The gardens in France rekindled my desire to make changes in my own garden.
How do you fuel your creativity? What do you do to keep yourself inspired? When it comes to making your home fresh and beautiful, where do you find your ideas? Through the years, I’ve discovered some failsafe ways to ignite my creative spark. Here are a few of my favorite muses, which not only inspire my decorating but also enrich my life:
Travel
Dan and I had a blast exploring Normandy on our most recent trip to France.
Travel just juices me up. No matter where I’m going, whether it’s for work or pleasure, I come back bursting with ideas. In the past few years, Dan has been stuck on traveling to France, which is not a problem for me!
Our friends Kate and John peek out from our rooms at a hotel in the French countryside.
Everywhere I turn in this breathtakingly beautiful country, I’m in awe. Mentally, I’m making a million notes of the things I want to replicate, from the gardens in Normandy to the shop windows in Paris, to the fare in the bistros in Nice. When you travel next, go into it with a sense of wonder, and I bet you will find ideas galore for your home, garden and table.
Features on Beautiful Homes
You’ll find stacks of decorating magazines and books at my house.
When I go on a grocery store run, I’m the girl at the checkout with two food items and three decorating magazines. I figure a magazine or two is my reward for putting some food in our fridge. The take-me-away photos of the gorgeous homes and gardens in my favorites, like House Beautiful and Elle Décor, inspire me for years. I keep them for a few years and flip through them when I need a spark. You’d be surprised how often you see something there – some little nugget you missed before – that sets a great decorating plan in motion.
The same is true for decorating books. I have stacks around my home, from old favorites to new loves. And whenever I have a few seconds, you’ll find me on my phone, getting lost in Instagram. It’s a terrible time suck, but I love to scroll through all the talented designers I follow to see what they are doing.
Nature
I love the flower lined path from our cottage to the lake.
I’m not an outdoorswoman. You will never find me camping or backpacking. Still, I love to be in nature, when it’s a bit more tamed. My happy spot is sitting in a beautiful garden. I have no gardening ability, and cannot tell you the name of almost any of the plants in my garden, but seeing them every day fills my soul. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The earth laughs in flowers.” I could not agree more. I think that’s why I always have fresh flowers in my cottage, little bouquets here and there, just to brighten the day.
Movies
Movie sets are loaded with great decorating ideas.
When most people go to movies, they get absorbed in the plot. For me, it’s the set. I don’t think I’m the only one, though. When The Holiday and Somethings Gotta Give came out, we had so many customers come in to Nell Hill’s in search of ways to make their homes resemble those featured in the movies. My all-time favorite is the house in Out of Africa, with its English colonial feel. Robert Redford wasn’t too bad, either!
Fellow House Lovers
My friend Andrea’s beach home is the stuff of decorating dreams.
One of the many perks of my job is getting to spend my days surrounded by people who love to decorate their homes. My staff always inspires me, and so do my customers. It’s fun to see their before and after photos, and to get a chance to visit their homes. One of my favorites was helping my friend Andrea bring her style to life in her beach home. The home’s dramatic exterior helped inspire the interior, with its views of the sand dunes and sea.
My friend Marsee’s homes are always a source of inspiration for me.
Honestly, I can’t go to a friend’s home without ogling their decorating. I take my time drinking in everything I see. I’m like a little sponge, soaking it all in. This voyeuristic habit started early, when I first visited my dear friend Nancy’s home. I was a new decorator back then, trying to find my style. Nancy’s unique way of showcasing the natural world in her everyday décor blew me away, and became a foundation of the Nell Hill’s look.
Antique Shops
These fish plates were one of my favorite finds at a local antique store.
When I travel, one of my favorite things to do is visit antique stores. I enjoy wandering through little shops, partially to see what amazing treasure is waiting there ready to come home and live with me, and partially to enjoy how the merchandise is displayed. The fish plates in the photo above were an antique store find. I love them in my cottage.
So here’s your assignment today: Make a list, like I’ve done here, of the things that fill your creative tank. Then, pull out your calendar and schedule in time to indulge!
Next Week … I’m getting the family guest cottage next door ready for a girls weekend.
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Nancy Johnson says
May 21, 2018 at 8:30 amThis is a fun post, Mary Carol!
(and Dan’s cute! )
Suzanne Zingg says
May 21, 2018 at 9:22 amWell, you have to know a trip to Nell Hill’s is at the top of my list. Always fresh and ever changing there is inspiration at every turn. And when I need help, a friendly staff and my favorite designer who knows me and remembers my taste and preferences. I’m so lucky to live in KC and not far from Nell Hill’s.
Joan says
May 21, 2018 at 3:28 pmLove the flowers by your steps!
This tells my age, but the first movie that inspired me was Giant when I was in college . A homely ranchhouse evolved through the years into an elegant showplace .
Your books continue to inspire me.
franki says
May 21, 2018 at 5:28 pmWe are SO kindred….all of the above. And, you know hotels, inns, B&B inspire me as well. I really do see the world in “how does this look with that…” franki
Connie LaRue says
May 23, 2018 at 1:36 amMary Carol, you continue to reinvent yourself and inspire so many…..
Thank you for taking us along on yet another adventure…..your little cottages!
They are dreamy and when I travel to England, Scotland and Wales this summer I will think of you seeing cottages and little antique shops filled with blue and white English china❣️
Nancy says
May 23, 2018 at 6:42 amMary Carol,
I would like to adventure and travel. However, as you have written, books, magazines, movies, local museums and galleries open doors of thought and inspiration. One day I will come to Nell’s Hill. Meanwhile, your books are favorite go-tos for the spark I need.
Peggy Bryant says
May 23, 2018 at 8:27 amGood morning Mary Carol, This post is inspirational to me. The photo of the prayer books on a plate has me thinking. I have my father’s, husband’s (both from when they were serving) and my son’s stacked with a small wedgewood dish on top. Now I’m on the hunt for more to replicate that pic. There were so many other ideas to draw from. Just gotta love those happy thoughts. Have a blessed day, Peggy
Linda L says
May 25, 2018 at 9:26 amAll of the above also. However one of my most favorite muses is a trip to Nell Hill’s. The anticipation grows before I even arrive and when I enter your beautiful store I am totally blown away. There is so much to see I could spend hours there. And by the time I leave I’m exhausted from all the exhilaration. I’m not kidding you when I say it takes me a day or two to recuperate. I’m so glad you allow picture taking so I can go home and relive it all again. Love this post. So nice to hear what fuels your creativity.
Ann Reed says
May 28, 2018 at 5:31 pmNell, your photos and blog renew my creative spirit. I am an oil painter of gardens primarily, have painted in France twice and regularly need to be re-invigorated visually. So, thank you for sharing your talents with us.