Where do interior designers find creative inspiration?
How do you decide a trend is actually a trend? Well, within our team at Homes & Gardens, there are a few layers to it and plenty of different sources. It’s a mix of what we see our audience responding to, what the styles the homeware brands are launching, and – most importantly – what themes are emerging in the work of our favorite designers.
So with that in mind, we asked nine of the designers we always look to for inspiration about where they get their inspiration from, and it was a revealing glimpse into why their projects look the way they do and why the current design trends are looking the way they are.
1. Miles Redd of Redd Kahoi
(Image credit: Redd Kaihoi)
‘I’m always inspired by the interior designer Bunny Williams – I call her Le Grand Bunny,’ says Miles Redd of the New York-based studio Redd Kaihoi. ‘She’s so wonderful, and she has taught me a lot. She really understands where furniture needs to go in a room, how to create a floor plan, and how to get the proportions right.’
Miles’ work is known for playing with scale and shapes, so focusing on layouts and proportions is key to his work. He explains how ‘Bunny knows how to use something grand, how to add in something tall, and when to pull back to give it all a little space and breathing room.’
2. Britt Zunino of Studio DB
(Image credit: Design by Studio DB / Photography by Matthew Williams)
‘I’ve always loved and been inspired by the Eames house in LA,’ says Britt Zunino, co-founder of the Manhattan-based design agency Studio DB. ‘It’s a super strict glass and steel building which is filled with plants and rugs and other things that soften the structure.’
Studio DB is known for its contrasting and eclectic spaces, so this source of inspiration makes total sense. ‘I like the disruption of the really modern with something that feels handmade,’ Britt says. ‘That is what’s interesting to us, and is what translates to a lot of our work. It makes rooms more unique and interesting – I don’t like it when spaces are all the same or when no rules have been broken.’
3. Bryan O’Sullivan
(Image credit: Bryan O’Sullivan Studio)
Having worked on homes and hotels around the world, the New York and London-based interior designer Bryan O’Sullivan soaks in his inspiration on his travels, L.A. in particular. ‘I’m in Los Angeles quite a bit, where the light makes everything feel like it has a Photoshop filter,’ he says.
‘At sunset, there are pinks and blues and oranges that come together so beautifully. I love to use those colours in my schemes as they remind you of the wonderful weather and the good times you have in it.’
4. Stephanie Barba Mendoza
(Image credit: Kensington Leverne)
While her signature style is based around warm colors and interesting ways of decorating with pattern, interior designer Stephanie Barba Mendoza is currently taking her inspiration from a more rustic source.
‘I’ve been reading a book about Michael Taylor, the person who started the whole look of the modern American aesthetic,’ she explains. ‘He was first to bring farmhouse tables into urban or contemporary homes, pairing them with an incredible antique. I find it fascinating that he was such a pioneer, doing something for the first time that now so many of us do.’
5. Philip Vergeylen
(Image credit: Simon Upton)
As one half of the design studio Paolo Moschino, Philip Vergeylen’s work is regularly seen on the pages of Homes & Gardens. The studio has perfectly honed the classic-with-a-twist aesthetic that invokes themes such as symmetry and formal placement alongside unexpected editions of art or ornamentation.
‘I’m really inspired by the New York-based designer Stephen Sills,’ Philip says. ‘I always look forward to his new projects and the way that he continually manages to use colours in different ways.’
6. Brigette Romanek
(Image credit: Courtesy of Brigette Romanek)
Having designed homes for Gwyneth Paltrow and Beyonce, Brigette Romanek is an icon, and the font of knowledge about relaxed yet glamorous L.A. style. Yet her own inspiration comes all the way from Europe.
‘I really like the curved sofas by the French furniture studio Pierre Augustin Rose,’ Brigette says. ‘They showed me how curves take the formality out of a room, which led to me asking questions like “why should a coffee table be rectangular?” Curved edges have more heart and soul.’
7. Noa Santos
(Image credit: NAINOA)
The New York-based designer Noa Santos of NAINOA creates super-luxe schemes, pairing high-end stone with a pared-back palette. But his inspiration comes from the other side of the world.
‘I’ve been working a lot in Bali, and the colors over there have really inspired me,’ he says. ‘There are a lot of natural rather than jewel tones. Design can be adventurous even when you’re not using bold color – you can focus on incredible materials instead, like the Balinese do.’
8. Jena Quinn of Studio QD
(Image credit: NICHOLAS WORLEY)
Along with her co-founder Lucy Derbyshire, Jena Quinn of Studio QD recently published a whole book on the Art Deco style and movement called Interior Style: Art Deco. So it’s no surprise she cites the aesthetic as a big inspiration.
‘The Art Deco movement is a huge inspiration to us,’ she says. ‘It was about simplicity of form and showcasing the materials. From lighting to wall paneling, everything was upscaled. Furniture was about function rather than unnecessary ornamentation, and there was a focus on brass, and geometric shapes. A lot of those themes are so relevant and right for today.’
9. Jessica Gibbons and Katherine Turner of Field Day Studio
(Image credit: Dean Herne)
Jessica Gibbons and Katherine Turner of Field Day Studio are known for blending mid-century furniture into decorative and quietly modern schemes. While their interior design style could never be mistaken for anything other than contemporary, there is a pleasing element of nostalgia to their work.
‘Alvar Aalto’s design philosophy resonates,’ Jessica says of the Finnish architect and designer who was prominent in the mid-century movement. ‘He created spaces that were deeply connected to the way people used them and the environment.’
Perhaps unsurprisingly, designers get a lot of inspiration from one another. There’s a lot of mention of travel too, and looking back at past styles for inspiration that is truly timeless – which would explain why so many trends for this year actually look backwards rather than forwards.
Notice a source of inspiration that didn’t come up with any designers? Social media. While this has become such a huge (and wonderful) source of inspiration for us, our readers, and designers too, it’s worth remembering that a lot of inspiration comes from experience, reading books, and visiting new places.
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