Take heart, ye who seek a unique but comfortable style for your home. There are ways to lessen the chance of error when choosing an interior that’s so nice to come home toand to make the task quite enjoyable.
The style you pick need not be 100 percent authentic to convey the look and mood you want. No “style police” will knock on the door to check up on you.
Nor does it have to be permanent. You can incorporate objects from different styles to alter your emphasis if your taste changes. You just need to be sure to have a few common denominators of scale, color and materials to keep the diversity in check.
After all, your ultimate goal should be to have a style that reflects your aesthetics and lifestyle and provides that joyful zing every time you step inside your door.
Here are 15 suggestions to get you started on your quest, followed by a listing of good books on the subject.
1. Put on comfortable shoes and take an architectural stroll in your neighborhood. Look about you. You’ll gradually see a pattern to the style of architectural shapes and details you like.
2. Movies and television shows offer glimpses of great houses and styles. Who can forget the fabulous Manhattan apartment in “Diary of a Mad Housewife,” the splendor of Tara in “Gone with the Wind” or the sprawling new-money style of “Dallas”?
3. Visit the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago, which were constructed and decorated in a variety of styles, including English, French, American and Chinese.
4. Clip pictures of rooms from decorating and food magazines (the latter often show kitchens). Save them in a folder you can refer to when deciding among elements.
5. Study rooms in books about home furnishings. Begin with the broad categories of traditional, contemporary, eclectic and country and note how architectural details, colors, furnishings, art and accessories vary. Then narrow your search to the subcategories to add some uniquenessthose typical of a geographic area such as Nantucket or Santa Fe, of certain time frames such as French Provincial, of certain groups with a strong visual point of view, such as the Shakers.
6. Go to Prairie Avenue’s architectural bookstores, which offer still more information, suggests Evanston architect Julie Hacker. “If you’re going to be specific about a style, you need to understand what its roots are, what defines it and what its evolution is, so you can use it properly,” she says.
7. Browse through home furnishings stores and departments. Favorites will emerge. Bring a camera.
8. Attend show houses to get a feeling for your preferences of furnishings, color and accessory styles within one dwelling; this is akin to one-stop shopping, says Chicago designer Nina Hancock.
9. Attend estate sales, antiques shows and flea markets.
10. Drive to another area and snap photos of styles you favor. Later, you can pick out which windows, doors, roof lines and gardens appeal most, says Hacker.
11. Take note of your emotional response when you walk into various rooms. Write down specifics of what you likedand didn’t likeabout them, says Chicago designer Cindy Christensen.
12. Consider the setting that’s your background. This should influence your style preference to some degree. A country cottage may cry out for country objects, while a sleek glass tower may inspire contemporary art and furnishings, Hancock says..
13. Think about any trends of the moment, which may influence how much of a particular style you employ. The current trend toward simplicity may mean less rather than more.
14. Travel! Expand your vision of style choices, though you should consider the setting and possibly make some stylistic alterations. Rather than replicating that Florida-style house with wraparound porches, you may have to be content with a screened porch.
15. Look at the clothes you wear; they’ll provide another clue. If you favor tailored classic clothing, you are likely to prefer streamlined traditional or contemporary design. If you go for flowers and ruffles, you would probably be happier with a casual country setting.
Helpful books
“American Bungalow Style,” by Robert Winter and Alexander Vertikoff (Simon & Schuster, $40). Small, quaint and inexpensive, this house, in evidence mainly between 1880 and 1930, consisted of one or one and a half stories that were well constructed but simple. Bungalows, still very much a part of Chicago’s housing stock, come in a variety of architectural styles, from Arts and Crafts to Tudor, Prairie and Mission, and work well with a variety of furnishings of those periods. They still hold wide appeal.
“Classic Decorative,” by Henrietta Spencer-Churchill (Rizzoli, $45). Traditionalists will enjoy the hundreds of pictures of classic objects and furnishings in this book–landscape and floral paintings, gilt-edged mirrors with elaborate detailing, blue and white Chinese porcelain, antique tapestries and period wooden chairs and tables.
“Decorative Style,” by Kevin McCloud (Simon & Schuster, $40). How to do it yourself, for Martha Stewart wannabes. There are three sections to help you achieve your decorating style: elements (architectural, lighting, colors); specific styles (Mediterranean, English Baroque or New England); and all the tools, materials and techniques you need.
“The Elements of Style,” by Stephen Calloway and Elizabeth Cromley (Simon & Schuster, $65). It’s expensive and thick (544 pages) but a must-have for scholars wanting to know and/or create an authentic look or at least incorporate certain authentic elements.
“House Beautiful Decorating Style,” by the editors of House Beautiful magazine (Hearst Books, $29.50). Large, crisp photographs, elegant rooms and minimal copy make this a good book for perusing and discovering your favorite style.
“Period Design & Furnishing,” by Judith and Martin Miller (Crown, $30). What makes one room look Elizabethan, Jacobean, Victorian, Arts and Crafts or 1920s? Using dozens of photographs, the authors analyze various style elements .
“Period Details: A Sourcebook for House Restoration,” by Martin and Judith Miller (Crown paperback, $22). Less scholarly and expensive than “The Elements of Style,” this book shows how to make a house stylistically proper with furnishings and fittings. But beware: Getting too authentic may make a room fit for a museum, not for you.
“Traditional Country Style,” by Elizabeth Wilhide (Universe, $25). The photographs within conjure up wonderful homes and rooms for putting your feet up, gathering family and friends and enjoying good conversation and food. Traditional country style rooms needn’t be done just in weekend and vacation homes. They also represent a state of mind for people who prefer informal living with loosely upholstered seating, practical tables, chairs and place settings, big fireplaces, warm colors and plenty of evidence of nature’s beauty. A plus: peeks at the country rooms of Mary Emmerling, Martha Stewart and Sir Terence Conran.
