When it comes to decorating your home, everyone has their own individual style and preferences as to what they like to surround themselves with. After a long day at work you will feel so much better stepping into a home which has been tailor made for your comfort and enjoyment. If you take time to leaf through the various interior design and DIY magazines that are available it would be entirely understandable if you were left feeling a little bewildered at the amount of options available to you. The decision ultimately rests with your preferences and which styles you find most appealing. To make things a little easier, let’s help by narrowing your choices down to two similar but very contrasting decorating styles.

The first style which has proven popular over recent years is a vintage look referred to as Shabby Chic. You may not have heard of the name; however you will be familiar with the styling. This decorating look is similar to the decor found in traditional old cottages, in particular the white painted furniture which has a distressed look, a mixture of fabrics with a variety of patterns as well as fabrics which have a ‘tea stained’ look as if they had just been bought from a flea market.

You may find a vintage look appealing, however if the rustic look of shabby chic is not for you then perhaps you may decide that a more refined look will reflect your personal taste. If this sort of style with a more contemporary twist is more to your taste then perhaps the look referred to as Simple Urban may be more suitable.

This particular style combines both vintage and contemporary styles, making use of natural fabrics, woods of a medium to dark tone, rich neutral colours with the decor being accented with glass and iron. To complement these more modern aspects of the decor, antique furniture is used which is free of the flourishes found in Victorian furnishings. As with Shabby Chic you may also decide to add flea market finds to enhance the vintage side of the decor.

When planning the look of your house it is important that as well as the fabrics, colours and furnishings you don’t neglect the window dressings. If you are going to the trouble of making each room fit a particular style then you wouldn’t want all your hard work and effort undermined by windows which don’t complement the style of your house. Whether you are going for the Shabby Chic or Simple Urban look there are several option to choose from. Classic wooden blinds, interior shutters or vertical blinds will suffice to cover the windows themselves; however fabrics should be used conservatively as you wouldn’t want your windows to look overdressed.

All that is left to decide is which of these style suits your tastes the best. If you are partial to the softer, whitewashed vintage patterned or floral look then a Shabby Chic interior would suit you perfectly. If you are looking for a more subtle vintage interior with a contemporary twist the ideal way to get the best of both worlds is to opt for the Simple Urban look. Whichever style you choose, make sure that you don’t go overboard and choose furnishings which will end up cluttering your rooms. Remember that less is often more.

Author Bio: Trevor Richards is writing on behalf of Signature Shade, a UK supplier of interior shutters.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: interior design, windows, vintage, furniture, fabrics, DIY, decorating, home, house