Design inspiration is everywhere! Even the most unexpected source can give you a spark of creativity for your custom home design. It’s easy to spend hours and hours scrolling on Pinterest or Houzz, browsing floor plans, or even just watching the latest home improvement shows on TV.
But if you’ve spent weeks (or even months) searching for ideas, and you’re wondering how you can create a one-of-a-kind home that fits you (and your family) perfectly, then you’re in the right place.
A beautiful home design is a mixture of three important ingredients… simplicity, functionality, and passion. YOUR passion.
Your home is the perfect place to celebrate your passions in life. What brings you the greatest joys? What inspires you? What kind of space enables you to be the best version of yourself?
The process of creating your custom home design is exactly that… a process. During the design process, you have the opportunity to dig deeper and discover (or rediscover) more about yourself and your passions in life. Then, you can gather inspiration for your home based on your interests, your preferences, and your unique passions and bring those ideas together in the final designs.
While I regularly use Pinterest for finding design inspiration, it’s no surprise that you can quickly feel overwhelmed by the endless number of ideas. Today, let’s look at different creative ways to spark your imagination when designing your home.
1. Choose a material palette
One of the best ways to create a one-of-a-kind home that fits you is to define a material palette.
Keep the palette simple though. Choose a limited range of 2 to 3 key materials that you want to incorporate into the design. A common mistake that I see too often is homeowners ending up with an overly complex material palette.
What materials should you consider? Think about wood, stone, marble, concrete, brick, metals (gold, brass, silver, bronze, iron), glass (clear, colored, mirrored), and even tiles, carpets and rugs, etc…
One approach to choosing a material palette is to make an inspiration board and then observe patterns in the types of materials that caught your eye. Did you save a lot of images with marble details? Or were you drawn into spaces with light woods?
Another approach is to reflect on what the architecture wants. Take a moment to think about the architectural language of the home and the natural materials that work well with that choice. This is especially true in renovation and extension projects.
- If you want your home to feel durable and grounded, you might consider using exposed concrete.
- If you want a more traditional feel, brick surfaces would be appropriate.
- If your home will be flooded with light, you may consider using light-toned woods and matte (non-glossy) surfaces.
- If you want your space to feel larger, use smaller-dimensioned segments of wood or tile.
Materials should work seamlessly with the light, function, and emotion to enhance your experience in the space. Creating a material palette is a great starting point for your home design process.
2. Consider bold patterns, textures, & artwork
Do you have a passion for art, graphic design, or other creative fields? Find ways to tie that into your home design to create a lively, dynamic atmosphere which celebrates your love of the visual arts.
Besides materials, you can seek inspiration from patterns, textures, and fabric textiles that appeals to the overall style and look you like. Don’t be afraid to mix and match different concepts, especially if you have an eye for design. This can make things very interesting for a one-of-a-kind home.
This doesn’t just apply to the interior decor or design; you can tie this into the architectural aspects of the project but planning ahead where you want to feature elements such as artwork, sculptural pieces, patterns, or textures.
Some ideas might include:
- Add built-in wall niches to display art or your unique collection.
- Go big with large print wallpaper in a small powder room.
- Use bold flooring or kitchen backsplash tile patterns.
3. Use highly descriptive, inventive keywords
When you are searching for inspiration images, one way to discover more creative ideas is to experiment with different search keywords.
Be specific and clever with combining different keywords for the architectural style you like, the key characteristics of your house, and the different qualities you want (i.e. minimal, traditional, spacious, etc…). Use your material choices as keywords or search by different room types.
You can also try searching outside of Pinterest and Houzz. These sites are fantastic, but are not the only places to look. You can use your search browser such as Google or Bing. You can also look on Dezeen and ArchDaily to browse high-quality residential projects, searching by similar housing types, geographical location, and more.
By thinking outside the box when searching for inspiration images, you can find design ideas that are characterized by subtle details and relevant qualities for your future home.
4. Focus on your favorite lifestyle brands or home products.
You might know nothing about architecture and residential design (and that’s okay! That’s why we are here!), but you are obsessed with everything Apple or home goods from West Elm or Muji or yoga and running gear from Lululemon.
Lifestyle and home products brands can offer a lot of inspiration for your home, especially if these are already products you own, use, and love. What are the essential qualities of those items? Why did you buy them? Do they reflect the kind of person you want to be and the lifestyle you want to live?
By thinking intentionally on the things in your life, you can find inspiration in your every day surroundings which you can incorporate into your future home design. These companies often invest a lot of money and effort into showcasing their well-designed products in meaningful environments and creating an aura of the life you can have from those items.
5. Combine unusual sources for a unique custom home design.
One of my favorite sources of creative inspiration is to gather ideas from different places, cultures, or industries and make unusual, intriguing combinations.
Examples include:
- Old and new
- Different countries or cultures
- Unusual materials
- Different disciplines
- Nature and natural elements
If you and your spouse are passionate about two opposite ends of a spectrum, you can be reassured that there is always a place in your home for seemingly dissimilar interests.
The key is to think about how can you combine these two ideas? The answer might reveal an unexpected approach to your design.
For example, if your two favorite cities are Rome and Los Angeles (two very different places!), and these places bring you so much joy and inspiration, how can your home remind you of your favorite qualities of each place?
Even if you are always at home or if you are regularly traveling the world, you can capture the essence of a place and give it to your home.
6. Look to architectural history.
The history of architecture and interior design is a source of inspiration that never runs dry. History doesn’t get enough credit in today’s world, but we can learn so many lessons from the past.
I love architectural history. I am totally obsessed when it comes to learning about the history of architecture and buildings from various time periods and countries around the world – from Italian Renaissance architecture to Art Nouveau to neoclassicism and everything in between. There are thousands of years of architectural history, and thus there is a long continuum of tradition from which to gather inspiration. When we learn from history, we can understand what has been done before and discover design solutions that we can apply in new projects.
Here are some suggestions for how architectural history can inspire your custom home design:
- Look up the work of great architects and buildings, as well as interiors, landscape designs, sculpture, and painting.
- Understand the past history about your particular site or location.
- Take note of regional patterns. What is appropriate for your climate, weather patterns, and site conditions?
- Consider if you can include bespoke details inspired by your favorite elements of the past. Examples include bespoke door hardware, stair balustrades, or lighting.
A Final Note!
In both my design time and in my free time, I try to be influenced by a great variety of sources. I am always searching for inspiration, always keeping an open eye, and always learning from history, the arts, materials, and colors. This is my state of mind. However, I also try to pause and reflect on what enters my mind.
When extending, renovating, or creating your custom home design, you have the chance to create a space that perfectly reflects your passions and your personality, as well as your functional and practical needs. It’s worth taking the time to reflect deeply both internally on your self and on what you want out of your home. Gathering inspiration is an important step in that process. It focuses your ideas and gives you clarity as you move forward.
As you can see, inspiration can come from an endless number of sources. What matters is to be intentional about the ideas you gather for your future home. Working with a designer can help guide you in bringing your ideas to life, first on paper and then in reality.
I hope this post helps you in the process of gathering ideas for your custom home design. For more resources, check out these posts!
- How To Create An Inspiration Board For Your Next Residential Project
- Houzz vs. Pinterest: Best Tool for Home Design Inspiration
- Finding Inspiration In Uncommon Sources: 12 Places To Look
- Our Top 10 Favorite Pinterest Profiles for Residential Design Inspiration
I’m an architectural designer passionate about residential design, classical architecture, & architectural history. Together with my husband Dmitriy, we help busy families and couples with residential designs, extensions, renovations, and new builds. My goal is to help you stop feeling overwhelmed about your home & start designing the life you’ve always wanted. Read our full story here!