Whenever I get asked about where I find inspiration for my interiors and events, I only have one answer: everywhere. So, whether I’m planning a wedding or styling a dining room, I always tell my clients to send me anything that moves them. I’ve created rooms inspired by fashion spreads and weddings inspired by vintage posters. It’s really all about figuring out what it is about that piece that inspires you, and designing everything around it. Here’s how it works for me…

I recently moved back to Seattle from Los Angeles and have been completely infatuated by the amazing colors of the leaves changing all over the city. Patches of vivid reds, oranges and yellows are everywhere I look! I wanted to find a room that really captured the colors of the season while still remaining elegant…

This dining room by Stephen Shubel has always been a favorite of mine, and happens to be the perfect inspiration! I love how he designed the chairs in different colors to add a bit of playfulness to a more formal space. The dark rustic table and floors help warm things up a bit and keep the space grounded. So, now it’s time to translate this feeling into a wedding!

To me, there were a few key elements to keep in mind for this design – elegance, playfulness, and a dash of rustic. Keeping the color palette mostly brown and golden yellow with subtle touches of orange and red creates a sophisticated palette. Tying in the chandelier motif to the invitation also creates this sense of luxury. The feather accents, colorful lanterns, and lots of loose ribbons lighten the mood, while the setting itself creates all the rustic touches needed. And voila! That’s how I translate an inspirational room to a wedding!

Sources:
1) Ring pillow photographed by Studio Nouveau
2) Lanterns via {frolic!}
3) Ceremony site: by Karen Bussen
4) Chandelier invitations photographed by Belathee Photography:
5) Bridesmaid dress via Style Me Pretty
6. Cake via Martha Stewart Weddings
7. Boutonniere: Twigs & Honey
8. Shoes: J.Crew
9. Dress: Vera Wang
10. Chandelier photographed by Belathee Photography
11. Flower girls via Martha Stewart Weddings
12. Vintage car photo via Brides
13. Bouquet via Snippet & Ink

I’m super excited to introduce our first inspirational guest blogger for the week, Kathryn from Snippet & Ink:

I’m so flattered that Kelly has invited me to share a little about my process for creating inspiration boards. The truth is, some days I feel very inspired, and I can see exactly what I want my inspiration board to look like, and all of the elements just fall into place. But other days – most days – finding that starting point can be tricky. The starting point can be anything: a season, a venue, a bouquet. It can even be something less obvious, like a children’s book or wallpaper pattern. I even have a file labeled “Inspiration” where I save images that really stand out to me, like this:

or this

Generally, the images that I save to my Inspiration file are images that make me think of a color palette or a venue – those things that weren’t coming so easily before. Sometimes, even when I get going on an inspiration board, it won’t come together exactly the way I want it to, and I’ll put it aside for a day or two, or scrap it altogether. But usually, once I have that initial image, I can create something I’m happy with.

I get questions from readers about how they can go about creating their own inspiration boards, so here is what I usually tell them:

Unless you’re already comfortable with Photoshop, or feel like taking the time to learn it, there are other, easier ways to pull images together. Polyvore is one method, or Mosaic Maker is another. An actual bulletin board is a great way to include not only tearsheets, but also fabric and paper samples, ticket stubs, and other ephemera. Once you’ve decided on your medium, here are some things to consider, that should help you pull your inspiration board together:

- What season is it? What colors, flowers, foods make sense in that season?
- What is the mood of the event? Is it formal, casual, or something in between? Is it grand or intimate? Sophisticated? Playful?
- What is the venue? Inside or outdoors? How can I play up regional or local elements? Does the architecture or scenery inspire me?
- What single element can tie everything together? Is it a theme? A certain flower or fruit? Color or pattern?
- How can I stretch this idea? What is unexpected but fits perfectly with all the other elements?

Don’t let specific colors or themes limit you – an inspiration board should help you figure out what kinds of things you like, what kind of look you’re going for, but you should not feel limited by colors you’ve chosen or a theme you’re working on. Let your inspiration board reflect your personality, reflect things you truly love and not those things you think other people want to see, and it will be a wonderful tool in the planning process. And if you’re not feeling especially inspired, stop by Snippet & Ink to see if anything strikes your fancy!

Images: 1. Inspiration Board 271 2. House & Garden via {this is glamorous} 3. Ngoc Minh Ngo 4. Inspiration Board 257 5. Inspiration Board 298

]]> http://www.kellyoshiroevents.com/blog/2008/11/17/inspiration-boards-with-snippet-ink/feed/ 3 http://www.kellyoshiroevents.com/blog/2008/05/20/decor-ghost-chair/ http://www.kellyoshiroevents.com/blog/2008/05/20/decor-ghost-chair/#comments Tue, 20 May 2008 21:12:28 +0000 Kelly http://www.kellyoshiroevents.com/blog/?p=110 I love finding new rental equipment to use for my event designs and these ghost chairs from Resource One fit the bill. Designed by Philippe Starke and produced by Kartell, they are the epitome of a clean, modern style. The chairs come in two styles, the more feminine and smaller option is called “Victoria,” the more masculine version is called “Louis.”

Victoria comes in a plethora of colors whereas Louis comes in more basic colors like white, black, amber and clear.

The chairs can be shipped nationwide, with the LA warehouse serving the west coast and New Jersey the east coast. The rental price isn’t cheap, but if you have to have something more modern than the standard chivari chair this is a cool alternative.

The search for the dress was very, very hard (isn’t it always?). I knew I wanted a tea length dress which turned out to be nearly impossible to find. I found something very close to what I wanted at Monique Lhuillier, but the price of the dress and the lace on the bodice were just not for me.

For a while I considered having a dress made and I found one of Monique’s dressmakers to do this for me. During this time, I went home to visit my parents and went dress shopping with my mom. By a pure fluke we found a Lea-Anne Belter dress (top photo) that was very close to what I wanted. The only problem was it was long and with a train. They offered to sell me the sample which I jumped at because I knew I was going to end up cutting half the dress off.

I took it to Mercedes Trump and she transformed the dress, cutting it to the perfect length, taking in the bodice, adding a slip, and then she made my veil and sash.

Accessories were much easier to find. I found my shoes at Nordstrom’s about a month after I got my dress. I loved the rhinestone detailing and they were also only about 2″ high which was very important to me since I never wear heels. The bracelet was my great aunt’s, the earrings I found at Macy’s, and my mom found the vintage purse.