What inspires Bonnie Pickartz of Goshen Timber Frames?

We’re a little over a quarter of the way through featuring our top 100 DesignSherpa “What Inspires You?” contest entries. We’ve got plenty of design inspiration coming your way soon, so stay tuned!

Today’s entry comes from Bonnie Pickartz of Goshen Timber Frames.

The road less traveled should lead to your front door.

For centuries it took decades to build a home that was built to last.

A hundred years ago, we decided to build better, cheaper, faster. Homes went up, often boxes with no spirit, no efficiencies except cost. They were built to come down or be renovated in 30 years.

Today homes are going to the landfill. More sustainable homes, homes that sit lightly on the land, are shaking the norms of design and construction.

I’m inspired by sustainable homes and a future that honors our past, present, and future.

What inspires Karen Lynette Gore?

Today’s featured top 100 DesignSherpa “What Inspires You?” contest entry comes from Karen Lynette Gore.

She writes…

PARIS! Soul lights up! Ideas fire! Imagination soars, right up the middle, to the top of the Eiffel Tower! From middle America. Me, 4th generation Kansan. Born an artist. Born to design. Eternal child’s wonder. Embracing each day with a bird’s eye view of the Universe. Strong. Steel. Annealed. Delicate. Complicated. Fancy. Sophisticated. Excitement. Discovery. Raw. Refined. Each new day, to dress up, to embellish, to invent, to pretty up,, to solve problems, to inspire and nurture others. Each day, to savor each delicious drop. As I would a French pressed coffee.

What inspires Jerusalem Greer?

Today’s featured DesignSherpa “What Inspires You?” contest entry is from Jerusalem Greer.

Click here to read more about the entry on Jerusalem’s blog.

As a child I dreamed of being a fashion designer, but then I tried sewing some clothes. That was the end of that dream. But it wasn’t the end of my love of color, textiles, design, high fashion and storytelling. I find this image inspiring because it combines many different genres and yet is timeless. I am inspired by the combination of worn vintage treasures with fresh faced new ones, one of a kind elements hobb-nobbing with everyday pieces, the elegant and the tattered, the masculine and the feminine all wound together and the story they are all telling together.

What inspires Adrian Perry?

Here’s the latest from our “What Inspires You?” contest entries countdown. We’ve been counting down the top 100 entries each weekday. Have you seen something you like? Let us know! Write on our Facebook fan page wall or leave a comment.

Today’s entry comes from Adrian Perry.

Inspired by a sense of interest, this space is like a piece of artwork hanging against a white matte wall. I’m a total accessories girl, when they have a chance to take the stage it makes my heart flutter! The white leaves the perfect canvas for this to occur.

The entire room catches the eye and makes me want to visualize more, create more and analyze more. Using the whites around the space empowers the center as if it were an island. Pops of colors can be added through seasons without tearing the entire room apart, which is totally how I live. I love change. I want to be able to change various aspects of my living space after a great trip to the flea market or vintage store. Which brings me to the great replica I found of this center brass table, that was just $20 at a local thrift store! You bet all you could see were my pearly whites, the entire way home! Now that’s inspiration!

What inspires Clayton Skinner?

We’re counting down the top 100 entries that made the first cut in the DesignSherpa “What Inspires You?” contest. You can read the entries we’ve already featured in our Contest Updates category.

Today’s “What Inspires You” contest entry comes from Clayton Skinner.

A bold, vibrant color set against natures own subtle backdrop. Light piercing through shadows, illuminating soft alloy on rails that have been warn by the hands of countless visitors. A gentle curve that draws you forward, but also allows you to appreciate the surrounding beauty. The swish of a limb breaks the symmetry, but in way that makes you wonder if the tree has something to say, as if drawn with a calligrapher’s pen. All of the elements in this small public garden in Tokyo inspire a simple and celestial calm, yet reminds us that imperfections can be equally stunning.

What inspires Karran Gloer of Karran Designs?

Today’s entry wraps up this week’s DesignSherpa “What Inspires You?” contest entry highlights. It comes from Karran Gloer of Karran Designs. Check out her entry below and come back next week for more entries!

Inspiration permeates my entire being when I least expect it. I recently ran the Race for the Cure Atlanta, and was completely in awe. So many thoughts and feelings ran through me at once; enthusiasm, stamina, loss, compassion, persistence, beauty; but most of all, love. These are the things that drive me daily when I get up. The knowledge and desire as a professional to just make a difference. To translate a clients story into something meaningful and lasting. To create life in a space with objects, color, and a connection to their needs and desires; this is to live as a designer.

What inspires Diana Bennett Wirtz of Amethyst Designs?

Today we’re highlighting another designer in our Top 100 DesignSherpa “What Inspires You?” contest entry countdown.

The entry comes from Diana Bennett Wirtz of Amethyst Designs. Here’s what she says inspires her:

Fred inspires me.
Rolling down the design road of life I often think of my late husband Fred; for he gave me the gift of believing in oneself, looking for the best in everything and knowing you can always do more or better. He encouraged me to finish my MA in interior design and now working on my PhD and teaching interior design, his delight in the ordinary things of life comes to mind when learning or sharing new ideas or concepts. Great design is not creating complex spaces; it is ability to transform that space from ordinary to extraordinary.

What inspires Mary Catherine Sears?

It’s day 2 of our “What Inspires You?” contest Top 100 countdown. We’d love to hear what you think about each entry, so make sure you leave a comment here or on our Facebook page. You can also get in on the Twitter conversation by tagging your tweets with #designsherpacontest.

Today’s “What Inspires You?” Top 100 entry comes from Mary Catherine Sears.

My mother owns the most inspiring piece (purchased in the 1980’s): a marching drum that was found hanging from the ceiling in an overcrowded antique store. I could go on and on about what inspires me about this piece, but I will limit myself to just a few:
- You can find unique ways to use objects in your home: a coffee table, work of art, end table, etc. Your creativity can flow!
- Treasures for your home can be found truly anywhere. The “hunt” is part of the game of decorating.
- Styles will always come and go

What inspires our Top 100 contestants?

The first round of DesignSherpa’s “What Inspires You?” contest has concluded. Our esteemed judges have narrowed the field down to the Top 100 entries. To give you a glimpse, we’ll be posting one Top 100 entry every weekday over the next hundred days. Make sure you check back soon or subscribe to our RSS feed to have the entries delivered to you!

Today’s Top 100 entry comes from Lisa Hodges. She writes…

“Strolling through a flea market along the rows of “junk” to me treasures truly inspires me to create! Just look at this beautiful display that combines old and new. I love to get ideas from these treasures and come up with my own idea of how to display or make it. That is truly my home.”

Trip to Paris and Maison & Objet Excites “What Inspires You?” Entrants

DesignSherpa, the leading social media and internet marketing system for design professionals has officially closed the “What Inspires You” contest for new entries at midnight, June 21, 2010.  Hundreds of submissions were received on this site, all including an image and 100 words of inspiration, and our judges will now go to work selecting the top 100 contestants to move to the next round.  We will feature the work and submissions of our favorites until the judges award the ultimate prize of $10K, the trip to Maison & Objet, and the chance to blog about it for DesignSherpa.  We can’t wait to uncover the amazing design talent that rises above all others.  Will a design industry icon be acknowledged or will a new talent be discovered?  Keep checking back here to keep up with all the news.

We launched this social media contest to give something back and to thank the home design and remodeling industry that so quickly made DesignSherpa a successful service for providing full service social media solutions to such a wide array of design professionals, showrooms, and retailers.  We had no idea what to expect or what part of the ultimate prize would be most interesting to the design community.  It looks like Paris and Maison & Objet topped the list based on a survey we hosted here since the launch of the contest.  Who knew?

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