Finding your Design Aesthetic
The job of a good designer is to work with their client’s design aesthetic. It’s important that your represents your unique passions and stories, and not the designers.
Design styles, including traditional, minimal or bohemian, are narrow in their focus and are made up of specific attributes that make up the particular style. While a design aesthetic, on the other hand, is more holistic and personal. It encompasses the values, beliefs, lifestyle and anything that lights you up. That’s why, when you scroll through my website and social media feeds, there's such a variation. The photos represent my client's individualized aesthetic, and not my own.
I bring this up because as I embark on a new chapter in my business, my ecommerce store, I suddenly realized that it would be fruitful to pin-point my exact aesthetic and style at this point in time. This information can help me better understand my purchases and my overall branding. In case you're interested in going on a similar journey of discovering your design aesthetic, I’ll walk you through the step-by-step process I took.
Take a deep dive into Pinterest or Instagram: As a professional designer, I have a thorough understanding of the various styles from traditional, Scandinavian, modern and transitional to name only a few. Usually my client’s come to me with no idea of their style. So, to get them started on their journey, I ask them to spend some time on Pinterest or Instagram and pull up some pictures of rooms that they like and dislike. With my love of mixing antiques, and some modern pieces, incorporating bold colours, eclectic patterns and textiles from around the world, I’ve decided that my primary style is more or less bohemian. Remember, you can't stop here. It's important to take this further and delve into your personal aesthetic.
Go through the items in your home: Walk through your house and determine what you love, what is meaningful and what you dislike. Make sure you take photos of these items because you will need them for your next step. Jot down why they are special and what you like about these pieces. At the same time, take note of items that you don’t like and why so that you don’t replicate the feeling of them into your space. For me personally, I have certain antiques that have been passed down, as well as pieces of art, textiles and books from our travels that speak to me with joy, and comfort.
Create a list and save photos of what makes you happy: The next step entails taking time to write down your values and looking at more photos online that bring you joy. Choose photos that you are drawn to and determine why. For example, I’m drawn to pictures of the wilderness, bold art, black and white furniture, cultures from around the world and historical architecture and artifacts. Visually, they each give me comfort, joy, and even excitement. Be sure to save pictures of these items for they are a great reference for the next step when you create a vision board.
Create a vision board: A vision board in essence is a dream board, or a board that outlines your aspirations and goals. For the purpose of this vision board, you’re looking to pinpoint the feeling, values and features of your home that you are wishing to incorporate. For my vision board, I included photos of inspirational living rooms, kitchens, accessories that I love, fabrics, a piece of art by a Canadian artist that I love and a colour palette that feels right. Be sure to pick photos that fully resonate with you.
Look for consistencies on your vision board to determine your aesthetic: Look for consistency through your photos. Jot them down. For example, when looking at my board, I could see that I love textures, patterns, colour, nature-inspired features, all things black and white, and dramatic pieces. By writing this down, you will determine your design aesthetic that should be incorporated into your space. It’s what makes your space feels like it belongs to you.
Now that you’ve pinpointed your design aesthetic, stay tuned for our first collection that I’m about to launch for my new online shop! It’s a direct reflection of my vision board and all things that I love. I will show you how to incorporate this aesthetic into key rooms of your house. I’m calling my first product line ‘Modern Canadiana’ to reflect my aesthetic.