The Pinterest Problem
How to Discover Your Design Style Without Feeling Overwhelmed
Pinterest has completely changed the way we gather design inspiration, but it can also make it difficult to know where to begin. With so many beautiful spaces to choose from, it's easy to lose sight of what you actually love.
The goal isn't to copy a photo—it's to use Pinterest as a starting point for discovering your own style. Whether you're remodeling your entire home, renovating a kitchen, or refreshing a single room, a thoughtful approach to inspiration will always lead to a more personal and cohesive design.
If you're like most homeowners, you've probably created a Pinterest board full of beautiful spaces with the intention of one day using them to renovate your own home. The problem? By the time you're ready to start your project, your "Home Inspiration" board is filled with everything from modern kitchens and cozy farmhouse living rooms to contemporary bathrooms and Mediterranean exteriors.
Suddenly, you're expected to make design decisions, but instead of feeling inspired, you feel overwhelmed. It's a situation we see all the time. You love classic white shaker cabinets, but you've also saved sleek slab-front cabinetry. One day you're drawn to warm oak flooring, and the next you're convinced marble and high-gloss finishes are the way to go. Before you know it, your contractor is asking for selections, your family wants answers, and you're making decisions simply to keep the project moving.
The good news? It doesn't have to be that way. Here’s some tips on how to use Pinterest to help you and not overwhelm you!
Tip Number 1: Discovering your design style
One of the biggest reasons Pinterest becomes overwhelming is because many people haven't identified their personal design style yet. When we first meet with clients, one of the first questions we ask is, "What style are you hoping to achieve?" More often than not, the answer is something like, "I don't know...I just want it to look nice." And that's completely okay.
Instead of focusing on style names, start by thinking about spaces you've genuinely loved. Maybe it was a boutique hotel, your favorite restaurant, a vacation rental, or a friend's home. Ask yourself what specifically caught your attention.
Was it:
The white oak flooring?
The warm paint color?
The lighting?
The cabinetry?
The natural textures?
Once you begin identifying the individual elements you're drawn to, you'll start noticing patterns. Those patterns are what define your personal style, not the label attached to it. The same goes for Pinterest. Rather than asking yourself, "Do I like this room?" ask, "What made me save this photo?" Was it the backsplash? The color palette? The windows? The hardware? You'll quickly discover that there are recurring themes throughout your boards that point you toward a cohesive design.
Tip 2: Organization of your Pinterest boards
One of the biggest mistakes we see is saving every design idea to a single board. Instead, create separate boards for each space in your home:
Kitchen
Primary Bathroom
Living Room
Bedroom
Laundry Room
Outdoor Living
Not only will this make planning your renovation much easier, but it also becomes an incredibly helpful shopping tool. The next time you're shopping for décor or furniture, you can quickly reference the room you're designing instead of scrolling through hundreds of unrelated photos. Staying organized helps you make more confident decisions, avoid impulse purchases, and keep your design cohesive from room to room.
Tip 3: Editing the Boards
Every few months, go back through your saved inspiration and remove anything that no longer feels like you. Maybe six months ago you loved bright white kitchens with marble countertops, but now you're drawn to warm wood cabinetry and natural stone.
That's completely normal.
By regularly editing your boards, you'll eliminate outdated inspiration and create a clearer vision of what you truly love. When it's finally time to renovate, you'll spend less time second-guessing your choices and more time bringing your vision to life.