Installing & Styling Your Space

If you’ve made it to our MMDH blog for the first time today [WELCOME!] I’m walking you through the process of designing our home office in very real time. If you missed post one through post five, take a look back before you keep reading here.

It should be known that if you are struggling for your home to feel complete, find yourself constantly trying to fill a void, or you just not sure what is missing – you are currently in the “install & styling” phase of your project. This can take time. Give yourself grace. Don’t start feeling like you aren’t capable in getting the job done. You are. You just need to get through the full process.

Revisiting Your Inspiration For Installing & Styling

Hana and I have been working in MMDH HQ [ie: my home office] together for over a year. We have already seen the space evolve in layout 4 times, and we are now kneedeep in the full re-design you’ve all been waiting for [we have too]!

I’m in constant inspiration mode for my client projects and my life. It is when we get to honing in on our inspiration that the real goodness starts to happen. A few key elements that you will see happen in our home office design came directly from very early inspiration. See our painted wood flooring, oversized lighting, built-ins, and community work table above!

You can see in just these few photos that my inspiration runs the gamut for my personal space. Never limit yourself to a specific aesthetic style. Always let yourself gravitate to any initial inspiration, and THEN break it down to the specifics that you actually really love about it [ie: I’m not planning on adding logs to my walls or contemporary wire frame seating around our work table, although the overall vibe of the spaces above spoke to me, and I was able to pull very specific elements into my design from them.

When You Get To Install & Style

Yep, I said it, this phase is a gift! When you get to install & style your space, it is your chance to bring in your real personality. Not your neighbor’s personality. Not the lady down the block who has a really nice house. Your personality! I get that it can be overwhelming, although there is guidance right in front of you, so have fun!

I always tell my design students to revisit their original inspiration again in this phase. Too often we look to our inspiration imagery for the big picture. Dig in for the design elements, and then dig deeper for the styling elements. Look for scale, for bookshelf styling, for gallery wall spacing and install method. Reference those photos like you would be referencing your highlighted text books for an exam [and then be thankful this is not an exam… this is a space you GET to design for YOU!].

Study what you love and gravitate towards. What makes it so good? Is it the layers? Or is it the colors? Maybe it’s the scale? Ahhhh, so much goodness to be had in the depths of your inspiration. I can hardly handle it.

The wallpaper below from Kristy Stafford is a fan favorite for the color, the scale, the stripes on floral, the unexpected goodness. I will use it in my space without a doubt, perhaps even behind the bookshelves as you see in the inspo below, so all other walls can remain white like the photos above. The crown molding on the shelves below is another unforeseen must-have and I cannot wait for it all to come together. Keep following along on our own MMDH home design journey 👇

Ready to Jump-Start Your Home Design Projects?

Well, we’ve got you covered! Take a look at our design guides – they’re completely free! We’ve got three special offers to help you get started. And, when you sign up for our freebies, you’ll also receive our weekly newsletter! It’s filled with all of my personal home design tips and tricks, sent straight to your inbox. It’ll brighten up your week and inspire you on your home design journey.

xo,

If you‘re looking for more tips for your home design projects, check out these posts:

6 Quick Ways To Ramp Up Your Home Design

How To Style Surfaces Throughout Your Home

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