Interior Design Styles: 10 Inspiring Looks for Your Interior Design Ideas
When looking to customize the look of your home by venturing into the world of interior design, there can be an overwhelming quantity of options and looks to choose from. With beautifully designed spaces, each representing completely different styles and tastes, it can be hard to know where to start with your own process and to have a vision of how to achieve the look you are going for. This post will outline some interior design styles and ideas that you can use as inspiration in your home design process.
1. Midcentury Modern
Originally an American style that began in the 20th century, midcentury modern design grew out of the German Bauhaus movement and is notable in its minimalist themes, combinations of natural and manmade materials, emphasis on the intersection of indoor and outdoor motifs, and natural color palettes with bright color accents. Perfect for city our country living, mid-century modern works best in larger spaces with lots of windows and natural light that you can integrate creatively. You’ll often find bold, statement pieces like a rounded dining room table or curved wood chairs, surrounded by sleek wood and metal furniture and modern art motifs. Some of design history’s most seminal figures came out of this movement, including Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller, and Isamu Noguchi.
Credit: @bespokeonly
2. Monochromatic Eclectic
The beauty of a monochromatic eclectic style is that you can eliminate some of the challenges of coordinating complex color schemes and patterns within a space. This design style is based on developing a theme of simplicity and harmony through an effortless palette. To achieve the look, pick a color you love and can immerse yourself in and then select a lighter and darker variation of the same color to establish a starter palette. From there, you can incorporate pieces that are shades and tints of that same color, uniting everything in the room. Painted walls or bookshelves and strong uses of textiles make this style a success; incorporate throws, pillows, rugs, plush chairs, and more. And, for the ‘eclectic’ part, add pops of darkness or brightness to create contrast and variety in your color scheme. This look truly fits any type of home and can have the power to make a small space look even larger by keeping it simple through light and neutral palettes.
Credit: @colinking
3. Transitional Comfort
If you have a hard time choosing between ‘modern’ and ‘traditional’ looks, this style might be your calling. Mixing contemporary and classic and bringing an update to more traditional looks, transitional comfort prioritizes clean lines and modern sleekness while ensuring plushy, homey, comforting atmospheres. This style allows you to achieve a feeling of luxury without sacrificing comfort. Achieve a successful look through neutral color palettes, soft fabric furniture, and blankets, emphasizing natural fibers like cotton and linen. Keep a balance of masculine and feminine touches to hold onto the traditional element of the style. This look works well in larger homes with more classic architecture and spaces with trim, molding, or fireplaces.
Credit: @amberinteriors
4. Modern Eclectic
For the true maximalists among us, this style features a range of elements from different design styles that work together to create a cohesive look, despite their differences. Furnishings may include vibrant and boho pieces juxtaposed with traditional and modern structures. Unlike many other styles, modern eclectic décor spans time. It opens the opportunity to place a Victorian light feature on a midcentury modern end table next to a hand-knit blanket. When done right, this style features a mixture of prints, patterns, and textures employing different shapes and compositions that intersect minimalist and vintage designs. Because it can be a busier style, Modern Eclectic does best in larger spaces with bright light and tall ceilings.
Credit: @ruevintage74.
5. Modern Contemporary
Modern Contemporary allows you to stay loyal to your modernism taste while incorporating other styles and motifs that are currently popular. Typically sleek in its overall look, this style is grounded in neutral color schemes, black and white, and plain colored walls with the occasional bright accent. Floors play a significant role in this look and are traditionally clean, wood, and smooth. Defined by clean lines, spacious, uncluttered rooms, natural light, splashes of trendy textures or colors, this style can suit any space from a loft to an office room or open-plan home.
Credit: @immoniquegibson, @pierre.yovanovitch @ateliersjouffre and Marin Kloppmann.
6. Moody Glam
Brightness, lightness, and neutral colors are prevalent in so many styles. But you have your chance to use dark, bold, deep colors when you choose a Moody Glam style. To pull off this look, you’ll incorporate dark tones with modern-shaped, sleek furniture accented with splashes of gold and glamor that reference art-deco forms. Simplicity is critical when working with a dark color palette. Still, the materials offer room for play, and you’ll typically find velvets, leathers, painted walls, paneling, and furniture that matches the walls. To bring in the glam, incorporate mirrors, lamps, and accents of metal or glass furnishings. This style works well when trying to achieve a cozy feel and suits a study, reading nook, or dining area.
Credit: scenariohome.com
7. Rustic Farmhouse
Uniting elements from the outdoors and indoors, a Rustic Farmhouse style gives a space a hand-made feel by referencing log cabins and country living. Inspired by the lifestyle of
US homesteaders in the early 1800s, this style is focused on creating warm, inviting spaces full of earthy colors, fur, wood, clay, animal print, plants, candles, stone, and more. Naturally suited to an outdoorsy and country home, this style plays off its natural surroundings.
8. Boho Eclectic
Boho Eclectic gets its name from the word ‘bohemian,’ which means free-spirited and unconventional, giving this style loose parameters and flexibility for the imagination. Well suited for a country or beachy home, this style contains maximalist themes with tons of decoration, playful colors, and an emphasis on textures, patterns, and comfort. You will often find the use of weaving and wicker, as well as mismatched color palettes, worldly references, and greenery that makes the space unique and personalized.
Credit: @marzena.marideko
9. Minimalist
Minimalism is more than just a design theme; it is also a mindset and lifestyle focused on doing more with less and detaching ourselves from our material dependencies. The visual design mirrors these ideas with an emphasis on simplicity, clean lines, and basic shapes, turning the focus to the architecture of the room. You’ll find monochrome colors, sparse decorations, open spaces, and the use of bare essentials where everything serves a purpose. This style is perfect for accentuating spaces of all types, small or large, city or country.
Credit: @lockecici
10. Industrial
In contrast to a rustic farmhouse look, using an industrial style provides an authentic urban feel by incorporating elements from factory and warehouse settings within a minimalist design. This style is excellent for taking advantage of upcycling opportunities, DIY, and utilitarian appliances and often incorporates visible pipework, vintage metal railings, leftover industrial columns, steel framework, sleek metal gates, and more. To achieve this look successfully, aim for an open floor plan in a larger city apartment or loft that features neutral and dark colors, modern architecture, and dark furniture.
Credit: @jeffreydungan | @bethwebb | Photos: @@wabranowicz
Working with us makes it easy to bring your interior design ideas to life
When you need help with your home interior design, make the process convenient with our virtual interior design services. Willem Hendrik will become your online designer to give you advice and guidance to achieve the design look you love. After you submit images of your space and all the accompanying measurements, we will create a floor-plan, mood-board, 3D renderings and curated shopping list from our over 32 trade vendors. When applicable we’ll even pass our trade discount to you, for additional savings! Start your virtual interior design project today!
