What's your inspiration?

[sararose]

When you decorated your favorite room (or plan to) did you use a particular place as an inspiration, say a familiar vacation spot or a foreign land you'd like to visit? Or did you start with a favorite color scheme, or design the room around a favorite item or collection? Or did you take your cues from the room itself?

I'm curious to see where others start this process. I've been slowly decorating my living room, and today I realized that I don't know where I'm going with it :confused: .

[Kathy Ann]

Mine's usually a craft item made by my son or myself. In my living room I have a magazine rack John painted that has layers of blue painted over green, with green and white tumbled glass glued on. It's very serene and reminds me of the ocean. It's a small piece but it really sets the tone for the room. Any beautiful object that you love, or even a magazine clipping, can be the starting point for a wonderful room.

[mckenzygirl]

For some reason, I always start my ideas around piece of fabric that I'm going to use in the room. Then I go from there.
Only I have to say for my kitchen it started with the cabinet nobs.

[Kristen]

I bought two gorgeous area rugs (I have hardwood floors) for my Living/dining room about 6 years ago. They really didn't go with what I had at the time, but I knew when I re-decorated and purchased new furniture that I wanted to build my room around those rugs and the colors. I will take pics and post (as long as someone can tell me how to do so) It's funny how many people (who are in my home - a lot) ask me when and where I got my rugs. I tell them they've been here for quite a few years, but they just didn't notice... hee hee! I love my room now!

[Karinbob]

I collect tons of decorating magazines. I tear out my favorite pictures and put them in a large three ring notebook under different catagories like....living room, kitchen, dinning room, bedrooms etc.. I even have catagories like Holiday ideas, outdoor and table decor ideas. It is amazing when I go back through the pictures that I have pulled out, I see very similar things. I always pick white kitchens with black in them, I always pick rooms with lots of windows and natural lighting, The fabrics are usually very large checks, or stripes, plaids rarely a floral (except for bedrooms). As you put together your own notebook it really makes it easier to find your style and colors and things that you are drawn to. I try to copy things that I see in magazines inexpensively. Hope this helps. K

[mckenzygirl]

K
That a great idea! I'm going to copy you and that way I can throw away the magizines after I take everything out of it that I like!
I won't tear anything out of my CL tho just cuz I love the magizine as a whole.

[Kristen]

Karin... I do the same thing! I used to keep all of my magazines, but after 15 years of several different magazines... I had to get rid of some. I went through each one for recipes and decorating ideas and have several files set up. I do keep all of the Christmas issues of all my magazines. I set them out in a basket during the holidays... or sometimes go through them when it's 98 degrees in the shade during the heat of the summer. So far... I am like mckenzygirl... I can't seem to tear up my CL mag!

[Karinbob]

I can't bear to tear up my cottage living magazines. I continue to pour over the pages and re-read the stories! I am already wanting to see the next issue!

I keep most of my Christmas issues intact and in a basket too!!

Karin... I do the same thing! I used to keep all of my magazines, but after 15 years of several different magazines... I had to get rid of some. I went through each one for recipes and decorating ideas and have several files set up. I do keep all of the Christmas issues of all my magazines. I set them out in a basket during the holidays... or sometimes go through them when it's 98 degrees in the shade during the heat of the summer. So far... I am like mckenzygirl... I can't seem to tear up my CL mag!

[Karinbob]

McKenzie Girl,
You will love this idea. It does take some time at first but do a little at a time and then you will love your new system.
If you find that you don't particularly like one issue of a magazine and are going to throw it out. Ask your local library if they could use some of your old intact magazines or try the schools they can always use it for projects. Karin

K
That a great idea! I'm going to copy you and that way I can throw away the magizines after I take everything out of it that I like!
I won't tear anything out of my CL tho just cuz I love the magizine as a whole.

[zuzus_garden]

I keep a 3-ring binder too! It's great for finding your style, and knowing exactly what you will work on next.

Zu

[Lynzee]

I, too, keep a 3 ring binder and the cover features the first magazine photo I saw of a room with a white decor. From the moment I saw it, I knew that was what I had to have in my home. While white is my starting point, I draw whispers of accent colors from my favorite seashells.

Lynzee

[zuzus_garden]

:D Lynz!

My see through binder cover has white roses, a white wicker chair, and white ironstone!

I was trying to remember what white decorating was called before 'Shabby Chic'... do you remember?

Zuzu

P.S. Check out the 'Fun Things to do This Summer' thread...

[Lynzee]

I don't know what it was called before--I just know I love it! I am really curious though, now that you've asked. Think I'll do a little research and see if I can find out.

Lynz

[sararose]

I see I should probably start a binder too! I had no idea so many people did that. It seems like a great way to find my personal style. It's funny how I immediately know what I like when I see it, but when confronted with an empty room my mind goes blank!

[zuzus_garden]

sararose - you wouldn't believe all the decorating mistakes I made before creating this binder. Now I know what I want and how to achieve it. :D

Zuzu

[Lynzee]

I couldn't survive without my binder, Sararose. It's so full it won't even come close to closing anymore!

Congratulations, Zuzu! I think you'll be a great moderator!

Check out this article. Gives a little history of shabby chic.

www.creatinghomedecor.com/dsshabbychic.htm

Lynz

[greenoak]

lynz....thats a wonderful article.... thanks.....ann
www.greenoakantiques.com

[Karinbob]

Lynz.... very good article!

ZUZU congrats on becoming a moderator.

I am going to have to make separate binders soon! One for kitchens, dinning rooms, bedrooms, baths, office, sewing craft room etc..... I just can't stop! :D

[zuzus_garden]

Lynz - I enjoyed the article. It was written in 2002, so some of the info is "dated".

But she did not become the figure most people in her position would have become. She continued her quiet, centered life and the raising of her children and has never fully capitalized on the shabby chic name. Even today, thousands of stores, designers, and merchants use the words "Shabby Chic" to describe some aspect of their wares unhassled by Ms. Ashwell.

Zu

[Ginger]

I did my kitchen because of a dish towel I liked. ;)

[greenoak]

for inspitration definitely the magazines and my decorating books...some not all....and trips like the flea i went to yesterday and totally here...new ideas swirling around...

but definitely picture journals too...i use 3 binders....one for mostly rooms i really like for me....i have bunny willilams conneticult living room in there...and a wonderful mario buatta country english room big everything...very dramatic and lots of stuff... and a susan bamforth of a bathroom with a big victorian urtn in it... and nancy lancasters? dowagers cottage.....english country house ..omg...its wonderful..i think she was with colefax and fowler ??? love her taste...and a sister parrish spread...and one of a wonderful old lady and another of her in the same spot at a garden party in maybe the roaring 20s...


another for all white and cottagy and shabby and romantic...i use this to show someone the feeling for a display i want.... and its almost an excyclopedia of the white shabby cottage thing...that i show so much of...

the other one is kind of a picture diary. for fun.... with new yorker jokes and covers and art ....and anything that really is in the zone for me at the time that i dont want to forget.....a favorite here is a cartoon of the queen drowning and the king on shore saying she is such high maintenence.... the new yorker is always good for a laugh and more ......a postcard forom seeing the van gogh /gaugan exhibit in chicago.....really great photos of many kinds...like whoopie goldburg in a bathtub full of milk... a fun thing...


just being on the net gives me overload... my main thing this month has been seeing alicias testimonial page....
kathyanns view of the math mind...thanks!!!!!


and here seeing all the links and re evaluating our view of them...
and hearing all the ideas here...

ann


www.greenoakantiques.com

[CottageDreamin']

I use 3-ring binders, too~I'm up to, I think, 6 now and I really need to edit. I started my binders about 15 or 16 years ago & now, when I flip through, I'll look at a page or a whole article I've saved and I think "Now, why on earth did I save this?"~I guess that is a sign of my "style" evolution :).

I tend to not decorate room by room...I try to picture in my head what I want the overall feeling of the home to be and I go from there...I do tend to keep the paint colors, fabric, and wood tones very close, working from a limited palette since the feeling I've worked towards in our home is a feeling of calmness and peace...

But, after many years, I ready to jazz things up a bit! So, when we move (maybe to a great little cottage!), I want loads of color and my overall feeling for the house will be "Happy"!

If that makes any sense at all.