Discovering the best interior design style for you and your lifestyle is one of the most important steps in creating a home that feels comfortable, beautiful, and uniquely yours.
Finding the perfect design style helps you decorate your home with ease and confidence — no more wasting money on decor and furniture that ends up looking wrong once you get it home.
And, once you have a clear idea of the top design style (or mix of styles) for you, decorating your home becomes much more enjoyable.
With that in mind, in today’s post I’m sharing some practical tips, ideas, and inspiration to help you discover the best decorating style for you.
Studio McGee – sideboard – tapestry
First, what are the most popular interior design styles for 2026?
In 2026 interior design, we’ll see a captivating mix of styles that blend traditional and modern, comfort and luxury, and simplicity and creativity.
Here are the top 10 interior design styles predicted to be popular in the United States in 2026:
- Transitional
- Bohemian (Boho)
- Coastal
- Modern Farmhouse
- Mid-century Modern
- Scandinavian
- Organic Modern and Rustic Modern
- Traditional
- Contemporary
- Quiet Luxury, or Minimalist Luxe
These trending styles are expected to shape the interior design landscape in the United States in 2026, offering a range of aesthetics to suit different preferences.
For more on the most popular interior design styles for 2026, see my post, Top 10 Interior Design Styles and Trends for 2026.
Pure Salt Interiors – Vanessa Lentine Photography
Also, many of these design styles have sub-categories. For example, coastal style might be broken down into styles like modern coastal, coastal grandmother, East coast, island style, Hamptons, California casual, coastal boho, Florida coastal, etc.
Pure Salt Interiors – Vanessa Lentine Photography
However, don’t stress about the label.
In fact, when choosing a decorating style for your home, I don’t recommend limiting yourself to one particular look, label, or trend.
Rather, I suggest creating your own unique look by trusting your intuition and noticing what you’re drawn to about various decorating styles.
Elements of popular design styles
Here are some characteristics of popular design styles, with tips to help you narrow down your interior design style:
- If you love a refined, minimal, neutral, or streamlined look, consider Scandinavian, mid-century modern, Danish modern, Japandi, minimalist, or Bauhaus interior design styles.
- If you prefer a sophisticated, curated look with luxurious, refined elements, consider California casual, organic modern, transitional, modern farmhouse, or European farmhouse styles.
- If you’re drawn to a maximalist look incorporating chintz, pleats, tufts, and plenty of color and/or pattern, consider design styles like modern cottage, English country, grand millennial, or Hollywood regency.
Amber Interiors – Shade Degges Photography
- If you like charming spaces with lots of character and a collected look, consider cottage style, French country, island, Nancy Meyers, or coastal grandmother styles.
- And if you love colorful, soulful, layered spaces incorporating interesting shapes, patterns, vintage elements, and an abundance of plants, you might be drawn to eclectic, boho, or art nouveau interior design styles.
Below, you’ll find some simple ideas to help you find your design style so you can create spaces that look beautiful, feel amazing, and reflect your unique point of view.
How to Discover the Best Decorating Style for You
Finding your perfect decorating style isn’t just about following trends or buying the most popular home decor.
It’s about choosing what speaks to you, brings joy, and aligns with your life and family.
1. Consider your lifestyle
Discovering your interior design style and translating that personal aesthetic to your home can be a great opportunity to learn more about yourself and what you love.
So first, I recommend taking some time to think about your lifestyle and preferences, including how you use your home and what activities are most important to you.
Consider your daily routines, hobbies, and interests: do you enjoy entertaining guests or do you prefer a cozy, intimate space?
Do you have a lot of belongings you’d like to display — or do you lean toward minimalism?
Amber Interiors – coffee table
Reflecting on your how you want to live and feel in your home will help determine what elements and design features will guide your interior design choices.
Also consider the architecture and location of your home. Often, our favorite interior design style needs to adapt to the unique architectural features, era, and geographic location of the house itself.
For example, if you live in a craftsman style home with lots of dark wood moulding, you might want to choose a style like mid-century modern, which works well with that style of home.
2. Take cues from your closet
The style of clothing you’re drawn to is probably the greatest indicator of your interior design style.
So the next thing I recommend is to go to your closet and take a look at your favorite clothing.
What pieces, colors, fabrics, and patterns (or lack of pattern) do you find yourself wearing again and again?
Are you drawn to refined, minimal style? Classic, tailored pieces? Boho elements? Monochromatic or all-neutral looks? Comfy and casual outfits? Or do you love a bit of color?
Ali Henrie Design – Lindsay Salazar Photography
Now, take another look at the elements of style I mentioned above and see how your wardrobe can be translated into your decorating style.
Pure Salt Interiors – similar sectionals here and here – coffee table – similar coffee table here
For example, I typically wear a lot of blue, tan, and white in linen, denim, and cotton. And, if you look around our home, you’ll see those colors and fabrics reflected in my decorating style, as well.
Pure Salt Interiors – Vanessa Lentine Photography
Here’s my post on Coastaluxe Style, if you’d like to learn more about this light and airy, neutral aesthetic.
3. Create a style vignette
Your existing furniture, artwork, and accessories can also provide valuable clues about your design style.
The next thing I recommend is to walk around your home and go through your decor closet and storage spaces and gather anything that captures the look and feeling you love.
Take note of the colors, patterns, and materials that you’re already drawn to, and consider these existing belongings as a starting point for your design style.
You might even want to gather those things together in one area of your home and create a vignette or arrangement of objects that tells a story about how you want your home to look and feel.
Whenever I find myself getting distracted by what others are doing, I think about our entryway. It reminds me of the overall mood, tone, and style I want to convey in our home.
I know I’m happiest when I decorate in a way that expresses my own taste and style, so creating a style vignette is a good way to keep me from getting off track.
4. Gather inspiration from different sources
The next step in narrowing down your decorating style is to gather inspiration, which can come from the most surprising places and things.
You might want to visit local museums, art galleries, botanical gardens, favorite restaurants, or beautiful hotels.
Amber Interiors – Shade Degges Photography
Often, there’s a little something, a detail or a twist, that resonates with you and feels interesting, such as a piece of artwork or the curve of a chair.
Intimate Living Interiors – pendant – similar chairs
Browse through interior design magazines, coffee table books, websites, and social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, and create a mood board or a digital folder to collect the images that resonate with you.
The Life Styled Co. – organic modern living room
As you collect the images that resonate with you, I recommend creating a digital folder as a sort of virtual mood board or design board to keep on your phone.
As you come across spaces and places you love, take screenshots and place them in your inspiration folder.
Seeing the colors, patterns, and items you love all in one place can give you a burst of clarity regarding your home decor style.
Pure Salt Interiors – console table
Carrying my folder or mood board with me helps me stay true to my design style when I’m out and about, so I don’t get confused and come home with a trunkful of random purchases from Target and HomeGoods!
Keeping inspiration photos on your phone or computer also helps if you want to refer to a certain color scheme, piece of furniture, rug, or artwork so you can match it when you’re shopping online.
Amber Interiors – Shade Degges Photography
As you go through your digital folder, pay attention to color palettes, patterns, textures, furniture styles, and other design elements that catch your eye.
AKB Design Studio – Photographie Interieure – modern cottage
This will help you identify patterns, trends, and themes that resonate with your taste and style.
5. Experiment with different decorating styles
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different interior design styles to find what resonates with you.
Alexis Andra Austin – similar stools – similar bedding
Experiment with rearranging your furniture, changing wall colors, or adding new home accents to create different looks in your room.
Trying out different styles in your home will help you narrow down your preferences and define your unique design style.
However, if you’re not quite ready to experiment with different design styles in your home, you can visit furniture stores, showrooms, and galleries to see different styles in person.
Last fall, my husband and I visited the Restoration Hardware gallery in Denver, and I came home with all sorts of inspiration for our home. Here’s my post sharing How to Get the Restoration Hardware Look in Your Home.
Sometimes, just knowing which stores you’re drawn to can help you define your style, and one of my favorite ways to narrow down my decorating style is to look at home decor catalogs or websites.
It’s probably no surprise that I love looking through the Serena & Lily catalog. Their take on modern coastal style reminds me of where I want to be — near the beach!
If you’re into modern, Scandinavian, or mid-century modern design styles, you’ll probably love perusing West Elm and Crate and Barrel for inspiration.
Lulu and Georgia and Anthropologie are great sources of inspiration for boho and eclectic decor.
Amber Interiors – coffee table
Pottery Barn is a great source if your style is traditional, rustic, or modern farmhouse.Jenni Kayne perfectly captures the California casual look.
AKB Design Studio – Maxime Desbiens Photography
Both Serena & Lily and Dear Keaton are great sources for elevated coastal and beach house style inspiration.
McGee & Co., Amber Interiors, and Stoffer Home are great resources if your style leans toward organic modern, modern farmhouse, or European farmhouse styles.
And, if you love transitional style, Arhaus and Alice Lane Home are great places to find transitional style furniture, bedding, artwork, lighting and decor.
Alice Lane Home – Brass Clawfoot Dish
6. Trust your instincts, but also remember it’s okay to change your mind
Ultimately, the most important aspect of discovering your unique interior design style is to trust your gut and follow your instincts.
Your home is a personal space, and your design choices should resonate with you on a deep level.
AKB Design Studio – English country kitchen
Pay attention to how certain colors, patterns, textures, and materials make you feel.
Consider the emotional response you have to different design elements and go with what truly resonates with you. And don’t be afraid to take some risks.
AKB Design Studio – Sylvie Li Photography
Remember, when it comes to decorating your home, there’s no right or wrong, so keep experimenting until you land on a look that feels right for you.
Cultivating your personal design aesthetic isn’t a process with clear steps or linear outcomes — and that’s part of what makes this journey so rewarding.
Your design style will likely evolve with time as you discover new sources of inspiration or your tastes change, so don’t force yourself to remain with a look that no longer resonates with you!
If you find that your decorating style has changed, give yourself permission to start over. What matters is that your style choices feel true to you.
Over the course of your life, you’ll probably go through many interior design styles as your taste evolves.
Discovering your design style has the added benefit of opening the door to more confidence and creativity in every area of your life.
Nicolas Potts Studio – Jennifer Hughes Photography
Choosing an interior design style and translating that aesthetic to your home is a gradual process, so give yourself some time to experiment and figure it out.
I hope you found this post informative and encouraging. Let me know if you have any questions about how to discover your interior design style. Have a wonderful day! xo Jane
home decor finds
Looking for more interior design styles and decorating ideas? Here are a few related posts from the blog:
Top 10 Interior Design Styles and Trends for 2026
How to Add a Touch of Nancy Meyers Style to Your Kitchen and Home
Coastaluxe: the Perfect Blend of Modern Coastal and Quiet Luxury
Modern Coastal Decorating Ideas for Your Home
Quiet Luxury Interior Design Ideas
Transitional Style Decorating Ideas for Your Home
What is Coastal Grandmother Style? (and why I’m loving it!)
Restoration Hardware Style: How to Bring the Modern Minimal Look to Your Home
Organic Modern Decorating Ideas for Your Home
California Casual Interior Design: How to Bring Chic West Coast Style to Your Home
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4 Comments
How to Build a Rustic and Cozy House - The Lifestyle Elf
May 19, 2022 at 7:03 pm[…] home should be a reflection of your unique style and personality. However, it can be difficult to find furniture and accessories that perfectly suit your taste. One […]
SylvanStudio
April 15, 2022 at 2:38 amThanks for sharing. I absolutely loved your ideas.
Easy Ways To Choose an Interior Design That Suits Your Personality • The Fashionable Housewife
August 24, 2021 at 1:05 pm[…] can also check the color of your clothes in the closet to identify your favorite color. This would also help you understand the type of patterns and […]
Janice Nolden
April 3, 2020 at 11:05 amThanks for this article
I’m at the prostination stage you were in at the beginning
I have too many good possibilities and can’t seem to hone in ony final look. I got lots of good ideas. Some I’ve done, but lots I hadn’t thought of. Can’t wait to start finalizing.
My 2 biggest problems left are 2 very sentimental wardrobes
We moved to a smaller house and they just don’t fit anywhere. So, even though I get teary every time I think of getting rid of them, I have to find a good home for them.