What’s Your Interior Design Style?

Going back over the years, trends, styles, and blog posts, here is one worthy to be refreshed and revisited. From trends to practicing tastemakers to the tastes of the times and all the choices in between, what’s your interior design style?

traditional-design-style-dining-room

Southern Living Magazine – Photography by Laurey W. Glenn

Building on today’s topic is this most profound piece of wisdom-

“An empty room is a story waiting
to happen, and you are the author.”

—Unknown

antique-desk-space-mirror

Chauncey Boothby Interiors

Individual style is one of the most crucial components of interior design and decorating.

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Flower Magazine – Photography by Emily Followill

Is your interior design style best defined as traditional?

Mad for modern?

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 Zoe Feldman Design – Photography by Stacy Zarin Goldberg

When time and trend of the early to mid-twentieth century gave life to  monochromatic color palette, clean lines, natural materials, and natural light, modern design was born.

modern-decor-style-table

 Aker Interiors – Photography by Michael Clifford

Do your decor choices take a stand against the cookie-cutter effect of interior decorating- firmly debunking the myth that you are a complete and utter failure in life if your decor doesn’t emulate the style or tend of the moment?

Steeped in colors mirroring the lush natural greens and classic floral patterns, do these lovely examples of life at the cottage intrigue and inspire?

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Veranda Magazine – Photography by Simon Brown

Are you a student of the school of thought that the first rule of interior design and decor is that there are no rules?

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Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

“The first rule of decoration is that you
can break almost all the other rules.”

—Billy Baldwin

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Munger Interiors

Visual impact is heightened through the blending of two interior design styles in traditionally unexpected yet well-received.

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Birmingham Home and Garden

Such is transitional interior design style-the result realized by grouping traditional design together with modern elements.

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1stDibs – Sean Anderson Design – Photography by Haris Kenjar

Does the high style from the low country guide your tastes as they translate from outdoor rustic to indoor beauty?

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low-country-mix-foyer

Luxe Interiors + Design – Photography by Dustin Peck

Contemplating the sleekness and the current of contemporary style?

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Tatum Brown Custom Homes

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Melanie Morris Design

Does rebel with a color my world cause best suit your penchant for the bold and the beautiful?

Elle Decor – Photography by Kirk Davis Swinehart

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 Liz Caan Interiors

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 Mallory Mathison Design

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1stDibs – Summer Thornton Design
Photography by N. Johnson, B. Ambridge, J. Thornton

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 Style at Home 

Layering the canvas in textiles, treasures, and touches of trend, does the allure of Bohemian style capture both heart and eye?

boho chic

 Domino – Photography by Brittany Ambridge

Taking stock of your individual design style, do you conclude your preference lends itself to farmhouse in rustic form?

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Country Living Magazine – Photography by Nick Johnson

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Wildflower Home Blog

Modern farmhouse to reflect the trending tide?

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Amber Interiors Design Studio- Photography by Tessa Neustadt

May it be more on the end of the sliding industrial scale?

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Luxe Interior + Design – Photography by Kerry Kirk

Do you describe yourself as an embracer of the eclectic?

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Miles Redd – Ballard Designs on Pinterest

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One Kings Lane – Photography by Rachel Robshaw

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Anna Spiro – Homes to Love

Perhaps style spotter extraordinaire dancing to the beat of a different but very decorative drum describes your preferred style leanings.

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Possibly one who adores the colors, patterns, and textures closely associated with the nature of coastal design?

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Flower Magazine – Photography by Carmel Brantley

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Veranda Magazine – Photography by Carmel Brantley

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Coastal Living

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Architectural Digest – Photography by Nelson Hancock

When home decor ideas are flowing but the home decor budget is not, do you take no for an answer or prove imagination knows no boundaries?

Carl Kleiner via Mary McDonald

Are you influenced by chic and stylish accents, accessories, and home decor, but in the end design and decorate to impress and inspire your taste?

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Country Living Magazine – Photography by Lara Resen

There’s no question that staying true to your tastes and decorating your home with that in mind while making no apologies whatsoever for those unique choices is always the interior design style rule to follow.

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In The Lowcountry Style Of Show and Tell

A pinning, sourcing and swooning eye spy session put inspiration to idea for this in the Lowcountry style of show and tell.

Recently I received an email from Traditional Home which piqued my interest (isn’t that the point?).

As most of us do, I followed through with a click and, Lowcountry and behold, I discovered the feature “Breezy Lowcountry Home by Amy Elbert.”

The image gallery featured fifteen images capturing the charm of the inviting spaces and places of a vacation home in South Carolina’s Lowcountry designed by architect Geoffrey Bray and interior designer Wendy Kirkland.

Even though the article appears to be from the June 2014 issue, it proves classic design and decorating choices rooted in symmetry and proportion stand the test of time and trend.

low-country-foyer

Designer Wendy Kirkland

I really like this image of the great room vignette, and thought it may be fun to emulate the look in an in the Lowcountry style of show and tell feature.

I can’t tell you how many times a client has started a consultation by showing me an image from a shelter magazine or Pinterest followed up with a request for the completed space(s) to look exactly as pictured in the aforementioned image.

Imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery, and I’ve yet to meet a decorista who hasn’t flattered the heck out of designer or decorator by borrowing from a well designed and decorated space.

Call it a creative compliment.

I don’t participate in, condone, nor suggest taking the work of another and calling it your own.

Ever.

What I have done, and continue to do, is use the initial presentation as inspiration and from there incorporate my own personal in the Lowcountry style of preferences.

Hunting_Island_lowcountry

Lowcountry refers to the geographic and cultural region along the coastal region of the Georgia and South Carolina coast.

Lowcountry style combines sophisticated coastal with Southern chic.

Lowcountry style

Sourcing furnishings and décor items in the style of consists of searching sites for antiques, vintage and new pieces that complement the primary style, and then utilizing those finds to create visual harmony, balance and beauty.

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Solid Mahogany Rustic Continental Style Server Console

Antique buffets, sideboards, and servers make excellent spot pieces.  I’ve seen them used in foyers, hallways, kitchens, dining rooms, mudrooms, bathrooms- you get the idea.

20th C Hand Carved Provincial Chest

20th C Hand Carved Provincial Chest

Antique furniture does not do it for everyone, but when you compare quality, price, patina and presence of an antique piece to a new piece, often there is no comparison between the two.

antique-buffet

     Early 19th Century French Server
Antique Louis XV French Country Style Buffet 

When I can’t find the exact item or don’t exactly love the piece in totality, I pull from the highlights and work from there.

A large natural barnacle cluster paired with a Rosewood rectangular display stand images the look  while being more in line with my own taste.

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Barnacle Cluster

Why no stand under the decorative barnacle bunch?

Try, try as I may, I could not get the stand positioned correctly and adding it to the moodboard threw the entire look off.

Oriental-Style-Rectangular-Display-Stand-Base

Rosewood Rectangular Stand

The landscape painting in the image is by artist Peter Hoffer.

I am sourcing an original work of Peter Hoffer and an in the style of option.

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Cameo 39, 2013 by Peter Hoffer 

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The Elm Tree Canvas Print by George Inness

The lamp featured in the game room vignette is made from architectural salvage.

The antique reproduction stool/chair is upholstered in a Pearson fabric.

I’ve come up with several in the Lowcountry style of recommendations for your decorating consideration.

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Catalina Lighting Oil Rubbed Bronze Two-Light Table Lamp

The wall sconce light used in the moodboard sold out before I could post, so back to the moodboard we go for a selection of substitutions.

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Shannon 2-Light Sconce in Warm Brass with White Fabric Shade
SAFAVIEH Lighting Covington 1-light Silver Black Wall Sconce 
Lazzaro Antique Iron 30-inch Wall Lamp
Royce Edge 1 light Golden Iron Wall Sconce

Barley Twist Bar Stool with Back - Navajo Red - Camel Color Leather Seat

Barley Twist Bar Stool with Back – Navajo Red – Camel Color Leather Seat

Barley Twist Carved Oak Arm Chair

The all you need is a decorative throw pillow to complete the look option applies here.

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When they go cheap, we go chic.

By cheap I mean inexpensive, and by chic I mean fantastic style as it stands, but fabulous with a touch of customization.

Carolina Cottage Remick 30-Inch Barley Twist Leg Bar Stool in Espresso

Carolina Cottage Remick 30-Inch Barley Twist Leg Bar Stool in Espresso

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Inside Fabric

When the price point allows, consider upholstering a piece in a striking fabric to add yet another layer of personal style to the look.

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Inside Fabric

Coastal design style is a summer natural, and when it is merged with in the Lowcountry style of accents and accessories the result is a serene, inviting, and charming aesthetic.

love your style