When it comes to embarking on a home renovation project, whether you're a seasoned designer or a homeowner looking to refresh your space, sourcing unique and personal creative inspiration is key. In the oversaturated online world of social media trends, finding a design vision that truly reflects your personality and style can be a challenge (it can even be difficult to identify what truly resonates with you versus your algorithm!)
In this blog, we’re going off the grid, guiding you through sourcing design inspiration from non-social media sources. Call us old school, but archival magazines, vintage fashion and movie stills hold all the glamour and rich inspiration of decades past that can’t be captured by a Pinterest mood board.
Design Inspo in the Digital Age
In the digital age, there's an abundance of online resources to kickstart your home renovation journey (which, of course, starts with gathering inspiration that speaks to you). Rather than scrolling through your socials, however, consider exploring new areas - literally. Check out Architectural Digest or Refinery 29's apartment tours, where you can take a walk around the best-of-the-best homes and interiors.
If you’re still stuck on Pinterest and you’re craving a less social, more library-like alternative, consider downloading Arena. Arena is a visual app where you can curate archival content into categories, downloading images, PDF texts and more to tell a story. You can upload trailers for movies with aspirational homes, search for aesthetics that you admire and more!
Bring Hollywood to Your Living Room
An unconventional idea for sourcing design inspiration is to pull from your favourite movies and TV shows! Whether it's the vintage aesthetics of a classic film or the aspirational modern spaces seen on-screen, you can draw inspiration from cinematic experiences (the sky’s the limit). Analyze the aesthetics, colour schemes, and design elements showcased in the stories that you see on screen. We playfully posted images from some of our favourite movie kitchens recently, like Julia Child’s 1960s French apartment and the sunny, bright fantasy kitchen in It’s Complicated.
[Who wouldn’t want to cook in this dream kitchen? Meryl’s been spoiled with movie kitchen sets.]
From there, you can translate your cinematic inspirations into specific products or design choices that align with your renovation vision. For example, if you're captivated by the cozy kitchens seen in romantic comedies, you can incorporate similar cabinetry or lighting fixtures into your own kitchen design. If you aspire to recreate Julia Child’s classic culinary space, for example, select key pieces from vintage-looking lines like the Zehn collection or the Carinthia line to anchor your space in your design vision. A sloping, brushed gold faucet or elegant pot filler would bring vintage glamour to an otherwise modern space!
[The Carinthia pot filler is giving classic, old-world glamour meets modern luxury].
The Artist’s Way
Gathering inspiration is just the first step. To turn your collected ideas into reality, it's important to have a plan in place. Start by creating mood boards or vision boards that reflect your dream space. These boards can be a mix of images, clippings, and sketches that illustrate your design vision. Next, work with professionals who can bring your ideas to life, whether it's collaborating with architects, interior designers, or contractors. The key is effective communication and a shared understanding of your creative vision
[The dream bathtub to end all bathtubs.]
As a visual idea, consider creating a mood board style picture of your gathered inspiration. It’s a good idea to start throwing ideas for fixtures and accessories in there, too, so be sure to bookmark your favourite elegant tub-fillers and porcelain china sinks that remind you of Marie Antoinette’s Versaile powder room, or the towel racks and organizers to upgrade your closet from disaster-one to Jenny’s dream New York apartment in 13 Going on 30.
[We all wanted that closet – so add it to the mood board!]
In the world of home design, creativity and personalization are your secret weapons. By sourcing inspiration from non-social media sources, such as movies, online resources, and alternative visual platforms, you can craft a home that truly reflects a uniquely aesthetic design vision.