As fall leisurely approaches, I find myself yearning for the iconic landscape of New England. From the collegiate campuses of New Haven, revered side streets and alleyways of Boston, rolling hills and tranquil pastures of Vermont and up to the seaside hamlets of Maine, I am deeply steeped with inspiration from our traditionally royal roots and long for the emergence of a new Camelot…a dynastic realm that heralds a noble influence. While I can hear a faint sigh from the editor desperately seeking my point, I must exclaim that such a wondrously majestic place indeed exists. Whether it’s a manor house in Hayes Barton or a colonial cottage near Five Points, it is only a few short keystrokes away… on Pinterest!
You see, over the past decade the Internet has trumped the hardbound catalogs as a resource to garner interior design ideas, and has essentially rendered them almost useless and too costly to maintain at in-store settings. It’s an easy assumption then that this monarch of social media is especially popular with designers, with home décor being one of its most 
popular search categories. Empirically speaking, this fairly new upstart valued in excess of $11 billion with over 75 million users is by far the best resource I’ve found. Creating and sharing a master storyboard with my clients is a cinch and accessing it is even easier with cell phones, iPads and tablets. The boards can even circulate around the globe.
To prove my point, I set forth on a new pinning pilgrimage to create my very own online display showcasing my aforementioned passion. I simply type in search terms like “British design”, “New England décor” or “American tradition”, and instantly I am presented with a cornucopia of nostalgic yet stimulating images! With that said, my advice (and puritanical rule)or a successful journey on Pinterest is to assign yourself a board that exclusively earmarks all the elements for your personal project, first and foremost. This includes furniture, flooring, rugs, fabric, lighting and everything in between that’s relevant. Most importantly, don’t limit your search terms to standard industry jargon only; for example, you can find decorating intrigue from other categories such as “fashion and apparel” for fabric, and “travel” will feature and highlight beautifully regal and well appointed resorts worldwide.
Go forth, have fun and happy pinning!
Patrick Casey is the manager of Green Front Interiors and Rugs in Raleigh, a store offering luxury furnishings, rugs and designs. Visit the Green Front store at 2004 Yonkers Road in Raleigh, or call them at 919-754-9754. For more information, visit www.greenfront.com.