Think like a designer: Giving a room Personality
Design is a journey, a story to be told, an emotion.
Whenever I am putting elements together whether that be through interior styling, photography, graphic design or as landscaper designer, I want to create a mood or an emotion. The way you feel in a space is everything - it sets a scene for your life or how you want your life to be, and there’s nothing wrong with designing the room for the life you want to live - its one step closer to getting there right??
I am going to share some of the things that go through my brain when it comes to creating a well received design and creating a space you can be connected to and nurtured by. Today we will discuss the personality of a room and about ensuring that you don’t lose your own self while creating a room, I will talk about the addition of items that have soul and substance and what that actually means.
To begin with, your personality is portrayed and exhibited through items that stir an emotion with you. Just like Marie Kondo says, find items that spark joy, have meaning and speak to your soul or heart. There is nothing more bland then a whole room that’s been picked out of from a Harvey Norman showroom floor and transplanted into your house, it lacks substance and personality, its sleek and a little soulless and it lacks that feeling of a warm hug and of safety and comfort when you walk in.
How do you know if something has soul or substance?
Items with these characteristics are things you can talk about to or with people, they are a conversation starter - even if someone doesn’t know the story, they can almost feel that there is a story there, a feeling, an emotion a situation. There was a reason that you brought it and not just ‘because it was there’. When you pick things to own, you generally are form an emotional attachment to those things and in turn, it gives them life, character and personality. It gives them energy which in turn transfers and emanates within your space.
My little apartment
Room Example To the left is a picture of a bunch of things I had in my lounge room in my apartment in Neutral Bay around 2014. At the time I had moved from Brisbane to Sydney alone and not knowing anyone, so the whole shebang was a massive adventure and ‘coming of age’ for me.
So what’s in here? Where’s the personality? Here is my story in this room:
Little pictures on the wall I painted
Couch was my Grandmothers
Rug I found on the street in a kerbside pickup
Lamp I brought on a solo trip to Bunnings when I was feeling confident and independent
Small table on the side I reno’d from something I found in kerbside collection
Camera print I purchased on the Gold Coast when having a weekend away with friends.
Plant I purchased on a trip up the beach to a beautiful and inspiring nursery I went to
White and green cushions I brought on one of my beach day trips up the coast of Northern Beaches
Little round cushion was for my sister’s wedding - but fell in love with so much that I kept it instead.
There’s more in there but the point of this is that none of this stuff cost me a bomb, (though sometimes I definitely love a good splurge!) also none of this stuff has meaning to anyone really until I tell you its origin and bring you on my journey. But you can see (or feel) that there’s something there can’t you? There is a feeling when you look, perhaps of warmth, comfort, creativity or perhaps exploration of ones self.
The stuff you have doesn’t have to old, some things in the room above are new, but each element still holds a story of an event in my life that I look back fondly upon or found humorous or comforting. Obviously the carpet and the wall paint doesn’t; this is part of my blank canvas - they help to let my other items shine.
Décor Evolution
But you know what - like emotions, feelings, friendships and relationships, these things may ebb and flow. Just like I am always evolving so is my space. Some things change from being happy memories to unhappy or stressful memories, instead of lifting you up they might start dragging you down, so you know what you can do - just like in life - let them go. Let them be in a new story for some else’s life and start writing the next chapter of your story. Remember nothing lasts forever.
Some questions and ideas to start you off on your creative journey.
Look at your items and assess them.
How do you feel in your rooms?
How do you want to feel in these rooms?
What do you love? - Keep it, integrate it.
What has no emotional response attached to it? Yeah that’s going out the door eventually.
What makes you go ‘Meh’? - Ditch the Meh’s
Start a Pinterest board or save images of things you love - rooms, objects - things that make your eyes light up. (this is part of your creative journey and inspiration)
You are slowly discovering who you are - what brings you joy and the core of what your design style.
Please feel free to leave me a comment or ask me a question about styling or design! Please remember that all views and ideas expressed within this blog are my own and based on my own experience and choices, please use as a guide only and think carefully about how you want to give your room personality - in the end you are the only one who knows the right answers.
Stay Tuned… Future Tips Coming Up:
Competition / Emphasis
Colour
Textures
Symmetry
Odds and Evens