How to use Pinterest when renovating
So you’re planning for a renovation but stuck in the Pinterest vortex.
Don’t know what the Pinterest vortex is? Then kindly move on, this post isn’t for you 😉 Jokes, jokes, please hang around!
The Pinterest vortex is best described as attempting to create a board for an upcoming project, and before you know it you’ve got 437 images pinned.
You’ve been scrolling your phone for seven hours, nothing is cohesive and you’re completely confused as to how you got here.
Sound familiar? I think we’ve all been there.
Well, today’s post is all about how to create visually beautiful, streamlined boards that help keep you on track for that next renovation project.
Firstly I want to let you in on a little secret:
EVERY Pinterest board starts out as a brain dump disaster. Yup, even for us designers!
And that’s exactly as it should be, starting to think about a new project should set your brain free to explore new ideas and ultimately it might even push you out of your comfort zone. Pinterest boards should go through several iterations before you really start to hone in on your “look” with the finer details.
I occasionally will have a client ask to collaborate on a Pinterest board, and it’s very rare that I say yes, as my initial pinning might seem a little frantic and may even leave them questioning why they engaged me in the first place!
So if you too are struggling to pull together that perfectly curated board to set you on the path to the next stage of your reno project, here are my tips:
Step one - create a new pinterest board, and give it a clear title
This might be “Bathroom Renovation” or “Bathroom Ideas”. From here, pin away! Search and scroll and pin everything and anything that sparks something in you.
The sky is the limit here, so don’t focus too much on the detail or trying to create a certain look. Just let you mind wander, there isn’t a right or wrong way to approach this (and, whilst it will come into play later on, for now, put budget aside!)
Step two - the refinement stage
Now you might think, this is where you start to cull right? But no, this is the real deep dive into why you’ve saved those original images.
Take some time to consider them, and why they initially appealed to you.
Can you see any common themes? For example, if we take the bathroom example, are there particular tiles that are a common element? What about taps – is there a preference for brass over chrome?
Slowly, some themes will emerge, and at this stage I’d encourage you to explore those themes in a little more detail. If there is a predominance of a certain tapware or colour, then actively go back and search on those key words to see what else you might discover.
Step three - culling and refining (also the tough part!)
You might like to start a new board here, so that you don’t lose your original ideas.
Start to re-pin only those images that truly make your heart sing and that are starting to identify a common look or feel.
Take a quick moment to reanalyse each of the original pins to determine if it deserves to be on this new board.
Ultimately you want to end up with no more than 10 to 15 pins, that might be an array of inspiration images and more specific images that reference colour and proposed products.
Congratulations! You’ve discovered your style preferences
From here, you should be able to use this curated board as a launching pad for your project – it should help keep you on track as you start researching products and materials and ensure any decisions you make at the point of purchase stay true to your end goal. You may even like to save some of these inspo images and potential products as a mood board that you can continue to reference.
Sometimes though, we know that mythical Pinterest vortex is indeed real and can be very challenging to escape. If this is you and then reach out - my interior design services are specifically designed with this type of problem (and many more!) in mind.
We can put together some beautiful boards that completely embrace the look and feel you’re after.