Whatever your passion, be it decorating, cooking or fashion, you can find your tribe on Instagram. Those little squares can connect you to thousands of inspirational people, ready and willing to share their passion too.
We spoke to Rachel from @runcis_at_no9 about her love for interior design, how she got started and any tips for fellow interior lovers.
Where does your love of interiors come from? I've always needed a creative outlet, and my work used to provide that. Unfortunately when I had my children my work was my sacrifice as it wasn't flexible around family life. I turned to my home as my outlet. My husband also runs a property renovation company, which gives me lots of opportunities to make other houses beautiful too, as he tends to rope me in to help with the decor once building work is completed.
How would you describe your style? This is a question I find quite hard to answer. I guess eclectic is the best way to describe it, especially as it can often vary room to room. I seem to lean toward dark colours a lot, but also love a bright pop. I am pretty sure I've every colour of the rainbow in my house!
What is your favourite room in your home and why? I'd have to say my daughter's nursery. She wasn't even 'in the making' when we decorated the room. It was actually our guest bedroom. When we knew we were having her I couldn't lose the decor in that room, so I basically picked all the furnishings to fit the paper. I even upcycled furniture that wouldn't work so that I could keep the pindorama paper and make it work for a nursery. A lot of sources will tell you a baby's room should be quite neutral and not too busy, but I couldn't disagree more. The room looks amazing and it's a beautiful space to be in. Even my daughter loves the paper. She likes sitting and looking at all the flowers and colours.
Why did you picked this wallpaper? It's incredible! Simple as that. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it online. Since then we have had so many people ask about the paper and use it themselves in their own homes.
What would you say to someone decorating a home? Try not to worry too much about doing something 'different'. In my opinion if you fill your home with things you LOVE then you can't go wrong with decor. Also, (and this one is very important to me) it doesn't have to be expensive! You don't have to buy the ridiculously expensive paints and papers. It doesn't always mean better quality. I've used papers that cost much more than the arthouse range and there was absolutely no difference in quality of paper or design.
The strength of the interiors community on Instagram blows me away, why do you think it has become so huge on the platform? Instagram is a perfect platform for blogging and sharing a passion. It's essentially a photo app, so it's much more targeted for hobbies and interests than other social media platforms. When I first started sharing my interiors I did receive a bit of a mocking for it. People may have thought I was doing a bit of a brag with it all, but I think more and more people are starting to realise now that it's actually a really wonderful community to be a part of and it's absolutely more about that than just showing off your home.
Can you recommend some of your favourite interior Instagram accounts for us to follow? My current faves for inspiring decor are; @girl.franks @victoriaaldersonart @twentyfourcentral and of course @arthouse_ltd so I can keep a close eye on their new products!