Perth based social media marketing expert Sasha Ioppolo was frustrated by the lack of local products and services she could find when it came to building her dream home. So she started searching Instagram and Pinterest for help.
Ioppolo told HuffPost Australia social media empowered her because it meant she didn't need to rely solely on an architect.
"Social media gave me thousands of ideas to choose from. In the past I'd be restricted to a few magazines. It also allowed me to communicate those ideas clearly to my architect," Ioppolo said.
"Also there's a similarity about homes in Perth. Social media allowed me to try something different. I'd see amazing design and beautiful products online, available in Europe or the US but no one was doing that here. So I thought I'd use them myself."
Ioppolo spent around a year collecting ideas online before taking them to her architect. Some of the most innovative touches in the home include a a Palm Springs-inspired roof garden by landscape designer Mon Palmer, and an electronic doggie door.
There's also an art lift to hide the TV and an above-ground pool that means there's no need for a fence.
The house, known as the Triple Deck House, now has a life of it's own with it's own social media accounts. According to Ioppolo, there have been a countless stream of motorists slowing down or parking out the front for a closer look.
"A few rubber-necking motorists have crashed into the median strip road sign outside the house!" Ioppolo said.
Sasha Ioppolo's Tips For Building Your Dream Home Via Social Media
- Pinterest: Create story boards for different rooms in the house such as the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, as well as key aspects like a staircase or swimming pool. Save images from designs you find online
- Instagram: Used to source images of designs. Search for designers and start following their posts and their work.
- Source other services: Watch who and what your favourite designers recommend in their social media. This can help you track down elusive products and services not found locally.
- Borrow ideas from other countries: You might not have considered design ideas from Scandinavia, Vietnam or Botswana, because you've never been exposed to them but searching online opens up global possibilities.
- Create a PowerPoint presentation of your ideas gathered through social media to communicate to your architect.