Create an Inspiration Board

By Kari Richardson
Appears in the February 2023 issue.

To quickly size up a client’s style at the start of a project, Chad Esslinger, principal of Chad Esslinger Design, suggests compiling an inspiration board.

Inspiration boards allow clients to organize ideas and gather images in one place, whether it is an online platform, computer storage, or a physical folder. These inspirations can be color palettes, shapes, furniture styles, or specific products.

Anyone can create a board relatively easily and quickly using online tools such as Pinterest and Houzz to search and tag images or by clipping pictures from magazines and catalogs. Some prefer to take screenshots of Instagram posts or things they find on the web and save them to a folder. Regardless of the method, “choose rooms that speak to you,” Esslinger says.

Photos courtesy of Marina Storm/Picture Perfect House