“For general furnishing and garden design, I often visit remodelista.com and janusetcie.com. Remodelista.com offers the perspectives and opinions of other designers and pinpoints current trends, while janusetcie.com offers different catalogs, look-books, and product images that clients can peruse for inspiration.”
—Renée Byers, Renée Byers Landscape Architect, P.C. Bronxville
“I often use houzz.com for inspiration, specifically for clients to see a variety of design directions. They have idea books and discussion boards so that clients can not only get inspired but also communicate with others who are looking for or have experience in similar design aspects.”
—Ray Beeler, Principal of Gallin Beeler Design Studio in Tarrytown
“My clients often have older homes or request new construction that has a traditional feel. To research this type of work, I get used books, many of which are now out of print, from abebooks.com. There is also a wonderful site called oldlongisland.com, which chronicles the ‘Gold Coast’ estates of Long Island—it’s a treasure trove of photos and historical information about some of the most beautiful homes created in the region. I often go here for inspiration to help me decide how to go about a design.”
—Tom Koloski, Principal of Thomas A. Koloski Architect, Ardsley
“I direct my clients to houzz.com for ideas in general. They have photographs of just about every type of room for every type of style imaginable. If they have a specific area that they would like to explore, like pendant lights, then I tell them to start with google.com.”
—Mary Scott, Owner of Mary Faithorn Scott Architect, Mount Kisco
“For information about green construction, I go to greenbuildingadvisor.com, smallplanetworkshop.com, and passivehouse.us. I also use usgbc.com as a source for LEED—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—projects. And houzz.com is also a great source for clients looking for images for ideas and inspiration.”
—Christina Griffin, Principal of Christina Griffin Architect, P.C., Hastings-on-Hudson
With research by Sara Steinfeld