My Home Inspiration……

I often get asked where I get ideas from for our home.  “Where did you find that?” or “What made you think to do that?”  I’ll be honest, I had never really thought about it before?  Where do I get ideas from?  I make no secret of the fact that I love swooning over other people’s home photos on Instagram (@rvk_loves  I’m looking at you!) and I love home blogs in equal measure.   I have long been a fan of Rock My Style even before I wrote pieces for them.  There is so much inspiration out there; we are so lucky to live in an age where it is quite literally in front of us on a screen at the click of a button.  For me though, the internet was the obvious answer to this question; but when I really thought about it, there were so many other places I use to inspire me.  To list just a few……

Magazines.  Yeah, you heard me.  I am old school in my methods I know; but I’ll never miss a copy of “Country Homes & Interiors” or “Period Living”; there is just too much joy amidst those pages.  I love sitting up in bed in the evening and reading through the features on other people’s homes; often leaning over to my husband and saying “See, we could do that…” (Pretty sure he hates it when I do that.  I’ll let you decide?) There is something so simple about flicking through the pages of a magazine for inspiration.  I love keeping them and going back to my favourites when we are doing something in the house.  Yes, I am that person.

Staying places has to be one of the best ways to find home inspiration.  UK stays we have been on such as The Pig and Babington House have always brought so much joy for me; not just because we are staying in a beautiful location, but because I can essentially go around these places taking mental notes about what I want to emulate in my own home (Surely everyone does this, right?)  I know I have talked about “Bathroom Envy” before, but nothing will add more fuel to this burning fire of envy than a visit to a Soho House property!  My recent stays in the Cotswolds have only made this need to re-create things worse, much worse.  If my husband hears me talk about how I want (by want I obviously mean need) a piece of furniture (sink, bench, table; insert random piece of furniture here) with a vintage sewing machine stand as its base, I think there may well be a divorce on the cards.  In fact, that cottage, albeit a totally different age and style to our house has brought me so much inspiration; especially for our loft conversion (for those who are up to speed here, that will be the next thing on the list after the long-awaited “Kitchen of Dreams”).  I now need a loft conversion with a wooden cladded wall behind the bedhead.  Need.

Other people’s homes.  That’s all I am saying.  Or as I like to call them “Homes better than yours…” (by “yours”, I obviously mean all of ours).  Don’t tell me you don’t do this.  If you tell me you don’t, then I don’t know why you are even reading my blog. I love other people’s homes; so much so that I wonder if I missed my calling in life as an estate agent? When we were house hunting before we bought this house, I relished the opportunity to look around the houses that were for sale. The thought of “Now, would I have put that there?”.  Looking around other people’s  homes (obviously I am referring to beautiful ones) is my one true love in life (sorry husband); it brings me joy!  I love seeing restorations, renovations and just generally people making sh*t look way better than it did before.  It makes me think that we can do that; we can make sh*t better.  We all can.  I mean, why not?

I always get so much home inspiration when I visit antique markets and Brocantes.  If you haven’t ever been to one, do it; you can thank me later (I promise it’s not all dusty old in nicknacks with no purpose to their existence in 2017!) .  Often I find there are things there that I would never dream of having in our home (or would I?); but those items look so beautiful in amongst the other perfectly styled vintage stands.  I just love the idea of having mountains of totally unnecessary tumbled linen cushions that sit upon endless chippy-painted furniture; in reality I know that this wouldn’t work in our house, but a girl can dream. I think many of my ideas can easily be overruled as entirely unrealistic by my husband (she says as she sneaks yet another blush pink item into the house); but many I know I can turn into a reality.

As we wait for the planning permission of our kitchen extension to be granted I am already eyeing up tiles, fixtures and the odd vintage item that must live within that kitchen.  I can feel my mind running wild with ideas about how/ what/ where I will make these ideas come to life.  In fact, there seems to be little that can currently deter me from dreaming up ideas for that space at the moment.

There we have it; that’s where I am getting my material from.  Where are you finding yours? I mean, if I have missed anywhere, then I would love to know. (Also, if you don’t tell me, then that is just unfair and we can no longer be friends.)

Elle x