It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the newest trends and recent “as-seen-on-Instagram” home features. To create a truly meaningful and happy place to reside, I believe in curating a home that reflects your personality and lifestyle to best suit you and your family’s needs. Sometimes this means straying away from the latest and greatest trends and diving into the things that are going to transform a house into your home.
Essentially, the items and design aspects that are going to have your closest friends and family say, “This feels like YOU.” I encourage you to use this blog as a guide to start reflecting on the space you want to be in and then let’s chat together on how to bring that to life with Ku Interior Design.
Glencoe BathroomWhy Is Having a Home That Reflects Your Personality and Lifestyle Important?
Before we dive into the ways you can have your personality and lifestyle shine through design, I wanted to take a moment to address the “why”—why all of this is important. The simplest answer I’ve found is that a happy home will allow for a happy you to thrive.
There are psychological ties to various design aspects such as color, pattern, texture, etc. that affect our mood, habits, and productivity. Recognizing what elements of design allow you to thrive will be crucial to enhancing your lifestyle. If you work from home, maybe you work best with soothing blues and greens accented around you to create a peaceful workday, or maybe the energizing effect of reds and yellows helps you to push through long workdays. Whatever the elements are that make you feel your best, I want to create a space that benefits you.
2405 | Home OfficeDefining Your Personal Style
I have established that creating a space with your personality and lifestyle in mind is essential, but you may still be wondering how you discover your personal style. Mood boards are a great place to start! Start by collecting images on social media, magazine clippings, and taking note of the restaurants, stores, and houses you walk through. Compiling all the little nuances and features in design into one place, a visual list so-to-speak, will allow your personal style to shine through.
One of my favorite tips for figuring out how to make your home feel more like you is to start by looking at your closet. Are your clothes mostly solids and neutrals, or do they feature bold patterns and bright colors? Is your style more sophisticated or boho? Once you’ve taken a closer look, you’ll have a clear idea of how to decorate your home.
When I was designing my personal condo, I started the process with a single wallpaper choice that I absolutely loved. From there, I selected the furniture and other design elements to coordinate with the living room wallpaper.
To make the space even more personal, I incorporated items from our travels as accessories. Not the typical tchotchkes, but meaningful pieces that remind us of the places we’ve visited and the memories we’ve made. I also framed photos from our trips and hung them on the walls.
The result? A space that is functional, cozy, and unique to my husband and me—perfectly suited to our lifestyle of entertaining and spending time together.
2405 | Living Room
2405 | BedroomLifestyle Needs
You might love the look of an all-white couch, but that all-white couch may not love your 100-pound golden retriever who enjoys digging in the backyard. It’s easy to fall for certain design elements, but you must consider your lifestyle needs as well. If your daily life involves pets, kids, or a busy schedule, these things become just as important as the aesthetic. Everyone’s lifestyle is different, and that’s what makes curating your home so exciting.
I always start by considering your routines and habits when curating a home. Each room and aspect of the room should be something that serves you. At the end of the day, if the all-white couch is important, I may just have to find one with removable covers that machine wash well.
Incorporating Meaningful and Personal Items
Frequently I see in the interior design industry, homes and rooms almost too perfectly staged and set up. While I agree the images turn out beautifully, a true lived-in home may not look like the staged images, and that is what will make it even more beautiful. A space should feel and look like you—after all, it is your home.
You can have a lived-in home that flows and has a continuous theme throughout to keep your eyes happy all the while still incorporating meaningful and personal items. Whether it’s books, trinkets from travels, family heirlooms, or something else, each of these items has a space in your home and will help to fill it with character. A newly designed room and your favorite personal items can coexist harmoniously together.
There is Space for it All
It’s very easy to feel overwhelmed by different design elements and feel that you have to limit yourself to just one theme for everything to match, but there are ways to have space for it all. For instance, if you want the funky wallpaper, but prefer something neutral in the main living areas, use a smaller space such as a bathroom, pantry, or closet to add character. Consider finishing touches such as faucets, sinks, doorknobs, and furniture hardware to add uniqueness and let your personality shine through.
You may not know what you want your style to look like, and that’s okay! In fact, it’s more than okay because that is exactly what I am here for. I’m here to refine and expand off the things that make you happy to result in a cohesive living environment.