There was recently a trending TikTok audio doing the rounds on social media about how the best homes are those that you walk in, and the home instantly tells you all about the person who lives there - their style, tastes and opinions - in the first few seconds of walking through the door.

An authentic home will represent its owner, as well as feel inviting, warm and appealing. If you think your own home is a bit bland and doesn’t represent you, there are a few key things that you can do to change that.

Personalise a room with unique details

Due to the nature of home decor trends, many of us can often have the same items in our homes: popular paint colours, cushions or art prints can create an identikit space that feels generic, as opposed to a reflection of the person who lives there. For an individual home, it’s important to add meaning and detail via photographs, trinkets from our travels and unique items. 

Apply inexpensive cork panels to a plain wall to create a decorative pin board and pin postcards, family photos, personal tokens and items with meaning to create a personalised area that will provide both texture and visual interest. Alternatively, add interest by investing in bespoke everyday items, such as personalised oak chopping boards in the kitchen, or monogrammed towels in the bathroom. As well as creating a talking point, personalised items add a sense of luxury.

Use Colour

Colour is a great signifier of a person's personality. We all have colours that we are drawn to more than others and colours can have a significant impact on how we feel.

Typically, if you are someone who craves calm environments, you’d be drawn to greens, earthy tones and soft neutrals. If you are more hedonistic, you may be drawn to more vivid hues and jewel tones.

If you are unsure of what colours you should use in your home to reflect your style, look at the clothes that you wear. Do you love to dress in pink or reds, or greys and taupes? The colours that you are drawn to within your clothing can dictate what might work best for you at home. 

Add Art

I find that art is incredibly personal and considered. If you have a deep connection to an art piece, hanging it in your home is a wonderful way to depict your own personal style.

Having art in the home doesn’t have to be a wildly expensive privilege. There are many wonderful artisans out there selling limited art prints, or you could make your own large-scale art using paint sample pots and a large canvas. 

Playful Patterns

Take time to source patterns and materials that you love for your soft furnishings, rather than buying plain cushions or curtains off the shelf. If you are drawn to the vintage Cottagcore style, large-scale floral prints might be for you. Laura Ashley sells a wide range of archive vintage florals. 

Or, if you prefer a contemporary scheme, then small geometric prints could be more your style. Take a look at British textile manufacturer Linwood’s Small Prints Collection III, released this month.

Scent

Home scent is really important, so perfume your home with a signature fragrance. As well as scented candles, for lingering scents use reed diffusers, luxury plug-ins and room sprays. Adding fragrance to your home doesn’t have to always be an expensive purchase, with the best UK high-street brands now offering a range of good-quality home fragrance options (my favourites include the Apothecary range from Marks & Spencer and The White Company).

Decorative details

Smaller items dotted around your home are just as important as larger pieces of art to make a house feel like a home. Coffee table books on your favourite subjects arranged alongside objet d'art create layers of visual appeal and convey your interests.