I went to Australia and found interior inspiration in the strangest places

Home decorator and content creator Leah Hodson is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on overhauling a home with clever DIY and decorating tricks. See the rest of her articles here.

If you’re like me and your main source of inspiration is Pinterest, occasionally, it’s good to look away from your screen and find inspiration in the real world. Because inspiration could hit you in the most unexpected places! One recent place for me was a shopping mall loo!

On a recent trip to Australia, I found myself snapping photos in the most unlikely places – restaurant interiors, shopping centre toilets and everything in between.

Saturday lunch

I started my trip in Sydney visiting my husband’s extended family. We have done this trip a couple times before, with the most recent trip only two years ago! So I thought I knew the drill, as we tend to do the same thing the first day we’re there. But there I was, entering the Woolwich Pier Hotel for lunch, and I was in awe of every detail.

The effortless blue window frame that mirrored the aquamarine sea reminded me of how I painted my uPVC kitchen window Rustoleum’s Laurel Green to bring the outside in. I also loved the simple architectural wall light that flanked the window that reminded me of Lighting Direct's Westport wall lights, that I installed right outside my pantry to light the walkway.

Beauty in nature

A couple days into our trip, I was sitting having my morning coffee at our AirBnB. I was absentmindedly daydreaming, staring out into the distance through the window, when I started to notice how striking the trees were. I liked how the leaves hung from the stems.

This sparked an idea for a future mural in my dressing room (which I’ve been planning on Pinterest). I liked the stone wall too and so I started wondering how I could recreate it in my garden…we shall see!

Shopping mall toilet

Whenever I’m in Sydney, we always make time at Birkenhead Point for a little shopping trip. On one side of the building is a small dock for boats which you can see from the first floor toilet, which I’ve always loved.

This time, I ventured higher, going to a different toilet on the top floor (I’m not that weird, I promise)! It’s completely different from the toilet I usually go to and I had to take a quick snap of the washing area.

I love the combination of materials, and the best way to describe it would be industrial chic! Statement marbles are definitely having a moment now!

A little play time

After Sydney, I spent a week in Melbourne with my sister and her family. One day my sister booked a little play session at The Museum at Play and Art. My children had a lot of fun playing and exploring the museum. There was so much to do and their favourite activity was building little river houses for the ducks.

Whilst taking them to the bathroom, and waiting for them to wash their hands, I found myself studying the curves of the washing up area. There wasn’t a single right angle insight but it didn’t look overly matching, just the right balance.

Pantry styling inspiration

On my last evening in Melbourne, we had dinner at my sister's favourite Italian restaurant, Scusi Mi. Again, I wasn’t particularly looking for anything just glancing around at the restaurant interior when I started thinking “won’t my pantry look good styled like this?” I've always been drawn to visual merchandising and the way products are thoughtfully displayed, so it was no surprise that I quickly snapped a photo before our food arrived.

There’s nothing quite like finding inspiration when you least expect it. Usually, I’m a Pinterest girl, turning to endless mood boards whenever I’m planning a project. But this time, it was refreshing to gather ideas from real spaces instead, noticing the little details you simply can’t appreciate through a screen.