From Hamptons elegance to farmhouse luxe, this tool can help you create your ideal home style with no interior designer required.
When it comes to styling your home, whether new or established, the design possibilities are almost endless.
But if you don’t have the budget for an interior designer, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to pull everything together.
Metricon’s new lookbook will have 10 updated styles. Picture: Supplied
The good news? You can still achieve a polished look by tapping into a tool many Australian builders offer – design lookbooks.
Generally available as online style guides, these lookbooks showcase curated interior themes, complete with tips on finishes, textures, furniture and colour palettes.
In many ways, they can act as your virtual interior designer by helping you bring a vision to life with confidence.
Here are some lookbooks various home design experts offer with tips to style your home.
One of Australia’s largest builders, Metricon, is refreshing its design lookbook, set to release in October 2025. It will feature 10 updated styles – each paired with real homes so you can see exactly how the look works in practice.
The interactive guide allows you to explore different rooms and hover over points to reveal styling tips, such as suggested accessories and finishes.
Metricon’s Palm Springs theme is inspired by the “golden era of Palm Springs design”. Picture: Supplied
For example, its Modern Contemporary style features clean lines, muted tones and tactile finishes to create an interior that feels timeless yet personal.
Its Palm Springs design, inspired by the “golden era of Palm Springs design”, uses soft textures and a palette of sage, sand and natural timber for breezy, open spaces.
Other styles in the refresh include Beach House, Mid-century, French Provincial, Japandi, Nordic, Coastal Luxe and Classic Hamptons.
Coral Homes’ style guide offers a comprehensive approach with initial inspiration through to the finer details of execution.
Its design pages feature distinctive themes, with colour palettes drawn from the ocean, sand and tropics. The guides specify paints, tile patterns and finishes – often with direct sourcing details – so you can replicate the look at home.
Coral Homes’ Highlands 36 display home embodies the Modern Farmhouse style. Picture: realestate.com.au
The Modern Farmhouse theme features organic textures and earthy tones inspired by nature, as seen in the company’s Highlands 36 display home. Every room is styled to reflect the theme, with tips on everything from wall colours to furniture placement.
This level of detail can help homebuyers not only choose a style but also execute it step by step.
Fairmont Homes’ inspiration hub offers a broad collection of resources, including a lookbook that covers both interiors and exteriors.
The guide is image-rich, showcasing kitchens, living areas, bathrooms, laundries, dining spaces, bedrooms and façades. Each style is supported by examples that highlight how to combine materials, colours and layouts for a cohesive finish.
The inclusion of exterior ideas – from brick and cladding combinations to front door colours – makes it a useful tool for those wanting a consistent throughout entire home.
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