How to decorate when you love two completely different styles

[JonSnowedUnder]

We're coming to the end of a full house refurb and extension so I'm starting to think about decorating. My problem is I have two opposite tastes in terms of decor, on the one hand I love skandi/nordic simplicity with clean crisp walls and plain linens and on the other hand I love vibrant colours paints, patterned wall paper and fun prints (think emma Shipley/Sara Miller). Is it weird to have two such opposing styles in one house? I don't think I'm skilled enough to mix and match the two in one room and I dont think the two styles work well together any way.

I know you decorate your house for yourself and not for other people but I don't want to have a house that doesn't 'flow'. I'm just wondering what it would be like to go from a room that has colourful wallpaper and bright panelling to a room that has a completely different vibe.

Yes, I'm probably overthinking and should just paint everything neutral to start but I fell down an Etsy hole last night with amazing Emma Shipley light shades and cushions.

I'm no expert here at all so this is really just some musings.
This is one topic where context is everything. If your house is all wooden beams/orangery style, the understated palette makes sense but you can mix it up with some strong pieces, i.e. a lovely sofa or cushions. But if the room itself is sleak and understated (say huge sliding doors, plain kitchen units), you might need to "lift" the room a little by having a more adventurous style.
You can of course do different things per room but I'm personally not a huge fan of throwing colour everywhere for the sake of it. It seems to be an insta look to have pink walls, yellow doors etc but I personally wouldn't want to live with it. But thankfully everyone is different and have different tastes!

I would stick with Nordic/ Skandi as it is easier to dress up or down and have a few bright accessories/ artwork/ posters which can be changed or moved easily. Emma Shipley do nice candles. Marimekko is Skandi but also colourful. I do think it’s a look that can work if done right. Also have a look at the Linnéa Andersson throws at Arket, and Fine Little Day posters.

I think Scandi works wonderfully with colour and pattern – lots of Scandi design is colourful and fun, like Josef Frank. And white walls/neutrals are a good backdrop for fun.

Work with the house and the rooms you’ve got, and do whatever you want – it doesn’t have to be perfect.

What style is your house OP? Victorian villa? Georgian? Barn conversion? Thatched cottage? I think it’s architecture, period features of any, size of rooms and layout will make a big difference to what style might work most successfully.

A cohesive colour scheme will help pull the whole house together - forget the old rules about having just three colours; in fact Sophie Robinson says you need at least five!

Don’t forget that (assuming you have one) you can change the mood as go upstairs, so that the bedrooms etc have a more restful and less “maximalist” feel compared to downstairs rooms which can be more uplifting/ energetic (if you decide to give rein to your Emma Shipley side!)

Finally moodboards are your friend. They’ll help you to visualise what it is you like and what works or doesn’t work).

I agree. What is the overall architectural style of your house and its features? What do you personally want to spend more time with?

It's 5 years since Houzz said this
www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/bye-bye-minimalist-white-the-new-scandi-style-is-all-about-colour-stsetivw-vs~66598450

Rather than having a recognised trend, let your style be all about you and your family and how you want to live your lives.

Thanks for all the tips so far, it's a 1930's house with good sized spaces and fairly high ceilings. I think I'm putting myself under unnecessary pressure because I'm thinking of the whole house rather than just focusing on one room. I've got adhd and my brain finds it difficult to just focus on say the living room without then 2 seconds later trying to find lighting for the bathroom then looking at hallway storage. I've got about 50 different tabs open at the moment with 30 things in various baskets and I haven't actually bought a thing!

Time to look at everyone's suggestion and open another 50 tabs!

I don’t want to spoil your fun OP but I definitely wouldn’t start buying anything yet. Clarify what feeling and look you want for your house overall, and then tackle each room in turn, and then at the end you can have fun buying the accessories. If you try to do it the other way round you are in danger of ending up with a hot mess! Ive been there 😳

Have you actually created a mood board for your house, or any of the rooms yet? Here’s one I created for our (yet to be purchased!) house. It helps me clarify what I really LOVE (as opposed to what just catches my eye on Pinterest that day) and then when I start planning actual rooms I can refer back to it: the colours, the styling ideas, the general feeling, the mood.

That’s how I’d tackle it. If you start by trying to choose the little detailed things like lamps, pictures and cushions without doing the basics first no wonder it’s making your head hurt!

@Daisydoesnt that mood board is glorious! Absolutely cribbing this idea when we move house, instead of falling down the Pinterest-panic rabbit hole. Thanks. (Think I have that green sofa pic Pinned!)

The 80/20 rule works well. My husband and I have differing tastes but it's said that if 80% of your home is done in one style then 20% can be done in another for interest but still look well thought out. We are aiming to do this and so far so good! Just a word on scandi- it's much harder to live with than it looks in magazines. Unless you dislike sentimental objects and are ruthless on clutter and cleaning it's difficult to keep looking crisp and chilled rather than just cold and unoriginal...

Personally I would take the age/era of the house and go from there. At least have nods to what would have been original features, in the style you go with.
If a new build, then a contemporary style would suit.
But of course you can be as eclectic as you like. You don't have to follow 'rules'.

Sometimes I think it helps if you have one pattern/fabric/light fitting etc that you can anchor everything from - then choose a colour / texture / mood based upon that and expand to rest of the room. The hardest thing to start from is a blank canvas.
Light/aspect etc also really important

Check out Beats Heumam’s work for inspiration: beataheuman.com/portfolio/

I think her work is a great combination of Scandi (which is not just about neutral and minimal, think painted Gustavian furniture), British quirk and fun colours. Sounds kind of like what you might be thinking about?

Beata Heuman darn it autocorrect

I would buy a cushion you like and use that to base your colour scheme - after all they are paid to design!

Then pick one color for most of the walls and add accent colors around it.

Ooh, love Beata Herman's work!

Heuman!