Flat Lay Wars!

Last friday Stephanie and I went head to head in an extremely competitive and not at all relaxing flat lay competition. We each were given 15 minutes to come up with a concept and curate a flat lay with whatever we could find in the office. We wanted to give ourselves full creative freedom in an attempt to inspire creative confidence again. I don’t know about you, but the winter blues have been HITTING us over here! 

Jennae’s Flat Lay - The stunning floral grasscloth wallpaper above is something we have been holding onto for that special client we have yet to meet. I knew right away it would be my jumping off point. From there I wanted to pull colours from it and find other tones that compliment it. As it was starting to come together with the tile and velvet textiles I  was picturing a refined master bedroom and ensuite; a relaxing space but full of color and personality. I added in some brass accents because brass is a MUST in my opinion. I finished it off with a geometric texture to juxtapose the floral and gorgeous white countertop with navy and gold veining. 

Stephanie’s Flat Lay - I really had zero direction going into this. Usually we have samples for clients that we start with and use for inspiration, but for the flat lay war it was a blank slate. So I used Valentine’s Day as my inspo because quite honestly, red is a colour we are typically told to stay away from. It went in a direction that was glamorous and luxurious yet fun. I think it would make a fabulous office for either a professional or a stay at home mom. A place to escape and feel fancy. The fur is a must as are the hits of brass, blush and black.

The best part about fun challenges like this one is that it reminds you that your initial instincts will almost never fail you. The second you overthink something or second guess while racing against the clock you almost immediately wish you could go back to what you had in the first place. This revelation hit me as I heard Stephanie yell “WHY did I mess with it!? It looked so much better before, I should have just left it alone!” This same thing happens when we are designing for clients. Perfectionism runs deep in the design world so it is important to check ourselves and each other when we feel the urge to refine a concept for the millionth time. When things are getting muddy or we are getting discouraged, taking a step back and reminding ourselves of our initial concept, motivations and goals is a vital step to success for both client and designer. 

Thanks for tuning into Flat Lay Friday!