Very few people can name their design style, and it does not matter. What matters is being able to recognise it when you see it. These exercises help.
1. Collect without editing
Save every image you respond to for a month, without asking why. Patterns emerge that you would never have predicted.
2. Then look for what repeats
Go back through and find the common thread. It is rarely a style name. It is usually a quality: warmth, symmetry, contrast, quiet.
3. Note what you dislike
Often sharper and more useful than what you like, and much faster to establish.
4. Look at your wardrobe
People are more consistent than they think. If you dress in warm neutrals with one strong accent, your house probably wants the same.
5. Consider how you actually live
Pets, children, dinner parties, mess. A style you cannot maintain is not your style.
6. Find one piece you love
A single object you genuinely respond to is a better starting point than any mood board.
7. Allow it to be a mix
Almost nobody is one thing. The most personal interiors are the ones that refuse to pick a single label.
