There are so many ways to find inspiration for your decoration project. The four most important places are the internet, magazines and books, your surroundings and mother nature. To make the most of your search be open, be curious and try sometimes to look at things in different ways.
INTERNET
- Look for bloggers. Bloglovin’ is an interesting site/app when you are looking for bloggers in a specific area like home decor. It gives you a good overview of all current posts from different bloggers on one page. You can then decide to follow bloggers on this site and use notifications or you can choose to follow specific bloggers directly on their website.
- Use apps like Pinterest and Instagram. Wow, both of these apps have revolutionized the internet search when looking for visual information and inspiration. Booth are great tools however, when you’re about to work on a project, Pinterest is certainly a must have and must use! The relatively simple idea of having the ability to create boards and to categorize images is simply fantastic! I can remember in the past how much time I spent cutting out pictures from different magazines and placing them in binders!
- Subscribe to the newsletter of your favorite decoration magazines. You don’t always have to look at decoration from the area/country you live. I frequently find inspiration when I look at magazines from different parts of the world. Even if certain decoration styles tend to be global, there are still cultural influences, regional materials and tastes which are different (Vive la différence!).
MAGAZINES
Whether you fancy English country or the Hamptons coastal style, Nordic or minimalist style, the good old modern classics, Bauhaus or newcomer designers style… there are so many out there for every taste.
It is a matter of preference (like books) whether you enjoy reading from the electronic or printed version of a magazine. I try to keep the subscriptions at the most up to 3 main decoration magazines which can eventually vary from a year to the other. Then I would check other magazines online.
LOOK AROUND YOU
- Whether you live in a small town or in the middle of a big city go out, be curious, look around your area. You probably have a smartphone with you and take photos of all kind of things that interest you, it can be the color of paint used on the wall of a museum, an architectural or decoration detail of a house around the corner, at a friend.
- Nature: Look for color pallet, pattern and textures in nature. Observe at different times of the day and seasons of the year. Nature has inspired artists throughout history, why not let nature inspire your decoration style?
CONCLUSION
Don’t worry about being overwhelmed by everything you see. Save the impressions that have captured your imagination. Try different combinations, look at them and then forget them for a while.
Finally, look at your space, the area you want to decorate, together with the complete image of your flat/condo or home.
Decide what items and furniture you want to keep, take photos of them. Create a new pinboard with your personal objects or furniture and decoration pieces. Now collect your thoughts and observations. What style and atmosphere are you ready to create?