Twelve decorating styles, in detail

Scandinavian

Scandinavian style pairs pale walls, blond wood and natural textiles to make the most of scarce daylight. Furniture sits low on slim legs so the floor stays visible. The palette holds to white, beige and grey, warmed by oak, wool and linen.

Japandi

Japandi crosses Japanese restraint with Scandinavian comfort: darker timber, sand walls, low furniture and very few objects. Everything visible is chosen, storage is closed, and the palette stays earthy. The goal is calm, not display.

Minimalist

Minimalism removes rather than adds: monochrome walls, furniture cut to the essentials, no decoration set down on surfaces. The composition rests on proportion, light and cast shadow. A single honest material — concrete, solid wood or linen — is enough to give it character.

Modern

Modern design favours straight lines, large open volumes and a neutral palette lifted by one or two warm woods. Window frames run slim and dark, textiles stay plain, and lighting is built in rather than hung everywhere. It puts clarity of plan before decoration.

Contemporary

Contemporary is the most flexible style: a neutral base, rounded forms, and one or two strong pieces — a curved sofa, a sculptural light, a large-format artwork. It shifts faster than modern because it follows what is being made now rather than a fixed canon.

Industrial

Industrial style leaves the building visible: bare brick, concrete, exposed services, black steel crittall screens. Furniture runs heavy, in aged leather and rough timber, and lighting comes from metal pendants. It works best under generous ceiling heights.

Bohemian

Bohemian layers: Berber rugs, embroidered cushions, tall plants, macramé and second-hand furniture that deliberately does not match. The palette starts from warm tones — terracotta, ochre, rust — and the light stays low and indirect. It is the style most tolerant of accumulation.

Coastal

Coastal style rests on white, faded blue and crumpled linen, with salt-bleached timber and natural fibres. Windows stay lightly dressed to keep the light, and floors run pale. It evokes the sea through material, never through decorative objects.

Mediterranean

Mediterranean style combines limewashed walls, terracotta floors, dark timber and arches. The palette comes from the landscape: limestone white, ochre, olive green, deep blue. Surfaces are deliberately irregular, and furniture stays low, heavy and sparse.

Rustic

Rustic puts structure forward: exposed beams, stone, untreated solid timber and a fireplace. Finishes are deliberately imperfect and furniture is heavy. The palette stays warm and muted — brown, cream, forest green — and lighting must be pooled so it does not harden the materials.

Farmhouse

Farmhouse style modernises the country house: painted joinery, pale worktops, aged brass taps and deep sinks. The palette is white and muted, warmed by timber and one deep secondary colour — sage green, slate blue or black.

Art Deco

Art Deco commits to geometry and luxury: deep velvet, brass, veined marble, fan motifs and symmetrical curves. The palette runs dark and saturated — emerald green, midnight blue, burgundy — lifted with gold. It demands symmetry and a room large enough to carry it.