How to Find Your Interior Design Style (when you’re not sure you have one)

If you’ve ever wondered how to find your interior design style but felt overwhelmed or unsure where to begin, you’re not alone. Many homeowners know their space feels “off,” but they can’t quite define why. The rooms aren’t terrible — they just don’t feel cohesive, cozy, or fully reflective of the people living there.

If you’ve identified that something is missing, yay you! That awareness is the first important step in defining your interior design style. Plenty of people live in spaces that don’t feel quite right and never pause long enough to acknowledge or examine it. You’re already ahead.

The good news is that figuring out your home decor style doesn’t require a dramatic renovation or a perfectly named aesthetic. With a little homework in the form of observation and pattern recognition, you’ll be empowered to decorate with confidence.

Step 1: Start with Your Closet

Before you open Pinterest, open your closet.

What colors dominate your wardrobe? Are you drawn to crisp whites and denim, structured black and camel, soft neutrals, relaxed linen, bold prints, or classic stripes? Most of us dress in a way that feels authentic and comfortable. Those preferences are not random — they reflect what feels natural to you.

If your wardrobe leans tailored and classic, that likely translates into a preference for clean lines and structure at home. If you gravitate toward color and pattern in what you wear, but your interiors feel muted and overly safe, that contrast is a helpful clue. Your personal style doesn’t disappear at the front door; it simply needs to be translated into your living space.

Step 2: Do a Focused Image Search

Next, set aside one hour to gather inspiration. Not a weekend. Not an endless scroll. One hour.

Browse Pinterest, design websites, magazines, or social media and save rooms you’re instinctively drawn to. Don’t analyze or overthink it — this is simply a fact-finding mission. Keep budget and practicality out of the equation for now. Channel your collage-making days. Notice what catches your eye and save it in one folder.

Step 3: Look for Patterns

After your one-hour image session, review everything together. If I had to place a bet, it would be that a clear pattern emerges from this folder.

Most people discover that their saved images share common threads. You might consistently see white walls layered with warm wood tones. Maybe color-drenched spaces show up again and again. Perhaps there’s a relaxed coastal feel, collected eclectic layers, abundant greenery, or strong symmetry.

These recurring elements are now your personal roadmap for defining your interior design style. Keep them in mind as you approach any decorating project. Understanding your preferences will keep you focused and confident during decisions both big and small.

Step 4: Compare to Your Current Home

Now look at your own space with fresh eyes. Does your home reflect what you discovered in your inspiration search? Or have you defaulted to choices that felt safe but not particularly personal?

Often, the issue isn’t that one piece of furniture is wrong. It’s that the room stopped at neutral and never moved into feeling intentional. Rooms begin to feel cohesive when they reflect your preferences and tell your story — not just what felt responsible at the time of purchase. Let some personality through the door!

Whether you live in a rented apartment or a beachfront home, the process is the same: define what you love, then decorate your space to reflect it. You’ll quickly find that you’re able to make purchases with far more confidence.

Step 5: Make One Strategic Change

Resist the urge to change everything at once — give yourself some grace. Instead, introduce one element that reflects your favorite things. That might mean richer paint colors, layered lighting in the form of a table lamp, a patterned chair with personality, a more substantial rug, or artwork that feels meaningful.

Start small and build confidence while training your design eye. Trust me, you’ll be swanning through HomeGoods like a boss in no time. 

Defining your home decor style isn’t about selecting a label like “modern farmhouse” or “transitional.” It’s about recognizing what you consistently respond to and giving yourself permission to bring more of that into your home—the more personal, the better. If you can acknowledge that something feels unfinished, you’re already well on your way to creating a space that feels more like YOU. Have fun and decorate! xo-Jodi