How to Infuse Personality Into Your Home
Does your home feel like “you”? This is a great question to regularly ask yourself in order to establish whether your home shows your personality, and ultimately if it feels like you but in a spatial capacity. Almost every client I have spoken to over the last almost 20 years has expressed concerns over whether their home has personality or not. It’s therefore been a popular request from clients!
Determining whether your home has personality is very subjective, and personal to each of us. This can then become even more complicated if you add in a spouse or kids, who’s personality should shine then?
It’s important to remember that a home with personality doesn’t necessarily mean your exact personality, and it can take many years for a space to really show it too. Your home will evolve over time to suit your tastes and needs, but there are a few aspects to consider if you want to infuse personality into your home.
In this article, I take you through some of the best ways to infuse personality into your home so you can create spaces that reflect you!
What Are Your Favorites?
First, what are your favorites? Favorite colors, patterns, places you’ve traveled to, pieces of furniture, everything! It’s important to get really specific on what you do and don’t like. You can also take a look at some interior design trends and see what does and doesn’t resonate with you.
Do you have an inherited piece of furniture, or piece of artwork from your travels? Often our favorite items have stories behind them and can be a great start in creating spaces with soul. Using items that have personal meaning to you, and integrating them into your space can make you smile every day.
This powder room design was inspired by my client’s love for art deco and muted color. We chose a beautifully soft green paint color for the walls, and made a statement with the mirror.
Consider Your Lifestyle
Since the pandemic of 2020, do you find your family spending more time at home? Perhaps you would rather invite friends and family over to your home to socialize. These sorts of changes in lifestyle can impact how you use your spaces, and indeed how much time you spend at home.
Many homeowners find that once they have completed renovation or redecorating work, they would prefer to spend more time at home.
If this is you, consider adding pieces that will enhance this lifestyle. This could be smaller drinks tables next to accent chairs or a sofa for those Friday night glasses of wine. It could be investing in hotel-quality bed linens for your guests to enjoy when they stay over at weekends.
Changes in lifestyle can influence elements that would be beneficial and align to this, thus infusing an element of your personality into a space.
This family loves to listen to music and take quieter moments in their living room. We designed this open-plan living area to be a continuation of their dining space, full of subtle pattern and deep colors.
Heirlooms and Memories
Don’t be afraid to display your precious heirlooms in plain sight. Some people shy away from displaying heirlooms in their home over fear that they “don’t fit in” with their style. These items will have sentimental meaning and speak to you on an emotional level, and should definitely be included in your space. You will be greeted with happy, warming memories every time you walk in! And it will instantly feel like you.
Aside from heirlooms, a home full of memories can instantly make your spaces feel unique. Consider creating a gallery wall that shows the timeline of your relationship, or the evolution of your family.
Showing your happiest memories will instantly inject personality into your home. But remember, only show items and photographs that you absolutely love!
For this family room design, the client wanted to showcase some of their favorite memories from vacations along with their love for sci-fi.
Personal Interests
A great way to infuse personality into your home is through your hobbies and interests!
You may have space for a mancave, craft room, or library area, but this doesn’t need to be a whole room at all.
Do you love fashion? Incorporate elements of this into your closet or bedroom with a classic dressable mannequin.
Are you a regular knitter or sewer? Add your work to the walls of your home, and create a corner of your living room or family room to keep your supplies.
As a family you may love to travel, surf, or play board games! Make a point of this and create areas that show particular interest. You could decorate bookshelves with decorative accessories that speak about the ocean, or your recent travels. If you love to play board games as a family, have a corner of the family room specifically designed for this!
Creating a gallery wall is the perfect way of infusing personality into a space. This gallery wall we designed is full of photographs from the clients’ favorite places, hobbies, and interests! It fills them with joy every day.
Color and Pattern
And lastly, my personal favorite way of expressing personality in an interior is through color and pattern!
Many homeowners are cautious to use color in their homes, however, this can really set the tone and infuse personality quicker than any of the other ideas shared in this article.
Color doesn’t mean bright pink or green walls – far from it! It’s about leaning into muted colors that can be picked up through a variety of elements. Such as curtains, pillows, blankets, area rugs, and even accent chairs!
If you do want to be bold with color – go for it!
It’s all about selecting colors that evoke a feeling. Do you want your living room to feel playful? Brighter colors will be perfect for this! But to create a calming bedroom you will need to be considering lighter blues and greens to evoke that feeling.
The same principles apply when thinking of using patterns in your spaces too! Start off small if that is more comfortable for you. But always remember to ensure there is a color within the pattern that relates to something else in the room, i.e the rug or a pillow color.
This primary bedroom is small in size, so we chose to lean into lighter shades of color to open it up. The client wanted a retreat away from the other busier area of the home, so choosing a lighter blue helped to do this while adding personality into the space too.