How Do Top Interior Designers Stay Inspired?

Stay On Top of Interior Design Trends

The first thing the best interior designers do is stay up to date with the popular trends in interior design. There are many websites and magazines that give you all the information you need to learn about the latest trends, innovations and emerging techniques for designing. While you don’t want all your designs to simply stay on top of the trend line, you can certainly use this to become more inspired by what you’re doing and drive the development for future designs.

Sometimes, just seeing how other people are incorporating colour and lighting can help you spark some new ideas. Use it as a jump-off point to give you a better idea that you can run with.

Design for Yourself

It can be tiring to design for other people’s aesthetics, so sometimes, you should make it all about yourself. Pick a space in your home and then design it with yourself in mind. You’ll find it is the best possible way to experiment with new ideas and concepts without worrying about disappointing a client.

In the end, if you don’t like how the whole thing turns out, you can just redo it. After all, it’s your home and this makes it much easier to redo.

Fuel Your Creativity with Other Art

There’s no rule saying you can’t be inspired by someone else’s art. It doesn’t mean you have to be with other artists, but you should certainly expose yourself to more art and other people’s ideas. There are many ways you can do this.

Artwalks: Does your city offer an artwalk? This can be a fun way to see many different styles all at once and you can become inspired by their designs and colours. Sometimes those can give you an idea to incorporate into a project. This is one of the ways famous designers can reach new heights in their designs.

Coffee Table Books: You know the books, the ones that are thick and heavy and full of glossy pictures. They’re the next best thing to getting around the world and you’ll find that there are quite a few inspirational moments hidden in these books.

Museums: Both art museums and regular museums can be inspirational when it comes to ideas. Just the way the lighting is done or the style of someone’s designs can spark an idea.

Instagram: Designed to be the place to share your photos, Instagram has many wonderful accounts that will let you visit other people’s homes, lives and interior designs. You’ll find plenty of inspiration here, from nature shots to fashion shoots and everything in between.

Movies: It may sound odd, but movies are often packed with interesting sets and scenery. You may see a style that you love and want to emulate. It’s helpful because movies allow you to see the ideas from your own home, even if you can’t currently travel or explore other homes.

Furniture Stores: A furniture store can be a useful place to visit when you want some inspiration. Not only do they tend to showcase latest products and design trends, but they also showcase contemporary interior design ideas that you can use as a jumping-off point for your own ideas.

Travel: Sometimes it takes more of a jarring experience to really knock the creativity loose in your head. This is why so many artists travel. You’ll be amazed at how many ideas you can come up with when you’re abroad. Not only are the home designs and architecture inspiring, but everything down to the furniture in restaurants can be interesting. You never know where you might find inspiration.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

If you’re too comfortable, new ideas simply won’t come. You need new things, new ideas, and new experiences. This means you have to leave your comfort zone behind and get out there. You’ll need to get out and do things. For example, you might try taking a cooking or pottery class, going on a site-seeing tour in your hometown, or travelling to see new things.

Being out in nature can be infinitely inspiring, so take some time to go hiking, ride your bicycle, or stroll through the park. A camping trip with your family could well lead to some amazing ideas as you let your mind relax.

The idea here is that you get out of the house and out of your head to experience new things. However, you still need to turn these experiences into something worthwhile for interior design.

Design Your Workspace to Inspire

It’s difficult to be creative in a workspace that is dull and sleep-inducing. It’s worth doing a makeover of your own working area so you can create more ideas and come up with something exciting for the room where you do your work.

There are some key elements to making a creative design space.

Natural light: You should have plenty of light coming in from windows, but if you don’t, then daylight bulbs can help you get that feeling in your office. The way the light plays over the walls can be inspiring and you will have a chance to see more of what is going on.

Desk space: Your desk shouldn’t be cluttered, as this can impede creativity. Plan to have somewhere you can put all of your files, samples, and other items that should not be left on the desk. It’s important to provide yourself with space to think and design.

Colour: Very few people work their best when they’re stuck in a plain white room. You need inspiration and colour to get your brain on a creative track. Whether you add colour through art, carpet, or painted accent walls, you’ll find that it helps get those creative juices flowing.

Remember that most people work better and are more creative if they have an uncluttered space to work in. Keep your space tidy and you’ll end up with a lot more creativity in the long term.

You can also leave the desk and go elsewhere. No one said an interior designer can’t work at a coffee shop, for example. There’s no reason to be stuck all day in an office when you can take your laptop elsewhere and get a new view on things.

Switch Up Your Design Materials

Do you usually design on the computer? Are you a sketch artist? Try changing up what you use to design with and it can really get your creative side going. For example, why not use watercolour paints or crayons to draw up your design instead of the usual digital methods?

Sometimes you just need to jar your brain a little to get it to come up with new ideas. That can be as simple as drawing by hand instead of using a computer. You may find that using another medium gives you more ideas for textures and colours that would work well together.

Once you have an idea, you can go back to the more traditional method, but let the creative process work first. It’s a good way to come up with something completely new and can be helpful when you’re stuck and can’t think of anything new.

Join an Interior Design Organisation

Another option is to join a professional interior design union to stay in touch with the latest industry news, learning opportunities and event invitations, such as the Society of British and International Interior Design. An interior design organisation like this will help you get ahead in your area. You’ll learn more about the latest products, techniques and regulations. This means you can use these insights to come up with unique ways to utilise the new products and services in your client designs.