10 ideas on how to bring back creativity

Drawing a blank happens to even the best designers and makers. Here's how to get your creative juices flowing again.

Flummoxed by colour choices? Just can't seem to pull that room together? When you are seeking decorating inspiration but coming up short, it's time to shake things up. Get unstuck in a flash by trying any of these 10 creative rut-busting activities, and share your own tips and stories in the Comments section. Let's get started.

by Republic of Fritz Hansen

1. Attend a local design event. From holiday home tours to interior design showcases, festivals, walking tours, lectures and more, there is sure to be something worth checking out this season. Pick one that looks interesting and invite a design-loving friend to go along.

by Rikki Snyder

2. Go to a flea market, antiques fair or fun vintage shop. Nowhere has more interior inspiration than a good flea market. The wild mishmash of colorful china and textiles, worn wood furniture and ephemera is sure to spark a new idea or two — and you may even come home with a new treasure.

by Laura L. Benn

3. Intentionally follow your curiosity. Take a little field trip to your favorite bookstore, but instead of zeroing in on your favorite section right away, let yourself wander. Be open to anything that catches your attention or draws you in, and investigate it further. The magazine racks are a great place to start, since you can scoop up a few magazines on new-to-you topics for just a few bucks. Widening your focus can have surprising results — maybe you will find the perfect kitchen color scheme in a knitting magazine, or bedroom inspiration in a book of travel photography.

by ZeroEnergy Design

4. Be inspired by music.It may not translate directly into a room scheme, but great music can call to mind a mood, style, feeling or even the colours of a space. Your favorite music (whatever the genre) can also give you an incredible boost when your spirits are flagging — all the more reason to cue up the tunes.

by Exteriorscapes llc

5. Take a photography walk. Go to a neighborhood you don't usually visit, camera in tow, and snap photos of anything that visually inspires you, whether it's a beautiful landscape, striking architecture or even creative graffiti.

by Rebekah Zaveloff

6. Drink up inspiration at a local café. Designers work hard to make cafés and restaurants deliciously appealing, and the best are filled to the brim with great ideas to bring home. If it's a small thing you like, making a mental note is fine; but if you really love a space, take a picture or two.

by Christopher Kellie Design Inc.

7. Get outside. Time spent in nature is not just restorative; it can also provide inspiration for color palettes and garden design. Country road, dense forest, botanical garden — try different venues to see what appeals to you most.

8. Visit an art gallery, a museum or a craft exhibition. A skillfully curated art exhibition always leaves me feeling creatively full and inspired. Explore something that sounds intriguing or perhaps something you haven't paid much attention to before. Sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics, woodworking, art glass ... the possibilities are endless.

by Etsy

Washi Tape Assortment by Sticker Stop - $8.50 »

9. Look at craft supplies — even if you are not a crafter. Just because you're not working on a project doesn't mean you should miss out on all of those luscious colors, patterns and textures in the aisles of your local arts and crafts store. No awesome crafts stores near you? Hop online and explore the world of crafty blogs instead.

by Rikki Snyder

10. Use a market bouquet to play with color. Instead of plunking the whole thing in a single vase, use the next market bouquet you buy as an opportunity to experiment with colour combinations. Group the flowers in different ways, snip some short, try out unusual containers and see what appeals to you. If you hit on an arrangement you really like, take a few photos to commemorate the moment — and possibly inspire a future paint color or throw pillow.

by Bosworth Hoedemaker

Going further: Stay organized in a way that inspires you. Whether you prefer hunting for inspiration online, on paper or both, what you do with the material you collect after the fact really matters. For some, a vintage trunk crammed with all sorts of assorted treasures is the ultimate thrill, while others may see beauty in a row of slim presentation binders, neatly labeled and categorized. Online, take the time to curate and organize your bookmarks and Houzz ideabooks in a way that makes sense to you.

Tell us: How do you get inspired? What is your favorite tip for getting out of a creative rut?

12 Inspiring Real-Life Vintage Kitchens

Beautiful doesn't have to mean slick and new. See how these older kitchens make the most of their vintage style.

I stumbled across this article while hunting vintage themed rooms and thought it was most definitely worth while sharing. 

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We lived in our house for 12 years before we remodelled our kitchen. For 12 years we had original 1941 cabinets, stained Formica counters and a collection of the cheapest white appliances available. Basically, a version of what many homeowners and renters live with.

So, what to do when all you can really afford are a few cans of paint and maybe some dishes? Embrace vintage and strut your unique style.

These 12 kitchens embrace and enhance their vintage style. Many of them are way nicer than our old kitchen, but they are not decor-mag stylish. They are not new and slick and perfect. They are real, lived in and cute as all get-out.

by robert kelly

If you have ugly cabinet doors, remove them and go with open shelving. Paint everything thing white (an accent color on the interior back wall also looks great) and feature your stacks of dishes, cookbooks or spice jars.

See more of this kitchen

by CapeRace Cultural Adventures

White makes everything look fresh and clean. And mismatched chairs, dishes and fabric say, "This is all intentional."

by Keep Smiling Home

Many older kitchens sorely lack in storage and counter space. Use furniture meant for other things to help you out. This wooden dresser works perfectly as kitchen drawers, and it adds eclectic charm. Also, if you have a fridge that's seen better days, why not cover it with chalkboard paint?

See more about this DIY home makeover

by Julie Ranee Photography

Draw the eye away from less-than-adorable appliances with bright splashes of color. These red accessories look less like a cover-up and more like an intentional design feature.

This is a remodelled new kitchen, but the fun embrace of the chaotic is a great lesson for older kitchens too. The opposite of going all white and uncluttered is to let it all hang out. You just know the person who cooks here is fun to be around.

Here's the other side of the same kitchen, proving that mismatched can be very stylish indeed.

See more of this quirky Texas kitchen

The oldest trick in the book: Paint the cabinets a vintage color and replace the hardware. The rustic island makes it all look intentionally shabby chic. Very cute.

by CapeRace Cultural Adventures

Going monochromatic in a fun, vintage color has a similar result to going all white: It makes everything look fresh and bright.

by Mahoney Architects and Interiors

Embrace the era. This is obviously a remodel, but it does show what enhancing things like dated tile counters by matching colours and accessories can do to an older kitchen.

by gypsy girl

Nothing about this kitchen is sleek, new or fancy. But everything about it is adorably stylish. Replace yucky lower cabinet doors with a curtain in a cute vintage fabric. Paint your backsplash a fun color. Embrace wild, mismatched, eclectic style.

by Debbie Dusenberry, aka curioussofa.com

Go simple, spare and elegant. Vintage pieces like this chandelier and island table are rustic and chic, but not slick or new. The muted colours keep it calm.

by Vintage Renewal

This open kitchen succeeds by being utterly eclectic and "matching" the decor around it. Quirkiness and colour go a long way toward disguising less-than-perfect bones.

by Hilda Grahnat

Display your vintage collections, hide your unattractive stuff in attractive vessels and keep your visual chaos in one, tidy place.

Head over to our Facebook page and share an image of your kitchen, we'd love to see what theme you have going!