Your 2017 Inspiration Board —

“New Year, new you!” as the saying goes…well, from our perspective, hopefully not an entirely new you. Instead how about a more-dedicated-to-me-time you? It’s the moment to set aside some opportunity for reflection on what you have long been wanting to implement. And given that like everyone else, part of this has been the all aspirational to-do list at home, why not start the new year with this project in a fun way; namely via inspiration board!

Inspiration boards have long helped fuel any creative juices, and are perfect to serve as the map that can get you from A-Z. Even if not all is implemented right away, it does give you a definition and further more a gentle reminder along the way of wishes, wants and needs. So how to get started on one of these? Here are our tips for tackling (and extracting) your own personalized creativity.

Some tips for creating an informed inspiration board as you get a start on the new year:

1 – FIND A CLEAN CANVAS.

A large foam core board is easy to glue, pin or tape on and big enough to fit lots of ideas on.

2 — DEFINE YOUR PATH.

Narrow down what spaces you wish to focus on. Of course you can intend to go macro or micro, but easier to wrap your head around more concrete actions if you narrow the field a bit.

3 — TAKE STOCK OF THE SPACE YOU’RE AIMING TO CHANGE.

List out what needs replacing, fixing or donating away and as you would with any spring closet cleaning, sort through to these three categories to know what you would like to work with.

4 — FALL IN LOVE AGAIN.

Pin photos of the existing things you love, pieces that you notice frequently and are happy to walk by each day. Remember it’s important to keep what you love, what identifies as you so be careful not to throw all away.

5 — GRAB A COLOR WHEEL; AND PREFERABLY ONE YOU CAN TAKE APART.

Clip out colors that speak to you and group them on your board. Or get your paints out and experiment with various palettes until you find the right one. Much more fun when you can fiddle and play with different pieces of a puzzle.

6 — MAKE A LIST OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOPS AND FURNITURE LINES.

For example, if you often find yourself setting aside the Serena and Lily catalog (but oddly never getting to perusing it!), make sure it is at the top of your list now that you’ll finally have true time to explore their wares. You can even find inspiration in fashion magazines.

7 — NARROW DOWN WHAT YOU NEED.

Identify the original reasons (or pieces) that encouraged your idea for an inspiration board in the first place. Practical reasons are a good place to start to dream.

8 — NARROW DOWN WHAT YOU WANT.

Any good inspiration board should truly be that – inspirational. So add those ultimate pieces you aspire to have; you never know what you might come across when you are able to specify and prioritize.

9 — TIME TO PASS GO AND GET TO THE ACTION PART.

Vet the items that are in the aspirational bucket versus the ones that are practical and attainable. Breakdown and assign budgets to accommodate many of those practical options alongside one or two dream pieces. Get to work on your own thresholds (i.e. what you can manage now and what makes more sense later) and use a list to track your purchases and progress.

10 — BRING IN YOUR COLOR AND STYLE VIA THE ALL-IMPORTANT DETAILING…

And before you know it, you’ll have a board that reflects not only the space you want, but clearly defined by the style of the family who owns it!