Interior Design Basics

What is the Difference Between Design and Style?

Author: vonsassy | Last Updated: September 19, 2025

Are you sometimes confused by the difference between design and style?

Confusing the two is actually quite common!

After reading our short guide that explains the difference between these two terms, we think you’ll never be confused again!

Let’s start with the basics.

To begin with, you should know that the terms “design” and “style” can both be used as verbs and nouns. This makes them something we can do, as well as a something we can have. That’s why when we ‘design’ something, it results in a design. And similarly, when we ‘style’ something, it results in a style.

Easy enough, but how do we know what is design and what is style?

Simply put, “styling” happens when we arrange elements (parts) in a creative way to create an aesthetic result. Like arranging flowers in a vase, or making a bookshelf look nice.

On the other hand, “designing” is a creative process that designers use to solve a problem or produce a certain outcome. Design usually involves working through a number of steps to arrive at its final form.

You might have guessed that styling is generally a simpler process than designing, and that’s because it involves fewer elements or steps. When we talk about elements, we mean the “parts” a design or style is made from.

Style vs Design Definition

Style is the aesthetic expression or visual character that results from the arrangement of design elements (maybe framed photographs and trinkets on a mantelpiece), reflecting personal or cultural preferences.

Design is the structured process (think of it like a set recipe) for planning and creating something with a specific function or purpose in mind (like a treehouse), involving careful consideration of elements and principles (size, materials, construction time-frame).

Let’s Talk Style

Hair Style

Let’s go a little deeper into the idea of style using the example of hair.

You may have hair, but that doesn’t mean you automatically have a hairstyle. The ‘style’ part indicates that something has been done to your hair to achieve a certain look. Whether it’s a classic cut or an edgy look, it requires styling. Now, there are good hairstyles and bad ones, but that’s another story!

So, we know that style is about how something looks, and since we’re all different, everyone appreciates different styles.

Some styles become established due to their popularity and are adopted by many. These people may even people known as ‘stylish’.

Fashion Style

We live in a world where we also observe examples of style (or a lack thereof) in the way people dress: Fashion style. Even those who know how to dress can’t agree on one style—some prefer casual street fashion, while others lean towards formal wear.

But while many people opt for the safer choice of emulating popular fashion styles, others strive to develop their own unique sense of style.

When we say someone has no style, we mean they haven’t put together an arrangement that we recognize as related to something familiar, like ‘sportswear athleisure style’ or ‘preppy style.’ Instead, this person seems to have thrown on their clothes without much thought, lacking consistency over time.

Where can we see other examples of style outside of fashion?

When looking for examples of ‘style’ outside of fashion, you can find it almost anywhere!

Style comes into play when someone has creatively influenced the way something looks. Think about the aesthetic choices in shop fronts (shop design), city signs (graphic design), and even the lamp posts and fences in your town or city. They all have a ‘look’ that could be unique to their location, but they often draw inspiration from popular examples that have existed over time.

When something has ‘style,’ it has a unique look that qualifies it as original or a variation of an original theme. By examining its characteristics, we can understand the story behind its appearance, or we can simply enjoy its beauty.

If something lacks style, we might think of it as plain—like vanilla, a plain piece of paper, or a plain bagel. Basic.

Consider the letters that form the words you are reading right now and see if you can identify their style.

Type style falls into two basic categories: serif and sans serif. On this blog, I generally prefer to use a sans serif font, without the little decorative strokes at the ends of letters, because I’m more of a modernist.

We see many styles in typography, displayed all around us every day—in the words we see on pages and screens, and especially on street signs.

Once you understand what style is, you’ll start to notice styles everywhere. Styles can be thought of as variations of a theme.

They are what makes New York’s ‘Little Singer’ building different from the Empire State building, even though they were built around the same time. Style separates the Land Rover from the Range Rover and Adidas from Nike.

Consider that there are styles of shows, styles of art, styles of manga, wallpaper, and even websites. Identifying styles helps us differentiate between similar objects.

When you choose a new bag or a pair of shoes, what style do you choose and why? At the of the day, it all comes down to personal preference.

Interior design style

When it comes to interior design, there are many established styles. Here on our blog, we have established a “mega list” of thirty of the most common interior design styles.

Chances are you can name a few interior design styles you’ve come across, perhaps styles like ‘minimalist’, ‘classical’ or ‘modern’.

Just like choosing a hairstyle or a style of wallpaper for your desktop, when it comes to designing your home, you will likely want to pick a ‘style.’ At the very least, you’ll need some style inspiration if you want your home or room to have a recognizable style.

If you don’t care about designing according to a particular established style, that’s fine. Not paying attention to or being a slave to style won’t hold you back from planning a space with an aesthetic you enjoy.

In this case, you can move straight to the next step: actual design. While the style of your room is how you want it to look, the design is more about how it all comes together.

Let’s Talk Design

If you were only working with decoration, you might be able to style a room without a lot of steps. However, the more that needs to be changed, the more organized you’ll need to be, following some logic.

It’s time to do what “to design” means: To plan!

The elements and principles of interior design are a system of organization that interior designers use to help them create spaces with a particular style. In addition, interior designers use various design tools and systems to create designs for what are sometimes large and very complex projects.

Without using design methodology, a designer could make many mistakes or overlook important details.

Learning to Design

If you want to learn to design, you can start with a simple project, like a single room.

If your room is clean and well organized, that’s a great start. Still, it might not have style. Remember, a person who does nothing with their room is like someone who does nothing with their hair.

Neat or messy are not styles.

To have style, there must be some arrangement and deliberate effort. Design will help you get there. Designers typically first work through a design process to get the larger details in place. Then, after the design is complete, they will style it by adding the finishing touches.

Learning to Style

You can learn how to style by starting with something simple, like organizing your bookshelf or learning to set the table beautifully.

Styling and arrangement are synonyms for good reason. When you style you make a creative arrangement. Think about flower arrangement, for example.

An arrangement in a professional setting is done by a stylist. Stylists are concerned with how things look, and achieving a particular ‘look’. The aesthetic is the more important consideration!

Stylists might work from a reference, and they almost certainly have training or experience on how to style properly. After years of practice, the stylist can start to work from a kind of ‘creative intuition’ about what will look right.

Much like your hairstylist!

Interior Stylists

In interior design, there are interior stylists. Interior stylists put the finishing touches on interiors. Open a magazine and look at the beautiful illustrations of homeware and decor styled to perfection, and you’re no doubt looking at the work of a talented stylist.

It’s no secret, interior designers often draw on the work of stylists to inspire projects they’re working on!

Design vs. Style Recap

Design is about the blueprint—the organized steps taken to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Style is about the look—the artistic choices that give a finished product its unique appearance and flair.

Remember that while style is definitely important, for a designer, it is not the most important thing. In the interior design process, styling and decorative effects always come after space planning and other functional aspects are resolved.

Whether you want to add some style to your personal space or completely redesign it, I hope you now have a better understanding of the difference between style and design! If you’re interested in interior design, feel free to read more about becoming an interior designer or how to get started finding your own personal style right here on Design Baddie.

The article below is a great place to begin!

5 Steps to Finding Your Interior Design Style, Yourself!

If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask by commenting below.

Happy design learning!

–Von Sassy

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