What is Inspiring Me At the Moment

As a creative, I am always eager to learn how others stay inspired, but today, I’m here to share what is inspiring me at the moment. Truthfully, I find that I am inspired almost everywhere I look.  Being a visual learner and a designer, I am always noticing inspiring color palettes to incorporate in my NYC lobby design as well as in my hallway design schemes, in particular. 

Today, for example, I was visiting our local gourmet supermarket and found the vegetable selections and display absolutely inspiring. For example, the colors of the aubergine (eggplant) and the variety of lettuce colors (fresh greens with subtle reds) can inspire upholstery hues for the lobby as well as hallway design scheme colors. Then, the Romanesco cauliflower’s collections of spirals and delicate peaks led me to think of intricate lobby carpet patterns that will hide daily wear and tear. And carrots and fingerling potatoes both come in an array of unusual colors that are so appealing and visually interesting and inspiring.

In New York City, I’m inspired by the Gilded Age mansions that have been converted to museums and hotels, oozing with deep rich woods and saturated colors. These spaces are so timeless and sophisticated. When I spot the spectacular moldings and carvings on the walls and ceilings, I’m always eager to take reference photos for our lobby design and hallway design work, and I encourage my team members to do they same when they’re equally enchanted by something. Even in my day to day life in NYC, I’m awe-struck by building architecture, tile patterns, carved limestone, wrought iron door patterns, hardware, retail store windows, eyeglasses, jewelry…it’s all eye candy to me!

I also find inspiration in nature. Early morning mist mutes the landscape in a way that is so elegant and understated. Ice “sketches” on a pane of glass allow for a contrast between cool blue grays and darker background colors. This contrast, as well as the organic shapes that take place, lead me to think of carpet patterns once again. I am also in awe of the sunrises and sunsets I experience as I drive in and out of the city at dusk and dawn, which are filled with salmons, blues, golds, smoke, lavender and get my interior design juices flowing. With these remarkable and awe inspiring natural color palettes, how can I not be inspired at every turn I take?