I’ve been thinking a lot lately about interior design inspiration and where it all comes from.
Usually, I’ll see some things I like, get an idea and just go for it but with my latest project (our spare room/dressing room), I’ve really taken my time to work with colours, textures and fabrics rather than rush right in and get it done in a weekend.
The theme for this room has gone in a totally different direction from the rest of the house – I’ve opted for beige walls (yes, really!), linen fabrics and I’m even considering rattan furniture – something I’ve always sworn I absolutely hated until I’ve spotted a few recent renos that have majorly inspired me – see Emma Hill Home.
When I reflect on what have been my main inspirations when it came to designing the house as a whole, I’ve realised a lot of it has come from hospitality venues – bars, restaurants and hotels. I absolutely love the sometimes luxe, often over the top vibes from amazing places I’ve stayed such as Hotel Grand Pigalle in Paris along with the laid back, scandi-style I came to know and love whilst visiting Copenhagen.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the direct source of inspiration fits hand in hand with the exact vibe Guy and I wanted to create in our home. We absolutely love hanging out on a Friday night with a cocktail in hand and entertaining friends and family with dinner parties (Guy is an amazing cook and I can, well… pour a decent glass of wine?), so it was important to create a space that felt like we were going ‘out’ even when we were having a good old night in.
To carry on doing this in our small space, we knew we needed a wide and open plan area – see our multi-functional living room, dining room and kitchen with our vintage solid-wood dining table as the centre piece. Next came the fun part- styling the space!
This idea has also informed our styling and accessories. You may have spotted my 70s style glass bar I picked up in IKEA, that’s full to the brim of quirky glassware and barware such as hammered copper cocktail shakers and spirit measures alongside a hefty collection of books about wine and a few cocktail recipe books. We also like to go a little OTT on the tableware itself – think gold cutlery, deep navy dinner plates and even a matching gold octopus four-candle holder and wine bottle stand from my favourites at Graham & Green.
Finally in the dining room, we’ve got our huge (and often controversial) Wine Love print by an amazing artist called My Poster Sucks. We first saw his work, including this crazy print, at our favourite natural wine bar in Liverpool – Bunch Wine Bar – and this print itself was actually the very first thing we’d bought for the house before we moved in (it was coming from Italy and taking weeks to ship, plus custom framing time as it’s so big).
Anyway, back to the next one – the dressing room. Again I thought about the vibe I wanted in this room and where it would be best captured in the ‘hospitality’ sense – retail stores. For my mood board, I’ve taken ideas and concepts from stores including Cos & Arket and some of my favourite fashion bloggers’ such as Shot From The Street and Brittany Bathgate and I absolutely can’t wait to see it come together.
I’d love to know what your inspirations are and how you think they tie in with your lifestyle!
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