Where I Actually Find Interior Design Inspiration

(Hint: It’s not Pinterest)

Lately, I’ve been asked a question more times than I can count:

How do you stay inspired with so much noise out there? Do you get your ideas from Pinterest or Instagram?

It usually comes up casually. Over a drink with friends. At a family gathering. In between conversations that have nothing to do with design at all.

The honest answer?

Those are the last places I look for inspiration.

In fact, scrolling through endless images of what everyone else is doing tends to drain my creative energy faster than anything. I’m not interested in chasing trends, following the design-of-the-week, or listening to what the marketing machine says we “should” want next.

Great design doesn’t come from copying. It comes from clarity.

After every Design Presentation, I feel like every ounce of creativity has left my body. I leave it all on that presentation table. And that’s exactly the goal. I want to be so focused on the space I’m designing that everything else disappears. Blinders on. Noise out.

I tell clients this all the time. Shut out what your neighbor is doing. Stop worrying about what’s popular. Think about you. Your life. Your habits. Your comfort zone. That’s where good design starts.

So how do I refill the cup and move from project to project without things feeling repetitive or bland?

Here’s where the real inspiration lives.

1. Old Magazines

Our studio is filled with design magazines, both old and new. Domino. Architectural Digest. Martha Stewart. You name it.

Coffee breaks usually mean flipping through these pages, dog-earring anything that sparks something. Sometimes it’s a cabinetry color. Sometimes it's an unexpected texture combination. Sometimes, it's an out-of-the-box layout that makes me stop and think, huh.

Pair that with a little caffeine from whatever Nespresso flavor I’m obsessed with that week, and suddenly the wheels are turning again.

There’s something about printed pages. No algorithms. No pressure. Just ideas waiting patiently to be noticed.

2. Books

Travel books. Design books. Old books collected on trips, sometimes in languages I don’t even speak. Straight-up textbooks on fabrics and patterns.

They’re everywhere. At home. In the studio. Always within reach.

If I have a free minute, I’m grabbing one of those instead of scrolling. Learning without pressure. Letting images and words land when my brain doesn’t need to perform.

Inspiration feels different when it’s quiet.

3. Fabrics, Wallpapers, and Materials

The flow of samples into the studio is constant. Fabrics. Wallpapers. Paints. Finishes.

There’s always a basket of favorites waiting for their moment to shine in a home.

Patterns, textures, color combinations. A single textile can inspire an entire space. Truly.

That’s also exactly why we have a studio space. Two, actually. We were bursting at the seams.

Rifling through samples is where many of our decorating projects begin with clients during the Inspiration Review. It helps us understand what they love, what they hate, and where their comfort zone lives. Even more importantly, it shows us how far we can gently encourage them to go. Learning that is always more important to me than following a trend.

4. Travel

This one is non-negotiable.

Travel is the most necessary source of inspiration for me. Creatively, yes. But also on a deeper level.

I crave a plane or a road trip constantly. Just ask my very patient husband. Even while enjoying a moment of calm on one trip, I’m usually mentally loading the next.

Of course, it’s the architecture, the materials, the way spaces are used that catch my eye. You can’t avoid that as a designer. But it’s really the vibe I’m chasing.

When I travel, my mind gets quieter.

Yes, even with all the boys in tow.

The daily noise melts away the moment I step into the baggage drop line or cross the Connecticut state line. (And yes, I always check a bag. I like my things. I no longer apologize for that.)

It doesn’t matter if it’s Switzerland or a road trip to the Midwest. Breathing different air changes everything.

Colors feel more vibrant. Details pop. Everything becomes an experience when you’re fully present.

I could walk for hours with no agenda. Snack, look around, soak it all in. I don’t need a packed itinerary. I just want to observe.

That combination of materials, old architecture, and a fresh perspective on what’s functional always comes home with me.

5. Designer Trips and Local Escapes

Twice a year, we head to High Point Market.

Other times, we meet up with design friends in places we know will spark something special.

And then there’s antiquing. A quick local escape. Brimfield. Round Top. Anywhere that reminds you why mixing old and new matters.

It clears the mind. It resets the eye.

Why our sources of Interior Design Inspiration Matter for Our Clients

Those feelings are what I want to capture in every home we design.

Why does coffee in a café in Paris feel so cozy? Why does falling asleep in a beautiful hotel feel effortless?

It’s never one big gesture. It’s the details. The materials. The way everything works together.

That’s the inspiration I’m always chasing. And it’s exactly what we bring back into our clients’ homes, again and again.

Because when the noise fades, the good stuff gets louder.