7 Home Design Aesthetics: Find Your Style

When designing your dream home, it is important to reach an understanding with your builder, but also within yourself, about your design vision. Every family has its own design language, with colors, shapes, textures, and accents that speak to them. 

Whether you gravitate toward more modern home interiors or traditional interior design, finding your “voice” in the aesthetics of your home is an important first step to creating the custom designs that will help you feel most at home.

If you are still exploring your design tastes, peruse some of these styles and see whether any of them speak to you!

We've provided examples of our unique spins on these design aesthetics to get you inspired:

1. Deep, Saturated Interior Colors

Colors have a tangible emotional impact on people. And perhaps this explains why, after more than a year of spending a lot of time at home, an increasing number of people are choosing dramatic, saturated colors for at least some of the rooms in their homes—and we do not just mean accent colors.

Yes, even black interior house walls (or at least deep, dark gray) have some people going toward the dark side for some surprisingly satisfying living room and bedroom décor. And while blue has always had its fans, the navy blue living room color scheme with accents of red, gold, and royal blue décor is gaining traction too, if the 2022 Pantone color forecast is anything to go by. Many designers are also gravitating toward deeper greens with leaf and flower designs dominating entire walls to bring nature closer to home.

2. Minimalist Interior Design

In an abrupt departure from the deeply saturated to the “less is more” aesthetic, let’s take a look at the minimalist style of interior design. If you are allergic to clutter and find yourself drawn to clean lines, echoes of nature and a neutral or light, monochromatic color scheme that speaks Zen to your soul, minimalism is your thing.

The great thing about minimalist design is that its simplicity lends itself to a certain sort of timelessness that other interior design styles may not enjoy, as trends go in and out from year to year. In fact, focusing on simple, natural colors and textures gives you the freedom to update the space from year to year with more trendy, inexpensive, and easy-to-update surface treatments like new pillows, throws, or another décor that can be changed as your mood dictates, without having to make major design updates.

This prevents a minimalist design from feeling cold and basic and turns it into a space that is fresh and relaxing.

3. Industrial

Industrial design has this reputation for being on the edgy, sometimes austere side, but it can be very warm, inviting, and authentic when done correctly. The real root of industrial style is raw materials and showing what is “underneath”: brick with character, concrete with texture, wood with fascinating grain patterns, pipes with lines and angles, etc.

The industrial interior design stemmed from the early 20th century when old factories that were no longer in use were repurposed into living spaces. It also draws liberally from Germany’s Bauhaus School of Design.

In fact, industrial style and minimalist style can be considered cousins, since both of them focus on essentials. One relies more heavily on nature, while the other relies more heavily on human design, but both gravitate toward neutral colors and simple, clean lines.

4. Nautical

The nautical interior design speaks to those who love the beach and the sea—even here in Iowa! The color schemes feature a lot of blues, greens, grays, neutrals (think sandy tones), and whites, often with a weathered look that feels as if it's been exposed to the sun and the salty sea air.

Many nautical interior design themes make use of driftwood accents, shiplap, and rope textures. Maximizing natural light is a key for nautical design, as it is for just about any energy-conscious interior design scheme!

5. Bohemian

Bohemian interior design celebrates the natural, the bold, the colorful, and the unconventional. Originally, this style sprang from the folk art of the Roma in Eastern Europe, which then spread to the west, and was adopted and enhanced by French artists in the late 1800s.

Creativity, originality, art, culture, and individuality are the hallmarks of the Boho style. You might call it “artfully relaxed” and “cozy” even.

6. Farmhouse

Modern farmhouse interior design is also cozy, relaxed, and functional, originally springing from the practical needs of farm families that have worked the Iowa landscape for generations.

Today’s farmhouse update is a little sleeker but still relies on natural, neutral tones, open spaces, lots of useful shelving, and practical storage space. Being all matchy-matchy isn’t a big deal in farmhouse style either. It is totally fine to mix and match furniture and design pieces from different eras with complementary styles. This gives the "farmhouse look" a timeless, welcoming feel that's easy to come home to.

7. Mid-Century Modern

This look that spans styles from the 1950s through the 1970s continues to enjoy popularity as it morphs its way into the 21st century. Think about the sets from “Mad Men” and “The Brady Bunch”, and throw a little Scandinavian style in there and you know what we are talking about.

Geometrical shapes, abstract art pieces, bold colors, clean lines, and interesting textures, with natural elements of wood and stone added for extra dimension, give the mid-century modern interior design its lasting panache and charm.

Let's Talk!

When you are ready to design your remodeling project, Compelling Homes brings a passionate desire to turn your dream space into a tangible, exciting reality. Step inside some of our favorite projects for inspiration, and know that we are ready to dive with you into the adventure of creating your perfect home, crafting bespoke designs that help you live your best life is why we’re here.

Contact our team with any questions, and if you are ready to dive in, schedule a personal consultation. As always, remember: don't stop at "good enough"... make it Compelling!