Your home should be a safe space where you can be your true, authentic self. So shouldn’t the decor in your house reflect that? No matter what kind of style you boast, there are ways to integrate your personal style into the rooms you live in.
We caught up with award-winning fashion and furniture designer Caffery Vanhorne, who shares his knowledge and flair with homeowners alongside Nicole Babb on HGTV Canada’s Styled. Below, he breaks down his top 5 tips on how to bring your personal style into home design.
Looking for more? Watch Styled on HGTV Canada, available to stream Live or On-Demand with STACKTV. Try it free today!
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Understand Your Style
According to Caffery, there’s an element of how we put ourselves together that translates into the way we live. That’s why he always starts in a client’s closet, looking at the choices they make every day. Sometimes, those choices are things that people think they look good in; other times, it’s what they feel good in. Figure out what attracts you and you’ll begin to better understand your personal style.
“If you look at your wardrobe and realize you wear a lot of black, for example, then you’ll understand that you’re attracted to dark colours,” he says. “If you look good in something that you’ll also look at, it surrounds you.”
Caffery says one of his favourite bedrooms he’s ever done was a black bedroom with windows outfitted in black chiffon.
“It was one of the chicest bedrooms I’ve ever had,” he adds.
Related: Nicole and Caffery Design an Ultra-Moody Basement Speakeasy
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Find a Balance
Falling in love with a dark colour or wanting something dramatic doesn’t mean you have to be drastic about it. Caffery recalls a former customer who loved pink. But he didn’t splash pink all over the walls to achieve her ideal design. Instead, he incorporated small hits of pink throughout the home, adding smart choices that made the overall vibe feel like home to her.
“It doesn’t need to be a literal interpretation,” he says. A good place to start when infusing personal style into your home design is harmonizing drastic with neutral choices, or finding the balance between masculine and feminine energy. Caffery suggests mixing hard surfaces or leather with softer elements or circular finishes and rounded edges to add warmth and depth.
Related: 10 Home Staging Hacks to Maximize Selling Price
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Start Small
Caffery likes to divide design into two categories: hardware and software. The first category contains basics that you’ll want to invest in, like tables, furniture, and other big pieces. Software, on the other hand, is considered small accessories and interchangeable items like cushions that you don’t need to invest too much in. If you’re looking to introduce change, start with the software.
“It’s the fastest, and if you don’t have a lot of money to invest, you can still make a big impact,” he explains. “If you’re good at applying paint, for $100, you can change a wall colour and have a huge impact.”
Incorporating personal style into your home design in other ways can be equally cost-effective with a little creativity. Such as hanging your kids’ art in nice frames or using everyday items in unique ways. Caffery recalls one friend who inherited a kimono from her mom that she never wore but loved. When the friend started thinking about ways to fill a large bathroom wall, Caffery suggested putting the kimono in a shadow box and hanging it.
“She called me and said, ‘The first time my mom came over and saw it sitting there in this beautiful acrylic box, she was emotional,’” he recalls. “She didn’t get to use it physically, but she gets to enjoy it every day.”
Related: Nicole and Caffery’s Favourite Ways to Add Colour to Your Home
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Think Cohesively
There’s nothing wrong with taking home design room by room, but overall, Caffery recommends making the entire space feel cohesive. Find a way to connect your rooms, whether it’s an overall feeling or some small addition, like a colour or theme.
“You can make everything cohesive over the years, no matter how big or small,” he says. “I try to buy things that are all related to each other so that if they have to exist in one room they can.”
One easy way to add cohesiveness throughout is to use a room’s windows as an extension of the space. Caffery never arranges furniture in front of a window and always tries to push attention towards it.
“It actually extends the space and makes it feel quite bigger,” he adds.
Related: 10 Things You Need to Know About Nicole Babb and Caffery Vanhorne
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Call in Help
Sometimes, you have an idea of what you want your space to look like, and you’ve even collected the items required to make that dream a reality. However, you may have hit a wall, and even though you’ve done all that you can, it’s just not working out. That’s when it’s time to call in a pro.
“People are afraid to consult with designers. There’s something about our industry that presents itself as an unaffordable service,” he says. “But a good designer will work with you at any level. Tell them what you can afford and allow them to put a package together for you that is within your price point.”
Catch Caffery on Styled on HGTV Canada, available to stream Live or On-Demand with STACKTV. Try it free today!
