The practical aspects of moving are a pain in the rear - the packing, the looking at houses, the negotiations, the unloading of your old Bloor West Village real estate, the trying to find a new job - but at the end of the process you have a brand new house to work with. A blank slate, ripe for decorating in any style you can imagine. When you move to Newark, what style will you use? We've got some suggestions for you if you don't have anything specific in mind yet.

Regional Styles

Decorating traditions have arisen that are particular to their location of origin. On the Eastern Seaboard, for instance, cottage decorating styles that draw inspiration from the region's seafaring history are popular, which make use of everyday items like rope along with nautical decorations like lighthouses or ships in a bottle. You might see this style adopted in homes in Hudson Valley and elsewhere. Some other ideas for regional decorating schemes include Javanese, Japanese, Chinese, South American, and Beach Resort.

Historical Styles

Trends come and go, but just because a trend is gone doesn't mean its stylings aren't ripe for picking in the modern day. Victorian is a decorating style originating in the 1800s that is still very popular today in downtown Toronto real estate and elsewhere. The Italian Renaissance is another period popular with decorators, and the Art Deco movement from the 1930s can also provide you with inspiration. Many homeowners will adopt these styles to match the architectural design of their houses.

Modern Styles

There's a myriad of different modern design styles out there to choose from. Some designers are all about stripes while others favor the chrome and glass look. Retailers like Ikea and Pottery Barn are forever inventing new styles in their efforts to sell bathroom vanities and other items of furniture. The best way to choose a modern style is to pick up a decorating magazine or tune in to a decorating show and see whose work you would like to emulate. If your style originates with a store, it's as easy as ordering the pieces from the catalog once you decide.

Mixing Styles

Of course, there's no hard and fast rule that says everything in your house must co-ordinate with everything else in your house. Some people don't want their Waterpark City condos to look like a page from a catalog. They've adopted the "lived in” style of decorating where they incorporate elements they like from a number of different styles until they've created something they feel belongs uniquely to them. You can try this, or you can back off a step and use several schemes, each confined to their own room, in your Newark home.