Your interior design style is simply the style you are happy to live with. It doesn’t have to fit into one box, and it certainly doesn’t have to follow strict rules. In fact, most of us are drawn to more than one style. The real question is: how do you find inspiration, and how do you funnel all those influences into something that truly feels like you?
In this blog, I’d like to take you through sources of inspiration for interior design, the ones that are often closer than you think.
The Architecture
Architecture is one of the most natural starting points for your interior style. Look at your own home, but also at the buildings in your street or neighborhood. Are they modern and clean-lined? Ornate and historic? Solid and raw?
Think of styles such as Bauhaus or Art Deco, with their strong lines and sense of structure. Or perhaps you are drawn to the rough honesty of Brutalism — concrete, bold shapes, and a certain calm strength. Your interior doesn’t have to copy the architecture exactly, but it often feels harmonious when it echoes its character.
A modern home may ask for simplicity and openness, while a historic house often welcomes warmth, layers, and details. When inside and outside speak the same language, your home feels more balanced; almost as if it has always been that way.
An example of an industrial style, look at your building first
In an urban warehouse, everything is about honesty: visible materials, strong lines, and a certain calm robustness. You can bring that feeling inside by working with similar elements. Think of brick walls (real or subtle wallpaper), steel or black metal details, and furniture with simple, solid shapes. The dark green window frames are a gift — they invite you to repeat that color inside, perhaps in a painted wall, a velvet chair, or even just in plants and textiles.
More about an industrial style here
The place where you live
I personally love it when the place where you live resonates in your interior. It feels natural, grounded, and calm.
If you live in the countryside, you might feel more at ease with a simpler way of living: natural materials, soft colors, and a relaxed atmosphere. In an urban setting, you may enjoy sharper contrasts, darker tones, or a more graphic look. Coastal living often invites light, air, and a connection to nature.
That said — this is deeply personal. Some people love contrast. You might live in a quiet rural area and dream of a glamorous, city-inspired interior. Or you may live in a busy city and crave a serene, almost monastic home. There is no right or wrong here. The key is to notice what feels right for you, not what is expected.
A farm house with a thatched roof, with its layered, organic texture, can reappear indoors in a rug, a woven lamp, or natural textiles. Not as a literal copy, but as a quiet reminder of what you see outside. The blue of the front door is another beautiful anchor. Bringing that same tone around the fireplace or in a painted wall creates a gentle connection — subtle, but emotionally strong.
An example of a country style, look at your surrounding and landscape
Natural materials do most of the work here: wood with visible grain, stone, linen, clay, wool. They soften the space and make it feel authentic and lived-in. When outside and inside mirror each other in this way, the result is not rustic or old-fashioned, but calm and elevated. A home that feels grounded, timeless, and deeply personal — as if it has grown naturally from its surroundings.
More country inspiration here
Travel, countries, regions
Travel is one of the richest sources of inspiration. A change of scenery, a different culture, new colors, textures, and ways of living — it all feeds your imagination.
And the good news? You don’t always need to go there. Images, books, magazines, and memories can be just as powerful. I’ve never been to Mexico, for example, but I love the warmth and vibrancy of its colors. Sometimes that inspiration shows up in a simple way — like setting the table with bold ceramics and colorful textiles.
Certain regions are almost timeless sources of inspiration:
- The Hamptons for relaxed coastal elegance
- Paris for effortless, lived-in sophistication
- Scandinavia for a “less is more” approach, light, and calm
Travel-inspired interiors don’t mean turning your home into a theme park. It’s about capturing a feeling — a color palette, a rhythm, a sense of ease.
An example of a Parisian style, look at places that inspire your imagination
A Parisian building has a quiet elegance that is instantly recognizable. Tall windows, delicate balconies, soft stone façades — there is a rhythm and refinement that feels both grand and effortless. When you let the exterior guide the interior, you don’t need to overdecorate. The beauty is already there.
Inside, this often translates into light, balance, and a sense of history. High ceilings invite long curtains that fall generously to the floor. Wall moldings can echo the classical proportions of the façade, even if they are added later. The color palette usually remains calm: warm whites, soft creams, muted greys — tones that reflect the natural light filtering through those tall windows.
What I love most is the combination of elegance and ease. Parisian interiors are never stiff. A refined fireplace may be paired with a simple linen chair. An antique piece can live happily next to something modern. It’s this balance that makes the space feel personal.
When you look at the exterior of a building in Paris, you see timelessness. When you bring that same feeling inside — through light, texture, and gentle contrast — your home begins to feel quietly elevated. Not perfect, but beautifully lived in.
More Parisian inspiration here
the next step
If you feel inspired while reading this, take the next small step. In my Home Makeover Kit, this worksheet helps you turn inspiration into clarity — by choosing your sources of inspiration, selecting the keywords that belong to them, and giving your style a name. It takes only about 10 minutes, and if you do it quickly, without overthinking, your choices will come straight from the heart 💚. A simple exercise, but often the start of a home that truly reflects who you are now.
And when you have found your style, let us know in the comments!
