An Object of Inspiration

Creating a Space you Love | Part II

This post is based on designing your room around an object of inspiration. It is the second in a series of posts about how you can create a space you love in your home. Missed Part I? Check it out here.

Find Your Object of Inspiration

Once you have reviewed your Pinterest boards and have narrowed down the general look or feel of the room (or maybe a few), try to pick a “thing” to base the room around.

Your “thing” or object of inspiration can either be something you already have, want to purchase or something in one of the photos from your inspiration pins.

For example, it could be a color palette, rug, blanket, swatch of fabric, piece of furniture, painting, knick-knack, etc.

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Starting with something concrete keeps the design focused and tangible.

If you can’t narrow it down to one “thing” to start with, refer back to that Pinterest board. Pick 2-3 photos that truly speak to the aesthetic and feeling you want to create in the space.

Real Examples

Throughout this series, I will be referring back to rooms I have designed in my own home–primarily my children’s rooms. First, because they are the rooms I have completed most recently from start to finish and because, well, they were just really fun to do.

Most importantly, I feel these rooms clearly demonstrate the design principles and concepts I want to share with you.

This series is meant to start on a big-picture level and then work down to the details. So, as you are reading and wondering how I did something or where I found something, you may need to stay tuned for a future post if it is not directly addressed in the current post.

Liv’s Room

For my daughter Liv’s room I originally envisioned a softer color palette of creamy whites and neutrals with pops of pastel pinks. Therefore, many of the photos and ideas I initially “pinned” followed this aesthetic.

Then I started rug shopping . . .

And I found a hot pink, boho-chic 8 x 10 rug for a little over $100 on Overstock.

Game changer.

It was like the internet knew my daughter’s personality before I did. Or should I say . . . before I wanted to be honest with myself about the fact that I was bringing a compilation of two very big personalities into the world.

A creation destined to be loud, strong-willed, bossy, sassy, assertive (sometimes overbearing), beautiful, imaginative and funny.

Hot pink in a person.

So, the rug was a must. Next, I expanded my Pinterest search to include rooms with a more vivid palette–and not just nurseries.

Here are some of the inspo photos from my Pinterest board I referred to as I built the design for Liv’s room (note, if you visit the board you will see it is not as organized as it could be–they didn’t have the “section” feature yet when I designed this room):

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In keeping with my original inspiration, I kept the walls and furniture muted–choosing a creamy white with a tinge of taupe for the paint color and white for the crib, dresser/changing table and other pieces.

To create a happy mix, I pulled in pops of hot pink, turquoise/teal, green, yellow and a bit of red in varying shades.

I can’t find photos of her room with the crib, but other than the addition of a few more toys and the “big girl” bed, the general look and feel of her room is the same.

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Looking for a rug like Liv’s? Here are a few options!

I have provided affiliate links to items in this post and may earn a small commission if you follow the links I provide, at no additional cost to you. Just a way for me to make a few extra bucks to maintain my wine-drinking habit (oh, and this blog). Thank you in advance for your support. My name is Danielle and I like wine.

And, keep reading for more on Cruz’s room!

Cruz’s Room

Cruz’s room started with an antique propeller, which was given to my husband on a car trade. It had been sitting in our shed for a few years but, as soon as I knew we were having a boy, I knew it was going on the wall.

Naturally, I wanted the room to have a “westward expansion”, “man of the world”, ” master of the outdoors” feel.

He wasn’t even born yet but he was already born to do it all. And do it all big. Ride the rough ones, reel in the big ones, drive the fast ones, fly the small ones and shoot the long ones.

A boy that cool, deserves a room to match.

Knowing what I already had to work with (the propeller and the white crib we used for Liv) I started “pinning”. These are a few of my favorites.

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The color palette is based on the colors in the rusted metal and weathered wood that give the propeller its character. Rather than focusing on the muted colors, I pulled the vibrant shades of orange, red, blue, teal and white.

It’s a little unexpected and I love it.

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If you want to replicate this look with a propeller of your own (and don’t have one sitting a shop out back) here are a few online options.

Laying a Foundation

Whether you are working with a real-life “thing” or a photo, take some time to look at it and ask these questions:

• What do I love about this?
• What are the colors I see?
• Is there a trend or style aligns with?
• What do I already have that would work well with this?

Next, take a look back through your other inspiration images. Consider how your “thing” fits into inspiration images and what other items and ideas you can pull into your design concept.

Scroll back up and really look at the inspiration photos for both rooms featured in this post. While the finished product is not a carbon copy of any of them in particular, similar elements from each inspo photo appear in the real-life room.

Then, pair down the inspiration photos to include just a few (not more than six) that you can refer back to you as you begin to put your room together.

Money Talks

Look at the space and your bank account. Have an honest conversation with yourself about how much you can spend on creating a room you will love.

Once you have an idea about the amount you can spend, put together a list of things you want and need to do to in the space. A wish list of sorts. You may not be able to accomplish everything on this list, but this is just a jumping-off point.

Then, prioritize the items on the list based on needs and wants. For example, if the flooring in the room is damaged or the ceiling fan no longer works, fixing those items should come before buying a new piece of furniture or window treatments.

While being practical might be a little less fun, it can also help to inspire creativity to achieve the biggest bang for your buck on the “wants” list.

And, start thinking about what you already own that you could possibly re-purpose in the space.

Now, start shopping . . .

However, don’t let shopping get confused with buying . . . to truly create a well-thought-out and personal space, give yourself time to browse. You can certainly “add to cart” but only buy if you are sure about how and where the piece will fit into the design plan. And, it’s within budget.

As you find things you like, try to “pin” them to your board. I pinned the rug in Liv’s room and Pinterest immediately started generating images of other rooms with similar pink rugs–several of which made the final “short list” and are displayed above.

Keeping track of items you’ve purchased or intend to purchase on your Pinterest boards will help you to visualize the space virtually, until the room comes together in reality.

Up Next

Stay tuned for the final installment of this design series which will discuss choosing colors, layering textures and patterns, and other design tips to take your space to the next level.

Until then, Cheers.