What inspires your home decor?

[lucyspangle]

Does it have a theme or a style?

I guess mine would be describe as 'country' with bits of shaker and an eclectic mix of family heirlooms and a bit of stuff I just like.Not too modern and not too matchy.

My inspiration comes from interior mags and shops/websites I like.

I'm trying to help a friend who has just bought her first house after divorce and has to start again - house is also a good bit smaller than her last place and she has sold/given away/lost out to ex DH on the furniture.

Just looking for ideas on what inspires you and where to start really.Shehas to make decisions on kitchen and floor coverings pretty soon and is keen not to get it wrong.Also has budget to consider (for the first time really).

Lots of it has been inspired by my local second hand shop and what anything dog, cat and kid friendly is a bonus!!!!!

Random what there!!

I think a lot depends on the house itself. Ie is it period, modern etc? Mine is Edwardian and has lots of original features so I have gone for muted tones and wool carpets as it's too cold for bare floor boards. I wanted to let the features stand out and the decor to compliment it but it's also important that it's a comfy home to live in too. we have 2 dc and so it's not a show home by any means. I like to nose at peoples houses in mags too and get lots of inspiration from there. Ours is a labour of love and will take us many yrs to complete I'm sure. What about your friends personality? Some people prefer calmer interiors but then others like bolder statements too so I thinks that's important

I agree with FedUp - whilst I love vintage, our house prior to major extension and redesign is 1950's, with few features, so we modernised it and went contemporary. If there's one thing I hate, its faux old.

Our main considerations were aesthetics and practicality with 2 smallish children. We favoured open plan living for this, with a bolthole for when they are older.

We spent where we thought we wouldn't want to change it again ( we plan on staying put ), so money went on floor ( wide plank engineered oak ), roof, folding sliding doors and picture windows. We have an Ikea kitchen so if we want to change it and update it in 10 years, it won't have been a waste.

I looked at lots of contemporary mags eg Living Etc, Dwell etc. I also tore out pics from any other mags of stuff I liked ( eg I saw a door knocker in a weekend supplement mag 4 years before I bought it ).

Wishing your friend all the best. And as said, now she doesn't have another adult's tastes to consider, perhaps she can use it as an opportunity to choose stuff she might have held back on before.

i love the plantation colonial style,
dark wood floors and furniture
green leafy plants
pale plain walls
massive french doors with wooden shutters

Thanks all I have given her a selection of house mags and told her to get mood board going!