Does your house make you genuinely happy? Do you walk in and feel instantly at ease and calm in your own space (or as calm as current home schooling and working from home situations allow anyway). If not, there’s a strong chance it’s because your home just doesn’t reflect you and your unique interiors “style personality”, and that can be jarring whether you’re conscious of this disconnect or not. It’s why we respond so strongly when we’re in a space that’s been professionally designed to create a certain feeling – a spa, or luxury hotel for example – and it’s a tangible emotion that’s achievable in our own homes, once we understand our true style personality.
Understanding your true style personality is the key to unlocking interiors that genuinely enrich your life – it’s no overstatement to say that home really has become everything to all of us, these past 12 months more than ever, and that’s something we’ll carry forward long after the pandemic. It might be that you’ve lived with a home that’s not quite “you” for so long, that you can’t even put your finger on why it’s not working for you. You just know it doesn’t feel right. And even when you try to make changes…
…you can’t settle on a look, too much choice
…much less make decisions about specific items or paint colours
…you pin random images in a myriad of styles to your Pinterest boards
…and in the end you get decision fatigue and just pick one, hoping it’ll all come together!
But you wouldn’t approach an important professional task this way, you’d have a plan, a strategy to minimise risk and maximise success. We think decorating your home should be treated with a similar level of importance. Given how much time we spend in our homes, we need them to be an environment that supports and enables our lives.
Our approach to identifying your style personality starts on the most basic level with colour. It’s such a big part of our lives. We are surrounded by colour all the time and it affects us on an emotional, mental and physical level – more than most people realise. Brands have long communicated using a colour language that’s been acknowledged in the advertising world for decades; calming blues to evoke tranquility, greens to denote the natural world or signal eco credentials, warm amber tones used in sun lotion packaging to make you feel the heat of the sun on your skin, a shade of rose pink in perfume ad that reminds you of a summer garden you can almost smell.
This universal language of colour is understood by everyone, however what’s not so well known is how colour can actually affect us all differently. A bright red room would be energising to some people, but for others it induces feelings of agitation and unrest. Our reactions to colour are as unique as we are, and it can be hard to identify which colours to use in your home to make it a place you love spending time. We all know which colours we instinctively “like”, but choosing these doesn’t automatically translate to successful interiors.
The power of colour has been debated by many notable thinkers over the centuries, including Aristotle, Galen & Newton, and in the 1970’s, the psychologist Angela Wright added her own research to produce her colour psychology theory, which still heavily influences the interiors world today.
The Wright theory says that every shade and tone of colour can be put into one of four colour groups and that within each of these groups the colours will harmonise perfectly. The theory goes further though and (based on the work of Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist) suggests that people can be divided into four main personality types which correspond to the four colour groups. These four styles and personality types are perfectly illustrated in the beautiful colour combinations of the four seasons of the year. Nature is one step ahead of us.
Spring colours are light, bright and clear, whilst the spring personality is optimistic, sociable and creative.
Summer colours are more muted, like sun faded tones of pale pink and sage green. The summer personality is elegant, aspirational and organized.
Autumn colours are warm and earthy and the autumn personality is outgoing and caring.
Winter colours are strong and bright & include the primary colours. The winter personality is equally vibrant, with a strong presence and lots of confidence.
As a designer I am fascinated by colour and its impact on our lives. Many people are a blend of colour/personality types, and usually not the ones they first assume they would be either. My starting point when I work with a new client is to help them identify their style personality before even looking at their room design wishlist. If you get that right, everything else will fall into place and you’ll end up with an interior that truly resonates as uniquely “yours”. If you’re going to invest in your home, as many people are in these times when travel and going out are not an option (in fact, UK homeowners have spent an average of £4,036 each on home improvements during lockdown!), you need to make sure you get it right first time – particularly when it comes to the biggest expenses like wall or floor coverings, or large furniture items. You need a scheme that will grow with you and make you happy for years to come, not look outdated when the next interiors trend comes along.
Bedroom transformation before & after
This project updated the client’s bedroom space by mixing existing furniture, with a fresh wall paint colour, new window dressing, and several key new pieces adding interest and texture. A total overhaul achieved for a minimal budget.
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss how we can help transform your home
Georgie
