Interior Design Styles List:
From Old World Style Decorating
To Zen Design
Interior design styles list for your inspiration - browse the interior decorating styles on this page and find yours:
This site focuses on European design style
and Mediterranean style interior decorating, with
original photos of real European homes.
(I'm European, and contemporary European design styles, Old World style
decorating and country style design and are my main areas of expertise when
it comes to home design styles.)
For the purpose of this list, let's ignore the differences between home interior design styles and interior decorating styles. Design & decorating are of course distinct professional fields,but ...
- there's a lot of crossover between decorating and design, and
- most people honestly don't care about the difference, as long as they can have a home they love ;-)
Read on below for a list of home & room decorating styles - explore & enjoy!
Scandinavian Design & Furniture
Swedish Design
Much-loved Swedish Country Decorating is a mix of historic decorating & design styles.
The 'Gustavian' Swedish country look started in the 1770s with a distinctly Scandinavian take on what was then the most fashionable European design style, Louis XVI's neoclassical court in France.
At the end of the 19th century, artist-designers Carl & Karin Larsson added their own legacy to Swedish interior design by creating a highly original (and widely publicised) country cottage in a mix of Arts & Crafts and Swedish folk art. For the finished look, check out the article!
Coming Soon: Scandinavian Design Furniture.
Owning a Scandinavian
contemporary furniture classic is almost de rigueur these days, no matter what your interior
decorating style may be. The article will give you an overview of the most iconic Scandinavian pieces,
plus ideas for combining them with other styles of interior decorating, and where to buy them.
Alpine Design:
Traditional Style Decorating For Mountain Cabins
Swiss Decor
Swiss Country Decorating has a sober, organized, yet warm and inviting look to it.
Swiss decor ideas are immensely usable for decorating cabin style, and they will add an 'old-world' feel to your lodge style decorating & design.
For more mountain cabin decorating ideas - and tips for handmade rustic decor - check out the page about Interior Rustic Pictures!
French Interior Design
& French Country Decorating
French Chic
French Interior Design has a knack for mixing bold colors with mellow antiques, and epitomizes better than most interior design styles the essence of Old World style decorating.
French Country Decorating takes the French townhouse look and blends it with the textures and colors of the countryside. A very seductive mix - no wonder French Country home decor has become the darling of home interior design styles the world over.
Even though Provence is a comparatively small region in southeastern France (on the Mediterranean, sharing a border with Italy), Provence Interiors have come to stand for all of French country decorating, sometimes even for all of French style home decor. Many people, when they speak of "French Provincial" decor, are actually thinking of Provençal styles of interior decorating.
Explore this section for a wealth of information about Old World style decorating, from wall art, color schemes and window treatments to kitchens, bath- and bedrooms!
Italian Style Decorating:
Tuscan & Italian Country Style Design
Tuscan Kitchen
Tuscan Decor - another European design style that has rightly become world famous - has all the magic of Old World style decorating, plus a sun-baked, Mediterranean flavor.
Tuscan interior design styles cover palazzo and Italian villa decor as well as simple, rustic Italian Country Decorating.
Italian country decor shares a few traits with room decorating styles from southern France, for example a range of typical colors and materials. Both are versions of Mediterranean style decor, but the general look of Italian traditional style decorating shows a recognizable, standalone interior design style.
For more about Tuscan home design (including Tuscan style kitchen design, bedrooms, Tuscan style dinnerware, accessories & gifts), click the link to the Tuscan Decor section!
Country & Cottage Style Decorating Ideas
Rustic Decorating
Explore fun, authentic rustic decorating ideas and European country cottage style furniture in the Country Decorating Ideas section.
The basics of country & cottage style decorating cover topics like
- getting the look of country style design in the city
- rustic interior design on a shoestring, and
- easy-to-copy rustic decorating ideas (including cheap rustic furniture).
Contemporary Home Design Styles
Contemporary
Interior Design
Contemporary interior design styles are usually an experimental mix of past decorating fashions and cutting-edge, high tech and/or 'green' design.
One central feature of current interior design trends is that they can be quite eclectic, combining vastly different styles of decorating.
It's great when this fusion leads to a fresh, innovative, convincing interior design style ... but that doesn't always happen. Visit the page on Contemporary Home Decor for tips and tricks to help you create your own, individual styles of interior decorating in ways that "click".
(This section will be greatly expanded in the future!)
Zen Design & Zen Home Decor
Zen Decorating
The last item on our interior design styles list, Zen Interior Design, is also the most commonly misunderstood.
Zen design is often confused wtih Asian style decor, complete with 'Japanesey' knick-knacks, bamboo plants and Asian artefacts. Nothing could be further from the truth (at least as I understand it).
Click the link to find out more about the cultural & historic background of decorating Zen style, and start your own Zen decorating experiments without having to deck out your home in tatami mats and shoji screens (unless you so choose ;-)
More to come ...
This interior design styles list will gradually fill up with more, varied styles of interior decorating. Check out the list on the Interior Decorating Styles page to see what's planned! (That page also contains a discussion of the interesting difference between interior decorating style and interior decor fashion.)
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