7 Ways to Create a Home That Inspires Creativity

1. Surround yourself with inspiration.

Your family's environment—your home—can prime your creativity, so design your spaces to stimulate your artistic side. Display affirming phrases on walls, hang meaningful art or photographs, and incorporate anything that inspires creative thinking into your decor—for example, a blank canvas on an easel with a painter's palette set beside it. 

Or try a new type of canvas: The Formica^® Writable Surfaces collection includes six markerboard and chalkboard designs that can be permanently installed by a fabricator (or visit our YouTube channel for DIY tips) on places like your countertops, desk tops, cabinet fronts, or closet doors so you always have a fresh place to pen a haiku, jot down a lightbulb moment, draw a funny cartoon, or share an inspirational message for a loved one on a big day. 

2. Bring nature inside. 

You've probably noticed how a dreary day indoors makes you want to mindlessly watch TV for hours while a sunny one in the park puts a little pep in your step. Similarly, a well-lit space with living things can naturally energize your creative impulses. 

Let the sunlight stream in your windows and fill planters with greenery. Also, make it easy to take in the views outside your home. Connecting with nature helps us connect with our imaginations, too.

3. Change things up. 

Gone are the days when decorating was a one-and-done deal. Today's home decor should be ever-evolving to fit a family's needs—and that's actually a good thing for our creative spirits. Moving art around on the walls, swapping pillows or area rugs from room to room, or rearranging the furniture literally gives us a new perspective, which can lead to innovative ideas. 

Not up for physically moving a bunch of stuff? Formica^® Writable Surfaces is easy to install on tables, bar tops, walls, shelves, backsplashes, and cabinet fronts to create fresh designs in bedrooms, playrooms, kitchens, and more by just drawing on them. 

Imagine timeless white kitchen cabinets covered in Formica^® White markerboard that you can decorate with artwork customized for any entertaining occasion, whether it’s a special holiday or sophisticated dinner party.

4. Turn up the beat.

 Music is a key way to stimulate the brain, so having music playing around your house is guaranteed to add to the creative atmosphere—and result in a lot of family sing-alongs! Be sure to experiment with different styles of music from around the world and from different eras for the full effect.

5. Write on the walls. 

Earn ‘Best Mom Ever’ status with your kids by actually encouraging this taboo behavior by the budding artists in your home! Installing Formica® Writable Surfaces vertically in your craft room, bedroom, or playroom lets your family literally scribble and color from floor to ceiling. 

Another stress-reliever? The smooth surfaces of Formica^® Writable Surfaces easily wipe clean—no elbow grease required! —and are impact and scratch resistant, providing durability that paint and other writable products do not.

6. Designate a project space. 

Having an uncluttered area to create with the right tools available is key to actually getting to work on an art project, so make sure you have a zone for your family members to do just that. 

7. Break the rules. 

Of course, bedtime schedules and behavior guidelines are a parental necessity, but it's hard to get your creative juices flowing in a house where everything is run with military precision. Sometimes, you've got to let loose. 

Maybe it's spontaneously having breakfast for dinner, or forgoing chore time to build a blanket fort instead. 

Showing your kids that sometimes it's okay to be a little kooky will go a long ways toward expanding their minds into the space where creativity begins. Plus, those are the memorable moments that will last a lifetime.