Firstly, you need to familiarise yourself with different interior design styles. Some of the most popular interior design styles in the UK are Modern, Eclectic, Minimalist, Vintage, Scandinavian and Bohemian.
Interior design styles
Modern
Clean, crisp lines, featuring a simple colour palette and materials such as glass and metals.
Image credit: ©danwoodhouse
Eclectic
Includes a variety of periods and styles, alongside a mixture of fabrics, patterns and art items.
Image credit: ©mydomaine
Minimalist
Most commonly associated with simplicity, neutral colour palettes and clean lines. Decoration and ornaments are kept at a bare minimum, ensuring the home is clutter-free.
Image credit: ©decorilla
Vintage
Old fashioned and elegant design style, using old or aged furniture using materials such as wood, stone and natural fabrics. A vintage style interior should look like it was designed many decades ago.
Image credit: ©homesthetics
Scandinavian
Beautiful, simple and functional design style inspired by Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark). You will see a lot of white walls and natural light in Scandinavian style homes. Walls are often bare, and a less is more approach is taken.
Image credit: ©interiordesignideas
Bohemian
Full of visual interest, with a variety of bright patterned, multi-cultural elements. Bohemian styles are defined by lack of structure and there are no real rules to follow, unlike a modern or minimalist style.
Image credit: ©viraldecorations
Create a bank of inspiration
Before you start your interior design project, you need some sort of inspiration. Creating a scrapbook or a collection of images and products that you like is a good way to start, you can find images in interior design magazines or online. By doing this, you should be able to identify which styles you are drawn to the most. It’s also a good idea to follow your favourite interior design accounts on Instagram for inspiration. Follow Custom Build Homes on Instagram for regular interior inspiration.
Another great tool is the ‘Find a Pro’ feature on Houzz which allows you to identify interior designers local to you. You can also save your favourite images into an ‘Ideabook’. This will help you build up a bank of inspiration.
Once you have your bank of inspiration you should have a good idea of your favourite styles and colours that you’d like to incorporate into your home.
Resources for inspiration
Custom Build Homes Instagram
Custom Build Homes Pinterest
Image credits: collardtowers, northumerland_family_home, theharper_home, myhomestyle_at_no.45, twopigsonehouse, septemberstyling, london_country_build, thewalfordhome, thelittleyellownest, oaktreelodge2020