Many of us have a developed design style that we have built up over many years. Whether good or bad it is a part of us that has grown from our childhood home of our parents, our relatives and our friends. We also pick up design choices from television, magazines and homes and buildings that we visit.
In the end what we believe is right is what makes us feel most comfortable.
For instance adult women who still feel the need to paint their bedrooms pink or guys that turn their basements into party rooms with kegerators and high end sound systems that only seem to get use for their children’s 5th birthday party.
The truth is most of us have no real sense of design and we are likely to be sucked into fads like travertine tile or painting single walls in our home orange and telling people it’s an “accent” wall because someone on TV said its a good thing to do.
There is nothing wrong with taking style choices from others but you need a very wide pallet and probably some professional training if you want to create a home that uses design for a purpose.
So since we don’t have that much time to dedicate a good way to find design elements that fit our style, need and most of all our home is to make use of online real estate listings. Whether you are adding an addition to your ranch home or putting in a new grand staircase in your southern estate the chances are that someone else has already done it and they might live right down the street.
Even if you don’t visit a home that is listed you will likely be able to get a lot of good ideas for your home.
Final Note
You should always make your home a place that you feel good in. Never design to other people’s standards or you will never feel good in your house.
On the other hand there is a lot to be said about picking styles that endure over time and understanding that design styles are pushed by people that have a vested interest.
If travertine tile is the rage all of a sudden remember that it doesn’t just show up on shelves in a drop of a hat. It has to be mined and shipped and cut and polished. Things like this take months and years to happen.
Good luck building a house you can call a home and one that functions the best for your needs.