If you have been researching how to design your home’s interior, you probably have come across different interior design styles such as “contemporary,” “modern”, “industrial”, “art deco”, and several others. Have you ever wondered what these terminologies actually mean?
For starters, these terms refer to different interior design styles, with each design having its unique characteristics, flavor, finish, and experience and interior styles.
Once your home has a great interior design, you'll greatly improve its feng shui, livability, and value. This article seeks to decode the meaning of some of these interior design styles and to explain why they are as popular as they are.
Let’s now help you pick the perfect interior design style for your space.
Most Popular Interior Design Styles
Here are 7 of the most popular types of interior design styles for your home.
1. Modern Style
From the onset, it is important to note that “modern” and “contemporary” are two different interior styles. A modern interior design style is defined by clean and simple color schemes, welcoming feel, clean individual elements. There is also heavy use of glass and steel.
Black and white dominate the color palette, with some faded shades blue, red, among other prime colors. This style trended in the early 20th century and happened to make a comeback a century later.
Most décor materials in this style border on simplicity, especially the furnishings. Nothing is overly loud or daring.
Many in the young generation tend to gravitate towards the modern style
2. Contemporary
Contemporary interior design is a type of interior design style which refers to trends that are ruling now- at this very moment.
An interior design style that was “contemporary” in the 2010s is not necessarily contemporary now, but a design that was “modern” back then still remains to be “modern”- always was, always will! In other words, modern design doesn’t change with time, whereas contemporary is more fluid.
The contemporary interior design style is something that can be adjusted to every room in the house. Be that, bedroom, living room or even kitchen. A contemporary kitchen is a mix of new and old that makes it perfect for all members of the family to sit around and chat.
Importantly, choosing contemporary kitchens come in very handy as there are many available and ready to assemble kitchen cabinets that are both contemporary and beautiful.
Here are some key recommendations on how much to spend remodeling your home for maximum returns.
3. Art Moderne
Art Moderne originated from the United States in the early 1930s and trended until the late 1940s. Those days, this interior design style was all about bigger, bolder, and brassier.
Furniture was designed with a swelling curve and other décor items were either pared or stripped down. Designers also refer to this interior design style as the American Modern or Modernist.
Art Moderne is one of the most unique interior design styles for a home.
4. Mid-Century
This interior design style was popular in the wake of the Second World War. Just like was the trend with almost every aspect of life those days, this interior design style emphasized on vivid use of color; from the walls, to the wall arts, to the artifacts. Everything was colorful in this era.
Furniture was defined by crisp lines, and indoor plants were in plenty. It was during this time that people realized that on top of making a home functional, there was a need for enough spaces for social activities within the home. That is why the style leaves tons of shared, common areas all-around a house.
Go for this interior design style if your focus is on strengthening interpersonal bonds- if you are a highly social person. Once the global pandemic is over, there's a good chance the mid-century interior design style will become more popular.
Related: How To Increase The Value Of Your Property
5. Minimalist
This interior design style originated in Australia and is still very popular there. The style emphasizes minimalism in all aspects of interior design, from simple furnishing to neutral color palettes, to functional but not flamboyant accessories. Everything is streamlined, simple, and necessary. No excesses.
The minimalist interior design style was adopted by luminaries such as Steve Jobs and also Larry Ellison. The minimalist interior design shuns clutter.
6. Scandinavian
This interior design style also embodies simplistic yet highly functional spaces. It is also warm and leaves space for personal invitations. What makes it different from minimalist designs is that the style emphasizes affordability and not just necessity.
Most décor items are bare ornaments, rounded furniture, organic and clean detailing, as well as dominantly black and white color palettes. It is also characterized by bare layouts and arrangements. You could call it a blend of minimalism and mid-century styles.
Also, this design is a perfect style for flower and plant lovers. The style blends almost perfectly with any type of plant. Make sure to buy some grow lights for enabling your plants to grow and you will have a perfect decoration mix that creates a unique home environment.
Related: Investing In Property: Main Things To Know Before You Do
7. Shabby Chic Style
This style is characterized by laid-back vibes, airy lighting fixtures, antique-touch furniture, and a vintage-inspired charm. It is inspired by modern designs, but it has some elements of contemporary design.
You can think about the shabby chic interior design style like old Hollywood glamour too. The movie, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood shows good examples.
How To Choose The Right Interior Design Style
To find the right interior design style that fits you, the easiest way is to look at examples online. You can go on Netflix and watch many of the interior design shows as well for inspiration. Of course, you can also hire an interior designer to help you come up with the vision.
Having the perfect interior design style is also key for selling a home for top dollar. This is why it is recommended home sellers stage their homes. If you aren't into interior design, it's hard to visualize how furniture, art, rugs, and more fit into a space. To save money, there are now digital interior designers now for much less.
Great Interior Design Can Make A Big Difference
Design styles are abundant and unique. It is up to you to find the style that will work best for you. There is also the option of combining elements of several styles in order to get that personal touch. Before commencing with your interior design plans, be sure to research deeper about each of the styles and how different they are from one another.
If you really want to add value to your home, then start focusing on expansion. The more livable square footage you can increase to your home, the more valuable it gets.
Once you've made your home's living area as large as possible, then you can focus on great interior design.
Real Estate Investing Suggestions
If you want to start making money regularly from real estate, then you should invest in rental properties. With interest rates way down, the value of rental income has gone way up. It takes a lot more capital to generate the same amount of risk-adjusted income.
If you're interested in a hands off approach to real estate investing, consider investing in a publicly traded REIT or in real estate crowdfunding.
Once I had my son in 2017, I decided to sell my PITA rental house and reinvest $550,000 of the proceeds into real estate crowdfunding. My favorite two real estate crowdfunding platforms are:
Fundrise: A way for accredited and non-accredited investors to diversify into real estate through private eFunds. Fundrise has been around since 2012 and has consistently generated steady returns, no matter what the stock market is doing.
CrowdStreet: A way for accredited investors to invest in individual real estate opportunities mostly in 18-hour cities. 18-hour cities are secondary cities with lower valuations, higher rental yields, and potentially higher growth due to job growth and demographic trends.
Both platforms are free to sign up and explore.