A Designer’s Secret to Finding Inspiration!
As an interior designer, one of the questions that I get all the time is “Where do you get your inspiration from?” And where I get my inspiration from, is from my clients.
When I get a new client, I send them an extensive questionnaire. That questionnaire has a lot of questions on it like ‘what kind of style do you like?’, but it also has questions that you might not think have anything to do with interior design, like ‘where do you like to go on vacation?’, ‘what is the predominant color in your closet?’ So these help me come up with some inspiration for my client’s room!
For instance, I had one client who really loved the industrial style, so we added black into the space. We also added copper as the metal tone in the space. Think about copper and black. They go really well together, right? This client also loved the beach, so we added a deep teal to that color pallette. Think about the teal with the copper and the black. It became a really pretty color palette inspired by their design style that they like and a place that they love.
I have another client who really loves a modern style, so we’re using clean lines with a bit of a mid century modern vibe in her project. Her family also loves to travel to Costa Rica on vacation. So when I think about Costa Rica, I think jungle, which makes me think green. So think about this deep, bright green, and we mix that in with the reclaimed wood. The crispness of the green next to the wood tones is the perfect color palette for this family, and it was inspired by places they love and styles that they also love.
Think about places that you love to go, the colors that are there and what you like to do while you’re there. Think about what you use the space for. Think about all of those things and that will lead you in the right direction. It will inspire you with a color palette.
That’s where I get my inspiration from! I would love to know where you get your inspiration from in the Comments below!
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This is great! We also look to our clients for inspiration! If their home reflects their interests, the colors they love and the places they love it will always be right and timeless. Love looking at nature, art, and crafts for inspiration too!
Exactly Lisa! You’re right too, nature is always an inspiration!
All good ones! We have to find inspiration where we can.
Such a sensible approach for inspiration!
Thanks Adrienne
Great questions to ask! Especially where do you like to vacation…I love that!
You need to get them thinking outside of the box a little, right Janet?
It really tells a lot about a person!
It is so true that all the answers are in the client’s lifestyle… Great post Lisa!
I love this post.
So true.
Thanks Jessica!
This is a great explanation on how you get your inspiration. The spaces you design for your clients are always so beautiful! Thanks for sharing Wendy.
Thank you Sheri!
Love the blend of modern and tropical. Nice post!
Thank you Carla
Wonderful post about inspiration! For me I never know when it will strike, in art, in nature, I think inspiration comes from a variety of creative pursuits.