1. First, buy some magazines and spend time going through them. Highlight the pages of rooms you like best, or rip them out. Once you go through several home or decorating magazines, you will notice that you may lean toward a certain look or feel. For example, you might love rooms with rich, plush rugs and dark colors, or maybe you like clean lines and bright colors or pastels. You may think both look great, but what do you find yourself constantly leaning toward?
2. What colors do you favor? Color is a big part of finding your personal home décor style. For example, if you choose a Tuscan style for your home décor, you would use colors like rich yellows, greens, purples, etc. Natural colors, vineyard colors. Whereas, if you were to choose a beach décor style, you might use blues, whites, and tans. Are you a dark color person or a light color person? Some people can't fathom having black furniture, while others may scoff at the idea of light colored furniture. Which do you typically group yourself in?
3. Next, do some tours of model homes or furniture show rooms. A model home is a great place to get inspiration for your home décor style because it is unfettered. It does not have things cluttering the shelves or filling the drawers, so you can just get a sense of the furniture and decoration. A furniture show room offers a lot of the same benefits. For example, you might find that while you like the look of sleek lines, you prefer the feel of a big overstuffed couch. So, you then have to decide which matters most to you, the look or the comfort. Or, find a way to achieve both.
4. Eliminate any décor styles that don't suit you. Sometimes deciding between the ones that you like is difficult, especially if you have a tight budget and aren't sure which will work best for that price range. However, to help simplify the process, eliminate anything you can't do, or don't like. If you narrow down your choices you can then pinpoint what it is you like about specific décor styles, and then come up with how to get everything you love. For example, you might love the sleek look and clean lines of a modern contemporary room, but want the comfort and livability of a room done in a different style.
5. Experiment. You may think you love a look, but once it is said and done you are less than impressed with your ability to execute it, or how it looks on your home. So, keep your receipts and don't be afraid to return a lamp that doesn't work, or a chair that just doesn't quite fit.