You’re getting design inspiration all wrong (here’s what designers do instead)
Last week I walked into a friend's newly decorated flat.
Beautiful. Stylish. And exactly like 47 other homes I'd seen on Instagram that month.
Same sage green walls. Same bouclé chair. Same wavy mirror everyone's buying.
She'd spent months on Pinterest creating the "perfect" mood board. And ended up with a home that could belong to literally anyone.
Here's the uncomfortable truth:
If you only look at screens for design inspiration, your home will look exactly like everyone else's.
Designers know this.
That's why we get our best ideas offline in cafes, museums, hotels, restaurants, libraries, and even airport lounges.
We look to physical print. Nothing like an old-fashioned magazine or book for inspiration.
We even look beyond the built environment to nature, weathered materials, and the way sunlight filters through trees.
Because real spaces teach you things the internet never will.
Garden at Nezu Museum, Japan & Mirror from the Socialite Family in Paris & South Kensington Cromwell Place, London
Bar at The Hoxton Brussels
Screens flatten design into something purely visual.
Real spaces are multi-sensory.
You get to experience how light actually feels. How materials age. How sound moves through a room.
A Little Story from Seoul
Oscar Coffee Booth
Last May in Seoul, I popped into this tiny specialty coffee place in Hongdae.
I planned to work there for an hour. Ended up staying three.
The coffee was amazing, sure. But that wasn't it.
Something about that space made me laser-focused. Like my brain had suddenly discovered a turbo button.
So I went back the next day.
The same thing happened.
That’s when I realized it was the oak floors, concrete walls, warm lighting, and windows framing the trees outside.
The whole space had this quiet energy that made work feel effortless.
Oscar Coffee Booth
And then it hit me...
This is exactly the feeling I wanted in my home office.
And now I know exactly what to recreate in my own home.
The 2-minute design exercise:
Next time you visit a place you love, pay attention.
Maybe that’s a hotel, a gallery, or even your favorite restaurant.
But here's the catch - don't touch your phone for two full minutes.
Instead, pause and ask yourself:
What exactly do I like here?
Is it the warm lighting?
The texture of the timber?
The quiet hum of background music?
The way the space makes you feel instantly calm?
I started doing this everywhere.
Hotels. Restaurants. Libraries. Even my barber’s shop (surprisingly zen).
The truth is, beauty is subjective. What speaks to me might be completely different from what speaks to you. And that’s a good thing! We all have our own unique tastes.
Analyze That Inspiration
Here’s the secret: it’s not enough to simply like something. The real magic happens when you understand why you like it.
That’s why I’m always saving images, whether it’s from Instagram, movies, coffee table books, Pinterest, or even a beautifully designed hotel.
But I don’t just collect them.
I analyze them.
Assortment of George Nelson Pendants on Wood Clad Ceiling
I look for patterns, colors, textures, and details that consistently draw me in.
Like in the image above, I love the warm wooden tones, clean grid-like ceiling pattern, and the soft organic shapes of the pendant lamps.
The contrast between the structured geometry of the wood panels and the gentle curves of the lights creates a balanced, calming atmosphere.
When you start doing the same, you’ll begin to see your unique style take shape.
Think of this awareness like a muscle.
The more you pay attention, the more you’ll notice how different environments make you feel.
And suddenly, you'll have a collection of real-world inspiration that nobody else has.
No Pinterest board can compete with that.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Think about it:
You behave differently in a fine dining restaurant than in a food court.
That’s design influencing emotion and behavior.
So why wouldn’t you want your home to do the same?
When you understand what moves you in real spaces, not just pretty pictures, something shifts.
You stop chasing that trendy terrazzo everyone's installing. You stop buying things because an influencer has them.
You start designing rooms that actually support how you live and how you want to feel.
Because when you can articulate what affects you, you can recreate it.
Not copy it. Recreate the feeling.
The Bottom Line
Great design isn't about copying someone else's style. It's about discovering your own, one real moment at a time.
Your home shouldn't look like a Pinterest board brought to life.
It should feel like you.
And that journey starts the moment you look up from your screen.
Cheers,
Reynard