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Where do you get your home design inspiration/instruction?
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mindehankins
- Posts: 3014
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
- Location: Western NY State
Where do you get your home design inspiration/instruction?
I'm liking Garden Web. What others are you liking? We're going to have a WHOLE lot of renovating to do, in our new castle!
I don't kwow where to start....soo much needs to be done.
I don't kwow where to start....soo much needs to be done.
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Greenskeeper
- Posts: 390
- Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2008 2:07 pm
- Location: Cape Cod, MA
HGTV and DIY have some good shows. Some can be cheesy but you can quickly figure out which ones those are. I also peruse lots of magazines and catalogs and rip out pages with things I like and keep them in a file folder with notes. I like Cape Cod View, Cape Cod Life, Pottery Barn, White Wildflower Farm, Restoration Hardware and Ballard Design along with some typical decorator magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and Traditional Home. (many have websites too but I guess I like hard copies better) We've also been known to "case" neighborhoods and get ideas for landscape and exterior details. Be sure to have your camera or phone ready all the time. I've snapped photos of window box plantings, fences and light posts that I ended up using at my own home. Enjoy!
I love mixing old and new. I love the Ballard Designs catalog. I get ideas from there and then hit thrift stores to try to get the same look. I have had great success at our Habitat for Humanity stores.
Handthrown pottery, antique cabinet, really cool coffee table, bakers rack. Had to paint and wax the cabinet-looks just like a $400 one from Ballard.
Even Michaels arts and crafts has this one small section with really cool mirrors and accessories. I got a giant sunburst mirror there for about 1/4 the price of Ballard Designs.
I like Martha Stewart too. If I were building a house I would like to copy a lot of her built-in cabinets, etc...
Handthrown pottery, antique cabinet, really cool coffee table, bakers rack. Had to paint and wax the cabinet-looks just like a $400 one from Ballard.
Even Michaels arts and crafts has this one small section with really cool mirrors and accessories. I got a giant sunburst mirror there for about 1/4 the price of Ballard Designs.
I like Martha Stewart too. If I were building a house I would like to copy a lot of her built-in cabinets, etc...
"Sponges grow in the ocean...I wonder how much deeper it would be if that didn't happen."
It has been twelve years since we built our house... the dream house that was a long time in coming. As there has been nothing to date that we would change other than sometimes wishing to shrink it in half, I have not been looking for new sources of inspiration lately.
I used magazines and catalogs in the manner described by Greenskeeper as my major idea source. Many of my favorites have been mentioned... also liked Traditional Home, Coastal Living, some more regional magazines as Southern Accents; Pottery Barn catalog also appealed. I have every issue of Martha Stewart Living; she is a classic in my opinion. Builders in the area have two large home shows a year and many ideas came from seeing the new trends and products in place. Visits to Home Depot Expo, Lowes and other stores just to look around helped bring reality to published sources. Times have changed in twelve years, and I would think there may be many good blogs and design websites now, although I do not have any to offer.
Living in the new house will tell you a lot... what is convenient, how the light falls, if the flow works, how easy or hard it is to mantain, what makes you happy and what bugs you the most. What do you miss from other places you have lived? What has alwaays been a dream? Take your time.
Congratulations on finding, pursuing, and winning this first home. May joyful music fill the air and your family find every happines there.
I used magazines and catalogs in the manner described by Greenskeeper as my major idea source. Many of my favorites have been mentioned... also liked Traditional Home, Coastal Living, some more regional magazines as Southern Accents; Pottery Barn catalog also appealed. I have every issue of Martha Stewart Living; she is a classic in my opinion. Builders in the area have two large home shows a year and many ideas came from seeing the new trends and products in place. Visits to Home Depot Expo, Lowes and other stores just to look around helped bring reality to published sources. Times have changed in twelve years, and I would think there may be many good blogs and design websites now, although I do not have any to offer.
Living in the new house will tell you a lot... what is convenient, how the light falls, if the flow works, how easy or hard it is to mantain, what makes you happy and what bugs you the most. What do you miss from other places you have lived? What has alwaays been a dream? Take your time.
Congratulations on finding, pursuing, and winning this first home. May joyful music fill the air and your family find every happines there.
... no longer a stranger to paradise
I find lighting to be the most dramatic change. Dimmers for sure. Acsent lights from ground up or from ceiling down. Even though I love our 36" drawer cabinets in our kithen it's time to update our custom home of 13 years. I decorated it Med style then, but find I need to tone the shades darker to keep up with current trends. We have an all white cabinet kitchen that is perfect for entertaining. My biggest problem is replacing the carpeting in some areas. The majority of the home is tile and hardwoood. But the carpeted areas run together. Is it okay to break up carpeting in areas to something different? Does a home need to have the same carpeting throughout? Old school tells me yes, but new design says no. Your opinions?
Mindi...Congrats on your purchase. Decorate it as you please. But use common sense. My husband is in remodeling and kitchens get the best money back. Master bedroom remodels also reep benefits. Street exposure is an inexpensive start and the best feed back for resale. Keep your yard up, it keeps your neighbors happy and is good for resale.
Mindi...Congrats on your purchase. Decorate it as you please. But use common sense. My husband is in remodeling and kitchens get the best money back. Master bedroom remodels also reep benefits. Street exposure is an inexpensive start and the best feed back for resale. Keep your yard up, it keeps your neighbors happy and is good for resale.
Last edited by Terry on Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
I have a home and a condo that's down the shore, so I have decorated completely differently in those 2 places.
I still seem to gravitate towards mixing old with new. I love my hand made amish barn board dining table, but I also like the more traditional table I have down the shore.
I say pick pieces that you really like and build around them.
At home my colors are more sage, tan and a little burgandy thrown in. Down the shore it's all bright colors.
Good luck, it's alot of fun!
I still seem to gravitate towards mixing old with new. I love my hand made amish barn board dining table, but I also like the more traditional table I have down the shore.
I say pick pieces that you really like and build around them.
At home my colors are more sage, tan and a little burgandy thrown in. Down the shore it's all bright colors.
Good luck, it's alot of fun!
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
When I'm gearing up for a home project I spend a lot of time recording DIY network. There's a show for everything. I also start perusing Home Depot, Lowes and idea centers for whatever I'm doing (kitchen, bathroom etc.) I love to get my hands on things. I start a folder and jot down ideas, do sketches etc. Collect brochures and paint samples. I do a lot of thinking before hand and also work out time involved, costs and budget.
I also love IKEA (no judging!) I love to wander around and look at their displays in the store.
I also google the project (eg. bathroom renovations) and click on images to see what other folks have posted on line.
I also tend to open my mind while I'm out and about. For example, I started looking more closely at tiling options in bathrooms in restaurants and stores. You'd be surprised what jumps out at you and you can assess what you like and don't like.
Another option is to just tour "Open Houses" for new and existing homes to get ideas (you're generally better off with a new home in this case tho).
I've never really bothered with magazines or books though as they just don't do anything for me.
I also love IKEA (no judging!) I love to wander around and look at their displays in the store.
I also google the project (eg. bathroom renovations) and click on images to see what other folks have posted on line.
I also tend to open my mind while I'm out and about. For example, I started looking more closely at tiling options in bathrooms in restaurants and stores. You'd be surprised what jumps out at you and you can assess what you like and don't like.
Another option is to just tour "Open Houses" for new and existing homes to get ideas (you're generally better off with a new home in this case tho).
I've never really bothered with magazines or books though as they just don't do anything for me.
*Another fine scatterbrained production
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mindehankins
- Posts: 3014
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
- Location: Western NY State
Thanks, everyone! Gromit, your bathroom and Pia's kitchen are what made me think to ask where to look for inspiration!
Terry, we're going to have the same question. We think we'd like to tile the kitchen, dining room and foyer, that all all contiguous, but set off dining and entry areas with "border tile." I really want carpet in our living room, though. I wonder how that'll look...
On to research
Terry, we're going to have the same question. We think we'd like to tile the kitchen, dining room and foyer, that all all contiguous, but set off dining and entry areas with "border tile." I really want carpet in our living room, though. I wonder how that'll look...
On to research
First off Minde congrats on the new home!
We bought our 'forever' home about 14 years ago. It was in poor shape altho it was only about 15 years old at that time. It had been neglected and abused. Open houses were held regularly and half of the town came thru declaring it beyond what any of them cared to improve. By the time I saw it, all I could see was potential, so I have spent the last 14 years loving it back to health. Repairs have a way of bubbling to the top of the 'to-do' list, and we tackled them pretty much in that order. I do most of the work myself, as I love to get my hands into all kinds of materials, have enough mechanical sense, as well as can-do it attitude. If I have never done it before I figure out how. I drew the line when it came to a new roof...hired that job out, they replaced 4 skylights at that time. I have wall papered, stripped wallp[aper, painted, sheetrocked, mudded, tiled, installed carpet (won't dot hat again!) replaced a bannister, on and on ...you get the idea.
I have hard wood kitchen floor and adjoining family room hardwood...foyer is marble ( was here , not my pick, but it's OK...hubby likes it) and dining room and computer room berber carpet. Computer room carpet runs into hardwood kitchen flooring....which runs into marble and then marble runs into carpet again. SO in my opinion carpet, hardwood and marble all co-exist compatibly in my home.
I am less than 2 weeks from a complete kitchen remodel, and gardenweb has become my defacto online info source. It's a job that I am NOT undertaking myself. I have been dreaming of this new kitchen for all of those 14 years, but kids, colleges, cars, quite a few trips to St John! etc all came first ... you get the idea! It took far more planning than I ever imagined, but the cabinets are ordered, soapstone selected (woohoo!) and it is going to happen VERY soon. Pia was the forumite who referred to it during her kitchen remodel...thanks Pia!
You will come to a consensus as you begin to live in the space and it will all come together. I don't follow too many 'rules', rather I go w/ my instinct. Don't be in too big of a hurry, and enjoy the ride! Good luck!
We bought our 'forever' home about 14 years ago. It was in poor shape altho it was only about 15 years old at that time. It had been neglected and abused. Open houses were held regularly and half of the town came thru declaring it beyond what any of them cared to improve. By the time I saw it, all I could see was potential, so I have spent the last 14 years loving it back to health. Repairs have a way of bubbling to the top of the 'to-do' list, and we tackled them pretty much in that order. I do most of the work myself, as I love to get my hands into all kinds of materials, have enough mechanical sense, as well as can-do it attitude. If I have never done it before I figure out how. I drew the line when it came to a new roof...hired that job out, they replaced 4 skylights at that time. I have wall papered, stripped wallp[aper, painted, sheetrocked, mudded, tiled, installed carpet (won't dot hat again!) replaced a bannister, on and on ...you get the idea.
I have hard wood kitchen floor and adjoining family room hardwood...foyer is marble ( was here , not my pick, but it's OK...hubby likes it) and dining room and computer room berber carpet. Computer room carpet runs into hardwood kitchen flooring....which runs into marble and then marble runs into carpet again. SO in my opinion carpet, hardwood and marble all co-exist compatibly in my home.
I am less than 2 weeks from a complete kitchen remodel, and gardenweb has become my defacto online info source. It's a job that I am NOT undertaking myself. I have been dreaming of this new kitchen for all of those 14 years, but kids, colleges, cars, quite a few trips to St John! etc all came first ... you get the idea! It took far more planning than I ever imagined, but the cabinets are ordered, soapstone selected (woohoo!) and it is going to happen VERY soon. Pia was the forumite who referred to it during her kitchen remodel...thanks Pia!
You will come to a consensus as you begin to live in the space and it will all come together. I don't follow too many 'rules', rather I go w/ my instinct. Don't be in too big of a hurry, and enjoy the ride! Good luck!
Minde - I second HGTV and I like to look at how public places like resorts and restaurants are professionally decorated. Not all of it is suitable for a residence but you can sometimes get an idea of things that you like. Go on home tours and if you have friends who are good at decorating you can shamelessly copy them or ask their opinions!
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chicagoans
- Posts: 1586
- Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:51 pm
- Location: IL
I really like GardenWeb too. I also like the finished kitchens and finished backsplash slideshows. http://finishedkitchensslideshow.blogspot.com/ and http://finishedbacksplashesslideshow.blogspot.com/ Great pictures for inspiration and I love that when you see one you like, you can click on the picture to get info on all the materials/components.
Houzz.com is another great spot for inspiration photos. And I love looking through www.rev-a-shelf.com at all their clever ways to organize things. I'm a sucker for stuff like this:
<IMG SRC="http://www.rev-a-shelf.com/products/ima ... 4-BF-6.jpg">
Minde congrats on your house! If you ever renovate your kitchen, be sure to use the Kitchens forum on GardenWeb. Great advice re: layouts, organization, etc. I sent a bunch of links to a friend who is renovating his kitchen and he thought they were great. (I'm happy to send if you are interested.)
And for anyone doing a kitchen reno, I can sum my favorite part up in 1 word: Drawers. I'm so happy to have drawers rather than regular lower cabinets. Much handier!
Houzz.com is another great spot for inspiration photos. And I love looking through www.rev-a-shelf.com at all their clever ways to organize things. I'm a sucker for stuff like this:
<IMG SRC="http://www.rev-a-shelf.com/products/ima ... 4-BF-6.jpg">
Minde congrats on your house! If you ever renovate your kitchen, be sure to use the Kitchens forum on GardenWeb. Great advice re: layouts, organization, etc. I sent a bunch of links to a friend who is renovating his kitchen and he thought they were great. (I'm happy to send if you are interested.)
And for anyone doing a kitchen reno, I can sum my favorite part up in 1 word: Drawers. I'm so happy to have drawers rather than regular lower cabinets. Much handier!
