Here’s How Your House Probably Looks Based on Your Enneagram Personality Type
08 April 2018 / By Tamera Young Clinically Reviewed by Steven Melendy, PsyD. on April 08, 2018Your Enneagram type influences your relationships, your career choices; it even influences your speaking style. But did you know it has a lot to do with the way your house looks? Here are the style predispositions of each type.
Type 1 - The Idealist
Type 1 personalities are rational, dignified, self-controlled, perfectionistic and responsible. They feel like their home environment is an extension of the state of their life and psyche on the most visceral level. It's not just about presenting a beautiful space, it's also about feeling in control on the inside and needing to see that reflected on the outside.
So for this reason, they tend toward spaces that are easy to keep clean - minimalist design with lots of black, white and grey (and the occasional pop of color for accent). Or they could go for pastels. Mainly though, it's about using a restricted color palette.
In line with the minimalist aesthetic, many 1's will opt for geometric shapes, angular lines and surfaces that are kept decluttered and clean.
Since ethical issues are of prime importance to the 1, they may also live by eco-conscious values. This could come with the trappings of modern eco-living: mats made from recycled materials, eco-friendly cleaning products, composting bins, solar panels, worm farms, decorative indoor and outdoor plants, and either furniture made from recycled wood or 'thrifted' goods from their local op shop. It all depends on the 1's personal values. Whatever those are, expect to see them reflected in the house design.
Type 2 - The Helper
Type 2 personalities are caring, emotionally demonstrative, possessive, giving and people pleasing. First and foremost, they want to create a 'home'. Somewhere with warm, loving energy. A place to retreat to, not only for themselves but also for those they love.
So in this sense, it is in many ways the antithesis of the minimalist house design - often being filled with 'sentimental clutter', objects that make their space feel lived in.
It's going to be filled with photographs of loved ones, objects to accommodate during visits (extra blankets, mattresses) and things to nurture (plants and/or animals).
Type 2's prefer rounder shapes in their furniture. Curtains and carpets to make the home feel cozier. There could be earth tones in the color palette, or more likely, lots of yellows, blues and pinks. Unpainted, wooden coffee and dining room tables. Whatever creates that 'cozy' feeling.
Type 3 - The Achiever
Type 3’s are ambitious, achievement-oriented, adaptable, energetic and competent. This type focuses on the interior design aesthetic which feels just like the one you'd see in a public space like an office or the waiting room of a prestigious law firm.
For others, their homes seem right out of an IKEA catalog or the latest edition of Vogue Living. Similar to the Type 1, everything is kept clean, but more so for the sake of regulating self-esteem ('this is who I am').
A good example of this is Patrick Bateman's apartment in American Psycho. Very tidy, empty surfaces, deliberately chosen decorations; very structured and organized and obviously expensive. His home is in many ways 'proof' of the persona he presents. Type 3's are likely to have status objects displayed in their homes, both for their own viewing and the viewing of visitors. A similarity between type 1 and the type 3's is that their preferred projected image of themselves is important.
Their desired public image is what dictates the arrangement of furnishings. For the modern minimalist YouTuber, this could mean having a Howea Forsteriana Plant in the living room, with several other low maintenance plants throughout the house. If they want to project a more spiritual image, they might furnish their home with crystals, flowers, and candles as well.
Type 3's are more likely to have a home furnished in the style that is accepted/or revered by the people working in their industry/sector.
Type 4 - The Artist
Type 4's are moody, inspired, introspective, self-aware and self-absorbed. They have an affinity for what is unique or vintage (being drawn towards melancholy and nostalgia). They want items that fit into a cohesive, fashion-forward or vintage style aesthetic.
Anything that is too conformist will make them uncomfortable. For instance, a type 4 who enjoys the minimalist aesthetic will still collect objects from a favorite hobby to decorate the space and put their own 'touch' on to the style.
However, more prevalently, type 4's are into vintage, bohemian styles. Decadent styles, super modern styles; aesthetics that are moody and emotionally expressive. Anything that has the 'wow' factor and makes a statement.
Type 5 - The Observer
Type 5’s are secretive, withdrawn, cerebral and perceptive -- the accidental minimalists of the Enneagram. This minimalism is reflected throughout their decor, with the only exception being objects that reflect one or more of their special interests.
Type 5’s have a different type of minimalism to the other types, though. They don’t do it to feel in control (type 1) or to create a certain aesthetic (type 3). No, they choose to live with little because it means less effort and because having “more” generally doesn't occur to them. They want to be constantly downsizing in all areas of their life. Less obligation, less to clean, less to deal with; ultimately less energy expended.
For this reason, a lot of their furniture are going to be items that seem to be the most convenient. Couches rescued off of roadside curbs; plates bought in bulk at their local Kmart. Their items will largely be void of any prestige, as they're looking for convenience. The less hassle in accumulating the items in their house, the better.
This could mean they completely buy their kitchen and most other homewares from the local Kmart or Home Depot. Even more likely, they order all these things online.
Type 5's don't believe in excess or indulgence in the senses and see that as dependence on the physical, sensory world (something they spend an awful lot of time fearfully avoiding). Thus, a Type 5's home tends to be furnished, clean, but also feel a bit cold and empty.
Type 6 - The Loyalist
The type 6 is loyal, troubleshooting, suspicious, endearing, and anxiety-ridden. They spend their lives coping with their prevailing anxiety. For this reason, the home is seen as a place of refuge; a retreat from the scary, outer world.
Depending on how trusting they are of the people in their life (no easy feat for the suspicious 6), they may have photographs of fun times together or other objects that remind them of their friends and family.
The furniture is first and foremost comfortable. Plush couches in traditional shapes (as type 6's prefer the familiar). Coffee tables made of durable wood in classic designs. Carpets, lots of mugs (for the never-ending stream of coffee they're always drinking). Millennial 6's will probably have a blanket in frequent rotation on their couch for those moments when the world gets to be too much.
Type 7 - The Enthusiast
Type 7's are energetic, versatile, scattered, spontaneous, enthusiastic and distractible. Their house is often eclectic, which is a reflection of the frenzied way in which they collect different ideas, experiences, and aesthetics. They want it all, and so their homes are often a mishmash of everything they've considered interesting for five minutes.
If they have a personal library or movie collection, it's likely to be extremely diverse, with everything from trashy reality TV to obscure film noir pictures.
There'll be decorative items that are kitschy, fun or cool. They won't always be functional and they almost always will be impulse buys. Expect a lot of clashing, a lot of colors and many photographs of each of their 'life-changing' experiences.
Type 8 - The Challenger
Type 8's are expansive, assertive, confrontational, decisive, willful and self-confident. Their life motto is to 'go big or go home' and their home reflects that sentiment.
Since they believe in both working hard and playing hard, their abodes usually have the best of everything. They have the biggest TV's, the lushest furniture, homes that are either in the most sought after locations or that are physically huge.
A lot of what is in their homes are things they bought just because they wanted to. Items that are the biggest and best they could afford. They take tremendous pride in their objects, as they are a direct reflection of their hard work, perseverance, and independence.
Whatever it is they want, whether it be toys or creature comforts, they won't deny it for themselves.
Type 9 - The Peacemaker
Type 9's are easy going, self-forgetting, complacent, agreeable and accommodating -- the quintessential hippie bohemian types.
They could go the route of a more traditional hippie aesthetic style. A vintage Turkish carpet in the middle of the living room; curtains, blankets, and couches in earth tones. Random objects of magic and whimsy (since they are themselves so whimsical). Fabric-wise: linen, knitted rugs, lots of cotton and a questionable amount of plants (which they love just like their own children).
Another example is a more modern, zen version. This is somewhere you'd see an insta-famous yogi living; open spaces, huge windows, white painted wood or wood that has been lightly varnished. In the bedroom, a lot of white; white doonas, white bedsheets, and pillowcases. And again, a lot of plants to open up the living space and introduce positive energy.
No matter which aesthetic is chosen, though, the goal is to create a space filled with harmonious, clean, peaceful energies - since spiritual, energetic concerns are of the utmost importance to the type 9.
No matter what your Enneagram type, your personality has a sneaky way of showing itself in your living space. Curious which Enneagram type fits you best? Take our free Enneagram test!