3 Steps to Make Any Decor Style Functional
The truth? Magazines and social media like Pinterest and Instagram often make it impossible to imagine how your favorite interior decor style could function in your home. They often compromise on showing storage and emphasizing comfort in order to highlight the more aesthetic qualities of their spaces.
But let's be fair, their job is to draw our attention and to highlight the beauty in a space in order to convince us viewers that their products are something we'd love to own... And the truth is, we are more attracted to the images they show us because they are different from what we see in our every day lives.
So, instead of telling you that we should just shun all interior decor related social media (because we all know that's not happening), I am going to give you three steps to make any decor style functional. Just because it's not something that is emphasized regularly, doesn't mean it's impossible!
1. IDENTIFY WHAT ELEMENTS INSPIRE YOU
Honestly... we are often the ones to blame for taking social media so literally. Myself included. We're shown something we like and for some reason we try to implement that into our lives without first molding it to our own personal needs & desires. It's like we forget that our lives are not highlight reels.
My tip to you would be to remember that inspiration should be seen as the foundation for what we seek to incorporate into our homes but should not be seen as the end goal.
So lets say you come across this inspiration on Pinterest that you absolutely love...
Your job now is to take note of all of the elements that attract you to this image...
- The Organic Modern Aesthetic
- Soft curves
- Warm toned wood
- Earthy tones
2. IDENTIFY THE FUNCTIONS YOUR SPACE MUST SERVE
Now that you know the elements that you'd like to include in your space, the most important thing you can do is to remember the functional purposes that the space needs to serve. Literally make a list of all the things you need your space to have in order for it to work for you... (We'll stick to the bedroom for now)
For example, I know that in my bedroom I need:
- closed storage for folded clothing
- some type of chair or bench that can accumulate random items throughout the day/week (the sad truth)
- a full length mirror to use when getting dressed
- side tables with some sort of storage (because I hate having visual clutter)
Once you've catalogued all of the roles that your space plays for you, you're ready to make decisions that will serve you both functionally and aesthetically.
3. MESHING FORM & FUNCTION
Nows the time to decide what elements you will take from your inspiration to couple with the functions you listed above. This may seem daunting because as we admitted earlier, we're used to looking at inspiration and finding ways to incorporate it into our homes without ever considering our personal needs... But, I promise you it isn't as hard as it may seem & in the long run, the extra work will definitely pay off.
All you have to do is take your list of functions (from step 2) and beside each function you may write which elements (from step 1) you would like that specific piece to have. Then, based on those new "standards" or "requirements", you may purchase a piece that fits your inspiration but also fits your lifestyle.
Something like this:
The fluted walnut side table with storage above, is very different from the side tables in the initial inspiration, but it still fits with the overall aesthetic and will also fit your needs.
If you commit to using these three steps when trying to incorporate new inspiration into your home, you'll never have to compromise function for the the sake of aesthetics.