8 Steps to Finding Your Design Style Using Ideabooks
Learn how Houzz ideabooks can help you clarify your ideas and identify your design likes and dislikes
Understanding your design preferences before diving into a home decorating project can help ensure that you’re happy with the outcome. This is true whether you’re working with a designer or tackling the project on your own. But how does one go about figuring out one’s style? Houzz ideabooks — in which you can save everything you see on the site, including photos, stories and products — are invaluable when it comes to narrowing down your aesthetic likes and dislikes and conveying them to others. Read on to learn how to use ideabooks to your advantage.
2. Study Your Selections
After you’ve saved a couple of dozen photos in the “Love It!” ideabook, open it up and see if you can identify similarities among the projects.
For example, do you see a color or color combination showing up in a lot of the photos? Do most of the rooms look cozy and dark or light and airy? Compare the furniture shapes — are they mostly clean-lined or are they ornate? Are there heavy draperies? Is the wood dark or light? What’s the vibe of the rooms you love — crisp, cozy, calming, energetic?
You may think your style is all over the place, but odds are you’ll notice recurring looks or details in the photos. When you do, write them down in a list.
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After you’ve saved a couple of dozen photos in the “Love It!” ideabook, open it up and see if you can identify similarities among the projects.
For example, do you see a color or color combination showing up in a lot of the photos? Do most of the rooms look cozy and dark or light and airy? Compare the furniture shapes — are they mostly clean-lined or are they ornate? Are there heavy draperies? Is the wood dark or light? What’s the vibe of the rooms you love — crisp, cozy, calming, energetic?
You may think your style is all over the place, but odds are you’ll notice recurring looks or details in the photos. When you do, write them down in a list.
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3. Note the Design Styles
Now click each photo and look at the design category under the project’s title. For example, this photo is categorized as “Farmhouse.” Others might be labeled “Coastal,” “Transitional,” “Contemporary” or another style.
If most of your saves fall under a single category, that’s a good indicator that you’ll like other rooms in that style. You can click that category link to see more rooms with that aesthetic. And if you’re shopping on Houzz, you can select the style from the drop-down menu to refine your search to items that fit the look.
Don’t worry if your saves don’t all fall neatly within one category. Most people are drawn to more than one style, and many styles work together harmoniously.
Your Guide to 12 Popular Decorating Styles
Now click each photo and look at the design category under the project’s title. For example, this photo is categorized as “Farmhouse.” Others might be labeled “Coastal,” “Transitional,” “Contemporary” or another style.
If most of your saves fall under a single category, that’s a good indicator that you’ll like other rooms in that style. You can click that category link to see more rooms with that aesthetic. And if you’re shopping on Houzz, you can select the style from the drop-down menu to refine your search to items that fit the look.
Don’t worry if your saves don’t all fall neatly within one category. Most people are drawn to more than one style, and many styles work together harmoniously.
Your Guide to 12 Popular Decorating Styles
4. Create a ‘Leave It!’ Ideabook
Understanding what you don’t like can be just as helpful as identifying what you do like. So go through the same process as you went through with your “Love It!” ideabook, but this time fill it with rooms that don’t resonate with you.
Again, look for similarities among the photos and the design categories into which they fall and make a list of what doesn’t fit your taste.
Understanding what you don’t like can be just as helpful as identifying what you do like. So go through the same process as you went through with your “Love It!” ideabook, but this time fill it with rooms that don’t resonate with you.
Again, look for similarities among the photos and the design categories into which they fall and make a list of what doesn’t fit your taste.
5. Take Your Time
Give yourself as much time as you can — weeks or even months — to compile and refine your ideabooks. Your taste is likely to evolve as you’re exposed to a lot of differently designed spaces, so add and delete photos with abandon. Houzz’s photo feed is constantly refreshed with new images, so you’ll never run out.
Give yourself as much time as you can — weeks or even months — to compile and refine your ideabooks. Your taste is likely to evolve as you’re exposed to a lot of differently designed spaces, so add and delete photos with abandon. Houzz’s photo feed is constantly refreshed with new images, so you’ll never run out.
6. Share Your Ideabooks
Once you’re happy with your “Love It!” and “Leave It!” ideabooks, you can share them with your designer, if you’re working with one. Be sure the designer knows which is which! And if you have notes underneath photos, make sure they’ll make sense to another reader.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. These photos will tell the designer more about your taste than a description like “Farmhouse” or “Transitional.”
Once you’re happy with your “Love It!” and “Leave It!” ideabooks, you can share them with your designer, if you’re working with one. Be sure the designer knows which is which! And if you have notes underneath photos, make sure they’ll make sense to another reader.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. These photos will tell the designer more about your taste than a description like “Farmhouse” or “Transitional.”
7. Apply Lessons Learned
If you’re decorating or redecorating a space by yourself, now is the time to apply the lessons you’ve learned.
Ask yourself what you like and don’t like about the room you’re planning to refresh. Do any of the elements you don’t like in your space align with things on your “Leave It!” list? Are items on your “Love It!” list already in the room? Jettison the former and lean into the latter. Then constantly refer back to your “Love It!” list as you flesh out the design.
If you’re decorating or redecorating a space by yourself, now is the time to apply the lessons you’ve learned.
Ask yourself what you like and don’t like about the room you’re planning to refresh. Do any of the elements you don’t like in your space align with things on your “Leave It!” list? Are items on your “Love It!” list already in the room? Jettison the former and lean into the latter. Then constantly refer back to your “Love It!” list as you flesh out the design.
When shopping for a specific piece of furniture or decor, you can look back at your ideabook and focus on just that element to help you refine your options. For example, if you want to buy a rug, look at all the rugs in your folder and notice if they have similar construction, pattern or color. Then when you’re in the Houzz Shop, you can use those criteria to narrow your search using the pull-down menus in the left column.
Shop for products on Houzz
Shop for products on Houzz
8. Don’t Limit Yourself to Aesthetics
Ideabooks can also help you problem-solve more functional elements of a room, such as layouts and storage solutions.
For example, if you’re designing a living room, try creating an ideabook filled with images of rooms with a similar shape, size and primary purpose, such as TV watching or formal entertaining. Without getting distracted by the designers’ aesthetic choices, look at how they’ve laid out the major furniture pieces and imagine the configuration in your space.
Or, if you’re designing a kitchen, create an ideabook filled with photos of drawer or pantry interiors with clever organizational designs.
More on Houzz
Read more stories
Browse photos for inspiration
Find a home professional near you
Shop for products
Ideabooks can also help you problem-solve more functional elements of a room, such as layouts and storage solutions.
For example, if you’re designing a living room, try creating an ideabook filled with images of rooms with a similar shape, size and primary purpose, such as TV watching or formal entertaining. Without getting distracted by the designers’ aesthetic choices, look at how they’ve laid out the major furniture pieces and imagine the configuration in your space.
Or, if you’re designing a kitchen, create an ideabook filled with photos of drawer or pantry interiors with clever organizational designs.
More on Houzz
Read more stories
Browse photos for inspiration
Find a home professional near you
Shop for products
Whether you’re looking to spruce up a specific room or decorating an entire house from scratch, a good first step is to create an ideabook filled with photos of spaces you like.
Sign into your Houzz account, then head over to the Houzz photo feed, where you can find millions of photos. If you wish, you can refine your search by choosing a specific room from the options just under the “Home Design Ideas” heading at the top of the page. Now look for a little pull-down menu on the right, just above the project photos, labeled “Sort by:.” Choosing “Newly Featured” from the pull-down menu will show you the latest high-quality images uploaded to the site.
Scroll through the images until you find something you like, then click the heart symbol to save the photo. When the box pops up, create a new ideabook by selecting “Create New and Save” and typing your new ideabook title. As you save additional photos, choose that folder title from the “Recent Ideabooks” list. Add a note to each photo specifying the elements you like.
At this stage of the game, save as many photos as you want, but prioritize rooms that have an overall style that appeals to you versus a single element. (Those photos can go in a separate ideabook.)