Interior design styles: recognize and combine without copying

The 70-20-10 rule

Use roughly 70% for a coherent base, 20% for a secondary style and 10% for accents. This prevents a room from becoming a themed catalogue and allows existing furniture to fit.

Common styles

• Modern: clean lines, little ornament and continuous surfaces.
• Contemporary: current trends, soft forms and contrast.
• Scandinavian: pale wood, light, simplicity and textiles.
• Minimalist: few objects, integrated storage and precise details.
• Industrial: metal, brick, raw wood and exposed technical elements.
• Mid-century: tapered legs, organic shapes, walnut and controlled colour.
• Japandi: Japanese restraint and Scandinavian warmth.
• Traditional: symmetry, mouldings, wood and classic fabrics.
• Transitional: classic shell with streamlined furniture.
• Modern farmhouse: simplified rustic materials and natural tones.
• Bohemian: texture, craft, plants and layering.
• Art Deco: geometry, brass, contrast and rich materials.

Choose from the house

Respect proportions, light, architecture, ceiling height, views and hard-to-replace elements. An older house can hold contemporary pieces, but transitions, mouldings, hardware and colours should create a link.

Decision board

Before buying, gather a room photo, dimensioned plan, five-colour palette, three dominant materials, lighting references, furniture dimensions and budget. Sample paint, fabric, wood and flooring in the room by day and night.

Avoid expensive mistakes

Do not choose every element separately. Start with fixed constraints, circulation, storage, light and large furniture. Then buy rugs, curtains, art and accessories. Verify actual dimensions, care, durability, acoustics and replacement-part availability.