The One Surprising Mistake You’re Making When it Comes to Your Home Design.
Too Much Input
It’s very natural that when it comes to your home, you’ll be on the lookout for cool ideas you’d like to implement. As you lose yourself down a Pinterest rabbit hole gathering inspiration, you start to feel more frustrated at the widening gap between the space of your dreams - that’s in your head - and reality. We’ve all been there.
In the age we live in we’re constantly being bombarded with glossy image after video after short and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed.
So, stop looking for inspiration - until you read this.
The Antidote
The antidote? Context is your Queen (or King)
Context simply means what you’re starting with. It’s made of different elements; both external - the existing architecture of the place, the neighbourhood, the city, country; and internal - what’s your story and what are you trying to achieve? What lights your soul on fire or (if you prefer water) what floats your boat?
Think of the elements of context as a search filter on your favourite fashion website. Imagine you’re looking for a pair of trousers for a summer BBQ gathering. It’s much faster to filter by clothing category like ‘pants’ than it is to go through the entire website. And, the more clear you are on what you want, ‘beige linen’, the easier the search for the perfect pair gets.
It’s the same with your home interior design.
Now I’m not suggesting you close your eyes to the inspiration that’s out there. What I am saying is when you’re collating inspiration imagery for your space, ask yourself: does this apply to my situation? Are you saving an image of a Swiss countryside chalet with exposed wooden beams, wood-clad walls and ceilings - for your Dubai beach home with marble flooring?
Here Are the Filters You Need
So here’s how you can get clear on context:
Location: Is it a home by the beach or an apartment in the middle of the city?
Space: What is the existing architecture and finishes? How much natural daylight does it get? Any special features you’d like to respect?
Your Aesthetics: Don’t get caught up in trying to define style here. I can go off on a rant about how much confusion there is around interior design styles but that’s not the point of this article. Focus on key words that explain what you like. Modern? Light? Any colours you don’t like? What mood do you want to evoke?
Your Lifestyle Needs: Do you have kids or pets? Do you want to host people? Work from home?
Once you have a clear idea of that, then you have an effective way to narrow down your 2 million images.
In a Nutshell
In conclusion, context is key in helping you bridge the gap between the dream home stuck in your head and reality.
Do This Next
Go through the 4 key filters we’ve listed and jot down some points that are relevant to your situation. Keep these notes to hand the next time you find yourself looking at inspiration images, or as you filter through the images you’ve already collected.
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