Interiors | The Inspiration Process

I wanted to talk a little about one of my favorite stages of a decorating consult, what I refer to as the ideation stage.  It is when I search for inspiration and gather tons of ideas for the space.  A bit like gathering the ingredients for a recipe. Inspiration comes from many places, typically mine starts with fabric or an image from a magazine or book.  Occasionally, I'll see a room and know right away what I would add or change, but more often it comes later, after I've had time to let lots of options dance around in my head.  My number one goal in this new decorating endeavor is to share my love and joy of creating a home with others in the hopes it inspires them to feel the same. Decorating, even when you enjoy it and are good at it, is just better when you have someone invested in the journey with you, to bounce ideas off of, or confirm your direction.  It takes a lot of second guessing out of the equation.  My hope is that NINE & SIXTEEN HOME will grow to offer more than consults, because HOME encompasses much more than decorating, but I'm still trying to sort out what that will look like.  For now it's the blog and consults! :)

One big learning for me in the last year has been how important images are when discussing ideas.  I could say floral fabric and envision a muted block print pattern, while someone else is envisioning giant cabbage roses (think Waverley patterns circa 1985). Or I could say warm neutrals meaning taupes and grays, while someone else thinks mustard yellow.   Sometimes, if I feel that I'm still trying to sort out the direction the homeowner wants to go, I start the ideation process with a couple mini inspiration boards to give options before developing the full plan and inspiration board for a room.

Here is a recent example from a local project (the home pictured at the beginning of this post).  The homeowners had done an amazing renovation and addition to an existing home.  They had worked so hard on the renovation that by the time decorating decisions came along (and a new baby, number 3) they were starting to feel tapped on creative energy.  They had started to second guess what they liked and what they were buying, even though they have great style!  They have an beautiful dining room that used to be the home's former living room.  It has a fireplace (my dream) and space for a long farmhouse table.   It is open to the family room and serves as the daily gathering spot for their family dinners.  The homeowner (and friend. ;)) sent me some inspiration images to get things started.  Here are a couple:

Beach Style Dining Room by Chicago Interior Designers & Decorators Tom Stringer Design Partners

Traditional Dining Room by Denver Architects & Building Designers Chalet

Her walls are already painted a soft, pretty gray but I couldn't gauge if she was really gravitating toward a cooler palette or a warmer, neutral palette. So I gave her options:

Option 1: Warm neutrals, more traditional 

Option 2: Cozy, with a cooler color palette, a little more causal than the other option

And here is how the final board came together for her room, after one round of revisions:

It ended up as a little bit of a combination of the two options.  But, in general, the focus is on warmer neutrals in the textiles and accesssories.  They will hang a pair of the oversized lanterns over the dining table (using the ones above - how gorgeous, right?!!).  And one wall will have a long, shallow built-in like in the Something's Gotta Give dining room but painted a gray similar to the one on the inspiration board and lined with ironstone plates and platters (yeah, I know, how jealous are we?!).  The fabrics are a combination of what will be on draperies, slipcovers and used in the adjoining family room on throw pillows.  I can't wait to watch it come together.  I will show updates as they come along.   There are a lot of details not shown on the board that are equally as pretty.  You'l just have to wait till I can show the real thing.  :)

As a curtesy to paying clients, I do not provide sources for items in their homes.

However, I will always happily share sources for my own home.

If you would like my help creating a beautiful home please 

contact me at: nineandsixteen@gmail.com