Design Process: From Inspiration to Completed Design- and a Coastal Style Living Room Example
Lately I have felt in need of an escape. I’ve kept myself busy, executing my design plan for our main floor powder bathroom and the satisfaction of seeing my design plan come to life has acted as a kind of self care during these uncertain times. Maybe you would like to take the same approach and get busy designing or completing updates in your own home. If so, let me take you a long on pulling together a design from inspiration to complete design plan that you, or someone you hire can implement in your home. This example - to go along with my need for escapism is a coastal living room design.
Coastal design style is bright, airy and exudes the feelings of a beach holiday. The colours used in a typical coastal design are warm whites, sandy neutrals and blues. The blue colours in the palette may be any of the array of blues you may find in the sky or in the ocean - from dark navy to blue-greens and light, bright blue tints or more subtle blue-grey tones. A coastal design brings the outdoors inside with tropical plants, natural airy fabrics such as linens or cotton, woven materials, cane or rattan and wood furniture and elements from the sea such as coral, driftwood and shells can all be part of the design. These steps can help you pull together a design plan for any room with any style, take a look!
Step 1: Find your inspiration. When starting a design project you want to focus on your design story - how do you want to feel when you enter this space? I find it helpful to start with one or a small number of pieces that you want to incorporate into the design or that you think captures the essence of the design you want to create. This inspiration could come from a piece of furniture, wallpaper or fabric, a small decor piece or even a photo you found on pinterest - anything that speaks to you about the direction you want to go. This can help you determine a design style, a colour pallete or which materials and finishes to use to evoke the same feeling in your finished room that you get when you see your inspirational objects.
While “window” shopping the Joss and Main store on Wayfair I came across a series of beach prints by Emma Scarvey. They got me dreaming of the summer days and vacations by the beach and I felt inspired to flex my creative muscles and create a coastal design. Using this art print as my inspiration I have started the first step by determining my design style: coastal and this has also inspired my colour palette which will help me focus my next design choices.
Design Tip: I like to choose a colour palette early in the design stage, and I use paint chips to help with this process, however this does not mean I will be using them all as paint. The palette, at this stage of design is to direct the selection of materials, finishes and décor that will be included in the design so it will have a cohesive, thoughtful appearance. One last reminder about paint, and I can’t stress this enough: the colours on your computer screen or on a paint chip from the store that you use for your mood boards and design inspiration is a great place to start with your design process but any colour that is intended for paint on your walls should be tested in the room, on the walls and in the light that it will be showcased in, in real life. The exact paint colour you will use for walls and trim can often be decided on later on in the process, once the large furniture selection is determined and only after it has been tested on the walls in your space.
Step 2: Focus your design goals. Once you know the design style(s) and colours you are using for your design you will want to focus your design goal. By this I mean set up some boundaries or a clear direction on what you want this design to achieve. If you are balancing two design styles e.g. Mid-century / Modern Farmhouse this is where you choose which elements from each style you want to lean into, which may be the dominant and which will be the supporting styles. For this example- I could create a coastal design with very literal coastal décor (think lighthouses, fishing nets full of shells and ring buoys hung on the wall) or you could swing to a design with coastal influence (think a beach home in the Hamptons). I think a more literal interpretation for a coastal design would make sense in a restaurant, or a family oriented vacation rental as that space will be enjoyed for a short period of time and the decor and atmosphere you want to create is part of an overall experience. For a home design I would lean into a more coastal-influence design and for this design project I am setting my boundaries as: A modern traditional style with sophisticated design elements reminiscent of the Hamptons style of design with coastal palette and nods to the beach with a focus on natural materials and layers of texture and pattern. This focus leads my design decisions moving forward.
Step 3: Complete your mood board: A mood board is a visual representation of your design story. How you described your design focus, the boundaries and balance that you determined in step 2 should show on your mood board. When you are working on your own home and have a clear design in your head you may skip this step but if you are having a hard time executing the design vision you see in your mind, creating a mood board may help. A mood board can also be necessary when you need to get two or more people on the same page. When working with clients I find it important to create the mood board early on in the design process so we can all visually see the design and know and agree on the direction we are headed.
Step 4: Source the finishes, furnishings, art and accessories for your design: This is often seen as the fun part - shopping. However without a clear direction and design goal the choices of what to buy may seem overwhelming, or what you find doesn’t quite come together the way you envisioned your room would. By completing the earlier steps you should have a clear goal in mind, knowing the colours, materials, finishes and design style you hope to create. I would often start with the larger furnishings for the room. There are a million and one decor items to choose from but maybe only a few sofas that fit your budget, design style, dimensions and colour palette that you are looking for. Start with these items that are more limited and then source the décor items necessary to complete your design vision.
It may take some trial and error but if you have found the needed inspiration and properly defined your design focus you should find the selection of furnishings and accessories will be a little easier and assist in executing the design you envisioned. If you need a final gut check before you make your purchases I suggest clipping the images of each selection and placing them in a collage to see them in one place. These days that is easily completed digitally (no glue sticks required). There are many programs, including free versions that you can use to complete this task, I use Canva Pro for my design boards and I find it invaluable to see the selections together to ensure the correct balance of design elements and that the overall goals of the design are achieved. Below is my final design board for this example, showing all final selections for this coastal design in one place. Links for the items can be found below.
A Coastal Design Board by Julia DeDecker Interiors
Lamps: ELTE, Side Tables: Article, Sofa: Crate and Barrel, Coffee Table: Wayfair.ca , Accent Chair: Wayfair.ca, Area Rug: Wayfair.ca, Pillows and Throw: Tonic Living, Blue Ottomans: Wayfair.ca, Drapery Fabric: Sarah Richardson Brookhaven-Chambray- custom drapery, Console Table: Crate and Barrel, Beach Art: Wayfair.ca, Hydrangea Print: Rifle Paper Co, Bird Print: Juniper Print Shop, Rattan Mirror: Ikea.ca, Pedestal Bowl: Pottery Barn, Decorative Woven Balls: Urban Barn, Curtain hardware: Pottery Barn , Coral decor: Pottery Barn, Faux palm and basket: Crate and Barrel, Sconces: J.D. Lighting
