win the lottery to evolve how I would like. I buy the best I can but would love to buy the best of what I love.

I really "imprinted" on a version of MCM. The reason is simple: I grew up in a loving family but dreary, cluttered homes that hosted a chainsmoker. The only house we went to that was clean, calm, and pretty was the modest MCM ranch my grandfather had built in the early 1960s. It had floor to ceiling windows in the living room, sloped ceilings with a central beam, a stone fireplace wall, a tiny kitchen with ceiling height custom (plywood, partial overlay) cabinets, flat slab doors. It smelled great because my grandfather didn't smoke and was into woodworking. Staggered shelves housed my grandfather's turned-wood bowls and grandmother's ruby glass collections. And it had bright red, expensive, wool wall to wall carpeting.

So, that sense has endured.

I find it really hard to square my love of living downtown and minimal commute (which in my city means victorians or little postwar bungalows) with my desire to live somewhere that looks like this:

I hope someday a really well-priced teardown comes up in my neighbourhood so I can build the greatroom of my dreams!

PS How am I evolving - I think in theory I'm getting more minimalist and less entranced by yard sale trinkets. However I feel pretty busy and never seem to take the time to declutter.

PPS Mtn I think of some British houses when I think of your style. The unfitted kitchens and minimalist look.

I appreciate lots of different styles, especially modern and minimalist. I just think my mind is too cluttered to be able to live in that look. I think I have found my style and it is eclectic. It does evolve, in that as years pass I become bolder in my selections and less worried about what others might think or what might happen if I decided to sell at some point. The honest answer is if I decided to sell I would try and see if someone fell in love with it decorated as is but in reality I might have to change EVERYTHING. LOL. Well, not everything but there would likely be an awful lot of painting going on.

This is a bit off topic but just as I think I settled on my style of decor and became comfortable with that, the same thing happened with my style of dress. I wonder if that happens with most folks.

Rita - I hope you will post photos of your project when it is complete. I would love to see it.

Louise McCarthy - OMG SEVEN teenagers. That sounds delightful, and stressful, and expensive, and messy, and tons of fun, and OMG a huge adventure!

Wishing you peace and happiness in your new phase of life, jakebady!

I don‘t have a style when it comes to home decoraring, or one that I’m happy with, and admire those that do. Im pretty comfortable about my style and taste in much everythung else in my life, be it music, books, clothes or worldview, but not my home. I do know that I like a sparsely done place, which I will never have, because I have a pack rat husband who is perfect for me in every other way. So, I have given in on keeping the house clutter free and I don’t have enough of a style. So, I enjoy seeing others’ spaces, both in real life and here.

I think my style has been fairly consistent over most of my life, but it gets expressed differently as the things we own, the places we put them and the things available to supplement change. I have always liked a transitional to eclectic style that is a little on the casual or at least simpler side -- except for my dining room which is mahogany (on the simpler side) with a crystal chandelier I went gaga over (not my usual thing -- adding to the eclecticism). My art is definitely eclectic.

ETA: Jakabedy, I am sorry you are dealing with divorce, but I do hope you will find great happiness in making your home and your life your own again. Sounds like you have a great attitude, and thats the best start.

Jakabedy....Im so sorry you are going through a divorce. I hope that being able to stay in your house and decorate it how you want will be of some comfort.

I would say my style is transitional/modern. I like contemporary but i think you need a really sleek space to pull it off and I’ve only ever lived in tract houses.

Lately I have been drawn to coastal/scandinavian for the light, airy look. Also MCM which harkens back to my childhood. I like contemporary and abstract art.

We moved in May and I’ve done little with the new house. Not even a picture hung yet. I had a one-time designer session to give me ideas but I think I need a full-on designer. I just am paralyzed making decisions, so end up doing nothing. I don’t know what direction I want to go in with colors. It doesn’t help that we are fighting with the builder about where they put the outlets and switches along the main wall in the living area and I can’t properly place furniture there as a result.

I think this time around I will stick with everything neutral except pillows and artwork which are easily changed out. My light and airy plan is hindered by a charcoal gray couch and sofa....work with it, reupholster, buy new? I can’t decide!

The designer said I need color in my kitchen which has white cabinets, white subway splash, and golden/tan granite. Maybe if I find a fabric I like for valances in the kitchen that will be my jumping off point for the all-in-one kitchen, DR, LR. I have found some I like but, again, can’t decide!

For the most part, my style hasn’t changed a whole lot, considering how old we are. I did start out with some inexpensive, but very nice danish modern furniture bought from a co-worker. I had no idea what I had until many years later after we of course had sold it to buy a new sofa and chairs for a new home. Now it would probably lay cost a fortune.

So I have pretty much stayed Southern traditional, with a lot of eclectic craftsman or cottage thrown in here and there at times. I haven’t bought much new stuff in a long time except for lamps and an odd piece here and there. Count me in among you who are trying to go more minimalist with accent pieces. I’m not there yet either as I am not good at ‘styling’ a room. I love my art work and try to carefully place other pieces and books where I can enjoy them.

I have a lot of gardening and a few other books I refer too fairly often so they stay handy. I like to have pieces with storage so I can stash my crap when I need to clean up the clutter quickly.

Jakabedy, I wish you happiness in your new single life. I hope you find comfort in your beautiful home. Roll Tide!

Definitely still evolving.

We bought a 1920's farmhouse, complete with wide heart pine floorboards, in the early 80's. I was definitely into country style. Lots of turn of century golden oak, antique quilts, crocks and baskets. No mauve or ducks! In the 90's, I started swapping out the golden oak for stripped pine pieces and sold the quilts. I tried for a more modern country. Covered the ticking stripe upholstery with slipcovers. Edited my crock and basket collection. We sold that house in 2009 and bought a 70's split level. None of my furniture fit into this much smaller home. I sold just about everything and went for a much more transitional vibe.

When we remodeled our lake house with the intent to live full time, I was dreaming of California MCM. The exterior lent itself to craftsman and I was planning to do a modern craftsman inside. Well... when your heart is in one place and you're stuck somewhere else, the result isn't always so great. I have a mishmash of modern style, some country painted pieces and MCM. I like to kid myself that it's eclectic, but it really doesn't work. If I wasn't so ambivalent about living here(even for only 6 months out of the year), I'd start over.

Our CA house is a bland 70's box architecturally. I had 6 weeks to get it totally furnished down to the last spoon and not a lot of money to spend. Between a great craigslist and some even better consignment shops, I put together a California coastal modern look. I love it and it makes me smile because I'm really happy there.

Eventually I will have that California MCM and I'll love every second of decorating it.

I like change, and so I would say that my style is still evolving - just at a slower pace now than it used to. In the 1970s I liked Art Nouveau but got tired of that rather quickly, and I also got very tired of the Victorian architecture in San Francisco until I moved at at the end of 1984.

In the 1960s I liked Mod styles, and I've sort of gone back to that. I like minimalism, but not to an extreme, and I like to mix tribal art with contemporary. For a short period, I liked neo-classic styles, but I got tired of that rather quickly also. I never get tired of minimalism, as it gives me the space to imagine.

Good question. I used to think my style was fixed, I'd always leaned toward a very feminine, shabby chic/cottage style, but then when we started to redo our family room I knew I wanted it to feel like I was walking into a ranch house in Santa Barbara-over looking the ocean but still a ranch with the leathers and wool riding blankets and weathered wood, that would give it a more masculine feel, yet add in the more feminine beach qualities in the colors.

Slowly my house is transitioning to that vibe. More curated than collected. I will always have a love of cozy, cottage-y, homey look-with all the animals I'd never be able to go with a polished, formal Victorian or Colonial, or even MCM vibe.

walking into a ranch house in Santa Barbara-over looking the ocean

love that description!

I never get tired of minimalism, as it gives me the space to imagine.

that is a good point!

Rita,

You mentioned how having an area specific decor was part of the charm of having a vacation house and helped cement the concept of being on vacation when you are there.

Too funny, I don't recall saying that at all. I am glad it worked for you! It kinda does make sense!

I want to thank everyone for your kind words, and to apologize to mtnrd for derailing her thread! I think I might dig out my Cottage Living archive this weekend and spend some quality time with that sweet magazine. I can have a Usonian Cottage, right?

Sure you can! (running to look up Usonian).

Oh, and no worries ... I believe in stream-of-consciousness posting.

(now going to look that up to see if I spelled it right) : )

I just looked it up. My new dream home is a Usonian cottage. Beautiful!

I think the house dictates a lot and I couldn't do the same here that I would have done in the 1810 house I wanted.

That said I am going to have a lot of the same furniture in any house I guess it's what I do with it and what gets added to it that changes with the circumstances.

A Usonian house is not going to let you evolve much. Frank Lloyd Wright's houses are so insistent on what they are that the wrong pillow looks ridiculous.

A Usonian house is not going to let you evolve much. Frank Lloyd Wright's houses are so insistent on what they are that the wrong pillow looks ridiculous.

Well, mine's not a true Usonian -- just a simple 1954 MCM with Usonian tendencies. And I would never go full cottage. I promise. But I am going to put a focus on comfort as I work on this place over the next few years. And that could possibly mean an excess of pillows. Very possibly the wrong pillows. Or blousy peonies in a vintage matte green vase. And I won't apologize ; )

I'm sorry to hear about your divorce, jakabedy.

I've enjoyed reading this thread, and was going to post what Pal said - the house dictates. We are on our third home since getting married, and while house styles have changed (1956 ranch, English cottage, to current home - and I honestly have no idea what to call it), we still have a lot of our original vintage and antique purchases from the 80s and beyond. We moved for several reasons, but my main reason was another project. I am dangling my toes outside my three decades long comfort zone, so I'd have to say somewhat evolving.

jakabedy my comment was not so much about personal style as about how difficult it is to live in a Frank Lloyd Wright house and have much freedom. His houses are actually very rigid because every detail relates to the house and he designed furniture and textiles to be used in specific houses. And he didn't want you to use anything else. He purposely designed the houses to keep the clients in line as much as he could.

He fought the Kaufmanns over the German Black Forest chairs they wanted to use around the dining table at Fallingwater:

jakabedy, I'm very sorry about your divorce.

That's a good question - I think my style keeps changing. What I liked or gravitated towards 15 years ago is not what I would choose now. There are so many things you learn with owning a home and those things would play a big part in my next choices. Not only design, but upkeep, maintenance, ease of use.

pal - I totally get it. I'm something of a Wright groupie. I've been to 11 of his buildings and hope to see many more. I know how ardent he was that he design every bit of his homes -- down to the furniture, accessories and even the clothing for the lady of the house. I felt a chill in my Wright bone when I walked into my current home, and hope to do it justice. But I shall be comfortable while doing it!

very thought-provoking thread. and very emotional too

Both- found style and it's evolving

-I'd say pretty much eclectic (I narrowed it, for myself, to my own definition)

always evolving-as I get exposed to more, read and learn about and see more things to be fascinated with..styles to borrow from, details, things, colors, materials I didn't look at close enough/ touch enough before to appreciate them, different art? forms of art?some people I know can strongly influence me too-besides my Grandma whose style I think I largely took and reinterpreted, in my way-say one of my friends completely changed how I view photography..and inspired me in terms of putting together colors that I'd never consider before.

it's also evolving because I'm evolving, and I think our changes should be translated somehow onto the house

(not easy since it's not only my house. I'm pretty strong headed when it comes to homes so i need to watch myself.

Minor things can really upset me-like my DD running buying a new desk that has nothing to do with anything in her room, because she needs to prepare for GRE, and no other table suddenly satisfies her, and the library has certain hours, "and then we'll just get rid of it, Mommy". No, I'm a hunter and a gatherer, I don't get this sense of urgency. I was mad and sad and seeing that temporary desk drove me crazy, until I actually said it and explained my "why"-and got a sincere promise that the old desk will return to the room after some time.

Then obviously life gave me real sad stuff to be preoccupied with, as it usually happens)

-Always guided by a house-all houses are different, I never consider myself an owner, in a full sense-a house "owns" me too , to a degree, it's a partnership, sort of a friendship where I'll be pretty much same april of course yet every frendship will still be unique because of the uniqueness of another person and a different relationship will be formed, different kind of a dance if you will.

and this relationship between me and a house- it might evolve too

it can be at some pretty happy plateau, or it can get bumpy

me and the house can be very content with each other, or get slightly upset with each other. I can even feel it being offended, and all:)

right now it's exactly how this song sounds and describes: soft voice (lines? fabrics?), catchy melody-I continue to listen...and continue to listen..so, it has its big spell over me..rather fast (colors, patterns?)..strong sense of a road trip..so, mostly where I want it to be?

when you listen to the words though-lots of possible perils, imagery cool yet depends who are you when you look at it and how old you are.. or feel you are.. a sense that you're not getting safely back from that road trip ..picturesque as it may be. You're stuck while you're travelling. And it's lonely.

when I'm alone in the evenings-and I'm plenty alone in the evenings, and it's my first single-family-house-so, bigger sense of detachment, even though I realize that our "big" to me lot is laughably small in comparison to most of the USA..we looked for that sliver of privacy, of course, but it's all new to me-so, that's how it feels almost to the "T".

I'm not sure I answered the question, but I worked hard on writing an answer(why exactly I don't know..neither I nor you had to have it here. Stranger things.)

I've noticed there have been key things I've consistently liked now over the years but they're not necessarily in my house due to poor choices of the past. Soon will be making a lot of new changes but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about making repeat, what I view as, mistakes. I think I've learned some since then about some design things as well as what I actually like. Off the top of my head I've always liked botanicals and tortoiseshell; even as a kid. I also really like orientals and symmetrical two story houses either in black and white or brick. Always liked red or black doors.

My mom decorates with a lot of blue and white. I didn't want any of that when I moved out and the fake tuscan trend was finishing up. I thought it was beautiful and without planning, dove head first into buying a whole house of stuff that just didn't work. I've spent years trying to adjust and makes changes as I could. Then my taste started to change along the way. I was very into hunt prints and that sort of look. I still like masculine decorative things paired with feminine but trying to refine a bit. Still planning.

I remember when we first moved into our house (around the time we were buying a bunch of stuff) I really wanted to do each room a different theme, haha oh my. Does anyone else look back at their decorating choices and wonder what they were doing? People here were so kind!

I've noticed over the past few years my sister and I have both been very drawn to things that are nostalgic to our childhood. We spent a lot of time at the beach with family/grandparents growing up so I've added some accessories of extra large shells and coral in to decorate with but have been refraining from going overboard. My other grandma had lace curtains and lots of plants. Totally different style but it was so pretty. I loved that property and house. All my house plants reminds me of her. She had a ceramic fox planter (and a raccoon) planter that she painted with metallic oil paints. They were great and I'd be thrilled to find one to bring home.

My wardrobe has been consistent over the years that my staple pieces, and what I feel most comfortable in, are what you'd call the classic/preppy style. It's interesting to me that my decorating likes took me longer to figure out.

I'm sorry Jakabedy. Wishing you the best going forward!