Inspiration that Leads to Design

I have a lot of people ask how you get started decorating a room. A lot of people assume you begin with paint. Well, I think the best plan of attack is inspiration. Sometimes you just need to do what you really love and what you know will put you in a creative state of mind, like wandering through a gallery and falling in love with a piece of artwork. Sometimes you just need to start window shopping to get the juices flowing. For me, flipping through shelter magazines and following a random trail of design blogs usually turns up something beautiful to look at. For instance the photo above I found on Flickr instantly made me want to design a swingy sexy living room. Yeah baby (please say with Austin powers accent). It evokes so much of an attitude that it makes it impossible for me not to want to pull a room out of it. For many designers a lead fabric, a rug or artwork are really great jumping off points. They can instantly determine the color palette and the feeling of a space. Obviously a designer is equipped to pull together existing pieces as well as design projects from the ground up but if you are starting from scratch those are the perfect items to start with! I hope this helps those of you if you who need to make a go of decorating on your own and if you need a little more help than please call a professional. You will have a well designed space that will make you happy for years.

Here is my interpretation of the photograph above. I had fun pulling items for my make believe room. If you would like specifics on any of the items please email me.
images via unknown, Decorpad, Casa Suger, 1st Dibbs, unknown, The Rug Company