Top 5 interior design inspirations
12.05.
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Wondering where to get inspiration from? Here’s our top tips
As a professional interior designer, keeping ideas and creativity fresh is as you can imagine, pretty important. It’s interesting to see how some trends come and go very quickly, yet others seem to stand the test of time and become a staple in people’s homes.
So where do I get my inspiration? The answer is of course anywhere, everywhere and at any time. But if I was to share my top ‘where to goes’, here are my top five:
Social Media
Pinterest, Houzz and Instagram are firmly listed as our top favourite places to seek inspiration. These sites provide a virtual scrapbook in which to store images that we fall in love with, covet and want to save. It never ceases to amaze me how much creativity is out there. When I am working with clients, these sites can be invaluable especially at the start of the process when I am establishing the preferences and style required for a specific project.
Interior Blogs
I religiously follow a few ‘interior bloggers’. I find them inspiring, and if I’m honest, their styles and ideas are very much ‘my cup of tea’. Lisa Dawson is easy and amusing to read, and I love the fact that she talks about her home and what she is planning to do with it next. Other good ones to try are madaboutthehouse.com and of course the one and only Kelly Hoppen
Retailers and suppliers
Everyone that knows me knows that my favourite place to shop for my clients and myself is Homesense. It is an obsession, and you will find me in one of their stores nearly every week. As soon as I enter those double doors and see the array of objects, furniture and brightly coloured cushions in front of me, I know I am in for a treat! It is an absolute treasure trove and caters for every style and budget. It is a rare occurrence if I do not come across a gem that is worth its weight in gold. I can honestly say I never leave empty handed much to my husband’s despair!
Art and Photography
I studied Fine Art at Art College many years ago, and this has forever remained a passion of mine. It is one of my favourite and important elements when I am designing a space for my clients. Art can arguably make or break the look of a room. It’s so accessible too; you can pick up the most beautiful original painting or limited edition print from as little as £75 in the knowledge that you will be owning a credible piece of work that you not only love but that no-one else will have! My favourite sites include saatchiart.com riseart.com and zatista.co.uk – what’s not to love?
Fashion
I very much believe there to be a tangible link between fashion and interior trends; you only have to look at this Spring’s availability of clothing on the
High Street in a variety of different patterns and prints – they remind me of the wallpapers that I have been sourcing over the last couple of years. Or take the announcement in made in December 2016 by the colour matching and consultancy giant Pantone, that its colour of the year for 2017 was to be ‘Greenery’. In May of 2017, British Vogue cottoned on and announced the colour we will all be wearing in Spring 2018 is green. Were they right? Absolutely! Look in any shop window, and you will find 50 shades of green.