Q: How do you come up with your amazing home ideas? Is it all on your own? Do you have some secret inspiration method? Like the built-in wardrobes in your master bedroom and the doorway-widening trick that you pulled in your den/kitchen/dining area. I just wish you could teach me how to think like you so I could come up with some original ideas to make my house feel unique and interesting instead of boring! – Lisa
A: Short answer: there’s no single secret. Ideas rarely come from nowhere. Most of what we do is inspired by things we’ve seen, read, or experienced—then adapted to our house and budget. Many of the projects we’ve completed, from widening doorways to creating bedroom built-ins, are variations on common ideas that have been done by other homeowners and designers before us. We’ve learned from those examples and put our own spin on them.
Inspiration operates a lot like advertising or songwriting: it’s cumulative. Everything you experience—magazines, TV, blogs, songs, a walk through your neighborhood—sits in your subconscious. When you sit down to plan or tinker, bits of those experiences resurface and combine into new ideas. We often don’t realize where a concept came from until after it pops into our heads.
Sometimes the source is obvious. For example, we created the postcard wall in our office after reading about the idea in a magazine, and the tone-on-tone stripes in our bathroom were inspired by a design we admired on a TV design show. Other ideas are simply iterations of things we’ve seen repeatedly—upholstering a chair, painting a ceiling, making a headboard, turning a nightstand into a vanity, removing a linen closet door, or painting the back of a bookcase. These are DIY basics that many people have tackled. Seeing them done well gives us the confidence to try them ourselves.
Other times, an idea starts as a “wouldn’t that be cool, if only” moment—like spotting an expensive cork lamp in a shop and deciding to create a budget-friendly version by covering glass vases with cork. It’s not about inventing completely new concepts; it’s about seeing potential and adapting it to your style and budget.
And sometimes we honestly have no memory of the exact source. That’s okay. When you’re surrounded by inspiration, it’s natural for ideas to feel like they arrived out of nowhere. The important thing is recognizing what excites you and then acting on it.
The takeaway is simple: there’s no magic fountain of creativity. If you want fresh home ideas, immerse yourself in inspiring content—home shows, design magazines, blogs, real homes, and everyday life. Pay attention to colors, textures, layout tweaks, and clever storage solutions. Make a list or a board of ideas that make you feel excited. Finding inspiration is the easy part; acting on it is the real challenge.
Most people stall at the idea stage because they worry about cost, skill level, or making the wrong choice. Action beats paralysis every time. Start small if you need to—a painted wall, a new hardware update, a DIY headboard—and build confidence as you complete projects. That momentum makes it easier to take on bigger projects down the line. Preparing, planning, and giving yourself permission to try (even imperfectly) will get you to the point where you genuinely love coming home.
We’re not special—just regular people who enjoy trying things and sharing what worked and what didn’t. That’s the mission behind sharing projects: to encourage others to jump in and experiment. If we can do these projects, so can you.
So go ahead and DIY something this weekend. Pick one inspiring idea, adapt it to your space, and take the first step. What are you planning for your home this weekend? Anything fun or new on your to-do list?