INTERIOR DESIGN STYLES EXPLAINED: HOW TO FIND YOURS
Your style is decided by three things, not by a label: how straight the lines are, how visible the material is, and how much stuff the room is expected to hold.
THE NINE STYLES PEOPLE ACTUALLY MEAN
Minimal is not less furniture — it is fewer textures under tight control. Japandi is warm timber, quiet lines and matte ceramic. Mid-century means slim legs, brown wood and one brave colour. Boho stacks textiles and rugs. Contemporary classic works the profiles: fine cornices, brushed brass, natural stone. Industrial keeps structure visible. Coastal leans on white, linen and rattan. Art deco is symmetry plus gloss. Modern Egyptian mixes local stone and mashrabiya geometry with plain modern shells.
A TEST THAT TAKES ONE MINUTE
Open your saved photos and look at the rooms, not the objects. If nine out of ten show visible timber and a single bold colour, you are not minimal — you are mid-century, and admitting it early makes the project cheaper. Then pick one style for the shell (walls, floors, joinery) and let the second one live only in accessories. A room with two equally loud references always reads unfinished.