If you are like most people, the idea of redecorating your home is exciting but… When the moment of truth finally comes, you’re stumped for ideas about where to start and how to get inspiration.

Before you reach for that design magazine though, here are a few ideas that you can use to get design inspiration that will really kick some butt!  And, if these don’t do the trick?

Well, no worries, we’ve got you covered with a few tips for finding inspiration in that magazine, too.

1. Start at Home

The architecture of your own home is the best place to begin when searching for design inspiration.  If your home is from a specific time period or built in a certain style, take your cue from there.  The architectural features of your house can be a great jumping off point for design ideas for your interior.

Not all homes have outstanding defining features, however. Some homes, especially those that have been built recently, are more open to interpretation.

If your home lacks defining features, look to other elements such as your backyard or immediate surroundings.  Even if you live in an urban area, the outdoors can be ripe with inspiration.  This is what Georgia O’Keefe did with her paintings of the American Southwest.  She was inspired by the hills, canyons and desert right outside her front door, and you can be too.

2. Use Heirlooms and Treasures

If your immediate surroundings don’t inspire you, don’t despair – there are still plenty of places to get design inspiration for your home.  Perhaps you have a treasured belonging or piece of furniture that is unique.  This could be anything from a piece of wall art to a coffee table made in India.

Family heirlooms are also a good place to look for inspiration and can turn a project into something meaningful, as well as beautiful.

3. Put On Your Walking Shoes…

And visit furniture showrooms.

If you are having tough time getting inspired in your home, sometimes seeing examples of what others might be doing in their’s can get your creative juices flowing.  Visiting a showroom does not mean you are committed to buying anything, but it can help you try out that that bar stool or office chair you’ve been eyeing online.

A good furniture showroom will often have furniture pairings and arrangements already set up for you to experience first hand.  As an interior designer, I used these experiences as a tool to help clients get inspired and narrow down their preferences throughout each stage of the project.

4. Visit an Art Gallery

Art galleries are a good place to find inspiration, even if not in the form of actual furniture.  You might see a sculpture or work of art that reminds you of a favorite time period, place or feeling that you’d like to capture in your design.

Because you aren’t focusing on your project while you are at the gallery, your mind will be more relaxed and at ease, allowing you to be more receptive to creative influences.

5. Take a Vacation

Vacations are a great way to get new ideas, especially if you are visiting somewhere exotic and unfamiliar.  We tend to leave our stresses behind while on vacation and usually by the third day or so, our minds are relaxed and capable of thinking more creatively.

You might find your next design inspiration from a number of things that you experience while on vacation such as, the nature, architecture, colors, foods, fabrics, even the people.

Here’s a tip: No time for a vacation?  Get some travel magazines, cut out pictures of places you’d like to visit and create a design inspiration board.  Use that as your starting point to create an exotic escape in your home.

6. Scour Magazines

I suggest this as a last resort, simply because it is often the first place people start.

When looking at design magazines, don’t try to copy a design entirely.  Instead adapt it to fit your personality.

Here’s another tip: get a number of design magazines and scan through them quickly.  Any picture that catches your eye, cut it out without analyzing it first and set it aside.  Once you have about 10 pictures or so set aside, go through them and pick the one element in each that calls out to you.  Take your inspiration from there.

Finding design inspiration doesn’t have to be tough.  In fact, it can be an engaging and fun activity if you just know where to look.