How to have confidence in your own interior style

I've never really felt confident with my own style choices. I'm very much a sheep, I follow the flock when it comes to new trends, and often feel too nervous to go too 'out there' with certain ideas. I've always been like this. 16-year-old Sam was unashamedly clad in parachute pants and crop tops, simply because in 2003 everyone else was. I've even been known to 'try' something new out on a quick ten minute trip to the supermarket, and if I didn't feel happy I'd never wear it again. Ridiculous, right?! But that's how un-confident I was with my own style.

With interiors however, and maybe because I'm getting older, I've definitely learnt to love my own tastes, and not worry too much what others might think. You can't please everyone. The good thing about interiors though is nobody has to see whats inside your home (unless you choose to share it on the internet of course!) so who cares if that crazy wallpaper isn't on-trend enough for the outside world?! If you love it, then that's all that matters.

So here's five ways to have confidence in your own interior style:

Choose things you'll love forever
This is the big one. Go for classic items you're sure you'll always love, and you won't 'go off' at some point down the road. When we moved into our home I was in the thick of a floral shabby-chic phase, which I'm still trying to phase out in certain rooms. I blogged last year about my interior regrets, and something I wish I'd of done was wait six months before making any big purchases. Giving yourself and your new home time to breathe is really important to get your head around what you want to do with a space.

Don't feel pressure from what you see online
It's so easy to get influenced by the current trends, however keep it in the back of your mind that trends come and go, so you don't necessarily want to be stuck with a leopard-print bed frame for the next ten years (no offence if you have a leopard-print bed though!).

I'm terrible for this, I see a new trend and instantly want to change everything I own, however go with your gut when making large purchases, it never lets you down. That way you can add on-trend touches through your accessories as your tastes change? This is something I've always done (my seasonal updates for £20 can be found here!), mainly because I don't have the funds to change everything regularly, but means you can still add new touches when a new season rolls around.

My lounge is mainly neutral in tone, meaning I can easily add seasonal updates when a new trend rears its head

Look inside your wardrobe for inspiration 
This is a great idea that I only came across recently - look inside your wardrobe for a hint of what your interior style is. If you're a fan of neutrals when clothes shopping, what are the chances that you're going to fall out of love with that zebra print sofa at some point? Browsing through your own clothes will give you a fantastic idea of what your own personal style is. Mine, unsurprisingly, is a lot of neutrals and pastel colours with the odd mustard dress.

Different style dilemmas 
You don't have to stick to the same style in every room - why not make small tweaks for each room? I think homes that flow beautifully from room to room work really well, however what if you like a few different styles? I'm a huge fan of the scandi and boho trends, however I love a dark, dramatic shade too. Sometimes mixing different styles can work really well. Include elements that tie adjacent rooms together to ensure things flow from room to room.

For example, I've gone quite scandi with our spare room, whilst the nursery next door to it is definitely a country-cottage haven. I think they still work as neighbours though, as they're both painted in the same off-white shade, with same neutral carpet. Meaning although they've got very different styles, one room flows really nicely into the next.

Be half-bold 
Not brave enough to go bold? What about trying out the half painted trend? I always felt like our small, poorly lit home couldn't cope with an injection of dark colour, so as a compromise I went bold with the downstairs toilet. Leaving the bottom half of the walls in a bright white connected it to the neutral present elsewhere in my home, and kept what would have been a dingy room light and airy.

Are you confident in your interior style? What changes would you like to make but are too nervous to go for?

Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx