Inspiration

Interior design is not for the weak-hearted. To make an impact, you have to have courage, dedication and an eye for detail. Without these things, homes and office buildings run the risk of looking drab and uninviting. If you want to impress clients with your uncanny knack for design, then take a lesson from some of the best Australian design publications available.

Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens publishes both online and printed magazines. Though their magazines are published monthly, their online publication is constantly being updated to bring you the latest in home design trends. This magazine features everything you might want to know about home design, including crafty DIY projects and vital colour advice. Their photo gallery boasts bright, colourful rooms in every area of the house along with explanations about why each particular design works so well.

Get design ideas by room, style or budget thanks to their easy-to-follow site layout. You can also find tips about cleaning, colour choices and storage options so that each room you design will be both beautiful and functional. To get the most out of the Better Homes and Gardens web site, be sure to sign up for newsletters or follow them on social sites like Facebook orTwitter.

Home Beautiful Magazine

To keep a beautiful home, you'll need more than flashy fabrics and daring designs. That's why Home Beautiful magazine offers advice on more than just interior design. In addition to its many do-it-yourself projects and design ideas, this monthly magazine offers advice about how you, your garden and your pets can stay healthy as well show you how to stay financially secure.

If once a month is too long to wait, you can also sign up to receive weekly newsletters from Home Beautiful. Here you'll get the latest tips, trends and treat ideas to keep your friends - and clients - coming back again and again. You can also stay in the know by following Home Beautiful on social sites like Pinterest.

[Image sourced from Home Beautiful]

House and Garden

Sometimes it can be hard to thumb through magazines for inspiration, especially when the items used in print are in reality hard to find. But such is not the case with the Australia's House and Garden magazine and online store. This Australian native has been proudly furnishing homes and businesses in the area for over 30 years selling only the highest-quality products at the lowest possible prices. But don't worry if purchasing online isn't to your liking. House and Garden also has brick-and-mortar stores where you can see, feel and smell the items you plan to use in your next venture. Their expert design staff can answer questions or help brainstorm design ideas, too, for those times when a little collaboration is called for.

You can also receive a monthly subscription to the magazine which will provide you with back stage access to some of the world's best and most beautiful homes. You will get expert advice about home design trends as well, with an option to purchase many of the items you see.

Real Living Magazine

Real Living is a magazine that is published monthly (though current information and new ideas are conveyed almost instantly via social media or their home page). It is a magazine that strives to produce the best ideas for the home including recipes, decorating advice and craft ideas. They've even got gift-giving covered with their Real Living shop.

Unlike many other home design magazines, Real Living offers step-by-step guides to designing your home - and your life - around the things that matter most. You will learn how to garden, conserve energy and entertain with ease thanks to their many how-to blogs and advice columns. Choose your destination based on the type of room you want to refurbish or head straight for the advice column to learn from the pros. This site can also teach you how to plan and stick to a budget thanks to their price guides and budgeting advice so that your next renovation can come in on time and under budget.

[Image sourced from Real Living]

Interior design is not a guessing game. It takes years of attentive dedication to be able to pull off the most unique and awe-inspiring looks. Whether or not you have this kind of experience under your belt, you're sure to benefit from the refreshers that these Australian design publications have to offer, because your home is your life and other people's homes are your inspiration.

Richard Tarrant - Bio