This blog will tell you how Pinterest creates problems in the project development process and my recommendations for using it. At any given time, my team and I are working on more than 20 different interior projects – residential, commercial, corporate. Most of our clients (and I am very proud of that) are well educated about the process, know and understand how project design works, and what is essential for every designer (and who tells you that he is not lying to you, but about it another time). Most have a reasonable budget for the project. I want to say that I work with people that more or less every interior architect would wish to as a client. In addition, most of them are connected by the same habit – Pinterest.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a residential project, retail, or office space – each of them proudly comes to the first meeting with an arsenal of photos and the sentence “We looked around a bit on Pinterest.” This is followed by explaining what they like in those pictures and why they want exactly this. Are interiors designed for other people what you need? They didn’t, and here’s why.

Blonde with black eyebrows

I have been looking for a hairdresser for years that I will be happy with. I was with everyone considered a master in their business, and only after a few years did I find what I was looking for. At our first meeting, my hairdresser openly said that he could not make my hair what I was looking for, and even if he could, he would not be happy to do it. Then he explained to me methodologically (as I usually like things to be presented to me) why I shouldn’t be blonde and that I will return to my color someday, and that by then, my hair will fall out. But I came up with a picture of blonde hair from Pinterest, and I still convinced him to make me something similar.

Seven days ago, the same Petar, at my insistence, dyed my dark brown, my natural hair color. My hair is worse than it used to be, and it will take me time and nerves to get back to that quality, natural hair color and heal it. If I listened to him right away, I would save first time, then money, and preserve the quality of my hair. It’s the same with the interior.

Other people’s needs are not your needs. As much as we liked something, it does not mean that it will work in our case. So my first piece of advice, when I hear all these ideas from Pinterest, is to express exact needs. Not to look at pictures, not to look for any inspiration, to talk and try to define what they need for their space to be functional, what kind of atmosphere they want to achieve, and explain everything important to them. And to make a decision together about what they want. That is the point; your project should be as unique as you are, and it requires an individual approach from the beginning. This means defining your needs and desires, finding the best solution for you, and not adapting an existing project.

So, before you go to an architect, think about what you want and what you need. If you can’t come up with those answers on your own, an architect can ask you questions and help you understand what you want.

Why, in most cases, will you not get the effect you see on Pinterest?

You have decided to renovate your apartment and start the process yourself. You’ve been searching Pinterest for days, you have at least ten boards with a hundred pictures for each of the rooms, and you’ve barely found one to follow. I will try to explain to you on a practical example what can stand in your way to get a similar effect.

The effect in most cases cannot be similar, let alone the same or better.

Let’s say this is that photo that’s your favorite. By the way, this is one of my favorite interiors lately. The project was done by colleagues from Russia – TOLKO interiors.

Light

Light is one of the essential factors in creating the atmosphere, and we know nothing about it when it comes to photos from the internet. This image is a 3D visualization or render. As good as it is for your project, it is also bad because it is possible to create a completely artificial atmosphere that does not correspond to the actual situation to make the render look good. I mean – light intrusion, all those beautiful shadows you see can be fake because the software allows us to do that. Therefore, textures, colors, and reflections are not appropriate.

Another problem is that even if you know exactly what the materials are, what the surfaces are, and their finish, you will not get the same color in your space. Maybe you don’t have this number of openings; perhaps the ceiling isn’t this high, maybe it’s higher, perhaps the orientation of your space is entirely different. You get more or less natural light, and after all, your living room has different anatomy and volume. All of this creates that atmosphere from the image you want to achieve.

And it’s all completely wrong to apply it to another project in the same way.

Finding furniture and its price

An important rule – most interiors that look expensive are.

This is one of the interiors that is very balanced, humanely solved with natural materials, different levels of the same color, without large shiny surfaces and contrasts, so it seems to most people that it is not as expensive. You see iconic pieces, and I will not introduce you to them, but I will tell you that these six dining chairs, a sofa, two armchairs, a coffee table, and a chandelier cost over 70,000 euros.

Why designer iconic pieces are so expensive is not a topic now, but there are reasons for it. It is difficult to find copies of them that look convincing and are of good quality, and that is because it is impossible to make them cheap. If you decide to buy a copy, after all, you will get some robust imitation of worse material, with worse craft and even worse details – which means poor quality and even worse aesthetics. It is better to choose similar pieces, but authentic, in the price range that suits you. This choice of furniture is not accidental at all, and the slightest change will impact this atmosphere.

Linings

Everything you think you see may or may not be so. You may have thought the walls were white or slightly gray. You may think it’s painted, but probably not; I’m sure there’s some fine-grained micro-cement on the wall. You may have thought that the walls on the left are in some other materialization, and maybe they are not—the floor. There is no chance to estimate the width or length of the lamella; you are not sure what its edges are and what the exact wood is, let alone the treatment that the parquet underwent to look like this. We can guess all that. Just because someone tells you all, that information doesn’t mean that your floor will be like this after the application. When it comes to linings, again, you need to consider all of the above.

Details

Let’s say that you overcame all these obstacles, and you came to the execution of works. Even we who deal with this business do not know how all the details are resolved here. Let’s take the kitchen as an example. We see what it looks like, but we would need a mountain of analysis and sketching, solving details, joints, etc. We don’t know the thickness of the material or how the edges are processed; we are unsure about the finish and, in essence. Even then, I’m not sure we’d make an utterly identical kitchen. Only the designers of this space know all the details. Everything you do with an architect – creating a concept, developing an idea, various solutions, everything leads to technical documentation. It contains all the drawings with all the necessary information and details for that idea to be realized. Behind this photo, there is a sea of ​​technical drawings to support contractors who will perform this kind of interior.

How can you use Pinterest and not let Pinterest use you?

Suppose you have already decided to start this process without professional help, just using Pinterest or similar platforms. In that case, I want to give you a few tips on making as few mistakes as possible by creating a similar environment as in a photo.

Look for inspiration, but use experiments.

When you find a photo with an atmosphere you like, try to come up with samples of all the materials you plan to use. Take them into the space, put them in the light, come in the morning, evening, see how the palette works at any time of the day. Buy the smallest package of paint you want and apply it to the wall, wait for it to dry, and then see what it looks like on your wall. This way, you will have an accurate picture of how good or bad these colors and materials are for your project.

Try to get free advice.

Today, there is an architect employed in almost all furniture and equipment stores. What is essential to know is that they are not there primarily to make your project unique and special. They are there to sell you their furniture. But they are still architects, they know the profession, and if you ask them to give you an honest opinion, I am sure most will do it. Show them what you want to achieve and analyze the photo together. If you are unsure about some materials, ask them if they might know what it is about. Ask them to recommend good actions with other interior elements that you need. You are sure to get information that you might not have found yourself.

Find a good performer or craftsman.

Good craftsmen are your jokers in this game. I love spending time with top performers, on construction sites, and in workshops. Those games at their feet are so crucial to our projects because they involve knowledge that we sometimes don’t have. A good artisan will know how to achieve what you show him even without an architect and technical drawings; he will learn how to recognize the pitfalls in the making and recommend appropriate materials, or at least close to those in the picture.