What’s your interior design style? It can be hard to define. If you’re either country casual or city sleek, the difference is extreme and you’re easier to describe. But what about if you are transitional? And what does that even mean? Your interior design style is a hard thing to define, but having an understanding of your likes and dislikes, and knowing how to describe them, is step one to a successful new design plan. The following is a highly unscientific quiz that helps break down the major style elements in a design plan.
1) What is your favorite wood?
a. Red oak
b. Knotty pine
c. White oak
d. Wenge
2) What kind of wood finish do you prefer?
a. Stained
b. Painted
c. Hand waxed
d. Polished or lacquered
3) What kind of material do you like?
a. Leather
b. Denim/cotton
c. Linen
d. Ethnic prints or solid textures
4) What kind of kitchen appliances do you prefer?
a. Hidden under cabinetry panels
b. White or black
c. Custom colors
d. Stainless
5) What is your favorite lighting?
a. Handcrafted sconces and floor lamps
b. Table lamps
c. Lanterns and chandeliers
d. Subtle, indirect or cove lighting
6) What kind of flooring do you prefer?
a. Wide pine floor
b. Stone floor
c. Parquet wood floor
d. Bamboo or exotic woods
Of course, there are no hard and fast rules to determining an interior design style. We all have our specific likes and dislikes that can be as arbitrary as our favorite color. Where we grew up or where in the world we’d like to travel can affect our design styles. There are no rights and wrongs, except when we feel we “should” prefer a certain interior design style. For instance, a big strong man can prefer a more refined European style just as easily as a feminine woman might prefer a strong classic arts and crafts style. By breaking a particular style down to its basic elements—without labels—we may be surprised by what our individual choices indicate.
