Let’s talk about Pinterest for a moment. We love it! I was reminded this morning while reading the Fresh Exchange blog about how great things on Pinterest can be for our clients. We have boards created with ideas of not only our work, but examples of others work, ideas we like, and links to webpages full of helpful information. You can find us by clicking here on Pinterest or on the P logo on the top right corner of our website.
Dave and I like to joke that we are part marriage counselor and part designers. We have found that by asking our clients to take a few moments to create a Pinterest board of all of the outdoor spaces, plants, and things you would love to see at your home lets you and your spouse come together and land on the same page. Kind of like a big wedding registry. That was fun back in the day right?
Once you start collecting pictures on your board you will be surprised to see how easily a “theme” comes together. Now I know that some of the pictures you may pin might be a tad bit unrealistic for your space. ie. a giant tree house for the kids, or custom gourmet kitchen complete with a fireplace and French herb gardens for Mom and Dad. Go ahead and pin them anyway. When we sit down with you to discuss what you would love to see in your outdoor space and look at the board, we can look beyond the pictures in front of us and see that the kids need an area to play, Dad would like to be grilling somewhere other then on the small concrete pad off the back patio door, and Mom just wants to be able to cut some basil and tomatoes for dinner without hiring Martha Stewart’s personal gardener to tend to things. And while budgets and HOA rules may not allow for a huge treehouse spiraling towards the sky with turrets and a trap door, we can help you create a space for the kids and their play set away from Mom’s new raised herb and veggie beds, and Dad’s new built in BBQ. Maybe even add in a fire pit where everyone can come together at the end of the day to roast marshmallows and enjoy and glass of beer or wine.
I think you will find that once the board is there, the pinning options are endless for the new outdoor area. Dad can pin rib recipes for the grill for their next get together, and Mom can find tips on how to finally rid the worms from her tomatoes. Even the kids can get involved and find cool ideas for splash pads, and fun games. Side note: some friends of ours have kids who actually used Pinterest to put together a power point presentation to convince their parents why they needed to start raising chickens. Guess what? It worked!
I hope you give Pinterest a shot, and when you do let me know what you think. I would love to see your boards.
Just an FYI: know it can be a bit addicting. But don’t worry, I am warning you ahead of time!