17 Decorating Looks We Love and How to Make Them Your Own

Elevated Coastal Living Room

white living room with natural and blue coastal accents — Joyelle West

The Look: Crisp white walls and trim, watery blue accents (throw pillows, wall art), and textural fabrics fill out this living room. It also features plants as decor, and hits of black and metallic gold on accent furniture and lighting.

Make It Yours: This coastal living room skews modern thanks to a subdued palette and sleek gold and black accents. For added color, apply blue on walls instead of white and incorporate another splashy hue as an accent through accessories or artwork. To relax the look, bring in additional nods to nature, such as a driftwood centerpiece, woven baskets, or rattan accent furniture.

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Modern Farmhouse Kitchen

The Look: Simple Shaker-style cabinetry with a few glass-front doors, an almost-neutral green paint color, and narrow backsplash tiles arranged in a herringbone pattern. The kitchen also includes rustic wood floors that complement a contrasting wood island, a vintage-style faucet, and a wide apron-front sink.

Make It Yours: Go a few shades darker on the cabinet paint color for added contrast, or opt for white on the upper cabinets for an airier look. If you love traditional farmhouse style, swap the herringbone backsplash (which leans more modern) for standard subway tiles in a classic running bond pattern.

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Colorful Boho Bedroom

dark blue guest bedroom with moroccan-inspired colorful decor — Kim Cornelison

The Look: Rich blue walls, a base of white furniture and bedding, and layers of bright accent colors. The bedroom also includes an eclectic pattern mix including textured fabrics with tassels and fringe details.

Make It Yours: If dark blue walls are too intense for your taste, opt for a white paint color and get more adventurous with colorful furnishings. Apply your main color in large doses, such as on bedding, curtains, or an area rug. Then choose three to four medium-tone accent colors (bright, tropical-inspired hues are perfect for a boho look) to layer in through artwork, throw pillows, and other accessories.

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Breezy Sunroom

table with flowers by hanging chair on porch — Karin Lidbeck Brent

The Look: A light and breezy color scheme (pale aqua + peony pink + white) combines with casual bench seating, natural textures (a nubby area rug and rattan hanging chair), colorful pillows with boho-style patterns, and tons of natural light.

Make It Yours: Borrow this sunroom's carefree style for a living room or bedroom. Try the light blue paint color on walls instead of the ceiling, and bring in natural materials like wood and rattan through accent furniture. Re-create the bright, open look with sheer window treatments and plenty of well-placed lighting.

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Cool, Colorful Bedroom

navy pink white bedroom blue pattern quilt — David Tsay

The Look: Preppy yet polished colors (navy + pink + white), patterns in varying scales (large-scale chevron comforter, medium- and small-scale print pillows), and an emphasis on geometrics. The combo repeats on blue-and-white shams, a comforter, lamp, and lampshade. Light blue walls, cushy carpet, geometric patterns, and an embellished campaign-style nightstand round out the look.

Make It Yours: Swap out the pink for another warm accent color (like orange or yellow). If big swaths of bold pattern aren't your thing, apply the larger-scale pattern to smaller items (like shams) and a small or medium-scale pattern to the big things (like walls or a duvet). Tone down the modern style by mixing in a few organic or floral patterns in the sea of geometrics.

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Livable Glam Living Room

eclectic style furniture neutral living room — Helen Norman

The Look: Warm neutral foundation, eclectic furniture, natural textures (bamboo blinds, rattan lampshade, leather chair), black trimwork, mixed patterns (ticking stripe chair cushions, Chinoiserie-inspired ottoman, diamond and leopard pillows).

Make It Yours: Keep the neutral foundation, but find your own signature pattern (here, it's the ottoman fabric) to inspire your color scheme.

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Updated Cottage-Style Dining Nook

cottage style farmhouse table white walls pale green cabinets — Robert Brinson

The Look: Cottage whites with soft mint green cabinetry and bright pastel accents, warm wood tones, plenty of patterns in fresh motifs (unified by a string of blue), wraparound floating shelves filled with art, statement lantern fixtures, modern chairs paired with a farmhouse table.

Make It Yours: Translate this look to a bedroom or living room by swapping mint cabinetry for an accent chair or duvet in the same hue. Floating shelves aren't for you? Create a gallery wall instead for a more permanent display.

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High-Contrast Dining Room

black and white dining table with blue black pattern space rug — John Bessler

The Look: Modern-meets-traditional style (Parsons-style table + a contemporary take on classic Windsor chairs), black + white + blue color scheme, chrome accents (mirror frame, light fixture), rustic notes (burlap table runner, salvaged bar cart), strong but ornate patterns (the damask-inspired curtains, large-scale medallions on the rug).

Make It Yours: To keep this look more modern, remove the rustic nods. Apply your own signature color. Midtone, grayed colors, such as sage green, look sophisticated when paired with black and white. Intense jewel tones skew super glam and soft pastels might pale in comparison.

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Jewel-Tone Living Room

Dark gray wall living room with green couch — Greg Scheidemann

The Look: Dark gray walls, jewel-tone accents (emerald, teal, magenta), warm metallics, textured rug, geometric patterns (pillows and throw), abstract botanical motifs (curtains).

Make It Yours: Start with dark walls and layer in a few of your favorite intense colors (think bright, but not neon). Balance the intensity with a few white accents.

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Cozy, Eclectic Living Room

great room with white brick fire place various home decor — Robert Brinson

The Look: White walls, white fireplace, gray as a secondary neutral, mixed wood tones (dark floors and side table, salvaged wood mantel), eclectic mix of accessories (translates into a fun, relaxed, but still pretty style).

Make It Yours: Not a fan of white walls? Pick another tone from your accessories and go several shades lighter for your wall color. Airy is key to this look, but applying a barely-there color will help retain the light look.

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Relaxed Bedroom Retreat

neutral color bedroom with chair and bench — Laurie Black

The Look: Soft neutrals, subtle contrasts (pure white trim and creamy curtains against gray walls), quiet textures (flat-weave rug, suede bench seat), hints of glam (the metal base bench, nailhead trimmed nightstand, velvet and satin pillows, tufted headboard), fashion-forward elements (ikat bedding, antler wall art), darker wood floors that anchor the space.

Make It Yours: Swap silver accents for gold, and add in a cool accent color. Here, the cool silver works with the warm yellow, but a warm metal begs a cooler accent (think sky blue or sage).

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Casual-Style Bedroom

blue wall bedroom with square glass pendant decorative pattern bedding — Kim Cornelison

The Look: Solid + pattern bedding mix, layers of neutrals (gray walls, white curtains, sheets, and bed skirt, tan bedding), pops of color, statement light fixture, full yet light-colored curtains, flokati rug over dark-stained hardwood floors, unexpected antique nightstands, gold finishes (on the light fixture and window hardware).

Make It Yours: If gray walls aren't your style, go for a soft beige, a few shades lighter than the tan on the quilt and shams. Switch out the statement light fixture for a pair of dramatic lamps.

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Modern Eclectic Living Room

Modern Eclectic sitting area with red yellow accents — Kim Cornelison

The Look: Midcentury-modern and contemporary chairs, global influences (tribal prints and Suzani-inspired designs), neutral foundation, pops of orange, natural texture (wood blinds, driftwood accent table, house plant).

Make It Yours: Keep the global-modern feeling going, but simplify it by sticking with a single furniture style. For a more colorful look, add in art and textiles that contain your main accent color as well as other hues.

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Classic Kitchen Reboot

dark gray kitchen with subway tile backsplash and green stools — Frances Janisch

The Look: Timeless elements including Shaker-style inspired cabinets, subway tile backsplash, and a penny tile floor; dark lower cabinets, white uppers (a nice shake-up from the basic all-white kitchen), colorful bar stools, unadorned windows, marble countertops.

Make It Yours: Green accents, which mimic the color of vintage jadeite, lend a retro feeling, but if green isn't your thing, go for another color with the same throwback appeal (lacquer red or school bus yellow). The dark floors work with the gray lower cabinets to ground the airy kitchen. Replicate the effect with another type of flooring or runner rugs in a similar dark color.

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Retro-Inspired Bedroom

Floral pattern bedding — Richard Leo Johnson

The Look: A retro color scheme (brown + mustard + white), symmetrical simplicity, subtle accent wall, mod florals + lattice prints, trendy nods (clear glass light fixtures, weathered wood nightstands).

Make It Yours: Skip the accent wall and hang some simple art instead. Pull out another color from your signature pattern for a livelier scheme. Add a white shag rug for some texture underfoot.

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Country-Style Living Room

eclectic style living room with decorative medallion chairs — Michael Partenio

The Look: Country style (rustic furniture, pastoral art) with a global outlook (Suzani-patterned chairs), casual underpinnings (comfy sofa, laidback accessories, simple curtains), burlap brown + eggshell white + lavender, shag rug to contrast the wood finishes.

Make It Yours: Here, the Suzani chairs set the color scheme. Find a similar pattern in colors you love and let it dictate your scheme. Instead of the tree stump trio, look for a rustic wood coffee table where the grain shines. For a more industrial touch, try one with metal accents.

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Monochromatic Bedroom

Queen size with bed upholstered headboard green accent bedroom — Tria Giovan

The Look: White + more white + celadon green, modernized cottage style (minimalist color, Lucite table, sheepskin rug, classic bed frame and bedding, and traditional damask-like patterns), pattern on repeat (the same leafy design is used on the bed skirt and drapes, a classic decorating move), whitewashed floors.

Make It Yours: Almost any medium-tone color, such as sky blue, lavender, or pale salmon, would work as the accent in this design. Push the style envelope one way or the other to further tailor the look to your tastes (a tone-on-tone white lattice wallpaper veers towards cottage, while a sleek bedframe would lean more modern).

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