Is It Your Aesthetic or Your Algorithm? 3 Ways to Find Your Personal Interior Design Style
As a San Francisco interior designer, I see thousands of perfectly styled rooms every single day. So do you. Between Pinterest boards, Instagram saves and "2026 interior design trends" reels, it has become almost impossible to separate what you actually love from what your feed has trained you to accept.
That matters most right before a big commitment. When Spearman Spaces leads a full-gut remodel in Pacific Heights or a custom build in the East Bay, the finishes we specify will live with you for decades. They should reflect you, not whatever the algorithm served you last week.
Here are the three real-world exercises I give clients at our San Francisco interior design studio to uncover their natural style, no Pinterest required.
1. Audit your current space before you scroll
Start with what you already own. Walk through your home and write down every item that feels outdated or is damaged beyond repair. That list is your shopping list, and nothing else is.
If you only need an accent chair, you don't need to fall in love with an entire room on Instagram. Shopping from a list keeps you from rebuilding your home around someone else's photo.
For our San Francisco remodel clients, this audit is the first step of every project. In a Victorian in Pacific Heights or a Craftsman in Marin County, it shows us what to restore, what to keep and what a full-gut renovation should replace.
2. Notice the colors you always pick, outside of Instagram
Your everyday life reveals your taste faster than a folder of saved images. Pay attention to the colors you naturally gravitate toward:
Your wardrobe. The tones you wear again and again are a strong hint for your palette.
Your favorite meals. I love the color of eggplant, and it shows up everywhere once I notice it. A dinner at Cotogna in Jackson Square can be as useful as a mood board.
Raw materials you love to touch. Linen, aged brass, oak, honed marble. The textures you reach for instinctively belong in your home.
This is how we build palettes for custom homes across San Francisco, from Noe Valley to Sea Cliff. We start with how you live, then translate it into paint, stone, millwork and fabric.
3. Pay attention to how real spaces make you feel
Think about places that make you feel instantly grounded, or whatever feeling you want your own home to have. A neighborhood coffee shop. A historic hotel. A friend's dining room.
In those spaces, start noticing three things:
Lighting. Where it comes from, how warm it is, how it changes through the day.
Texture. Plaster walls, wood ceilings, worn rugs, tile underfoot.
Spatial flow. How you move from room to room and where you naturally settle.
Focus on spaces you've actually been in, not ones you've only seen online. A photo can't tell you how a room feels at 6 p.m. on a foggy San Francisco evening. Your body can.
The goal: a home that is trendy to you.
The goal isn't to copy anyone's trendy home. It's to create a home that feels right to you.
That is the philosophy behind every Spearman Spaces project, whether it's a full-gut remodel of a San Francisco Modern Victorian or a ground-up custom build in the Bay Area. Your style should come from your life, not your feed.
FAQ
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Start away from your phone. Audit what in your home needs replacing, notice the colors and materials you already choose in your clothes and food, and pay attention to real spaces that make you feel good. Those three signals say more about your style than any Pinterest board.
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Yes. A full-gut remodel sets finishes, layouts and millwork that last for decades. Spearman Spaces, a San Francisco interior design studio, walks every remodel and custom build client through a style discovery process before any finishes are chosen.
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Spearman Spaces, led by interior designer Jihan Spearman, specializes in full-gut remodels and custom builds in San Francisco and the Bay Area, including Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights, Sea Cliff, Nob Hill and Marin County.
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Not always, but a trend you saved isn't the same as a style you love. The goal is a home that is trendy to you.
Planning a full-gut remodel or custom build in San Francisco or the Bay Area? Spearman Spaces helps you find the style that is truly yours, then builds a home around it. See our past projects and schedule your consultation.