Where Does Inspiration Come From?

I've been blogging about my family room's redesign: purple walls and the use of pink as a primary color.  How do you end up with a room like this!?  As it turns out inspiration for a design can come from anywhere: a favorite color, a photo, a memorable vacation, a favorite family heirloom or furniture piece.  Do you remember that Kohler faucet commercial--" design a room around this!"?




Well, that's not far from how a room design can begin! 
Start paying attention to what attacts you, what you collect or to what you tend to gravitate.  

One home office I designed, started with watching Masterpiece Theatre's Sherlock Holmes.  I loved the color of the walls in his study and the mood it gave the room.  Here are some images I found of his study (sorry, they were the best I could find--they don't really do it justice):

zetaminor.com

dailymail.co.uk

Watching (and loving) this show,  I honed in on Pratt & Lambert's "Arizona" #8-22.  

Pratt & Lambert "Arizona" 8-22

A color which, had I seen it on its' own, I would have rejected as too "dark".   Inspired by Sherlock, the color created a warm, inviting study and enhanced the existing oak bookcases.  Using the wall color as our starting point, we added natural woven roman shades and touches of bright color.

Catherine Jordan Design, LLC

Catherine Jordan Design, LLC

So, what was the source of my family room inspiration?    I designed my room around Audubon's "American Flamingo"  painting. 

princetonaudubon.com

Being inspired by something doesn't mean building a "theme" around it.  In other words, my room is not filled with all things flamingo!

                                         

Being inspired for a room design means taking an element---in my case: color; then using that element to develop a design. 

Maybe you love the shiny lacquer of Asian art.   

 You could use that love as inspiration for designing a room with  laquered walls or bookcases to hold your treasures.


 



Look around at the things that you love and think about why you love them---what are the base elements that you love?  Color, texture, subject, memories?  I know you'll find inspiration!