Usually the time from the end of November through December is the time to travel, host meals, or attend parties. I get excited when I go to relatives’ and friends’ homes to see familiar faces, meet new people and enjoy yummy food. I also like to see how other people decorate their spaces. Often there will be an idea that inspires me to improve my own place, or even a neat storage idea to use with clients. It can be the way plants are lined up around the living room, how artwork is displayed on bookshelves or photographs of ancestors is laid out on the wall in a hallway.
I recently got an idea for my home after visiting a friend who had arranged a beautiful stoneware bowl on a side table by her entryway. The effect was minimalist (which would fit well with my apartment’s decor) yet gorgeous, and showed off the bowl and the table. I have a painted Chinese-style chest that I love, but that I hadn’t quite figured out how to display. Inspired, I moved the chest to my hallway, where visitors can see it, like a beautiful artwork, when they walk through the front door. My entryway looks nothing like my friend’s, but letting something I admired about her place inspire me changed the look of my apartment for the better.
What ideas for your space have you gotten from other homes you’ve seen? Has your house inspired someone else’s?