STEP FOUR
You made it! After consideration of common interior styles, choosing a reference style, and establishing complementary elements, it is time to develop your custom interior style profile.
The goal here is to outline the key interior elements that will convey your style narrative. Begin to populate the key elements in the table provided in the workbook or using the prompts below.
Note any must-have features for the home and assign your core ideas for key elements and spaces.
Key Elements Include:
Elements that complement exterior style
Colour scheme
Flooring materials (wood, tile, other)
Trim Details (look at doors, windows, baseboards, fireplace surrounds)
Storage and cabinetry (consider door style, hardware)
Wall treatment (drywall, paneling, cladding, plaster)
Ceiling treatment (drywall, paneling, cladding, plaster)
Metal finishes (for fixtures, door and cabinet hardware)
Window coverings (curtains, blinds, shutters)
Textiles (bedspreads, upholstery)
Appliances (panel front, feature)
Fixtures (plumbing, electrical, lighting)
Kitchen (countertop, shelving, cabinets, ventilation)
Bathroom (fixture style, special flooring, shower/bath)
Living (furnishing, fireplace, storage)
Dining (furnishing, storage)
Mudroom (laundry, storage)
Bedroom (bed style, storage)
BUILD A VISUAL INSPIRATION BOARD
A graphical inspiration board (i.e., Pinterest board, magazine cut outs) can be very helpful when establishing your key elements. Seeing examples or noting particular products, materials, finishes will add welcome detail to your style profile.
You can start by selecting images from the Steep Hill Studio reference inspiration boards to get started and add more images as you see things that feel right.
Take your time and try not to include any images that don’t fit your style and narrative very closely.
CONGRATULATIONS! You HAVE completed the WORKSHOP AND THE FIRST STEP NEEDED to craft a home with clarity and care.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to download the workbook below and use it to complete the exercise if you haven’t already. We also highly recommend completing Part One - Exterior Style Definition to gain a stronger sense of how your home’s exterior style informs the narrative and the key elements that may be part of your interior style profile.
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-This guide provides a brief, highly graphical overview of Canada's architectural heritage, highlighting the defining characteristics of various building styles and types across different historical periods. We love older Parks Canada publications.
Parks Canada. Buildings of Canada: A Guide to Styles and Types. 1980, https://www.historicplaces.ca/media/7173/buildingsofcanada.pdf.
-This guide, commissioned by an East coast municipality, is quite comprehensive. It provides more detailed information on the architectural styles that are common in Canada.
Town of Sackville. Heritage Architecture Style Guide. 10 Mar. 2014, https://sackville.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Heritage_Architecture_Style_Guide_Final_10March2014.pdf.
-This book provides a comprehensive overview of major architectural styles and building terminology in Ontario from the late 18th century to relatively modern times.
Blumenson, John J.-G. Ontario Architecture: A Guide to Styles and Building Terms, 1784 to the Present. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1990.
-A concise introduction to considering the architectural character of your home is provided in the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Cultural Resources - Preservation Guides. The National Park Service preservation guides are a great resource in general and well worth exploring.
-This book outlines what to look for, what to do and what not to do when working on important building details.
Cusato, Marianne, and Ben Pentreath. Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid. Sterling, 2007.
-This book provides an excellent detailed guide to American residential architecture (basically the same as Canadian architecture).
McAlester, Virginia Savage. A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture. Knopf, 2015.
-This book provides detailed information on building elements.
Benjamin, Asher. The American Builder's Companion. Illustrated ed., Feb. 26, 2009, Dover Publications.
-This book provides detailed information on building elements indicating scale and proportion.
Radford, William A., Bernard L. Johnson, and Charles P. Rawson. Radford's Portfolio of Details of Building Construction: A Remarkable and Unique Collection of Full-Page Plates, Accurately Drawn and Reproduced to Exact Scale. Complete Details for Every Style of Interior Trim, Including Special Built-In Features. Illustrated ed., Dover Publications, Aug. 31, 2012.
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We hope this INTERIOR STYLE resource IS helpful as you begin the process of planning your next project.
We understand that crafting a home with clarity and care takes time, patience and persistence. If you’d like our help to get your project started, reach out for a 1:1 consultation. We’d love to help!