How interesting
Home décor inspiration could be a hop, skip and few clicks away
Whether one is moving into a new place or simply sprucing up an existing one, it’s common to first assess furniture and items one already has to work with. Maybe that heirloom wooden desk is starting to show its wear but is difficult to part with, or that end table could be in great condition but doesn’t quite match the living room’s color scheme. Sometimes, all that’s needed to fix a dilemma is a little bit of elbow grease and a creative idea. Enter Pinterest: an endless cyberworld of home décor inspiration.
The website works as a tool to collect, organize and share photos and ideas from all around the Web. With a search engine that can pull up hundreds of pictures from keywords like “rustic living room” or “furniture painting,” one can find and pin an infinite amount of options to customized boards. And in a world full of do- it- yourselfers and home and garden lovers, the website is often all one needs to get creative juices flowing.
Estero resident and new mother Cassandra Wagner frequents Pinterest for eccentric ways to renovate her home on a low budget. Wanting to refurbish a white dresser with Chalk Paint— a decorative paint made specifically for furniture— but deeming it too expensive, Wagner found a recipe on the site that allowed her to duplicate the colorant’s texture and durability for a fraction of the cost. A few step- by- step instructions l ater, she transformed the dresser’s drab coat to a bright teal with the illusion of a wood finish.
Constantly discovering new posts, Wagner has projects in motion for nearly every room in her house, including a mobile wind chime made of sea glass and wire wrapping for above her daughter Rivers’ crib, and a Memory Bear stitched with pieces of her newborn’s clothing.
Pinterest- inspired decorating touches like air plants tied to crystals can be easy ( left); DIYers can access Pinterest on a mobile device.
IN A WORLD FULL OF DO- IT- YOURSELFERS AND HOME AND GARDEN LOVERS,
THE WEBSITE IS OFTEN ALL ONE NEEDS TO GET CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING.
By Wagner’s bed is a photo of her hand on top of Rivers’, which was taken in a copy machine and framed— another concept from Pinterest.
“All of these projects cost me l ess than $ 20,” says Wagner. “Doing things yourself saves a lot of money, and it’s all about having your own flair.”
And while Wagner claims to be a DIYer for as long as she can remember, one needn’t be a master crafter to implement home décor ideas from Pinterest.
Fort Myers native Anthony Maslo recently moved to an apartment in Chicago with white walls, wood floors and somewhat limited space. Working with the minimalistic style of his place, Maslo decorated with Pinterest-inspired foliage arrangements to add a natural feel to his home. Projects like tying air plants to crystals with fishing wire came easy to Maslo, who says he’s not otherwise skilled with self- made adornments.
“I’ve never really thought of myself as crafty,” he says. “I’m more into technology
and having things readily manufactured. But I just found these things easy right away, and that was very encouraging.”
Maslo wholeheartedly admits he hasn’t had success in all of his decorating endeavors, laughing about a recent mirrorstaining incident gone wrong, and he says sometimes it’s better to use the website as a jumping- off point rather than an exact guide to re- creating.
This is a concept that Spectacular Spaces owner and interior designer Wrenda Goodwyn can agree with. Goodwyn assists clients all over Lee County with design needs based on items one already has in the home, and she often uses Pinterest as a consultation device.
“Many times, a client will have a difficult time narrowing down exactly the feeling or design style they would like to incorporate into their home,” she says, “and Pinterest helps with that. I refer them to my boards and it helps them visualize what they want.”
But, like Maslo, she advises users against duplicating a picture exactly. “I always tell my clients that a photo or an idea is a good place to start, but it’s not the end- all,” says Goodwyn. “Trying to copy a room in a photo will always look just like that. What we do is help the client determine their style, and then we adjust it to their situation.”
At times she will post things from favored high- end designers she follows, such as Windsor Smith and Alexa Hampton, so a client can choose similar fabrics based on their price range. As she says, “You don’t have to be rich to own a beautiful home. You can take these high- end designs and adapt them to a Southwest Florida lifestyle.”
And between ideas from renowned designers, frugal masterminds, crafting experts and homeowners all under one major domain, Pinterest brings that kind of adaption to a whole new level. Whether it’s by following step- by- step instructions or utilizing the site to consult with professionals, if an idea can be pinned, it seemingly can be done.