Specific blogs, instagram accounts, etc....
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I follow a lot of farmhouse-style instagram accounts or hashtags - #farmhouseliving #bhgstylemaker greybirchdesigns thewhitefarmhouseblog joannagaines shanty2chic
momma's with gorgeous homes:
blessedmommatobabygirls diydecormomand just Pinterest in general, I can waste hours browsing if I let myself
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I like Houzz.com.
But the best thing I've done is outsourcing my interior design to Havenly.com! It's only ~$150 per room which is way less than hiring a designer and it's all online.
I know what I like when I see it, but I just am not talented enough to come up with a cohesive plan so I've ended up with a hodgepodge of things. My Havenly designer has helped SO MUCH and saved me time trying (and failing) to do it myself. They send you a rendering of what your room will look like and a floor plan and links to everything to buy. I've ended up buying less than they recommend, but even doing only maybe 60% of what they suggest has made my rooms look put-together enough for me. I have a discount code I could wall you if interested.
Here are before and afters of my dining room.
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I like McGee and Co., Chris Loves Julia, Juniper Studio, Vintage Rugs... all on Instagram.
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@hummusgirl: Glad to hear you liked Havenly! I've been really wanting to try it once we move into our new house. The space looks great!
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One of my favorite blogs is Kylie M Interiors, especially if you're trying to decide paint/trim colors. She focuses on the science behind which paint colors work in a house, it's really interesting.
I also like Young House Love. -
@psw27: Thanks! Some people like decorating and redecorating (a la Young House Love) but I want to spend my time and $$ elsewhere so it's been great to have someone just tell me what to do and be done with it.
The process is fun, though.
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Lauren Liess is my favorite- and her book Habitat is actually really great and worth getting- we are doing a custom build and she talks you through each room, plus helps you articulate your style and goals for your home- its really helped me start identifying my personal style versus just pinning whatever is trendy (I tend to be a sucker for that). I read it cover to cover and started a little journal/workbook, and plan to go back through it as we start making decisions.
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I visit Emily Henderson’s blog daily. She has a new “Rooms” section that I like very much. Style Me Pretty Living is great place for home tours that leads to even more designer sites.
Twice a year ORC/ One Room Challenge features bloggers making over a room within 6 weeks. Google it and then click through the archives for the official participating designers and guest participants too. Making It Lovely is another favorite of mine and she’s done an ORC twice.
On Instagram, I follow Studio McGee, Flippin Wendy, and Amber Interiors to name a few. Some of the designers I follow have great sense of style even if it’s not quite my style.
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Instagram Accounts: Katie Ridder, Lauren Liess, Becki Owens, Alice Lane, Widell Boschetti, Bailey Quin/Biscuit Home, and my new fave- The Old House Beautiful.
Also get a lot of inspiration from going down Pinterest rabbit holes!
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I really like Love and Renovations (blog and @loverenovations on insta). They’re on a budget and her DIYs are always really clear. I am terrible at doing anything so it’s a great resource for me. I fell in love with Rustoleum spray paint thanks to her!
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Model homes. We are buying a new house and I could spend hours looking at the pics online of the new model homes. Specifically the model we are buying too... super helpful
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Follow LIKEtoKNOW.it.home on IG.
They post pics of people’s homes and link to the items so you can easily buy them. You just like the photo, then in their app you can see where they bought things or very similar items. -
Another vote for Emily Henderson blog and instagram
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Thanks everyone, these are great suggestions!
@hummusgirl: Thanks for the recommendation! I'm not to the stage of actually having rooms to decorate yet, but hoping to buy a new house within the next year or so and figured I should start now. Definitely going to keep this in mind!
@Silva: Thanks for the book recommendation. I would really like to figure out my personal aesthetic as well!
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On IG: homepolish, scandinavianhomes, thegreycollective, kateandamandadesign.
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@Silva: I've been reading Habitat and it's awesome. Worth buying the book for the stunning pictures alone! Thank you again for the recommendation!
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@periwinklebee: I was genuinely surprised by how awesome that book was- I thought it would end up being a coffee table type book but I read it cover to cover and really enjoyed it! Glad you are too
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@Silva: Doing a custom build, btw, sounds awesome! I'm leaning towards finding a place in need of substantial renovation (not much new construction in our area) so that we have a lot of scope to customize things to our taste... It will be a much longer process than move-in-ready, obviously, but I think worth it both from the standpoint of really thinking through what we want in a home and ultimately having a place that we love. Are there other books or resources that you found helpful in thinking through what you wanted?
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@periwinklebee: we are still early in our design and planning process, but instagram has actually been really helpful for me. I follow several new construction instagram accounts that are run by people who recently built their own homes (as opposed to professionals), which are really helpful. I keep a pinterest board and constantly am adding pictures and then going back and editing the board so that I"m narrowing down on my choices, if that makes sense. The Lauren Liess book has helped me keep asking myself if an image I like fits with my vision for my house- it saves me from pinning random stuff/popular images. It really depends on your style but a lot of images that I like come from Studio McGee, Lauren Liess, and Amber Interiors (all on Instagram).
I also have loved the "Not So Big House" books, which might be worth getting from the library or buying used. The images are dated at this point, but are, at the same time, helpful because you can see the parts of it that look timeless (a lot of natural wood, light, etc). But she puts forth this idea for designing your home where you make a list of everything you do in your house- and then sort of ven diagram it into bubbles. Doing this helped us figure out which rooms were kind of unnecessary for us (formal dining, study) and which rooms we needed to be larger/super functional (mudroom!). A "not so big house" can be a house of any size, but the idea is designing a house that works for your family rather than just adding square footage (which is important when building on a budget, obviously!). Its kind of the "anti McMansion"- she encourages thoughtful design and use of space to fit your specific family, rather than giant foyers and dimly lit dining rooms (unless your family needs those things for greeting dignitaries or hosting formal thanksgiving meals).
When we get our first floor plan draft I plan to do her exercise backwards- figure out where all my stuff is going to go (from towels to wrapping paper to the kids bubbles and kites)- because one of my biggest goals for our new house is that it be a space that is easy to keep clean and organized. -
Photos of houses for sale, surprisingly.
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@Silva: This is awesome and super helpful! I love the idea of anti-McMansion. Looks like my library has all the books in the Not so big house series, and none of them are checked out - score! Thank you!
@looch: Thank you!
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