Know yourself and know your style
Jana Erwin’s own home is a little bohemian, full of art and treasures that represent her love of travel.
The Houston interior designer will tell you that your own home should never look like hers because it’s supposed to represent who you are.
Erwin, principal at Nest Design Group, talked about “Finding Your Unique Style” at a recent Access Design event co-hosted by the Houston Chronicle and Houston Design Center.
Here are eight tips from Erwin to get you thinking about what you like and how to work those things into your home.
1. Know your style. Get to the root of what you want and who you really are, and be honest about it. As you look through Pinterest or Instagram or flip through pages of shelter magazines, what products or room pictures do you keep returning to? If it’s the same thing over and over, embrace it and put it in your home.
2. Evaluate your surroundings. Look around your home — or even a single room — and make a list of the things you
If you like something, find a way to make it work in your home.
Jane Erwin, interior designer
don’t want or need. Give those things away or determine what you could do to make it something you enjoy again. If it’s a tired piece of furniture, paint it or reupholster it.
3. Avoid convention. If you like something, find a way to make it work in your home. If you love a horizontal abstract painting but need a vertical, hang it vertically. It’s probably just as beautiful that way. (Likewise, don’t be afraid to hang it upside down.)
4. Learn from others. When you’re away from home, how do other places make you feel? Whether it’s a restaurant’s décor, a museum’s artwork or even a friend’s home, you can figure out your own style by being aware of how various environments make you feel.
5. Add texture, too. Home design isn’t just about furniture and color, it’s about texture, too. Sometimes, texture can help make a room more interesting if it’s heavy on neutral colors.
6. Incorporate memories: Bringing home items from travel or other experiences can help you capture the energy of that moment. Just seeing them in your home can transport you to a happy place. On the flip side, though, if furnishings or home accessories remind you of a bad time in your life, get rid of it. No one needs those reminders around.
7. Frame art. Framing can be expensive, but it’s worth it. Erwin always frames to suit the piece of art, not its surroundings. By letting the art dictate the frame, that also means you can move it around if you buy new pieces or if you get tired of looking at it and want to rotate something else in.
8. Decorate with plants. Faux flowers and foliage look better than ever, but Erwin sticks to fresh if at all possible.