Where to Find Decorating Ideas

All home renovation projects both large and small share one thing in common:  they begin with ideas.  Ideas are the life’s blood, the mother’s milk, of home improvement.  Ideas are inspiration.   Ideas are the beginnings of dreams.  So where do homeowners go to look for ideas?  And when should they start?

To answer the second question first, right now!    Many homeowners make the mistake of waiting till they’re ready to start a renovation before they begin to look for ideas of what they might like to accomplish.  There is no reason not to dream of what your home could become, even though you might have to wait before you have the resources to pursue the dream.

It is certainly possible to “pay” for ideas by securing the services of a professional Interior Designer/Decorator.   But meetings with skilled professionals are always more productive (and potentially less costly) if you bring some of your own ideas to the table for discussion.  In our modern, high tech world, many see the Internet as potentially the premiere source of design and decorating ideas.  Unfortunately, it’s not, for two principal reasons.

First,  the Internet gets more commercialized every day, and sorting through web sites short on ideas and long on hype can be at best unproductive, and at worst, angering.  However, if you’re willing to take the time you will find good information from some sites with a variety of articles that share tips and techniques of home improvement.   You have undoubtedly heard the age old adage:  “A picture is worth a thousand words”, and therein lies the second reason the Internet is not the best source you can find for design ideas.

While you may see pictures of a variety of decorated rooms, they are generally small and are subject to the quality of your computer’s graphics capabilities.  The same is true for the steaming videos about decorating topics you’ll find on the net.  A much better source of pictures as a source of decorating ideas is the old fashioned home and garden magazine.

It’s hard for many young people today to fathom this, but there was a world without the Internet once upon a time and back then many homeowners got ideas and inspiration gazing at the full color, full page layouts of homes resplendent with contemporary and traditional decorating themes.  Many of these magazines still exist and have online sites, but they often charge a subscription fee and you just don’t get the dramatic impact you do from a print magazine.   Another better visual source is the Television Home Improvement Shows, like Bright Ideas.  If your home entertainment system is equipped with a Digital Video Recorder you can record and then fast forward to the parts of the show in which you are interested.  A great timesaver!

Finally, the single best source of decorating ideas is, without a doubt, the Home Improvement Show you’ll find at a local exhibition center.  If you live in the Melbourne area, the HIA (Housing Industry Association) has Home Improvement Shows in the spring and autumn at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.  If you’re a homeowner, shows like these are an absolute must.  You’ll be exposed to a dizzying area of ideas that will keep you dreaming for months.  To see if there are shows in your area, enter “home improvement shows in (your area).”  Entering “home improvement shows in Sydney” as an example, you’ll learn Sydney also has shows at the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre.  If you’re serious about improving your home, these shows are helpful enough to warrant planning a vacation to attend one if you can’t find a show locally.  Go to one.  You’ll be glad you did.