Finding Your Furniture Style: A Visual Journey

Often, we can’t squeeze ourselves into just one style box–at least, I know I can’t! My home decor style is a modern boho farmhouse mashup. Your style is likely a combination of various aesthetics, which is why many people create mood boards that will help guide you on your home decorating journey. We've talked to Spoken users who do this in different ways—like with a home design Pinterest board, a Figma vision board, or a physical board to pin photos to.

I’ve spent the past few weeks researching twenty-four top furniture styles to share with you, and this is the best advice I can give so far: finding your style is a visual process, especially since your dream decor is likely comprised of many styles & it's how they look that draws you to them, not just the words that describe them.

When decorating your home, your furniture style choices significantly affect your space's overall look and feel. Finding the right furniture style can be daunting, especially when you realize the many options available. But expressing your personality and creating a home you love is also an exciting and special process.

In this article, we'll explore how to consider your lifestyle, personality, and existing décor, as well as how to get inspired by magazines, websites, and furniture stores. We'll also provide tips for experimenting with different arrangements and accessorizing with personal touches that make it feel like home. You can find inspiration from other sources while staying true to your lifestyle and choosing what works best for you. Your goal may be to recreate a magazine photo, or it may be to design a room around a favorite color, piece of art, or heirloom furniture item.

You can find inspiration from other sources while staying true to your lifestyle and choosing what works best for you. Your goal may be to recreate a magazine photo or design a room around a favorite color, piece of art, or heirloom furniture item. By the end of this article, we hope you'll have a better idea of how to use your imagination and visual experiences to take your home design to the next level.

1: Consider Your Lifestyle

Your lifestyle plays a significant role in determining your furniture style. How much space do you have? Do you have children or pets? Do you work from home or enjoy entertaining? You'll need durable and easy-to-clean furniture if you have a busy household with kids and pets. If you entertain often, you'll want comfortable and stylish furniture.

Also, consider your budget. That way, you can browse within your price range. Ideally, you want to feel encouraged by the options available rather than discouraged by what you may not be able to buy yet.

I will walk through this process with you here, so here are five valuable considerations for me when prioritizing decorating decisions. I also chose some photos to illustrate my lifestyle design values. These are super helpful when putting together a mood board.

My house is pretty small, a little over 1000 square feet. I love styles that incorporate lots of natural light and peaceful colors. I have three kids, so we have a lot of books, papers, craft supplies, etc., that are best hidden, so some of my favorite furniture purchases have been storage cabinets and bookcases. Per his request, we even gave our 6-year-old a lift-top storage coffee table for his Legos for Christmas last year. And, of course, pet-friendly fabrics are a must. We purchased a new couch in March, and making sure my cats couldn't claw it up quickly was a top priority.

So, jot down a few thoughts you want to consider when searching for your style. It might make it easier to narrow down the choices. For example, minimalist styles are great for those who want to cut down on clutter, and some of the styles that incorporate relaxing colors like blue are contemporary, modern farmhouse, and coastal interior design.

2: Think About Your Personality

Your personality also impacts your style, from fashion to furniture preferences. Various elements of personality can influence your style decisions, including (but certainly not limited to) your unique personality traits. Even just considering the popular Myers-Briggs or similar 16Personalities test, you can learn more about yourself and how that influences what you find beautiful:

Are you introverted (I) or extroverted (E)?

Introverts often appreciate traditional and cozy furniture: comfy armchairs, furniture with rounded edges, reading nooks, mood lighting, and classic styles are all attractive to introverts.

Extraverts find ways to incorporate extra seating because they mean it when they say, "The more the merrier!" Furniture arrangements that allow for groups to gather and statement furniture items that facilitate conversation are popular for extroverts who want to make a statement and give their guests something to talk about! Art Deco is an excellent statement-making style!

Are you sensing (S) or intuitive (I)?

Sensors prefer well-made furniture with a classic appeal. They will likely stick with more tried-and-true traditional furniture styles, such as Traditional or Transitional. Craftsman styles, such as Mission, Shaker, and Arts and Crafts are other sturdy, classic furniture types for the sensors among us.

Intuitives are drawn to modern, abstract, and unique furniture styles. They appreciate furniture with a story, including design history, artisanal sourcing, or family history. They are also comfortable blending different styles to create a living space that feels authentic to them.

Are you thinking (T) or feeling (F)?

Thinkers prefer clean lines and uncluttered spaces. Minimalist aesthetics, mid-century modern, and modern furniture styles are all characterized by their clean lines and focus on durability and practicality. These are the qualities that thinkers value most.

Feelers choose furniture that evokes positive emotions or memories; an example could be decorating with furniture or other decor passed down from a parent or grandparent. In my case, it looks like saving furniture and other items even when they don't necessarily fit your style because of their sentimental value. I still have a toy box my kids don't often use and the mirror I had in my bedroom in high school. I love pieces that bring back sweet memories and make spaces feel welcoming to create new ones.

Are you judging (J) or perceiving (P)?

Judgers prefer symmetrical, balanced spaces with plenty of shelving and organizers. They also tend to stick to a cohesive design throughout the space, so a matching bedroom or living room set would be ideal for someone who appreciates these qualities.

Perceivers appreciate flexible arrangements, like movable or modular furniture. Combining different styles and eras can create an interesting and laid-back environment for people who appreciate that more than cohesive or balanced design.

A few more personality considerations

Each of these aspects of your personality can (and likely will) change throughout your life, but identifying them can help you pinpoint your design priorities at the moment. You can always revisit, but it's okay to create a space that the current version of you will love. You can always make changes as needed.

If you aren't sure which category you fall into, take the quiz and use this infographic to help you discover your ideal furniture styles. You can even save little snippets of the graphic to add to your design vision board.

3: Look at Your Existing Décor

Your existing décor can also help you narrow down your furniture style choices. In another article we recently wrote, we discussed 24 different furniture styles. You can scroll through the descriptions and visual imagery to see which ones most align with your current decor—or which ones you'd like to incorporate more!

Ask yourself: Do you like the current look? Is it too traditional, or do you wish it were more eclectic? Write down what you like about your current design and what you would like to do differently. And remember, it's okay to choose multiple styles that mesh well together.

When you look around, you want to feel inspired. Maybe you can Marie Kondo this part a bit—what looks inspiring? And, if it isn't inspiring, how can you let it go? What can you replace it with?

If you are finding your own home utterly uninspiring right now, appreciate the beauty in every friend or family member's house, coffee shop, or other space you happen to love. Take pictures of what you love and save them in a folder on your phone or computer. Anything that makes you stop and say, "Wow, this is cute!" or "I love your (insert room name here)!" should be photographed and saved for inspiration. You can ask first, do it discreetly, or do whatever you need to save that inspiration.

4: Get Inspired by Magazines and Websites

If you need help discovering inspiration, so many magazines and websites feature beautiful furniture like it's their job—because it is. We always find inspiration from beautiful magazines, blogs, and Instagram pages. Furniture stores, design blogs, and talented content creators create inspiring articles, videos, and other content daily that can be a valuable source of inspiration for your style journey.

Some favorite interior design magazines are Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, and Dwell.

Websites we frequent for design inspiration and advice include The Spruce, Apartment Therapy, Article, and Pinterest.

And, of course, you can find lots of inspiration from your favorite stores. If you find a store you love on Spoken, check that store's website for product inspiration, blog articles, or style guides. Since decorating your home is a highly visual experience, looking to beautiful resources for inspiration is always a good idea, whether in the discovery or shopping phase.

5: Make a Style Value List

This is the turning point in your furniture style journey. This step will help you stay true to what you've discovered about yourself through this process. You've considered your lifestyle, personality, what looks pretty to you, what you want to avoid, and you've found some inspiration from other sources!

Create a list with photos you can bring when you're shopping, refer to when browsing online, or use as a guide when deciding what to keep or change in your current space. It's a note to yourself, so make it as formal or informal—encouraging or bossy—as you'd like.

Your list may include thoughts such as:

• I want to add more color - don't you dare buy anything else cream-colored!
• Focus on soft, cushioned seating...make sure it's comfortable first.
• I value sustainable and natural materials; if that isn't available, I would prefer to purchase secondhand.
• Less minimalist styles, more maximalist. Look for pops of color!
• Make sure this piece can last longer than the last one—even if it costs a little more, it's worth it to me this time.

Add as many values here as you'd like, but keep it simple enough to use as a quick guideline.

6: Visit Furniture Stores

Once you have a few ideas in mind, it's time to start visiting furniture stores. We recently polled our Instagram users and learned that 95% of those who responded would rather shop for a couch in person. Seeing different styles of furniture IRL and getting a feel for what you like is helpful because a piece of furniture's size, comfort, fabric, and color are very important details.

Take photos of what you love, ask the sales staff any questions, and STAY STRONG so you don't buy until you're ready. Refer back to your lifestyle and personality preferences while narrowing down the choices. Remember what you found inspiring in your home (and what you didn't!) so you can bring more inspiring furniture and decor items in.

Resist the urge to play it safe if you want to find something more interesting, but stay true to the styles you've found to resonate most with you. If you stay aligned with your style values (see step 5), you'll be far more likely to be happy with the results once you bring your pieces together.

7: Experiment with Different Arrangements

Once you've chosen your furniture, it's time to arrange it in your home. This is how the masterpiece of your living room, dining room, bedroom, or whatever-room really comes together.

Don't be afraid to experiment with different arrangements until you find one you love. If you know your preferred furniture styles, you can use this as a reference for finding layouts that you may love—even if you haven't tried them before!

• Modern or Minimalist Style - Open & Airy Furniture Arrangement
• Bohemian or Eclectic Style - Cozy & Layered Furniture Arrangement
• Traditional or Formal Style - Symmetrical & Structured Furniture Arrangement
• Scandinavian or Modern Style - Multi-Functional Furniture Arrangement
• Contemporary or Maximalist Style - Bold & Asymmetrical Furniture Arrangement
• Rustic or Farmhouse Style - Organic & Nature-Inspired Furniture Arrangement
• Transitional or Industrial Style - Fluid & Flexible Furniture Arrangement

You can also change up your furniture arrangement seasonally to keep things fresh.

8: Accessorize with Personal Touches

As I've researched the most popular furniture and decor styles (and why people love them), I've realized that accessories often complete a look or make it fit into a particular category. Even if you don't want to replace all the furniture in your room, you can usually find a rug that will help you create a Southwest aesthetic, mid-century modern mood, or whimsical bohemian ambiance.

The same goes for accessories such as pillows, throws, and artwork. Adding these items can be a quick win for your home's design, making your furniture and home feel like an accurate reflection of your personality. Your favorite colors, heirloom furniture, or art collection can add the perfect touch of character to your almost-finished room.

Sure, the tables, chairs, sofas, beds, and cabinets you choose impact the style, but the artwork, rugs, faux plants, and other decorative items you choose also speak to your unique personality and preferences. You can use these items to tie the space together, a wonderful expression of yourself and the styles that best represent everything you love.

We hope that the visual journey of discovering your favorite interior design styles and bringing them to life in your home can bring you more joy, less frustration, and—of course—more savings when you find the best deals on your favorites from Spoken.

Happy discovering & decorating. Share your style journey with us! Take photos of the pieces you find and tag us on Instagram, so we can share your style as inspiration for others, too!