Interior Decorating Styles

You switch on the television and tune into your favorite show, Monster House. On a balmy winter afternoon, a family gives their house keys away to a complete stranger. 5 days and several hours of drilling, building, and more importantly shifting and painting, later, the family reenters the house. This time there are whoops of joy. The family has just been gifted their dream house in a style that reflects them. The show comes to an end. You switch off the TV and sigh in hope, that someday maybe you will have similar luck and someone will decorate your house. But why depend on unrecognized, unrequited dreams? All you need to do is, educate yourself on the various interior decorating styles at your disposal and design away.

Interior decorating involves anything that has to do with the interiors of a house and its furnishings. If you plan to revamp the decor of your house, you need to keep in mind several attributes that contributes to the design, like the layout, furnitures, color and the theme.

Types of Interior Decoration Styles

"It's a good thing that when God created the rainbow he didn't consult a decorator or he would still be picking colors." - Sam Levenson

While a professional interior decorator will manage to give your house the much needed pizazz, he will also manage to burn a not very needed hole in your wallet. Different interior decorating styles can be understood by just anyone. All you need to do is, use that locked up imagination and infuse your personal flavor. There are several modern interior designing ideas that you could use. The following types of interior decoration styles would probably give you the much needed push to dive headlong into the colorful world of interior decoration.

Art Deco Style: A style that peaked its popularity in the 1920s and 30s, it is characterized by the minimalist colors and structures that it uses. Black and white are the most used colors which are accentuated by the use of steel, aluminum, chrome, glass, mirrors and white marble. Sleek, strong lines are a mainstay of this style of interior decorating.

Asian Aura: With cultures that are probably as old as the planet itself, it is no wonder that interior decoration inspired by Asia have become hugely popular. The Asian style of decoration is embodied by simple furnishings and uncluttered areas. The furniture is also Asia inspired. You could use a lot of bamboo in order to give it an aura of ethnicity. Know more on Asian home decor.

Contemporary Decorations: For a long time, contemporary decoration was considered to be a very cold style of decorating. It borrowed its foundation from the Art Deco style and added to it a dash of comfort. It was then that the popularity of this style soared. The style is defined by subtlety, simplicity and geometric shapes. The colors that are associated with this style are black, white and neutrals. The floor should ideally be either wooden or tiled. You could always scour flea markets and furniture shops for contemporary living room furniture.

County Style: Also known as the English County style, this interior designing style is all about comfort and functionality. It emphasizes on a balance with nature and is perfect for cottage type houses with gardens. Cottage style decorating works well in towns and villages than cities. This style uses a lot of warm colors, to give an innate coziness to the house. Wallpapers with floral patterns can be an excellent addition to a house styled in the country style.

Mediterranean Flavor: A combination of interior decorating styles from Italy, Greece, Spain, Turkey and Northern Africa, the theme depends heavily on the colors, white and blue. The Mediterranean theme works best if you have a house that is ocean/sea-facing. White plastered walls and brick tiled floors along with simple yet complex wrought iron furnishings create an atmosphere that transports you to Greece or Italy.

Moroccan Magic: This style of interior decorating is a culmination of all the different cultures that inspire Morocco, from the Mediterranean to the African. Therefore, you have a plethora of colors, blue and green combined with gold and fiery red. The furniture is generally kept low to the ground. The rooms are lit with candles and traditional lighting. You could also use exotic plants as a part of the decor.

Retro Revisited: Is 'Shiny Disco Balls' your favorite song? Well, then the retro style is probably a perfect fit for your personality. Retro is all about bold colors and funky furnishings. Go crazy with lava lamps, checkered flooring, uniquely designed furniture. It is a mish-mash of several decades, primarily the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Oriental Chic: If your life is all about balancing the positive and the negative, the ying and the yang, then the oriental style would definitely appeal you. Use Feng shui to design the space in your home. It is an ancient Chinese art of decorating, which uses the flow of energy to decide on the perfect arrangement for the house. You could use mats and rugs on the floor, which forms an integral part of oriental culture. The furnishings should be made of black wood.

Traditional Ties: This style of interior decorating is all about keeping it classic. The furnishings are not ostentatious. There is a sense of timelessness that can be attached to this style. There is an understated elegance, thanks to the simplicity of lines and texture. The colors used are normally neutral and pale. The furniture is always placed in pairs and is very well put-together.

Interior Decorating Tips

While everyone fancies themselves to be an interior decorator at some point or the other in their life, it is important to understand the basics of the game

• Interior Decorating is a subjective art. Pay attention to your likes and dislikes so that you can express your unique style.
• While money can buy most things, taste is not for sale. Do not splurge on a piece of furniture that you are going to end up relegating to the garage.
• Try and stick to a particular theme. Mixing eras or styles is not a great idea unless you are aiming for shabby chic.
• Interior decoration is not always about style. It also requires functionality.
• If you have the space, use it. If you are lucky enough to have a good view from your house, then you could probably opt for French windows to draw attention to it.
• If you own an opulent showpiece or an ornate piece of furniture, make sure that it becomes the central point of attraction in the room.

Interior decoration is a craft, that you need to have a feel for. It can be learnt, but try and understand the nuances that form a crucial part of the art. Experiment with various interior decorating styles, but keep an eye out for reactions from your guests. After all you wouldn't want to be known as the owner of the house that looks like a mismanaged Ikea warehouse.