Where do I begin? What do I even like? Do I have to stick to just one style? What if I don’t like it in five years—or it goes out of fashion?
If you’re renovating, building, or updating your home, you’ve probably asked yourself some of these questions. You’re not alone—these thoughts are completely normal when starting to design a home.
When my family and I started building our home, I felt overwhelmed by the endless options. As a recent interior design graduate, it was also my first chance to prove myself. I wanted to try everything, made plenty of mistakes, but also learned a lot—and now I want to help you go through this process with more clarity and confidence.
I strongly believe that your home should reflect who you are and what you love—not just what’s trending. That way, it will always feel timeless and true to you.
So here are six steps, to make it easier for you.
1. Discover What You Like
Some people instantly know their style. Others have no clue—and that’s okay.
Start with how you want your home to feel.
Ask yourself: When I walk into my home, what emotion do I want to feel?
Is it:
- Airy and fresh? Think light colors, large windows, and plants.
- Warm and cozy? Like a candle-lit cabin with soft textiles and a fireplace.
- Elegant and refined? Maybe polished marble floors, gold accents, and velvet furniture.
Imagine a guest walks in—what’s the first thing they say?
“Wow, it’s so bright and spacious!” or “It feels so homey and calm.” These imagined reactions help define the atmosphere you want to create.
2. Gather Inspiration & Create a Moodboard
Start collecting visuals. Use Pinterest, Instagram, design magazines, or even take photos in cafés or hotels you love.
For example:
- Snap a photo of a café’s textured plaster wall you love.
- Save a Pinterest pin of a modern kitchen with open shelving and warm wood.
- Clip a magazine picture of a living room with bold art and colorful textiles.
Use Pinterest to your advantage. Create boards by room—like “Kitchen,” “Living Room,” or “Lighting.”
At first, pin anything that catches your eye. You don’t have to like every detail—maybe it’s just the mood, a color combo, or how the light hits the space.
Tip: Click on an image you like, and Pinterest will show you similar ones—this can help refine your taste. If you’re not finding anything new, refresh your search with different keywords.
3. Look for Patterns
After collecting enough images, go back and look at them all together.
What themes keep popping up?
For example:
- You might notice lots of warm, natural tones—beige, oak wood, linen fabrics.
- Or maybe every image has a pop of black metal, clean lines, and concrete—pointing to a modern-industrial style.
- Even if styles seem mixed, you may see a repeated feeling—like relaxed, airy, or bold and artistic.
Write down common traits, such as:
- Natural materials
- Minimal furniture
- Earth tones with green accents
- Cozy lighting
These are clues to what you really love—even if you didn’t know it yet.
4. Set Some Style Guidelines (aka “Design Framework”)
Once you have a general sense of what you like, it’s time to give yourself some structure. This will help guide your decisions as you start choosing furniture, materials, and colors.
Ask yourself:
- What are the materials that most of these rooms have?
Example: Light oak wood, natural stone, soft linen, matte black metal. - What is the main color palette?
Example: Warm white and soft grey as base colors, with a forest green accent. - What shapes and patterns catch my eye?
Example: Rounded furniture edges, woven textures, subtle stripes.
Then write down your design framework, set limits to stay focused.
Choose:
- 2-3 main materials (e.g., oak + concrete or marble + dark wood + natural stone)
- 2 base colors and 1 accent color (e.g., beige + white + navy blue or brown + white + moss green)
- shape/form (e.g., round, straight lines, defined edges or organic shapes, detailed objects)
This doesn’t mean you can’t explore, but having boundaries gives your home a cohesive feel. Note, that later, when you feel more comfortable in your style, then you can break every rule and the outcome will still look faboulous.
5. Make it Tangible
If you have limited your options, it is time to put your ideas into a visual refernce. Create a physical or digital moodboard that you can refer back to as you shop or design.
There are few different ways:
- A physical board with printed images and fabric samples.
- A digital moodboard using free or paid software. I like using Canva.com – a free tool that makes it easy to drag and drop your inspiration onto one page.
Tip: You can even download product images from online shops and create a mockup of your room to see what works.
There have been several times when, after creating a mockup with real products, I realized I needed to adjust my entire design framework to achieve the desired effect.
6. Plan Your Rooms
Start sketching out each room. Draw the furniture layout and add the key design and decorative elements to your plan.
Think about:
- What furniture do you already have and want to keep? (Make sure its color and style won’t clash with your new design.)
- What key items will you need to buy?
- Where should the focal point be in each space?
In the end, you should have list of furniture and decorative elements in you hand, that you can take with you while shopping.
Tip: The easiest way to create a furniture plan is to use an existing floor plan of your house or room—or draw one yourself—then cut out the main furniture pieces and elements (like couches, tables, cabinets, and even rugs) from paper, scaled to match your drawing. This way, you can move them around on the plan to see what works best, without having to redraw everything each time.
Examples of focal points:
- A large, sculptural pendant light in the dining room.
- A bold, colorful rug in the living room.
- A statement painting above your bed.
Once you choose the star of the room, let everything else support it—don’t crowd it with too many competing pieces.
For instance, if your living room has a dramatic chandelier, choose a simpler sofa and rug that highlight, rather than distract from it.
You can also reverse the process and start your design from that one “star” piece. For example, a vintage rug with vibrant tones can inspire your entire color scheme, or a serene coastal painting might set the mood for a light, airy living room. Pull textures, shapes, and supporting colors from that item to create a space that feels beautifully unified.
Final Tip: Keep It Interesting
Even neutral spaces should have something that adds interest.
If you’re using subtle colors, add:
Texture: like boucle fabric, linen curtains, or ribbed tiles.
Shape: such as round mirrors or sculptural vases.
Color: for more interesting look, use various shades, tones and tints of the same hue.
If you love bold colors, you can simplify form and texture to let the colors shine.
The best interiors balance all three: color, texture, and form.
Summary:
- Define how you want your home to feel
- Gather inspiration from real spaces & online platforms
- Create a moodboard to spot common themes
- Choose your materials, colors, and forms
- Make a visual guide to keep your concept clear
- Plan your layout and pick one focal point per room
- Keep it interesting—use texture, color, or shape
- Shop with your style framework in hand
Designing your home doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start small, trust your instincts, and enjoy the process of creating a space that truly feels like you.
