Find your style on Pinterest

I pinned this awesome living room yesterday. I would feel at home in that room. It inspired me.

I like it. It is warm and cozy, white but colorful. Comfortable but stylish. All at the same time. That is what I like.

But sometimes when I’m browsing Pinterest, I get confused.

Or maybe, I confuse my Pinterest followers with my pins.

Or maybe I just have eclectic taste depending on my mood or what I’m looking at. Or maybe I’m not that confused at all.

It seems like I can swing from more traditional with a pinch of modern to a more sophisticated cottage to slightly bohemian to old world to classy beachy to homey with little bit of glamour thrown in for good measure.

I like white. I like dark. I like color. I love texture. I like peaceful. I like lively.

I like serious, I like fun.

I like shiny.

I like natural materials and painted wood.

I like a mix of styles and colors all in one room.

I like dignified with a riot of color.

I like old. I like informal, collected over time — but not collected all from one shop.

But I don’t like tacky. And sometimes there is a fine line between quirky fun and tacky.

I can scroll tons of images and ideas I don’t like. Everyone is repinning them. Except me.

I don’t find a ton of stuff I want to pin.

I’m picky, but I have a wide variety of things I do like. I’m just slower to find them.

Some people seem to be pretty focused in on what style they like and they’ll pin the same basic variation of that style many times.

Then, there is me.

Just call me the eclectic picky pinner.

I do confuse myself sometimes.

But then again, I learn a lot about what I like by studying a variety of styles, colors and textures and how they work together.

Sometimes as I study pictures, my true authentic style starts to become more clear to me, even if it is not always easy for me to define. Maybe it is easier to see once it is all laid out in pictures. I can see certain identifiable elements of style flowing through a lot of the pictures I love.

Sometimes certain styles make more sense in one house or one season of life than another, so it is totally acceptable to love or admire things that simply won’t work in the house you are in. You can appreciate without HAVING, right? That is what I remind myself when I pin something completely impractical for my home or lifestyle. Unless admiring pushes you over into discontentment, of course. Then you need to step away from the computer.

The best part of studying and appreciating a variety of styles is you can learn to be more creative. I know a lot of people use Pinterest to duplicate ideas. But I don’t really use it that way very often. I use it more to inspire, challenge and define elements of my own style.  And to waste time I should be being more productive or creative at home. There is that tendency.

One of the things I do enjoy about Pinterest is I can study design and learn more about what I like and don’t like.

And then I feel inspired to shut down my computer and make up my own style using what I have.

I start seeing things I already have in a new light, or I am more easily able to spot resale or inexpensive items that can offer the same vibe.

I’m not much of a “I need to buy new” shopper, in fact, I rarely to almost never buy new furniture or remodel entirely from scratch. Sometimes I don’t shop new because of budget restraints, but mostly because I just don’t find it necessary.

As I have studied design over the years, it becomes more and more clear to me that beauty and style is in the eye of the beholder. Which is awesome because it gives everyone the freedom to decide what we like at a budget we feel comfortable with, rather than to just stick with what it safe or popular. If you love your home, that is really all that matters.

There is a lot of freedom to be ourselves in design! 

I enjoy being a bit eclectic in my taste. Even if I do confuse myself about what I actually want in my house.

Do I confuse you? I probably do.

Do you learn about your own style by studying or pinning pictures like I do?

Do you have a clear picture of what your style is or do you keep your options open?

Speaking of the topic of Pinterest, finding your style, being content in a sea of online design perfection and all that, my ebook NOT a DIY Diva: How to Create an Authentically-Inspired Life in a Pinterest World is being featured on the (in)courage Bloom Book Club this week! Yipee! You can find a giveaway here and a quick post published today on Homemaking here.  Come by and say hi! I’d love to see you there!

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