When we talk about style in the home, most of us think about stuff like lighting, throw cushions, furniture, curated shelves etc. But over the years, I’ve come to realise that true home style goes much deeper than just your decor and what you see in a home.
Style isn’t just about how a home looks. It’s about how a home feels. This is often overlooked in design but if a space doesn’t feel right, it will never look right.
What do I mean by how a home feels?
True style isn’t always obvious but instead it’s the small things that you experience everyday in your home. Things like how your space smells when you walk in the door or the way you start your morning in your home. Things like using a bath towel that makes you feel fresh or that feeling of relaxation you feel when you walk in to your bedroom at night.
These are little things that aren’t really visible but they are exactly what makes your home uniquely yours. (Hint: it’s similar to the Swedish concept of vardagslyx but goes even deeper.)
Style isn’t about things
Style isn’t about having the perfect insta-worthy interior or having the latest on-trend decor piece. It’s not about buying that must-have iconic chair or pendant light.
Some of the most beautiful homes I’ve seen didn’t have any fancy/expensive pieces and often broke all the design rules out there but what they did have was a feeling that everything in there belonged. Everything felt like it had been chosen with intention. And there was a relaxed comfort to these spaces where nothing felt too perfect but everything felt effortlessly right.
Why the feeling of your home matters
I too used to buy stuff because I saw it in a picture-perfect home on Pinterest or Instagram but over time I realised that these pieces weren’t me and they didn’t really fit in my home. Copying someone else’s home will never make your home feel right. And that’s when I started realising that focusing on the feeling of your home is far more important.
Now I am much more intentional with any purchases and I’m very intentional about the changes I make in my home. It’s things like adding a soft light in a room where the overhead light is too harsh or adding an extra fluffy blanket on the sofa in the winter months. It’s about placing a few stems of greenery on my bedside table which I love looking at every morning. It’s about making sure I open my kitchen curtains every morning to enjoy the morning light while I drink my first coffee of the day.
Once you get the feeling of your home right for you, everything else will fall in to place.
Start with how you want to feel in your home
Maybe you’re already aware of this but if you’re not, simply start by noticing how you feel in your home. Do you feel calm as you walk in the door, does your home office make you feel energised or productive, does your bedroom bring a feeling of relaxation… you get what I mean.
Of course each of us will want to evoke different feelings in our home which is exactly what makes it so important and personal. Your home, after all is a reflection of who you are and your personality and the more you tailor it to this, the more it will feel like your home. And in turn, it will be effortlessly stylish too.
image credits: bolaget | ask og eng | 3 & 4 – alvhem | entrance makleri
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