Ever Done One of These Things for Instagram?
Love to take photos of your home for Instagram? Then you’ll identify with these house habits…
Victoria Harrison
25 November 2017
Editor, Houzz UK and Ireland
There’s a level of skill, perseverance and single-mindedness that goes into creating the perfect interiors photo. If you’ve ever spent any time getting your house ready for an Instagram shot, you may well have done these 7 things…
1 Banned everyone from using the kitchen
Put that cup of tea down and step away from the toaster! Instagram aficionados will know how difficult it is to photograph a kitchen with hungry children or thirsty partners trying to sneak in to secure snacks and drinks. The only solution is a total ban until you get that shot.
For the purposes of Instagram, all food packets, tins and jars need to be swept out of sight, all crockery in the drying rack returned to cupboards, old tea towels thrown in the laundry bin, and only the bare bones of the kitchen allowed to remain.
Then, and only then, can a few select, visually pleasing, items be reintroduced. These may include, but are not limited to, a plate of freshly baked biscuits, a mug of steaming coffee and a neat selection of leafy houseplants or potted herbs.
It’s OK because…
A tidy kitchen is a thing of beauty and if it takes an Instagram photoshoot to enable this, then so be it. Plus, if you’re quick enough with the photo-taking, you can reward yourself with that cup of coffee and a biscuit straight afterwards.
Put that cup of tea down and step away from the toaster! Instagram aficionados will know how difficult it is to photograph a kitchen with hungry children or thirsty partners trying to sneak in to secure snacks and drinks. The only solution is a total ban until you get that shot.
For the purposes of Instagram, all food packets, tins and jars need to be swept out of sight, all crockery in the drying rack returned to cupboards, old tea towels thrown in the laundry bin, and only the bare bones of the kitchen allowed to remain.
Then, and only then, can a few select, visually pleasing, items be reintroduced. These may include, but are not limited to, a plate of freshly baked biscuits, a mug of steaming coffee and a neat selection of leafy houseplants or potted herbs.
It’s OK because…
A tidy kitchen is a thing of beauty and if it takes an Instagram photoshoot to enable this, then so be it. Plus, if you’re quick enough with the photo-taking, you can reward yourself with that cup of coffee and a biscuit straight afterwards.
2 Made the bed, then artfully ‘unmade’ it
Bedrooms are notoriously difficult to style and photograph, as you have to strike a delicate balance between a neatly made ‘hotel’ bed and an invitingly cosy ‘real’ one. In reality, this means making up the bed to hotel standards then ever-so-carefully ‘unmaking’ it again. Repeatedly. Until you get it just right.
If you find yourself endlessly smoothing out a duvet cover then lightly ruffling it, or catch yourself trying to perfect the casual ‘throw’ of a blanket over the foot of the bed, you’ve fallen victim to this affliction.
It’s OK because…
These bed-making skills will never be lost – you’ll be able to style the most enticing guest bed ever.
Browse more inspiring bedroom photos
Bedrooms are notoriously difficult to style and photograph, as you have to strike a delicate balance between a neatly made ‘hotel’ bed and an invitingly cosy ‘real’ one. In reality, this means making up the bed to hotel standards then ever-so-carefully ‘unmaking’ it again. Repeatedly. Until you get it just right.
If you find yourself endlessly smoothing out a duvet cover then lightly ruffling it, or catch yourself trying to perfect the casual ‘throw’ of a blanket over the foot of the bed, you’ve fallen victim to this affliction.
It’s OK because…
These bed-making skills will never be lost – you’ll be able to style the most enticing guest bed ever.
Browse more inspiring bedroom photos
3 Mastered the art of the bedside table vignette…
…and hidden everything else under the bed. A photo of a bedside table with a sliver of a beautifully made bed just in shot is the classic Instagram bedroom photo, but it takes a surprising amount of prep to create this little slice of Zen-like calm.
First, you have to remove the entire contents of your bedside table. Then you have to hide them, either in a drawer, under the bed, or in a pile just out of shot. Books, jewellery, notepads, mugs, pens and lip balms all have to go. Then you start putting a tiny selection of items back. Artfully.
Add a glass of water, pop the bedside light on, and you’ve created the perfect Insta vignette.
It’s OK because…
This enforced declutter is a useful ritual, as long as the clutter doesn’t all just go straight back after you’ve taken the photo. Use this moment to be strict with yourself and find a new home for all the small bits of clutter that have drifted into your bedroom, and it’s a win all round.
…and hidden everything else under the bed. A photo of a bedside table with a sliver of a beautifully made bed just in shot is the classic Instagram bedroom photo, but it takes a surprising amount of prep to create this little slice of Zen-like calm.
First, you have to remove the entire contents of your bedside table. Then you have to hide them, either in a drawer, under the bed, or in a pile just out of shot. Books, jewellery, notepads, mugs, pens and lip balms all have to go. Then you start putting a tiny selection of items back. Artfully.
Add a glass of water, pop the bedside light on, and you’ve created the perfect Insta vignette.
It’s OK because…
This enforced declutter is a useful ritual, as long as the clutter doesn’t all just go straight back after you’ve taken the photo. Use this moment to be strict with yourself and find a new home for all the small bits of clutter that have drifted into your bedroom, and it’s a win all round.
4 Stacked your books in unnaturally neat piles
We all know that book stacks this neat don’t last long in the real world, but isn’t it satisfying every now and again to pile up your books just so. And show me a coffee table on Instagram without a neat tower of glossy tomes…
This photograph takes the book stack to the next level and the four matching, pastel-coloured towers are a thing of beauty. There may well be a heap of not so aesthetically pleasing old paperbacks lurking elsewhere, but for the purposes of this photo, that doesn’t matter.
It’s OK because…
Coffee table books are so called for a reason – they’re designed to be displayed, so creating pleasing little vignettes of them is just what the authors and publishers want you to do.
We all know that book stacks this neat don’t last long in the real world, but isn’t it satisfying every now and again to pile up your books just so. And show me a coffee table on Instagram without a neat tower of glossy tomes…
This photograph takes the book stack to the next level and the four matching, pastel-coloured towers are a thing of beauty. There may well be a heap of not so aesthetically pleasing old paperbacks lurking elsewhere, but for the purposes of this photo, that doesn’t matter.
It’s OK because…
Coffee table books are so called for a reason – they’re designed to be displayed, so creating pleasing little vignettes of them is just what the authors and publishers want you to do.
5 Colour-coded your books
This is the natural progression of the coffee table book stack. If you own any kind of bookshelf, you’ll know the level or organising (and pain) that can go into prepping for shot like this.
Yes, some less-organised bookshelves can have a certain kind of ragtag charm, with their mismatched spines, haphazard groupings and scattered ornaments. But to turn your bookcase into a work of art like this one takes time, dedication and a true love of books. Plus, it’s very visually pleasing.
It’s OK because…
If you’re a book lover – and you probably are if you own any kind of bookshelf – you’ll consider any time spent among your favourite paperbacks to be time well spent. Sorting through your collections, grouping them by theme, colour or author, will reward you tenfold when you step back and look at your homage to the beauty of the written word.
This is the natural progression of the coffee table book stack. If you own any kind of bookshelf, you’ll know the level or organising (and pain) that can go into prepping for shot like this.
Yes, some less-organised bookshelves can have a certain kind of ragtag charm, with their mismatched spines, haphazard groupings and scattered ornaments. But to turn your bookcase into a work of art like this one takes time, dedication and a true love of books. Plus, it’s very visually pleasing.
It’s OK because…
If you’re a book lover – and you probably are if you own any kind of bookshelf – you’ll consider any time spent among your favourite paperbacks to be time well spent. Sorting through your collections, grouping them by theme, colour or author, will reward you tenfold when you step back and look at your homage to the beauty of the written word.
6 Bribed your children to stay off the sofa
Sofas are designed for one purpose and one purpose only – to be sat on. But for the creation of the perfect living room photo, kids, partners and even pets will need to be forcibly removed and the cushions plumped to remove any signs of the sofa being used. Then you can take the winning snap.
It’s OK because…
If you use this opportunity to clean and vacuum your sofa cushions as well as give them a good plump, it’ll keep them in tip-top condition. Just try not to kick your family out of shot too often, and remind yourself it’s their house, too, after all…
Shop for your perfect sofa on Houzz
Sofas are designed for one purpose and one purpose only – to be sat on. But for the creation of the perfect living room photo, kids, partners and even pets will need to be forcibly removed and the cushions plumped to remove any signs of the sofa being used. Then you can take the winning snap.
It’s OK because…
If you use this opportunity to clean and vacuum your sofa cushions as well as give them a good plump, it’ll keep them in tip-top condition. Just try not to kick your family out of shot too often, and remind yourself it’s their house, too, after all…
Shop for your perfect sofa on Houzz
7 Swept everything off the table and hidden it just out of shot
Beautifully clear dining tables are appealing to look at, satisfying to photograph – and incredibly difficult to maintain as a part of everyday life.
For every beautiful photo like this, there will usually be a small mountain of clutter just out of sight, ready to be returned to the table straight after the photo.
It’s OK because…
Hey, it’s life, don’t fight it. Try introducing a few large wicker boxes to corral clutter into and accept there will be some ‘stuff’ on the table at all times. This is what makes up busy modern life. But just sweep it all out of sight before you take that photo…
What lengths have you gone to for the perfect interiors photo? Reveal all in the Comments section.
Beautifully clear dining tables are appealing to look at, satisfying to photograph – and incredibly difficult to maintain as a part of everyday life.
For every beautiful photo like this, there will usually be a small mountain of clutter just out of sight, ready to be returned to the table straight after the photo.
It’s OK because…
Hey, it’s life, don’t fight it. Try introducing a few large wicker boxes to corral clutter into and accept there will be some ‘stuff’ on the table at all times. This is what makes up busy modern life. But just sweep it all out of sight before you take that photo…
What lengths have you gone to for the perfect interiors photo? Reveal all in the Comments section.
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Totally shocked. We'd never use staged photographs on our instagram account... ;-) https://www.instagram.com/brayerdesign/
I don't believe that anyone who 'loves' and actually reads and consults books would colour code them in this way, nor are they of uniform size, age or function. Might as well buy wallpaper with a book design.