More sources of interior inspiration beyond the algorithm

One of my most popular articles to date is about interior inspiration beyond the algorithm. Now, this is all relative as I’m still very small-fry on these pages, but I guess it’s indicative of how jaded people are starting to feel with everything being a bit samey.

The good news for you, is I have sooo many other places I try and seek inspiration from. This isn’t to say I don’t succumb to beautiful images on Instagram or Pinterest - it’s more, I just try to find other sources of inspiration as a way to shake things up. The big reason for this is over the years I’ve really found that when I buy anything trend led, I naturally tire of it as whereas the things I’ve found and bought because I love, I still love them now.

So here goes for the next round of inspiration…

There’s a lot of chaff on Rightmove BUT if you search enough, you can find some really beautiful houses. I know of so many people with secret addictions to Rightmove, scrolling houses they can’t afford, in places they’d like to hypothetically live. This job has been made easier by some amazing boutique estate agencies such as Inigo, The Modern House and Thirzie Hull, which showcase the best properties on the market. Of these, Inigo is probably the most up my street as it tends to have a lot of characterful, layered homes.

The thing I love about this is you’ve got a greater chance of seeing REAL homes, how people live and it captures a demographic of people who simply want to sell their home, who aren’t beholden to the algorithm Gods. This means you can get some really interesting gems.

Here are some of my favourites I’ve seen recently:

• Mentally moving to St Leonard’s-on-Sea for this wood-panelled delight

• This house on the Thames has a great combination of antiques, interesting pieces and use of colour

• This small flat is a masterclass in texture and paired back tones to create a layered space

One of my toxic traits is I spend too much time on vintage jewellery sites looking for a bargain a.k.a. looking at things I can’t afford. Through doing this though, I get a lot of inspiration for colour combinations, use of metal for things like handles and decorative objects.

For instance, mixed metals are having a moment, but in reality they’ve had many moments as shown by the amount of vintage mixed metal jewellery.

I also love a snake ring, I had one as a teenager which I’ve lost but still think they’re so cool especially when there’s a gemstone for an eye.

Finally there are gemstones - diamonds are great, everyone loves diamonds, but there are some super interesting gemstones out there too. My engagement ring’s centre stone is a peachy morganite, which still gets comments after more than 10 years thanks to its unusual hue. There are some incredible pale blue sapphires out there and I recently spotted this watermelon tourmaline ring which is now top of my hypothetical list.

All these items can inspire us - finding the right blue based on a sapphire, mixing metals in a bathroom, bringing in a painting or rug with snakes on.

This is just my opinion, but I think artists have the coolest homes - they never really feel designed and almost always have the feeling of being the result of years of collecting objects they love. Artists also tend to have a great eye for colour, both those that work well and unexpected combinations. Some of my favourites homes include Claude Monet’s, Salvador Dalí’s and Gaudi’s - all have amazing use of colour and texture, but feel very relaxed.

Finally, artwork. If you already own pieces of art that you love, look at the colours in it - which ones stand out, or do you prefer? This can be a great starting point as invariably a painting will have more than one colour in it. Taking inspiration from this can be the springboard to a colour scheme in a room.

For instance, below is a picture of my bedroom with a beautiful large-scale oil painting from Wallis Studios. From this, there are lots of tones that can be picked up - I could have gone with greens and blues, or the pinks and yellows. My room is a combination of all of these colours - soft pink walls and bed, yellow bedside tables along with green curtains and a green upholstered sofa. All of it works as the painting is an anchor.

So there we go, a few more ideas of places to look beyond Instagram and Pinterest. We’re always going to be influenced by these, and that’s ok - I’d say it’s impossible not to be influenced by things around you. I think though if you’re trying to create a home that won’t date terribly, it’s important to look beyond this in the hope of having some longevity.

If you’d like help with this, I offer a variety of consultation and sourcing services which are ideal for getting you started and unpicking the difficult things you’re struggling with.

Thanks for getting this far and as always, your support is greatly appreciated!

Steph x