Amy C. Miller, Interior Designer, Hampton House:

Right now as I type, I am sitting in a tiny garden courtyard. I have a nice breeze, a laptop, & an obscenely delicious strawberry smoothie.
I am taking this moment to write this important post because being outside is my perfect way of clearing my head, & that's the first step to finding inspiration.
Inspiration is the most important part of Interior Design, & it is essential in turning out an absolutely perfect room. Inspiration allows me to feel the character of the room & what potential the room has. A room is not just a space of a certain shape & size. It should be an experience that is created from the function it serves, & the people who inhabit it.
I most easily find inspiration in the smallest fragments of time, that if you're not careful, you can miss. Staying inspired is easy if you notice these moments & let them soak in. A garden, a door, a color, a fabric pattern, the crackled facade of a building, a collection of stones, ...I want to take something that excites or intrigues me when I see it, & make that feeling into a room. How can a room go wrong when it starts with that?