Interior Design: 7 Interior Design Styles

Interior design describes the creative choices and visual motifs employed to style interior environments. Key elements of interior design include color scheme, functionality, silhouettes, and home décor and furniture choices. Magazines, social media feeds, and flea markets can all supply design ideas, which can play into how homeowners decorate various parts of their house, including the dining room, living room, and en suites.

Interior decorating styles continue to evolve. Many contemporary styles in the United States embrace a minimalist interior or the farmhouse style, which stems from the traditional designs defining Americana over time.

Popular interior design styles range from minimalist to eclectic styles, neutral color palettes to bright colors, and traditional to modern styles. Learn about these designs:

1. 1. Bohemian style: Bohemian design, also known as boho design, is a style of interior design that revels in playful colors, textures, and patterns. The boho look has an independent flair; furniture designs are eclectic, lighting designs are funky or minimal, and color combinations often clash. The style is symbolic of San Francisco in the past or downtown New York City art scenes, particularly in apartments with small spaces. Boho designs typically feature DIY furniture, beloved trinkets, and homespun makeovers of preexisting places.
2. 2. Coastal style: Coastal interior design stems from the luxury beach homes and lavish coastal living of the Hamptons on New York’s Long Island. Whether in the Mediterranean or Cape Cod, coastal interiors can take many forms. Coastal style can lean into a beachy atmosphere (using colors like ocean blue, seafoam green, or coral orange), or it might approach shabby chic, taking on a more casual and cozy feel with wicker rocking chairs and décor themes like anchors or sailor knots. This style often features fun colors over a more black-and-white aesthetic.
3. 3. French country style: This style can take on a more traditional interior design style or embrace more modern aesthetics. The French country home style has a rich history. Its décor may employ splashes of bright pastels that allude to France’s Rococo styles, but usually, it features wood and stonework, cozy interiors, visible planks of wood, and large windows.
4. 4. Hollywood glam style: Opulent showrooms, sweeping staircases, and Art Deco throwbacks are all a part of this form of residential design. In terms of architectural design, Hollywood glam or Hollywood Regency–style homes—most of which are in California—will have high ceilings, splashy wall colors, and chic fixtures (in door handles, faucets, and more). Homeowners may hire design firms to oversee the project management of this more expensive style. You can also incorporate glam with smaller elements. “Many of us appreciate a little touch of glam, a little bit of glitter [with] crystal chandeliers, sconces, things of that nature,” interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins says. “Certain shimmery velvets and silks can translate an element of glam into a space, so consider layering that in to give your design a little bit of sheen.”
5. 5. Industrial style: Industrial style shows the transitional nature of buildings over time. This modern interior design transforms the floors and rooms within previous factories and warehouses, keeping elements such as their pillars, windows, and flooring. Industrial interior design aims to maintain the original look of a space. Industrial designers use metal, wood, and iron materials to nod toward the home’s warehouse roots.
6. 6. Rustic chic style: Rustic interiors rely on natural materials and warm wood tones. The modern farmhouse—with its large sliding doors, leather accents, iron, jute, and other natural elements—exemplifies this popular contemporary interior design.
7. 7. Scandinavian interior design style: The Scandinavian style is another popular design. This more minimalist style—based on traditional Nordic styles—uses lighter colors and features clean lines and airy interiors awash in natural light. This allows a focus on sustainable design: Natural light can replace electrical use. This style connects interiors to the natural world with materials like rattan and features open spaces devoid of clutter and unnecessary furniture.

You can style interiors through ornamentation, moldings, textiles, and more. Consider painting walls or changing the upholstery on furniture to incorporate a new interior design style. Styles span color, texture, and décor items, like coffee tables and artwork.

Master everything from color theory to pattern mixing with the MasterClass Annual Membership and exclusive lessons from award-winning interior designers like Corey Damen Jenkins and Kelly Wearstler. From shopping for statement furniture to designing a lighting scheme to choosing the newest member of your plant family, the skills you’ll pick up are sure to make your house, apartment, or condo feel even more like a home.