When planning a re-design, you can be lost in a sea of ideas or struggling to come up with one. It’s difficult to find inspiration when you don’t know what you like or if there are many styles that you would love to incorporate! Narrowing it down to what you’ll truly love and fits in your home can be a long and tricky process. Determining what works best for you and your home is one battle, but here are some tips on where to start looking for inspiration:

Home Magazines and Blogs

Design magazines, now with their online counterparts, have always been the go-to for design inspiration (even if the inspiration needs a bigger budget). Different publications focus on different aesthetics, so you can be sure to find one that fits your style. It’s always fun to take a peek into celebrity homes as well! Online bloggers offer some amazing design inspiration too, with different styles and with different budgets.

Here’s a short list of some of our favourite design magazines: Canadian House & Home, Veranda, Dwell, Western Living, and Architectural Digest. A big favourite is House Beautiful which is a great resource for layered looks, lifelong design, and attainable for any budget.

Online Resources 

Pinterest is the online mecca for inspiration for anything and everything – fashion, beauty, art, but also home design. After signing up for an account, it’ll take some time for the site to build an algorithm that fits you but when they do, you’ll be loving every post (a.k.a ‘Pin’). It’s incredibly easy to build ‘boards’ to save inspiration for later and the algorithm will recommend more based on the pins you’re saving. Follow us on Pinterest @coastconsignment! For other sites, you can check out Houzz which also has photos, design articles, and other resources. You can always check out the website for your favourite design magazines as well, like AD, House & Garden, and more.

Here’s a great list of websites for design inspiration: Our 10 Favourite Sites for Interior Design Inspiration

Friends and Families

Visit your friends’ and families’ houses and take notice of the pieces that stand out to you and what about them stands out. Whether or not you have a similar style to them, there will be probably be pieces, colours, or motifs that interest you and can inspire your own decor. Look back in old family photos or think about what you had in your childhood home, were there any extra special pieces that made a space feel particularly cozy or homey? Retro is in!

Showroom and Stores

Take a walk through various furniture stores and take note of the model rooms or vignettes that they set up – their purpose is to inspire! Try to refrain from copying the entire room piece by piece and instead let it be a jumping off point to your own creation. At Coast Consignment, we love to set up vignettes around the store and often have numerous set-up in a variety of different styles so there’s always something for somebody! Vignettes change weekly so be sure to come back for a fresh look at what’s in-store.

Film and Television

Set decorators are just like interior designers, they have a fantastic eye and design sets to fit the character’s personality and lifestyle. You can find tons of inspiration in film and TV, take a closer look at the background and you’ll never know what you’ll see.

The films directed by Nancy Meyers (The Holiday, The Parent Trap, Father of the Bride, and more) are known for their iconic interior design, dubbed “coastal grandmother” for the airy neutral palettes, character-driven details, and plush seating. Nancy, alongside her designer Beth Rubino, have a created a massive online trend across platforms like Instagram and Pinterest for the timeless and carefully curated aesthetic.

Museums and Travel

While travelling, pop into the local museums, cathedrals, and historical buildings as new cultures and experiences can give you a new perspective on interior design. You can even check out local markets and furniture stores to check out the local design styles and trends.

The Great Outdoors

If you’re looking for inspiration in regards of texture, material, or colour palette, Mother Nature is a great place to start. Take a walk outdoors in the forest or by the ocean, while taking note of the textures and colour palettes that can be found organically, all while being naturally cohesive.

Where else do you love to look for inspiration? Share in the comments below!

For more tips visit:

• How to Find Interior Design Inspiration