Finding Your Design Inspiration by Michele Malone-Singer

Have you ever wanted to change your space but didn't know where to begin? People are always asking me where the inspiration for a design comes from. I encourage you to take inspiration from everywhere. 

Finding inspiration in everything might sound a bit daunting at first. Hang in there with me for a moment. We all tend to have styles, colors, and types that we are drawn to. Photos on the internet, magazines, and friends homes can be a source of great inspiration. 

Inspiration can be a painting from your favorite gallery in Santa Cruz, a vase you brought back from Murano, a throw from Sedona, or a carving from Bali. A single piece can inspire a theme and the design for the entire room.

     

Public spaces can also be a fantastic place to find inspiration. Many designers for these spaces are pushing the limits with textures, new materials, and styles that you would not see any other place. Hotels, restaurants, and gardens can be fantastic for coming up with new solutions to old problems.  If things might seem a bit too "out there" to use in your space. Don't worry, this is just inspiration - not a literal translation.

You might even be able to start tapping into how the images and spaces make you "feel". How do you want your space to feel? Is it a bedroom that you want to feel serene and luxurious, an art room you want to feel creative, or a kitchen that you want to make you feel energized? Colors, textures and furnishings are the underpinnings to create these feelings in your space.

  

In my early days of design, I always had my clients pull images  from magazines (think pre-internet) and save the images that inspired them. I cautioned people not overthink, or edit, this stage too much. 

  

  

Even if the clients weren't sure what it was exactly that they liked in the image, I urged them to keep it. I found that when looking through the compilation of pictures I would always see common threads start to emerge and we could really put together the look that they were going for.

Listening to my clients, through both the said and unsaid is key to helping them achieve the look they want. When hiring a designer, find someone who you feel comfortable talking to (this is a dialogue - not a test!), someone that listens to you, and someone that has taste that jives with what you like.