With Maria Cerne, Interior Designer at Studio Black Interiors

One of the first questions I ask a new client isn’t, “What style do you like?” Instead, I say, “Tell me about yourself.” How do you spend your weekends? Do you love entertaining or prefer quiet evenings at home? Are you drawn to the coast, the mountains, or the city? What do you wear when you feel most like yourself?

At first, these questions often seem unrelated to interior design, but I’ve found they’re some of the most important conversations we have. Your home should be a reflection of who you are, not a collection of trends you’ve saved on Pinterest.

Your home should reflect your personality

Today, we’re surrounded by more inspiration than ever before. Instagram, magazines and beautifully curated homes make it easy to admire countless styles. The downside is that many people become overwhelmed. They love a little bit of everything, yet struggle to make decisions for their own home.

The result is often a home that doesn’t quite feel connected. When you understand your own style, decisions become much easier. You stop asking, “What’s fashionable?” and start asking, “Does this feel like me?”.

Look beyond interior design for inspiration

I often encourage clients to look beyond interiors for the answer.

Open your wardrobe. Which clothes do you reach for time and time again? Chances are, the colours, textures and shapes you naturally gravitate towards in fashion will also appear in the home you’ll feel most comfortable living in.

Someone who loves relaxed linen shirts, leather boots and natural fibres is often drawn to timber, stone and tactile finishes at home. Someone with a wardrobe full of tailored monochrome pieces might naturally prefer cleaner lines and a more restrained palette. It’s less about matching your sofa to your outfit and more about recognising the values behind your choices.

Design your home around the way you live

The same applies to how you live. If your happiest moments involve family dinners around a large table, your home should celebrate gathering. If you recharge with a quiet cup of coffee and a book, creating a peaceful corner filled with natural light might matter more than having a formal sitting room. The best homes aren’t designed around trends. They’re designed around people.

Stop designing for other people’s approval

This is also why I encourage clients not to worry too much about whether other people will like their home. Design is deeply personal. The home that feels perfect for one family might not appeal to another, and that’s exactly how it should be.

Your home isn’t a display home built to satisfy the widest audience. It’s the backdrop to your everyday life.

Your personal style creates a timeless home

When your home reflects your personality, values and lifestyle, something shifts. The space feels authentic. Decisions become more confident. Your home develops character that can’t be bought from a showroom or copied from social media.

Good design isn’t about following someone else’s formula. It’s about understanding yourself first, because when your home tells your story, it becomes timeless.