Are you on Pinterest? How about Houzz? Even if you aren’t socially savvy, these tools can be extremely helpful when planning a home renovation project. Here are tips from Normandy Designer Karen Chanan on how to make the most of these platforms.

Pinterest and Houzz have very similar concepts. Once signing up, you can create pin boards or idea books. Then… start saving! It’s a great way to organize ideas, pictures and information pertaining to your remodeling project.

“It’s important to note that you don’t have to save only photos of entire kitchens that you like. That can be hard to find.” said Karen. “Also, you don’t want to just create one idea book that says kitchen. You’ll go back to look at it and get overwhelmed.”

“Instead, I recommend that you organize your boards and idea books into topics,” added Karen. “For example, create individual Pinterest boards for cabinets, countertops, backsplash etc.… This will be helpful later on when you need to review and evaluate what you’ve saved.”

While you might not be sure of your personal style, your Pinterest and Houzz saves can really be telling…

“As a designer, I find it extremely helpful when a client shows me their Pinterest or Houzz pages,” said Karen. “Those pictures will help me find common threads for their design.”

“It can also be really hard to verbalize your style preferences, especially if you aren’t a designer,” added Karen. “But, you have more of a style than you think you do. Pinterest and Houzz can bring that to light.”

Wondering how many photos you need to save to get your point across? While there’s no limit, Karen recommends at least 3-4 pictures in each idea book as a minimum. There needs to be enough to find some consistencies.

Another fun exercise is to have you and your significant other each create your own boards and then compare notes. This brings everyone into the conversation and can be helpful in getting on the same page.

The Normandy Facebook and Instagram pages are also great places to gather images. Or, take a look at the Normandy photo gallery. You can also register to attend an upcoming workshop to learn a little bit more about design considerations and the remodeling process. Once you are ready, set up a time with Karen to go over your Pinterest and Houzz ideas and start talking about how to bring them to life.