My 3 Favorite Sources of Inspiration
Inspiration can be found anywhere - but I have my top 3 favorites to inform a design project.
Designers - and everyone - can find inspiration everywhere, if they only pay attention. There is just so much to be inspired by.
I love hearing what inspires others, so I thought I would share a few of my favorite source of inspiration.
Nature
I would contend that nature is the most prolific, diverse, and common form of inspiration. Even those who don’t consider themselves ‘outdoorsy’ cannot escape the endless inspiration that nature provides (it is, after all, the original source of everything).
The degree of literal translation varies when pulling inspiration from nature. If you like birds, you can find a fabric with cranes on it; or a rug with a pattern of feathers; or a toilet paper holder in the shape of a songbird. These are all literal uses of bird imagery. You can see this below in two interpretations of a ginkgo leaf.
But it can be more interesting (if more challenging) to interpret and extrapolate nature imagery. For example, below, a beautiful scene from the Great Smoky Mountains may have inspired this wallpaper print, or this set of ombre curtains. The inspiration comes from the atmospheric haze effect, which can then be applied to an interior space.
Outdoor landscapes can also provide beautiful and naturally balanced color palettes. While you may think ‘natural’ colors are all neutral and low saturation, take a look at the images below - this is far from true!
Travel
Saint Augustine famously said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” The world is a vast and diverse place, full of rich cultures that have each developed unique sensibilities. Travel gives you the opportunity to build a library of aesthetic references, to be pulled upon as each project requires.
International inspiration can be seen everywhere. I took the image below (left) in Barcelona, in Gaudí’s famous Casa Batlló. The image next to it (right) is a current product offered by Arteriors.
Just like nature, travel can inspire us literally or thematically. You may buy a Moroccan rug to include in your home, or pick up some Ikat printed fabric in Southeast Asia. Or, you may add beautiful screens to your windows, pulling the idea from Indian architecture but altering the pattern to suit your own space.
Each of the images below was taken on my own travels, from places I think about often. They are in vastly different styles, but each inspiring in their own way. None of these would likely translate directly into a project. But you could, perhaps, pull materiality, pattern, texture, shape or color from these and find something really special.
History
Lastly, looking to the past gives us a rich lexicon of design language to pull from. Every period in time has had it’s own perspective on design, providing fodder for inspiration.
For instance, the three images below are all recent designs, but all pull from the 1970’s. Notice the avocado green floor, the slouchy sofa, and the warm yellow hues of the mosaic tile. None of these have been done just as they would have been in the 70’s (we don’t need to recreate past mistakes) but they all pull the best parts of that time and reimagine them.
Past eras have often been more singular than the present. Thus, there is a more cohesive aesthetic from, say, the 1920’s than there is from the last decade. This works to our advantage, as simply mixing inspiration from more than one time period will prevent it from looking dated or like a museum recreation. Take the image below; this image looks like a historical recreation. But if you traded the pedestal side table for a gracefully shaped stone or glass one one, and added a pendant in a contemporary shape, suddenly you have a unique and layered vignette.
As I said - inspiration is endless, and should be tailored to each project. These are just my favorite places to start.
What inspires you?
