Initially for wedding planning brides-to-be, giving them room to dream up their perfect fairytale wedding, Pinterest quickly climbed the ranks of social media for all things wedding, homeschool, décor ideas, holidays, and literally anything you can think of in between. People began to flood the internet with new pins (what Pinterest calls saving an image, article, link, etc. to a board within their site). Of course, certain categories are more popular than others, as of January 2021 the top two categories are Home Decor and DIY/Crafts, no thanks to the increase of state-wide lockdowns, forcing people to take a good hard look at their flooring. With the range of inspiration available, you’re bound to find something that piques your interest (and solves any home problem you have). Some of the most pinned ideas are home remodeling, DIY flooring, and bathroom remodels. So how do you take those Pinterest-worthy pictures and ideas and make them a reality? Let’s dive into 6 things you need to keep in mind when using Pinterest as your inspiration, and how YOU can get Pinterest worthy flooring.
Professional Photography, Lighting, and Home Staging
When you see perfectly designed kitchens, bathrooms, finished basements, etc often those pictures come from Real Estate listings, blog posts of professional photographers, and home stagers who have access to the perfect lighting, photo editing software, hundreds of decor and design pieces, and so much more. The National Street of Dreams and similar home design organizations build some of the most luxurious homes, with the help of interior designers, contractors, and entire teams dedicated to making these homes true masterpieces! With smartphones containing impressive cameras these days, every day people are snapping pictures of these luxurious homes and pinning them to Pinterest.
How to Avoid this Mistake
Bring your images to a local flooring company such Floor World and see how we can help you find similar flooring, tiles, carpets, etc. Our team of experts (https://myfloorworld.com/profesional-flooring-installation-ephrata-pa/ ) can help to identify the colors, grain, finishes, etc. to bring your vision to life. Make sure to look at the images in a natural light, with the brightness up on mobile devices to ensure you aren’t seeing shadows, as well.
Validity of Information
Because Pinterest allows for people to pin items from all over the internet, adding whatever captions, titles, and links they want, you can’t guarantee where the image you are looking at comes from. The title might say “10 Bathroom Tile Ideas Under $20”, but when you follow the pin to the end link destination, you will find you are directed to a different blog post, leaving you wondering what those 10 bathroom tile ideas were.
How to Avoid this Mistake
If the pinned link is not the original source, try your best to find the original source of the image you are working from. You can use Google’s reverse image search function to find that image posted in other places online, and it might lead you to the blog, article, listing, product source (such as a store or website that uses this image to list their product), etc that the image originated from.
Create a Plan and Stick To It!
Have a design that you are aiming for and stick to it. Pinterest can give you design ideas and inspiration for every single room in your house. Even the towel cupboards! It can get overwhelming with the sheer amount of information at the click of our fingers. That’s why creating a plan for yourself can save you down the road. It’s too easy to start remodeling everything once you’ve started in one room.
Budget
Research shows 40% of Pinterest users have an annual household income of over $100K. That means that while users are pinning their dream designs and ideas, they are also able to make purchases using their pins for real world inspiration.
Good questions to ask yourself anytime you are remodeling include:
- What is your budget for your remodel? Consider the flooring, tile, and other design work that you plan to have done?
- What do your ideal materials cost?
- Are you going to be DIY-ing or hiring your local floor installer?
- What does your timeline look like?
- What are your “must haves” vs things that are flexible?
One of the best ways to save money on new flooring is to look at your options for buying used, discounted, or a more affordable material instead of buying new, high end, top of the line pieces. When talking with your local flooring expert, ask if they have any options that can achieve the same look without breaking the bank.
Get a Sample First
You did it! You found the perfect design, you’ve called Floor World and scheduled a time to come in. But wait! Don’t forget one of the most important steps in the process – get a sample and bring it home! Colors look great in showrooms (it’s what they’re made for), but when you get home the grain, fiber loop, and colors can look different. If you are concerned about color, stain, grain texture, etc then get a few samples that are similar to each other and see what looks the best. Make sure you test out all the lighting options in the space, how does it look at night? In the morning? Will pet fur show up 10x faster with one shade vs another?
Think About Usage
Are you redoing the tile in a guest bathroom that seldom gets used? Or are you adding in beautiful hardwood floors into a kitchen and dining room that was previously laminate? Those rooms are going to get two completely different uses, and two different amounts of foot traffic. What kind of warranty does each option offer? If you are going to be replacing your dream flooring in a few years due to the high usage it gets, then maybe it isn’t a dream option to consider. This is why it’s advantageous to use a local flooring installer – so you know what the warranty covers and how it specifically applies to your product!
Pinterest is an amazing place to get inspiration for new recipes to try, ways to organize your kids massive amounts of clothing, kitchen utensil life hacks and just about anything you can think of. Men and women of all ages are designing their dream kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, finished basements, and backyard oases with the help of Pinterests perfect, magazine worthy pictures. But for most of us, Pinterest doesn’t provide realistic expectations from our dream inspirations. Our space isn’t the same shape, doesn’t get the same natural lighting as the Pinterest pins, and we usually don’t have access to the same professional services. Your Pinterest inspired dreams can still come true when you use a reputable flooring company to assist with your materials, installation, and questions!
If you’re ready to bring your Pinterest inspirations to life, give us a call and let our trained team of professional flooring experts help you build your magazine worthy home, and stick to budget!