My Virtual Inspiration Folder

When I first began building things, I kept a manila folder in which I stored pages torn from magazines and museum catalogs, as well as photos of pieces (and other things) that inspired me. It was always a jumbled mess – but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; having to shift through the pages and pictures to find a barely remembered thing I thought I’d stashed there often led me to rediscover something I’d completely forgotten. (And now you know how many an “I Can Do That” project was born.)

But as more and more stuff moved online and I spent more of each day on a computer, I started taking screen shots of things I liked. Problem is, those grabs lived on my desktop with all the other documents and folders I’ve been too lazy to properly file. So I couldn’t find anything – it’s simply not as fun to shift through a jumbled mess of unrelated stuff.

About a year ago (after spending two years scoffing at it) I finally came around to using Pinterest. It truly is a great way to easily and quickly both categorize and see images. And it’s easy to access from anywhere, and any device.

So, among my boards is one called “Inspiration Pieces: Furniture to build, adapt or just admire.” Not only does it help me get a quick look at what I was thinking about making six months ago before life got in the way, it’s serves as a psychological roadmap of sorts. Clearly, I have a thing for case pieces, big and small. And I like Arts & Crafts more than I realized. (If you see anything you really like on my boards, let me know. I’m having trouble deciding on my next “major” build. Just as long as it’s not for the kitchen.)

But it still works kind of like my old manila folder, because I use the “pin it” function and don’t always remember doing so. That is, if I see something I like, I pin it and move on – it goes to my inspiration board, and I go on to something else. And because I don’t look regularly at my board, it’s always fun (and sometimes surprising) to look through it and see what I’ve identified as worth remembering. (And once in a while, a pin will make me question my sanity – I liked that why?!)

If you have furniture inspiration boards, share them below (with the caveat that I might re-pin).

The only “problem” I have with Pinterest is that it’s a massive rabbit warren. Fall down one hole and you can get lost for days. So if you’re looking for a way to burn a few weekend hours…

What the heck is that cat in a hamburger doing in the middle of a “shaker antique furniture” search?! Those marketing people are scary good…

— Megan Fitzpatrick

p.s. (Popular Woodworking has a collection of boards, too.)