Scrolling for hours fills our cups with inspiration, but what is it that sets an insta-worthy home apart from all the rest? We find out...
"Hi, we're The Girls of the FBc and we're Insta-addicts!" we have no shame in admitting we spend hours poring over the wonders that Instagram holds - hearting, commenting, discovering and swooning. Whatever your interior style and wherever you are in the world, if you've got wifi, there's a plethora of home styled shots, professionally quaffed rooms and interior close-ups to whet your appetite and whip your interiors imagination into a flat-lay frenzy.
It's no longer the reserve of magazines, interior designers and professional stylists to enlighten and inspire our homes, any shutterbug with a good eye for design, great sense of personal home style and an iPhone can now garner our heart-shaped icons and motivate a new vignette, nook or whole room makeover. From imperfectly made beds adorned with wonderfully crinkled 100% linen bed sheets and plump pillows to exquisitely styled console tables with ornate mirrors; dreamy bedroom colour schemes finished with a sumptuous upholstered bed to period homes with high ceilings, bay windows and a beautifully organised French armoire.
We notice time and time again, there's a certain formula to creating those beautiful shots that get our hearts all a'flutter - the one's that make our fingers double click within seconds of appearing on our feed. If you want to get that "I just threw this bunch of absolute perfection together" look, then read on for our top tips on getting your home on the most coveted list.
Get Your Lighting Right
Lighting is EVERYTHING! This certainly doesn't mean rigging up a photographic studio in your lounge, we're referring to natural light, which is by far the best light available. Morning and midday light are the greatest for illuminating your shots and highlighting your carefully chosen home accessories and furniture. Wall mirrors help to enhance the natural light in any room – the bigger the better for shedding light on darker areas of your home. Snapseed and Photoshop are some of our favourite apps for getting our pictures insta-ready.
Your Unique Home Style
Identify your interior style from the outset - work out what it is that makes you and your home different; do you love pink, are your pictures dark and moody, are your captions witty, do you have knowledge in a particular area to offer know-how or is it all about bright colour pops? Followers like to recognise a particular style - after all, if they've signed up to follow you it's because they appreciate your personal aesthetic and want to soak up your ideas – if your home (and pictures) have a pretty, French country-style, shabby-chic feel, suddenly switching to a sleek, modern, monochrome scheme might not interest your followers and lead to a bit of confusion.
Bring Your Home to Life with Florals
Flowers and house plants not only enhance the space to live in but are a must for any great interiors shot; they quite literally breathe life into the surrounding space. We're certainly not condoning adorning every surface with a hand-tied bouquet of blooms - people may start to wonder if you're house sharing with Elton John - but a simple potted orchid or collection of succulents thoughtfully placed on your chest of drawers gives just the right amount of green to any room.
Highlight the Every Day
Some of our favourite insta-homes are those that make the every day items wonderful – beautiful hand soap, an unmade bed, a warm cup of tea on a bedside table, treasure gathered over time on your travels, shoes by the front door or the morning light reflecting in an antique French mirror. It’s these images that give us ‘hope’ that with a little thought, our very own ‘every day items’ can be inspirational.
See Your Home Through a Lens
A great tip, not just for capturing an image, but for de-cluttering and styling your own home, is to look at it through a view-finder – either on your phone or camera – and take a picture. Seeing your space in this way helps you take a step back and assess what needs adding or removing. It quite literally can give you new perspective on your own home.
Quick Fire Tips for an Insta-Worthy Home
Don't try to capture a whole room in one little square - instead get different angles and closeups, then share these over a number of posts to create a little story of the room.
Do hide electrical sockets and cords, unless they're are purposefully part of the design.
Don't karate chop cushions - it just looks weird!
Do have fun and be yourself – emulating other’s style verbatim will never look or feel natural. People are drawn to others doing their own thing, for unique inspiration and ideas.
Don't overthink it! The whole point of Instagram is the capture the immediacy and emotion of the now, go with the flow, even if it's not picture perfect!
For more tips and advice on how to create some insta-magic in your own home from choosing beautiful, French bedroom furniture to the right luxury bed linen for your boudoir - contact our in-house stylists.
