April Littmann, founder and principal designer of Neighbor Interiors.
April 9, 2026

We Asked Firm Owners, “What’s Your Most Unusual Source of Inspiration?”

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6 min read

Summary

The most unusual design inspiration often comes from places that don’t look like “design inspiration” at all. In this roundup from our Women, In Their Own Words series, women firm owners describe drawing ideas from film, demolition sites, manufacturing, family routines, fashion, animals, memory, and even the subconscious. Their answers suggest that inspiration is often shaped as much by lived experience and observation as by traditional creative references.

Reflection Questions

What source of inspiration has influenced your work recently that you might not normally name in a client conversation or professional setting?

When a strong idea comes to you, does it usually come from deliberate research, or from something more indirect like memory, observation, or daily life?

Are there parts of your everyday life that you may be overlooking as creative input?

Journal Prompt

Think about one project, room, or idea that came together in a way that surprised you.

Write about where that idea actually came from. Maybe it started with a memory, a material, a conversation, a piece of clothing, a television show, a family habit, or something you noticed without intending to. Then ask yourself whether you trust those kinds of influences enough, or whether you still feel pressure to trace your ideas back to more expected sources.

As interior designers, we’re expected to draw inspiration from architecture, vintage décor, and gorgeous coffee table books published by our peers. But in reality, those sources of inspiration don’t always fit in that tiny industry-sized box. Some of us draw from film, fashion, or nature. Others have found inspiration in demolition sites, manufacturing lines, old objects, family routines, or moments from daily life that would look uninterestingly ordinary to anyone else. Still others have been surprised by how memory, conversation, or even the subconscious can shape a project.

That’s part of what makes the responses to this question from our Women, In Their Own Words series so interesting. When we asked designers about the most unusual source of inspiration they’ve found for their work, the answers were quite wide-ranging. Some women pointed to sources that were tactile and visible. Others described emotional, personal, or indirect influences that stayed with them and eventually found their way into design work.

If you’ve ever wondered where other women in design find inspiration when they are not pulling from the usual references, read on.

High Point Market April 2026

DesignDash: How has your creative process evolved over the years?

Karin Bohn

When I watch a movie, I’m never listening to the dialogue and always miss the plot because I’m scrutinizing the interiors and architecture. I love seeing inside homes, palaces, and buildings from any period… I can’t help it, and when I watch a movie it always inspires new ideas.

Read Karin’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Karin on Her Website: houseofbohn.com 

Or Follow on Socials: @houseofbohn

Brittany Farinas

Read Brittany’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Brittany on Her Website: houseof1.com 

Or Follow on Socials: @houseofone_

Paulina Hospod

There’s something poetic about the controlled chaos of tearing down walls to reveal hidden structure. It reminds me that creation often starts with letting go.

Read Paulina’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Paulina on Her Website: aha-interiors.com  

Or Follow on Socials: @paulinahospod

Mimi Meacham

The way kids naturally gather around a kitchen island to do homework, or how a hallway becomes a landing zone for backpacks and sports gear. Those real, slightly messy patterns of life often spark my best ideas. They push me to design spaces that feel beautiful but also deeply functional and lived-in, because the most inspiring homes are the ones that truly support the people inside them.

Read Mimi’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Paulina on Her Website: marianlouisedesign.com 

Or Follow on Socials: @marianlouisedesign

Bre Hance

I can draw the parallel and make it make sense to me. For example, I’ve used old, vintage doors as “inspo” to design rugs before. Cool ideas come from the craftsmanship of old things.

Read Bre’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Bre on Her Website: inhancedesignbuild.com

Or Follow on Socials: @inhance_interiors

Jamie Young

My love of fashion definitely blends into home design inspiration.

Read Jamie’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Jamie on Her Website: jamieyoung.com 

Or Follow on Socials: @jamieyoungco

Antonia Caicedo

So much innovation and good ideas come out of the manufacturing process and my amazing artisan team.

Read Antonia’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Antonia on Her Website: jimeco.com/antonia-collection  

Or Follow on Socials: @antonia.collection

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Alex Thies

Recently, while collaborating with an architect on a new home design, we were discussing how the approach of this particular lot was a bit winding and obscure. It brought me back to an experience from my childhood when I would spend summers on Martha’s Vineyard with all my cousins at my grandmother’s house.

It was this magical experience to get to the beach. We would first walk down a gravel driveway where we would pick blackberries off the bushes on our way until we made it to an opening in the woods where we would walk down a long winding path. The path led us to a dock where we kept a rowboat, and we would load up in the boat and take it across the pond to a sand dune where we would climb through the seagrass to get to the beach.

It was the entire experience of getting there that I remember more so than even being at the beach itself. I shared this story with the team, and we ultimately decided to design the house according to this philosophy—that it’s really all about the journey and that the path to get there should be just as celebrated as the destination. The entire ethos of this home will now revolve around that, and I love that my experience as a child is now the heartbeat of the entire project.

Read Alex’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Alex on Her Website: adelyncharles.com   

Or Follow on Socials: @adelyncharles

Rhonnika Clifton

The colors and textures of their feathers and bodies are breathtaking. I’m no expert, but I often find myself captivated by the complexities in their movements and appearance. They’re a beautiful reminder of the intricate details that exist in nature, which I bring into my design work.

Read Rhonnika’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Rhonnika on Her Website: rjcliftondesigns.com 

Or Follow on Socials: @rjcliftondesignsllc

April Littmann

After a long day, my husband and I love watching it for the fabulous homes that are toured. We don’t necessarily love all the drama of the show but find ourselves pausing throughout and talking about the architectural details of each home that is toured. It’s fun!

Read April’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About April on Her Website: neighborinteriors.com 

Or Follow on Socials: @neighborinteriors

Sarah Choudhary

We ended up talking about childhood memories, and they described their grandmother’s home. It was such a vivid, emotional image that it stayed with me. I later used that feeling of warmth and nostalgia as the foundation for a project. It reminded me that design is ultimately about emotion, and sometimes, the most powerful concepts come from the most fleeting human moments.

Read Sarah’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Sarah on Her Website: habitatarc.com

Or Follow on Socials: @afar.habitat

Camilla van den Tempel

You’re constantly taking in visual stimuli, even without realizing it, and sometimes the ideas that emerge seem to come out of nowhere. It’s fascinating how things you’ve seen or experienced, without even being able to consciously recall them, can influence or shape the creative process in unexpected ways.

Read Camilla’s full Women, In Their Own Words interview here.

Learn More About Camilla on Her Website: andtempel.com 

Or Follow on Socials: @andtempel

Final Thoughts

Many thanks to our Women, In Their Own Words interviewees for participating in this roundup. There is real value in hearing how other designers think about inspiration, especially when their answers come from actual experience instead of the typical references our industry repeats all the time.

Another designer’s way of seeing can expand or sharpen your own perspective. Sometimes that comes from viewing her work. Sometimes it comes from hearing her describe a memory, a habit, a material, or a moment that stayed with her long enough to shape a project later.

DesignDash Community Growth Studio Waitlist

That’s one reason we created DesignDash Growth Studio. Inside the program, women firm owners talk through not only the business side of design but also the ideas, references, and experiences that keep feeding their work over time. Those conversations occur in a room made up entirely of women in design, which is so valuable, especially when some are just starting out and others have been leading firms for decades.

If this article resonated with you, or made you think differently about where your own ideas come from, you can join the waitlist for the next cohort here.

*The featured image of this post is April Littmann, founder and principal designer of Neighbor Interiors.

Written by the DesignDash Editorial Team
Our contributors include experienced designers, firm owners, design writers, and other industry professionals. If you’re interested in submitting your work or collaborating, please reach out to our Editor-in-Chief at editor@designdash.com.

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