How to Find Your Interior Design Style (Even If You Don’t Have One)
If you’ve ever stood in a furniture showroom and thought, “I like all of this… and none of this,” you’re not alone.
Finding your interior design style isn’t about memorizing trends or fitting neatly into a category. It’s about discovering what feels like you — and giving that feeling a place to live.
As Dallas interior designers, we help clients uncover their style every day, even when they swear they “don’t have one.” Spoiler: you do. You just need the right process (and maybe a second set of eyes) to see it.
Here’s how to start defining your interior design style — whether you’re remodeling, furnishing, or simply staring at an empty living room wondering where to begin.
Step 1: Forget the Labels (For Now)
Modern, transitional, contemporary, traditional… these terms are helpful for designers, but overwhelming for most homeowners. Instead of starting with labels, start with feelings.
Ask yourself:
What spaces make you feel most at ease?
Do you gravitate toward cozy textures or sleek lines?
Is your ideal home more calm and collected, or full of color and energy?
When you stop chasing categories, you start finding clues.
Step 2: Look at Your Closet (Really)
Your home and wardrobe tell the same story.
If you love tailored neutrals and statement accessories, your home might lean modern with warm accents. If your closet is full of patterns and vintage finds, maybe your home should be too.
Design style isn’t separate from personal style — it’s just expressed in bigger, softer, more expensive forms.
Step 3: Find Your "Why"
The best-designed homes have a point of view. It’s not just about what looks pretty — it’s about how you want to live.
Ask yourself:
Do I want a space that’s calm after a long day?
Do I want to entertain and gather?
Do I want my home to feel warm and collected or minimal and open?
Your “why” becomes your compass when making design decisions later.
Step 4: Collect Without Commitment
This is the fun part.
Start saving images that speak to you — from Pinterest, magazines, or even real estate listings. Don’t overthink it. Just gather what you love.
After 20–30 saves, patterns will start to emerge. You’ll notice repeating colors, materials, or moods. That’s your design DNA peeking through.
Pro tip: Look beyond just what you like. Ask yourself why you like it. Maybe it’s not the furniture — maybe it’s the natural light, the texture, or the quiet mood.
Step 5: Define Your Anchors
Once you see your patterns, name your anchors: the three or four qualities you always love, no matter the trend.
Examples might be:
Natural textures
Clean lines
Warm metals
Organic shapes
Neutral palettes with one bold accent
These anchors become your design north stars — guiding every choice from furniture to finishes.
Step 6: Layer, Don’t Copy
This is where people often go wrong. It’s tempting to copy a Pinterest photo outright, but that creates a space that feels impersonal.
Instead, layer.
Take inspiration from multiple sources and interpret them through your lens. Maybe your space has the calm palette of one photo, the textures of another, and the playful art from a third.
That’s what turns design inspiration into your own story.
Step 7: Bring It All Together (With Help If You Need It)
At some point, most people get stuck between “I know what I like” and “I don’t know how to make it work.” That’s where a designer comes in.
Our Interior Design team specializes in helping clients translate their style into spaces that feel cohesive, personal, and truly livable.
We look at how you live, what you love, and what you already have — and then design around you.
Because good design doesn’t impose a style; it reveals it.
FAQs: Finding Your Interior Design Style
-
You’re in good company! Most people are drawn to more than one. A designer helps you blend them into a cohesive look that feels intentional, not chaotic.
-
Absolutely — and most do. The key is identifying where your styles overlap (often in color, shape, or materials) and building from there.
-
Not at all. Helping you define your style is part of our process. Our team walks you through inspiration, mood boards, and layouts until your vision feels clear.
-
Yes. Even for furnishings, a designer helps you avoid costly mistakes, ensures balance and proportion, and sources pieces that elevate your space.
Ready to Discover Your Style?
Your style is already there — it just needs a little uncovering. Whether you’re designing your first home or refining one you’ve lived in for years, we’d love to help you create a space that feels like you.
LARK INTERIORS
An interior design based in Dallas, Texas and focused on liveable luxury. We believe in comfy sofas, performance fabrics, and coffee tables you can put your feet on.