There are as many styles in interior design as there are homes and it can be overwhelming to try and work out your own personal style. Here are a few ways that you can establish your likes and dislikes as far as interiors are concerned so that you can stamp your own personality on your home.

1. Look at Books and magazines

Take a look at as many interior design books and magazines as you can. You should be able to find many at your local library or bookstore. This is a case of browsing rather than buying to check out the kinds of established styles that you like. Do you like the retro 60s look, Art Deco or minimalist contemporary? Is Scandinavian, Mediterranean or Oriental decoration more to your taste? You can find out by browsing through a lot of images one after the other.

2. Browse Around Online

Add to your offline research by looking at interior design websites online. This has the added advantage of allowing you to print out examples of the kind of styles you like so that you can collect your ideas together. Although you could buy the books and magazines that contain your favorite images it could get very expensive quickly.

3. Don’t Get Trapped

Although you are likely to see whole themes in books there is no need to be trapped into decorating a room in one particular theme if you don’t want to. You are just looking for elements you like in a style – whether it’s a warm rustic look from a Mediterranean theme with lots of natural colors or maybe it’s the uncluttered spacious feel from a contemporary loft apartment. It is these aspects of the design that you want to create not necessarily the whole look to get something that is personal to you.

4. Make a Style Board

Make a style board of the elements that matter to you, the types of furniture finishes, the colors, textures and patterns. Mix and match the different images until you get something that you think will work well together. Remember to think of the room you are styling too if there will be a conflict. It is difficult to make a spacious loft style in a country cottage!

5. Add Your Personality Later

If all this seems too much work to create a personal style just see it as selecting things you like which work well together and which work well with your room. If all else fails decorate in neutrals and add your personality with accessories – an area rug you adore, a vase you love and a wall painting which means so much to you will go a long way towards giving a room your own personal touch.

When you are designing your house, you often put too much attention to some certain areas like the living room, kitchen, or even bathrooms while forgetting the fact that your bedroom is also one important area in your house that you should also think about. It is quite a pity because you can actually do many things to your bedroom in order to make it really comfortable. If you have finished designing all other parts of the house and you are left with your bedroom, here are some home design tips that you may find useful:

1. Do something about the walls of your bedroom. You should decide whether you’re the walls are going to be painted or simply going to be covered by wallpapers. This is important because later on you will have to either repaint or replace the wall covering when the walls start to look ugly. Choose the one that is convenient for you. Next, you have to choose the color. You can use your favorite color, but light colors like yellow or orange can make your bedroom look fresh. Or if you intend to make your room look more stylish, you can use cream or pastel paint color and add floral print wallpaper to create a lovely combination.

2. Pick the right furniture for your bedroom. You should make sure that the furniture pieces you pick are going to fit the room perfectly. Do not pick a king size bed if your room is not big enough. As your bedroom is going to be a place where you can relax, you will need some space to unwind. Also, pick furniture pieces which are made from the same material. If you prefer wooden material, both your bed frame and your closet should be made from wood. If possible, they should be made with the same type of wood. Also, pay attention to the color of the furniture. Choose only one color for all the furniture pieces so that your room will look well-organized.

3. Decide what you want to put on your bed. Choosing the right things is essential to guarantee your comfort. You can put some pillows on your bed, and also a blanket or a duvet would be nice. Put enough pillows for a comfortable sleep, but do not overcrowd your bed. The colors of the pillows and bedding should match the overall theme of the bedroom.

All in all, designing your own bedroom is not as difficult as you thought it might be. If you prepare everything well, you can get the bedroom you have always dreamed of.

Reflecting Nature with Color, Accents, and Furniture

Incorporating elements of Florida’s enticing outdoor living into your home can be challenging as temperature rises, windows and sliding doors close for the season, and the steady hum of the A/C becomes your constant companion.This problem however, is not an uncompromising situation.With a few solutions inspired by the great outdoors, you can create your indoor oasis.

Color – Think Green

Look around and get inspired by the splendid colors of nature.Create your lush greenroomscape starting with one or several of the vibrant green hues that abound – lily pad green, juniper, basil, deep kiwi, lime green, grasshopper, artichoke and jasmine, just to name a few.Paint an accent wall, or mix colors in by adding accessories.

Incorporate Other Variations in Nature
From the Beach – Shell, beach sand, egret, pearl, azure blue, deep ultramarine, reed, lightest sky, powdery white, bright cobalt, sea foam, surf spray, bottle green
From the Garden – Jacaranda, lavender, violet, dahlia purple, bougainvillea, phlox pinks, buttercup, lemon, primrose yellow, tender shoots, camellia rose, morning glory
Accents – Think Green

When it comes to accents and accessories, go green with eco-friendly and natural materials. Fabulous furnishings and products made from bamboo, reeds, grasses, recycled and reclaimed materials not only bring the outer environment in, but also do so in a way our collective environment will appreciate.

From the floor up – Swap out area rugs with indoor/outdoor or sisal rugs. New styles and patterns are introduced every day, offering bright splashes of color transforming your indoor space into an extension of your deck or lanai.

Trade heavy window treatments for light and breezy sheers or crisp, summer linens. Tie back curtains and draperies with raffia, seashell trim, or floral garland.

Change out artwork and picture frames, capturing the outdoor look of your dreams with touches of the sea, a garden, or backyard retreat. Frame portraits with bamboo or natural weave frames.

If lanterns, fountains, and plants are some of your favorite things, don’t restrict them to the outdoors.Lanterns with candles and seasonal string lights provide instant indoor party lighting.Fountains and their relaxing waters create an oasis sense of calm.Bring in plants, container gardens, and fresh-cut flowers.If you don’t have a green thumb, glass containers filled with objects from the outdoors offer an excellent natural decorative touch.

Add weathered and rustic pieces from outside, such as a bench or wicker rocker. Or go for simple wood or rattan pieces, such as an accent chair or table, to lighten up your furniture grouping.Hang or lean aged, weather worn wood and iron gates on your interior walls before closing the doors to your outdoors-in design season.

As a Designer it’s so important to be well versed on all upcoming home design and renovation trends – from building trends to paint colors and everything in between. Benjamin Moore’s 2011 Color Forecast was released to Architects and Designers last month – and I wanted to share their findings with you.

Each year the color expert team at Benjamin Moore declares their predictions for the upcoming year by tracking the more recent social, cultural and political conditions and how they directly impact fashion and design trends. What they discovered was an overwhelming desire for a sense of balance coupled with four underlying themes: The Farm, Order, Escape and Tribe.

1. The Farm

There is a major focus on hearth and home for obvious reasons and most are anchoring themselves within a new reality. Earthy colors straight from the farm will be dominating interiors this year. Just take a look at your local Farmers Market for inspiration. From earthy browns, buttery yellows and milky whites – to tomatoes, pumpkins and greens.

Also look for handcrafted fabrics, burlaps, tea-stained materials, and all types of petrified, bleached and natural woods – which suggests a return to life’s simpler things.

2. Order

We are craving a sense of balance and order from the chaos of the past couple of years. This is interpreted by infusing red, blues, yellows and greens to juxtapose with more monochromatic variations of black, white and gray. Geometric patterns with crisp stripes, dots and spirals uplift our spirit and improve our mood. These days it’s all about making ourselves feel happy.

3. Escape

The world has been a little harsh lately so escaping into a dream world full of hope and optimism for the future- is extremely appealing at the moment. The dreamy glamour of sheer draped fabrics, metallic finishes and softened textures coupled with a more pale, frosted and opalescent color palette can be just the remedy for overcoming adversity.

4. Tribe

A focus back to our ethnic communities and much like the farm, we are aching to return to the simpler things in life yet in a more soulful way. The spicy color palette of the land such as rich berry, cinnamon, saffron and fire orange are anchored with bronzes and charcoals. There is a huge focus on patterns, stencils, hand embroidery and beading,

So how will you seek that order and balance in your life? Will you be returning to the hearth, escaping into your dreams or focusing on your community when gathering your home design inspiration for this year?