Intuitive Design for Your Personality Type

If you want to design and decorate your new home so you can thrive, experts in intuitive design believe that by paying attention to your home and how you live, you can create a home tailored to your personality and your needs.

Because extroverts and introverts need different things from their surroundings, and homes, we have created a guide to intuitive design and personality-based home design and décor, so you can enjoy a life, and home, that you love.

What is Intuitive Design?

Intuitive home design and décor combines:

• The homeowner’s lifestyle,
• The function of a room or space and
• The homeowner’s personal decorating tastes.

Intuitive design in a home lets homeowners create a living space that reflects their lives and makes living easy and comfortable. Intuitive design principles help you design and decorate your new home to fit your lifestyle. If you grab for your keys, purse and scarf as you rush out the door in the morning, an intuitive design would be to have a mudroom with a row of hangers and neat, easy to access storage bins.

You can leverage intuitive design principles in your home by creating spaces that are laid out and decorated so the function of the room is easy to see and execute. Intuitive design in a kitchen would have you design your storage options around the way you cook and the tools you need on hand.

“Intuitive design is for anyone who’s open to it and would love to design and decorate their home thoughtfully,” says Marina Umali, owner of Modern Vision Interior Design in Paramus, N.J.

Intuitive Layouts

As you start to think about how to design an intuitive home that suits your personality, you need to start with the layout. The layout of your home affects how you can live, so using intuitive design when designing your new home and choosing options is a must.

Extroverts spend less time in the home than introverts, but enjoy having people over in their homes more often. An intuitive home layout for an extrovert needs open spaces, like a great room, so the host of the party can interact with their guests from the kitchen. Open floor plans also give extroverted homeowners the ability to have more people over when they decide to host.

Smaller, more intimate layouts with plenty of nooks and small spaces work better for introverts, who spend more time in the home and guard their free time. A floor plan with private spaces, such as a library or craft room, gives an introvert plenty of different areas to enjoy their hobbies and get lost in thought.

Personal Style that Matches Your Lifestyle

After finding the right layout for your new home, you can start to decorate. “You can begin using this design concept in your home by taking a walkthrough of your space and imagining you’re seeing it for the first time,” says Umali. “Really paying attention to what is already existing in your home.”

While everyone has different tastes, extroverts tend to prefer bold colors and patterns and maximalist design. Extroverts need to have plenty of space for guests to eat and sit, so look for large dining room tables and comfortable chairs. For extroverts really looking to go bold with their décor, look for statement wallpaper and curtains, vibrantly upholstered seating and unique décor objects that can get a conversation started.

Introverts gravitate to comfortable homes that they can spend a lot of time in and prefer more subdued design and décor. Introvert decoration should include beautiful art that helps spark interesting trains of thought, warm lighting and throw pillows and blankets that feel cozy. Look for thick rugs, arm chairs big enough to curl up in and thoughtful décor objects.

Your home is your castle. By understanding your personality and using intuitive design principles, you can design and decorate a beautiful new home that combines your lifestyle with your personal style.