What Inspires Me

People often ask what inspires me, where do I find inspiration, or how do I come up with my ideas?  What seems difficult to them appears to be so easy for me.  I am personally inspired by a number of different things:  the wonders of nature – the colors, textures, light, and sounds; shape and form in architecture and furniture; beautiful fabrics; the interplay of color in all things; works of local artisans; objects and spaces that function seamlessly; the creative talents, skills and ideas of others, both past and present; fine musicians especially pianists; music in general; etc.

When I begin a project, I am often inspired by something my client says or something the client owns.  Often it is a seemingly small item:  they love a color in a painting, the shape of a vase or piece of furniture, a family heirloom, a hobby … I look and listen hard to mine the treasures my client already has.  And sometimes, the client is inspired along the way and presents a final “piece de resistance” at the end of the project … for example, “The Janey.”  We had remodeled and refurnished the Oceanside Townhouse and needed to add the accessories.  My client showed me a model sailboat made years ago by my client’s grandfather, which he had named after her.  The sails were rotted, so we replaced the sails and the rigging, and even the US flag with 48 stars!  We cleaned her up and placed her in a prominent place in the space and she is sailing again after all these years!  THAT inspired me … to restore such a precious childhood treasure made my heart sing!