Reflected in our mission statement, we wanted it to be peaceful, calm space. We wanted our home to be a place we can retreat to relax and be centered. For us, that meant neutral colours and keeping spaces uncluttered and clear. We preferred to add interest via natural elements, texture and art, rather than bold colours.
Of course, this took some compromising and discussion. We picked up many ideas visiting open homes. We found that seeing what works in a real-life setting was easier to envision outright.
When we disagreed on something, for example, one of us liked the idea of books on display in a bookshelf, while the other preferred they could be shut away – we ‘parked’ the decision. We looked for common ground and worked on those decisions first. Once we had a few decisions parked, and a lot of common ground decided, we revisited the points of disagreement. A lot of those potentially tenuous decisions were sorted easily because the ‘right’ direction was clear based on the rest of the project direction. The remainder came down to good old fashioned compromise.
We used Pinterest to layout ideas but really valued a physical inspiration board. Old magazines, interestingly, were more helpful than current ones. We wanted a timeless style. By looking at magazines across time, we could weed out the trends and focus on lasting looks. By avoiding stand-out trendy elements in our big-ticket items, we knew we could achieve a classic style. A style that we’d be happy with for many years, and one that wouldn’t blow our budget.
The process of gathering inspiration started well before purchase. Years ago, in fact. After purchasing the home came the challenge of how to apply our inspiration to the actual house in question. A lot of ideas weren’t relevant – but that was OK. We had a good feel for what we wanted, and that was the important bit.
