The Journal · Style Guides
The defining features, palettes, materials and furniture of each interior style, with the mistakes that give a room away. Start with the style quiz if you are not sure which one is yours.
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House architectural styles are defined by roof shape, window pattern, materials and era. Here are 18 common American home styles, how to identify yours in 6 steps and which interiors suit each one.
Read storyModern interior design uses clean lines, open plans, honest materials and a restrained palette of 3–4 colors, with every piece earning its place. Here are 8 principles, real specs and room-by-room ideas.
Read storyCalifornia casual interior design pairs relaxed, deep seating with natural materials, a sun-washed palette of 3–4 colors and an easy link between indoor and outdoor rooms. Here is how to spec it.
Read storyIndustrial interior design uses exposed brick, concrete, black steel and reclaimed wood from converted warehouses. Learn the materials, typical costs, a 5-color palette and 7 steps to create the look at home.
Read storyMaximalist interior design layers saturated color, mixed patterns and personal collections into rooms that feel abundant, not chaotic. Learn the 3-scale pattern rule, palettes and 7 steps to decorate.
Read storyEclectic interior design mixes furniture, eras and cultures in one room, held together by a shared palette and repeated shapes. Learn the 80/20 rule, the rule of three and 7 steps to decorate an eclectic room.
Read storyShabby chic decor mixes distressed painted wood, faded florals, white linen and vintage finds in a soft palette of 4–5 chalky pastels. Here is how to do it so it looks relaxed and modern, not dated.
Read storyInterior design styles fall into four families: modern, traditional, regional and expressive. Here are 24 decorating styles explained, with palettes, materials and furniture shapes, plus a 5-step way to find yours.
Read storyTransitional interior design blends traditional silhouettes with contemporary restraint: neutral walls, 2 metal finishes at most, and furniture that is classic in shape but simple in detail. Here is how to get it right.
Read storyContemporary vs modern interior design comes down to time: modern is a fixed style from roughly 1920–1970, while contemporary means the design of right now and changes every 10 years or so. Here is how to tell them apart.
Read storyModern farmhouse decor mixes rustic wood and iron with clean lines and a light palette. It is not dead, but the 2027 version is warmer: far less shiplap, richer wood tones and almost no word signs.
Read storyA colonial style house is a symmetrical, usually two-story home with a central front door and a center hall. Here are the 7 main types of colonial homes and how to design a colonial interior that feels right in 2027.
Read storyFrench country interior design pairs rustic materials such as limestone, plaster and oak beams with curved, painted furniture and soft faded colors. Here are 6 core colors, the key pieces and a 7-step plan for a modern version.
Read storyModern cottage style keeps the cozy materials of a country cottage, painted wood, linen, small florals and soft color, but adds clean lines and fewer objects. Here are 6 colors, room dimensions and 7 steps to get it.
Read storyBoho interior design layers natural fibers, handmade textiles, plants and warm earth colors into relaxed, personal rooms. Here are 6 boho colors, living room and bedroom plans and 7 rules that keep it modern rather than cluttered.
Read storyCoastal interior design builds a room from soft whites, washed blues, pale oak, linen and natural fiber, so it feels like a beach house without a single anchor. Most coastal rooms work on a 60-30-10 split of white, sand and blue.
Read storyMasculine interior design is a vocabulary of dark woods, leather, wool, tailored lines and saturated dark colors under low, warm light. A masculine bedroom works on 3 materials, 2 metals and walls in the LRV 8–30 range.
Read storySmall house interior design for homes of 400–1,000 sq ft (37–93 sq m) comes down to five rules: one open living zone, furniture scaled 10–20 percent smaller than standard, a single pale color through the whole house, 15–20 percent of floor area given to built-in storage, and layered lighting. Here are 12 ideas with sizes and costs.
Read storyTraditional interior design draws on 18th- and 19th-century European and American rooms: symmetry, millwork, curved and turned furniture, layered pattern and warm, mid-tone color. Modern traditional keeps the symmetry and millwork, simplifies the furniture and pattern, and pairs antiques with plain upholstery.
Read storyLuxury interior design homes are defined by proportion, natural materials, custom joinery and layered lighting rather than price tags. A high-end interior budgets $150–400 per sq ft for finishes and furnishings, uses 3–5 materials per room and lights each space on 3 circuits.
Read storySoft curves, natural materials and a warm, earthy palette on a clean modern frame. How to design organic modern rooms that feel calm and tactile, never bland or beige by default.
Read storyBiophilic interior design builds our need for nature into rooms through five measurable moves: daylight and a view within 6 m of a window, living plants sized to the light, natural materials, water and air, and refuge. It works in homes, offices and hotels.
Read storyWarm minimalism is minimalist interior design executed in soft natural materials: limewash, oak, linen and stone in a cream-to-clay palette at LRV 70–82, low curved furniture, concealed storage and layered 2700K light. This guide covers palette, furniture, lighting and a room-by-room plan at three budgets.
Read storyWhere Japanese restraint meets Scandinavian comfort — how to design a Japandi room that feels calm rather than empty.
Read storyRaw plaster, aged wood, handmade ceramics and a quiet palette — a practical guide to the Japanese philosophy that shaped modern minimalism.
Read storyQuiet luxury is modern decor built on five rules — tonal palettes, material over ornament, tailoring, texture instead of pattern and edited objects — so a room reads calm at first glance and reveals its quality up close.
Read storyLight, honest materials and furniture built for daily life. How to design a Scandinavian interior that feels warm and current rather than bare, white and borrowed from a catalog.
Read storyHow to capture the relaxed warmth of coastal Spain, Italy and Greece — without a single cliché.
Read storyMid century modern decor means low, leggy furniture in teak and walnut, one or two bold period colors such as mustard or teal against pale walls, and sculptural lighting, from roughly 1945–1969. This guide covers the principles, key forms and using it today.
Read storyGeometry, glamour and rich materials are back. How to bring Art Deco into a contemporary home or hotel — palette, materials, furniture forms and the details that keep it from tipping into pastiche.
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