IG accounts I keep coming back to: on process, real homes & Behind The Scenes

Source: @studiomcgee

I spend a lot of time looking at interiors online. Obviously, because I like beautiful rooms, but more importantly, because research never stops. Instagram has become one of the places where I can see how other designers work, how projects evolve, how materials are selected, how people solve problems and, sometimes, what happens before the beautiful final photograph. This part interests me almost more than the finished room.

A finished interior can tell you what someone likes. The process tells you how they think. So I have started putting together a small collection of the IG accounts I actually keep coming back to, divided by why I follow them.

This first chapter is about process, real homes and the bits in between.

ERIN STETZER HOMES @erinstetzerhomes

I particularly enjoy Erin Stetzer because her content gives you a glimpse into the reality behind high-end residential projects - the construction, coordination, details and execution that have to happen before anyone gets the beautiful finished photograph.

Her work is rooted in luxury custom building, with a strong emphasis on planning, execution and detail. She also shares projects developed with designers, including Benjamin Johnston Interiors and Studio McGee.

And I appreciate that because luxury isn't just the pretty bit at the end. Her account is deeply transparent and shows site visits, gives construction reminders and directions and inside building tips that are extremely helpful for interior designers like me who did not study architecture.

Her account is everything you don't necessarily see: from the planning to the trades, the decisions, the corrections and the thousands of details that have to land properly. As someone who is increasingly interested in the relationship between design and execution, that's exactly the kind of content I want to see.

ANNE MARIE BARTON @annemariebarton

Anne Marie Barton is one of those accounts I follow because her work simply belongs to my personal favourites in the whole industry.

Her philosophy centres around traditional roots, modern expression with focus on textures, tactile experiences, natural materials, the connection to the outdoors and the artist's hand. She also shares the development of her own furniture and object collections, which makes the account interesting beyond finished interiors.

I love seeing designers who understand that sophistication doesn't have to mean everything is polished within an inch of its life. Her visits to factories and collaborating brands to see the process how things are built and the richness of the materiality is why every reel is worth a watch. With Anne Marie Barton, a piece always shows the hand that made it. That sense of material honesty is something I always notice and admire. Her lighting collection is beyond and the making of her daughter’s her home, Tezza Barton @tezza.barton is a joy to witness.

STUDIO McGEE @studiomcgee | @mcgeeandco

Studio McGee can’t be missing in this list, because so much for me in design started with Shea’s inspiring “Make Life Beautiful”. Ten years down the line, with products and now a first flagship store in Salt Lake City, their accounts are a much larger operation now, but regardless a good study in how a design language becomes a process.

Their full-service process moves from discovery and concept through space planning, documentation, procurement and installation, featured with lots of behind the scenes reels and Shea’s explanations behind the decision process. They also show considerably more of that journey than you get from a traditional finished-project portfolio.

I particularly like seeing moodboards, installations, project reveals and the decisions that connect them. Their approach to creating a cohesive home also resonates with me: they talk about developing an overall master moodboard before refining individual rooms, rather than designing every room as an isolated exercise. That is something I strongly believe in myself: house should feel like a story, not a collection of unrelated rooms. Yet, every room and home develops their own character, without ever losing the overall cohesive signature look of the McGee brand which in the last years has introduced so many antiques into their compositions and became even more layered.

CELINE INTERIOR DESIGN @celineinteriordesign

This London-based interior studio, led by Noor Charchafchi, is a different kind of inspiration for me. I like accounts where you get a little closer to the person behind the design: her background, the references, details, choices and personality that don't necessarily make it into a formal project portfolio. Because ultimately, I don't think great design comes from following a formula. It comes from having a point of view.

I enjoy seeing how other designers develop theirs, and following Noor’s daily routines as CEO and studio owner operating on luxury projects both in the UK and the Middle and Far East and thus provide a different view on client’s desires and requirements.

SOPHIE PATERSON @sophiepatersoninteriors | @themoodboard.community

This one is particularly relevant to the process side of design. I enjoy seeing the thinking before the room exists: moodboards, selections, references, materials and the evolution of a project.

The latest Moodboard Community created by Sophie Paterson and her team itself has grown into a platform centred around interior-design learning, masterclasses and professional exchange.

And that appeals to me because I'm always more interested in why something was selected than simply seeing the finished photograph. Show me the fabric next to the stone. Show me the reference that started the idea. Show me the version that didn't work. That's where design gets interesting.

MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD @martynbullard

And then there is Martyn.

I couldn't make this list without his account. His work is eclectic, layered, theatrical and unapologetically decorative - which is exactly why I enjoy following him.

He has spoken about not wanting to be confined to one particular style and instead evolving with each client. His work brings together objects, references and influences from very different places and periods. That's something I relate to. I don't want AD Design to be trapped inside one aesthetic either and therefore taking on projects that either stretch us as a practise, redefine what else has been seen in Nigerian interiors and interpret the wishes of a client every time afresh from a new standpoint.

Classic does not have to mean predictable. Luxury does not have to mean quiet. And eclectic does not have to mean chaotic. Plus: there should always be room for a little drama.

Why these accounts?

There are thousands of beautiful interiors on Instagram. But the accounts I return to aren't necessarily the ones with the prettiest grid.

These mentioned are the ones that make me look twice. I learn something about process or I discover a material in a different way. Or I see a completely different solution to a familiar problem. And sometimes because someone has simply made me think: “I would never have thought of doing it that way.” That's the good stuff, because inspiration, for me, isn't about finding rooms to copy. Rather, I want to continue training my eye, challenging my assumptions and collecting ideas until we create a new, own language.

Episode 02: The Finished Room coming next week in the Blog.