Creating your Own Signature Style in Your Home

Increasingly our homes are becoming a place of sanctuary, and with imagination every tiny corner can be turned into something special.

The restrictions on our lives outside of our homes has resulted in some very creative approaches to our lives inside our homes.

It can seem to be a challenge, particularly when struggling with the normal detritus of day-to-day living, however as we move into the autumn it can be a perfect time to create a new look.

One of our favourite books is MAISON: PARISIAN CHIC AT HOME by Ines de la Fressange and Marin Montagut, published by Flammarion.

The book starts with Ines and Marin describing each other’s homes, highlighting the little intimate touches that make their homes totally unique to them. We are then taken into the homes of other Parisians who have, as Ines and Marin describe:

‘Put their heart and soul into expressing their world and embellishing the details of everyday life – and they divulged their secrets to us along the way. Their guiding principle is to combine everything: the new with the old, the sophisticated with the antiquated, the luxurious with the simple. Furniture can be stripped, distressed or restored – as long as the result exudes charm’

And this charm underpins the whole book, each Parisian home is shared through inspirational ideas, exquisite watercolour illustrations from Marin, mood boards, including ‘Get the Look’ and stunning photography.

There is so much inspiration available, creating a mood board of what you would like to achieve can be a wonderful place to start, even if it is one area, or a room.

Stylists usually start with a theme, it can be from a period in history, an artistic style; you may have a collection, or even a single object which can also form the focal point of a room. You may want to create a coastal, or country style as a reminder of places that you have visited, which becomes even more special as our travel is restricted.

Colour can be particularly uplifting, from pastel tones which creates a sense of calm and relaxation to sunny Mediterranean colours which can brighten dull corners, finding the right tonal range can be an important part of your design choices.

Increasingly designers are bringing the influence of the garden into the home, whether by using house plants to enhance the quality of air, displaying botanical prints, or incorporating the restful qualities of green tones.

Once you have started you will be amazed how a theme can develop, every home featured in an interior design book, or a magazine will have started with a single idea.

As mentioned in the quote above, there are very few rules in today’s interior design, new can be combined with old, gardens can be brought inside, inside can be extended into outside rooms. and as this year has shown there is also the need for rooms to become more multi-functional.

Online auctions, local sales, can provide additional inspiration, as well the companies featured in our Directories, who often provide beautiful statement pieces.

Above all choose items and develop a style that is uplifting and welcoming for you and your family.