- Pinterest and Instagram the most popular
- “People get a better understanding of their personal style," said Smart Homes for Living marketing manager
- A home in Perth is named the Pinterest House after it was designed based off the owners collection of images on the platform
Builders and designers are turning to social media in search of inspiration on how they want their homes to look, with Pinterest and Instagram the most popular.
Smart Homes for Living marketing manager, Siobhan Dunkley, said the team has seen more clients using the two social media platforms as inspiration for building a home – naturally, quite a daunting process.
“So with the use of these sites it allows clients to visualise their ideas and design choices much easier,” explained Ms Dunkley.
“We always recommend that our customers have a scroll through Pinterest before their prestart meeting so that they can get a feel for what kind of colour palettes they like – this can be a more convenient option as some people don’t always have the time in their busy day-to-day schedules to physically walk through our display homes.”
Siobhan Dunkley, Smart Homes for Living
Although there are televised home styling programs, searching online is easy to access and gives users the ability to save images straight to their phone to reference later on, added Ms Dunkley.
“People get a better understanding of their personal style from the convenience of their own homes just by plugging into the digital world.
“They get an inside scoop into other people’s homes, which they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to do and be inspired by what other people are doing.”
Preparing to build
Ms Dunkley said, “Clients who come prepared with an idea of colour schemes and/or design features that they’d like to include are a pre-starters dream client as it makes the prestart much more fun and enjoyable.
“Whereas it can sometimes make the process a little tricky and overwhelming for both parties when a client has no idea of what concept or vision they are going for with their new home when they come up to prestart.”
Ms Dunkley warns buyers, however, of the unrealistic expectations that come with online inspiration in terms of a client’s budget, flexibility, and final look.
“Pinterest tends to show expensive homes that have lots of flashy features which may be unattainable for first home buyers.
“However, we do see that with Instagram that the surge in real client homes provide for more realistic inspo and allow for clients to reach out to the owner of the account to ask exactly what they used.”
Revival of trends
Ms Dunkley said with platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, trends have come full circle.
“For instance, barn doors are a big trend we’ve seen re-emerging recently. For a number of years, we hadn’t seen a design request for barn doors come through, but they are now swiftly rising as a popular choice once again. Barn doors are a great design feature as they add visual interest and break off spaces without permanently close it off – they also serve as part of the trendy modern farmhouse movement in terms of design style.”
Herringbone feature and DIY projects are also re-emerging as popular design choices, said Ms Dunkley.
Perth’s Pinterest House
Architect Sandy Anghie extended and renovated a timber bungalow in Shenton Park, Western Australia.
Named the Pinterest House, the design was inspired by the owners’ collection of images on the platform.
Ms Anghie said, “I think the foundation of a great home is a collaborative working relationship between the architect and home owner – listening and working together to create a home that meets the client’s needs and aspirations.”
