Kelowna Design - Inspiration by Nadine Andrews

I've been very fortunate to work with Nadine Andrews on several projects and she has helped my clients and I over come space issues in both new and renovation projects. This article revolves around finding inspiration in the design process.

Looking for inspiration for a new decorating or design project can be a very daunting process. Inspiration is a personal and individual thing, therefore, what might prove to be inspiring for one person won’t necessarily be inspiring to another. However the process of looking for inspiration isn’t something that changes with personalities. Below are some of the most common areas to look for inspiration and how to pull together the ideas from what you see.

• Inspiration can be as close as your clothes closet. Look inside to see which colours you purchase the most of. These colours are generally the colours that you are most drawn to. Usually you will see a colour pallet come through.

• Themes are a good way to become inspired for a specific room or area of the home. Basically a theme is the main idea of a room. For example “fairies” could be the theme for a little girls bedroom, or “old world library” could be the theme for a home office. Choosing a theme allows you to pose the question “Does this fit with the theme?” towards all of your potential decorating ideas and purchases for the room. If the answer to the question is no, then you can quickly put down the object in question and continuing searching for the perfect piece.

• Fabric stores can provide great sources of inspiration for a decorating project. Having a theme before going to the fabric store can help to narrow down the choices, but if you haven’t gotten that far just start browsing the different textures and colour combinations. Purchase small samples of fabrics that you like, including any coordinating fabrics (stripes, checks, plaids, or solids) that you might be able to use for accents and trims.

• Interior design magazines provide a source of photos from a wide range of decorating styles. They are also a great source for looking at current trends. When looking through the magazines, don’t spend too much time analyzing what it is that you like about a picture. If you like the look or feel of a room shown, tear the page out and move on. Once you have accumulated a pile of pages you can go back through to see whether you are still feeling inspired by the picture. You should begin to see a common thread between all of the pictures that you have accumulated. For example, the majority may lead towards a more traditional style of decorating, or they all might have dark coloured hardwood floors.

• Other places of inspiration can include showhomes, websites, friends’ homes, photos, area rugs, and artwork. Take pictures of items or designs that you like and make sure that you ask specific questions about paint colours or the place of purchase.

• Compiling all of the sources of inspiration and ideas into a scrapbook or design file will allow for quick and easy access when you want to look back at an image. Divide the file into sections such as pictures, samples, furniture, etc. Glue or tape samples onto white pages and insert into the file or scrapbook. Make sure that you make notes about what the piece is or why you’ve included it. For example, “Really like this faucet” or “These colours remind me of Hawaii.”

Remember that sources of inspiration are truly just that, inspiration. It is the personal interpretation of this inspiration that will inject your space with personality and truly make it your own.


Nadine Andrews D.I.D.
Design Evolution
250 864 9848
designevolution@shaw.ca