Inspiration is the gateway to design. It provides a vision, a sense of direction, and breeds even more creativity. I find that gaining inspiration from other resources is more like gathering a bouquet of wildflowers than following a recipe. We are not looking for a step-by-step, but instead, we are taking note of the elements that we love as we see them, so that we can produce our own unique kind of beautiful in the end. 

Here are some great places to look for inspiration before you jump into designing!  

• Home stores. Anthropologie, West Elm, IKEA, and Zara Home are just a few of my favorite stores to peruse. Whether you are looking specifically at furniture and interior design elements, or just wandering through, you can hardly leave without feeling inspired to design something yourself.

• Magazines. Although this one may seem outdated as magazines are becoming less common, it is still so fun to see which creative combinations of textures, colors, and patterns people are currently playing with – think CB2, Magnolia Home, and Rejuvenation.

• Coffee shops. They are more than just a convenient place to sip your latte and work on your laptop. Coffee shops tend to invest well in their aesthetic appeal and are a great place to pick up on color palettes, furniture, and art that may speak to you. Letting your mind rest as well, while sipping coffee, sometimes allow for those “ah-ha!” moments to pop into your head.
• Houzz. This website is such a valuable resource! It has an entire section dedicated to “getting ideas” where you can browse different designs. It is worth the google search!
• Nature. We live in a beautifully designed and diverse world! So many of the elements of design that we see in homes were inspired by the great outdoors. Take a walk and take note of which elements outside appeal the most to you, whether that be the warm tones and textures of tree bark, or the clear and endless blue sky. What aspects of these things could you incorporate into your home?

• Your wardrobe. Think about which pieces in your wardrobe are your favorites. They are the ones you feel beautiful in, love the style of, and feel represent you well. So often, just looking at your closet can help to redefine your style and help give a source of direction and inspiration as you plan for your home!

And now, for my three personal favorite sources of inspiration:

1. Social Media. Instagram and Pinterest are my favorites. I mainly follow other designers, so my feed is constantly filled with beautiful and creative home décor. 
2. Local shops. They seem to have the cutest decorations, and you can see the personality and artistic flare of the store owners coming out. Goldenfinch Boutique and Floral Designs are two of my favorite local stores nearby.  
3. Interest pieces. When working on a space sometimes is nice to have a starting piece to work with. Maybe a rug, pillows, wallpaper, or artwork. This helps set the tone and most of the time brings in the colors we would like to work with! I am currently working on a master bath and the wallpaper for the water closet is EVERYTHING! 

I’d love to hear where you like to go for inspiration! Where do you look first?

TTFN,