One of the questions we get asked a lot is “where are you going for inspiration?” Of course, there’s no great answer to that because we get it EVERYWHERE. Both of us keep a running list on our phones so every time we see something that triggers a blog post idea we can just write it down. Of course we get a thousand magazine subscriptions each – House Beautiful, Coastal Living, (Canadian) House & Home, Style at Home (also Canadian), Better Homes & Gardens, California Home + Design, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, Dwell.The good news is our kids sell the subscriptions for school so at least our habit is supporting a good cause!
Other (less obvious) choices we love are:
Anthology Magazine--picked up a copy of this relatively new quarterly magazine at Anthropologie and it is amazing. A very different approach than most design mags–very international and bohemian. A little tip–search the sale rack at Anthropologie and you might be able to find some back orders!
CS Interiors–this is actually a free publication distributed in Chicago, but it is so well done–beautiful interiors (that we’ve featured on our blog in the past) of local homes. They also have issues in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. They also have an awesome website where you can browse full issues of the magazine.
Lonny–we love this bi-monthly online publication for its fresh, contemporary approach.You can click directly from the magazine to where the items are sourced (dangerous, but obviously brilliant!)
When it comes to books, there are so many great ones, but honestly they can get super expensive. So, while we both buy them and like to support our favorite designers (on the coffee table you’ll find books from Nate Berkus, Nathan Turner, Martyn Lawrence Bullard and Thom Filicia), my suggestion is to head over to Barnes & Noble,grab a coffee and a chair near the decor aisle and hunker down. If you find yourself drooling over a certain book, buy it! This also works for the magazines. There are some seriously amazing international design magazines at your local B&N, but most of them are between $10-$15 a piece to buy, so I prefer to just browse them and if I fall in love then shell out the cash.
Ok, now for the giveaway… In honor of our 100th post and the launching of our Facebook page, we’re giving away a subscription to one of our favorite magazines–House Beautiful. Just click here (or the widget in the menu bar to the right) to like our Two Inspire Design Page on FB and leave us a comment on this blog post letting us know and you’ll be entered into the drawing. Alreadyliked us, leave a comment so we know! Next, Wednesday, October 10th we’ll draw a random number and announce the winner!
Good luck everyone and don’t worry Canadian readers, if your number comes up, we’ll honor that too!
Am feeling inspired every time I read your posts. Your ideas always get me thinking about little things I can do around the house that don’t break the bank, but make everything look a little more pulled together. Keep it up!
this one of the times i wish there was a LOVE button on facebook. keep up the great work, girls. (tess: does writing your 100th post feel similar to playing century club down on henderson?)
Thanks for even more great sources of inspiration!
My HB subscription ran out, so…pick me, pick me!
P.S. I will still “Like” you even if you don’t. 😉 I *love* reading all of your posts and keep getting little nuggets of inspiration as I continue to slog through my renovations. You’re great writers with terrific style. Congrats on #100!!
Loving the blog, ladies! It’s a daily treat. And my planters, junk drawer, newly decorated girls’ room and soon-to-be immaculate linen closet thank you for the inspiration. Looking forward to the next 100!
Hi Tessa and Amy,
Congrats on your blog! It’s wonderful and I have really been inspired by it and look forward to each post!
As for your giveaway, yay, sounds exciting! I would say my number one go to website and app is houzz as it really is the Wiki of home decor. From that I try and be frugal by constantly getting on Craigslist and Kijiji for bargain finds.
Your Canadian fan,
Tana
Houzz.com is definitely a go-to for us too! Can we overwhelming though so maybe we’ll do an upcoming post on how to get what you need out of it…stay tuned for a Craigslist guest post from a craigslist junkie in the next couple of weeks including pics of her finds.