Living Poiema: Creating Spaces

Interior Design: What inspires you?

My name is Jen and I want to welcome you to my blog where I hope to share my gift of Interior Design. Even though I have many ways that I enjoy being creative, creating spaces for people is one of my passions. You may be asking yourself what do you mean by creating spaces? This is just designer lingo for a place that people gather. It can include both Commercial and Residential areas such as a home, office, store, or restaurant. Even though I am an Interior Designer, I often design exteriors too. It is important that the interior and exterior flow together, so I often find myself choosing exterior paint colors, finishes, and designing spaces such as an outdoor kitchen, deck, or fire-pit.

Sometimes we may not notice this, but the places we spend time can have a huge influence on how we feel. Things such as the colors in the space and the furniture layout can provoke an emotion. This is why when I am designing, my goal is to create a place that feels inviting, inspirational, and ushers in either relaxation (such as in a bedroom) or motivation (such as in an office). All of these things are thoughtfully considered while also prioritizing functionality. The challenge is, this can be different for everyone, so it is imperative to listen to my client.

When I begin a project and meet with my client I ask many questions and listen attentively to figure out what their individual style is. I encourage them to look for an example of a place that inspires them and ask them if there are any existing pieces of furniture or furnishings that they want to incorporate into the design. Once I get a feel for their style and desires for how they want to use their space, I begin to look for inspiration to represent what we want the space to look like. Usually this is done through an inspiration photo. This photo can be of elements found in nature representing the colors we want to bring into the space, or a specific finish such as a stone or tile can be the inspiration. I am also inspired greatly by pictures of other spaces.

Looking for inspiration isn't just something that Interior Designers do. I believe we are all creative, meaning we all are creating something with whatever gifts we have and we all have something that inspires us to create. My question today is, what inspires you? This is an invitation to journey together and find inspiration to create. So, keep your eyes and ears open, you never know when you will encounter inspiration.

The photo on the left was inspiration for my design on the right. Can you see the common elements?