Pageturning for Inspiration: Inspiring Decorating Magazines

It's one of my favorite moments of a day... Where, coffee in hand, I perch myself in my cheerful vintage-French-style sitting room on a smushy sofa and leaf through a decorating magazine, waiting to see what fragrant, time-past worlds we'll find ourselves in this time.

To be honest, I don't have much more I can decorate here at Waterhouse. But going through the pages of places I haven't been and homes I won't get a chance to infiltrate in person, I savor other folks' visions and get ideas for a hundred houses more.

So I was wondering, what brings you all inspiration?

Romantic Country, Victorian Country Decorating, Old Home Interiors, Flea Market Style, Country Living, Cottage Living and a number of others have given me ideas that led to the rooms that make my own home.
I still read, and leaf, and wonder at wallpapers... and marvel at mantles...
I still hoard these ideas in little cubbyholes, wondering whether someday, these ideas will see the light of day for me in some unexpected way.
And I find myself wondering, do we ever stop decorating the homes in our mind? Planning the rooms that aren't ours, but could be... could be someone's... somewhere... someday?

My friend Scoobie laughs, because as I thrift, I spy things that aren't for me, but which I hope will find a happy home with someone else... A fine place on the wall. A noble nod above the newell post. I don't need them. But I can't help but think: someone, somewhere does.
All of those marvelous "Wouldn't it be beautiful if's?" out there. If you had a theme...? If you tried this or that...? If you only could afford...? If you happened to find...?

All the many, many combinations of what makes our worlds homey, or happy, or just simply "ours."

All of them came from that first spark of decorative inspiration.

So tell me-- what sparks your decorative imagination?

4 comments:

monah http://graciouscottage.com/ said...

Paging through vintage decorating magazines is one of my favorite weekend morning treats--with coffee. Sometimes, I don't read a word; I only look at the pictures & absorb. That is how I get many of my ideas. My bookshelves look very similar to yours. I look forward to your newsletters. Thank you...monah

very merry vintage style said...

Blogs like yours inspire me! Seriously, when I am hopping around from blog to blog I find so many great ideas. The pictures in them have become part of my little notebook of decorating ideas and will join the many magazine tear sheets I've saved.

Lois said...

Hdy Jenn!
I steal...um, I mean I get, some of my best idea's from magazines and books. Sometimes thats the best way to kill an hour or two. Just sipping and leafing.
Have a great week!
Lois

Anonymous said...

I have every Country Living mag that ever passed through my hands since 1982 and I have spent countless hours pouring over them. But as I glance over them now I see a lot of dirty clutter which I never saw before. This is an indication of how time changes our perspective on things. I enjoy reading your blog, keep up the good work. Patsy