House pride has a new platform in the 21st century: Instagram! #Interiordesign is big (87 million posts and counting), and no redecorating project is complete without a before-and-after shot on the number one photo-sharing platform.
And it’s not just about showing off your new kitchen. Instagram has also become the go-to place for home design inspiration. But with so many pictures to browse, it helps to have a map to find your way to the most relevant ideas – so that’s just what we’ve done!
Instagram’s photographers like to tag their interiors with the design style that they’ve chosen for their project, be it #bohodecor, #midcenturymodern, or #cottagestyle. We decided to find out which styles are most popular across different regions.
Our researchers extracted location data for Instagram posts tagged with hashtags relating to popular interior design styles. We then cleaned up the data and organised it by state, to create two maps: one that shows the most popular design style tag in each state, and one that shows which states share their #instahomes the most.
State-by-state, the most popular design style in the US is #coastalliving. Eighteen states use this hashtag more than any other to describe the interior of their home. It’s no surprise that these are all sea-facing states. However, the east coast favors the style more than the west.
Instead, the west coast states of Washington and California prefer #midcenturymodern. In fact, this is the second most popular style in the States. The ‘new retro’ look of mid-century modern feels both classic and contemporary, allowing amateur interior designers to cherry pick their favorite details from a century of interior design.
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For a state populated by outdoors-types, California sure is house-proud. We counted 10,082 uses of our chosen hashtags by Californian Instagram users, way out ahead of Florida with 4,606. It might be because California is home to San Francisco, the design capital of the US, and LA, which is home to the third highest concentration of professional designers in the country.
At the other end of the scale, Dakotans either don’t care for interior design or they don’t care for Instagram. North and South Dakota have the fewest design hashtags, with just 38 and 42 respectively. Check out the color-coded map below to see how ‘hot or not’ your home state believes its décor to be!
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You don’t have to live by the coast to embrace the coastal living style. After all, everyone loves to bask in the sand or up on deck. But it’s best to avoid anchor motifs and ornamental life-preservers if you can’t actually reach the sea without crossing the state line.
Instead, think about the colors and textures you associate with being at the coast. The Instagram images that really sparkle match frothy whites and steely grays with a broad spectrum of blues and greens. Unpainted or weathered wood immediately adds a nautical look (think decking and driftwood).
Most important is to listen to your own imagination. What are the sensations you connect with being at the beach or sailing? You might dream up a coffee table upcycled from an old fishing basket. Or plump for lots of blankets and throws to cuddle up under when in the cool of the evening.
Mid-century modern refers to a sophisticated look that developed between the 1930s and 1960s. Bauhaus design principles had made their way to the mainstream and were now more hip than avant-garde. Today, a mid-century modern interior tells your followers that you appreciate classic design (rather than traditional) and have a sharp sense of style (but never, ever without substance). If in doubt, think Mad Men.
Historically, the mid-century modern style has utilized materials such as plastic, acrylic, and formica – but the best of today’s designers work with sustainable materials. Furniture in this style is stream-lined, often with surprising shapes that are underpinned by practical ideas. Surfaces have a matte finish. Designers may use striking primary colors or moody ‘in-between’ shades like teal, burnt sage, and rust.
Of course, the most sustainable furniture pieces you can buy are vintage. And part of the fun of designing a mid-century modern interior is curating unusual details that fit together in a way that no other Instahome quite manages. A sideboard with hairpin legs topped with an atomic-themed lamp; plastic shell chairs with a trestle-style table. Think about designing your room around one signature piece, and avoid clashing patterns and colors.
The rustic décor style is most popular in the mountain states and parts of the north east. The look harks back to simpler times, but there is inspiration all around us today – from the farmhouse to the hilltop cabin and the land outside.
Rustic décor takes its cue from the ruggedness of nature. A rustic-themed room is characterized by unrefined textures and earthy colors: browns, greens, and sandy yellows. Furniture is simple and sturdy. Reveal the structural detail of your interior to add that ‘just got home from the frontier’ feel: ceiling beams, exposed brick, and stripped floorboards set the tone.
The beautiful thing about rustic décor is that the charm is in the imperfections. Try upcycling old tiles as plant stands or coasters, and mend torn fabrics with brightly colored thread instead of reupholstering. If you can build your own furniture, now’s the chance for your carpentry skills to shine!
If you’re looking for a new interior design style for your home, Instagram is one of the best sources of inspiration out there. And once your renovation is complete, you can share proud pictures of your Instahome right back on the platform to inspire others. Which popular Instahome style tickles your fancy?
SOURCE:
Instagram. (2020). For a full breakdown go to: http://bit.ly/AmericasInstaHomes
Methodology
To make these visualizations we analyzed 10 Instagram hashtags relating to interior design trends. This process is called “scraping” and it’s a technique which is used to extract large amounts of data from websites. In this case we used it to collect specific data from Instagram posts. We created a custom script written in Python to scrape crucial information (number of likes, number of comments, location etc) for posts tagged with each of the 10 hashtags analyzed. We then inputted all of the data into a spreadsheet which allowed us to analyze the data and create these charts. For a full breakdown of our data go to: http://bit.ly/AmericasInstaHomes
