We all love pretty + REAL homes because they inspire and motivate us to get off our humps and do something creative at home! I hope I'm not promoting the decor8 Interior Styling Group on Flickr tooooo much but I'm just so proud of what we've all done with it - the images are so inspiring and at least 30 new ones are added daily and now we're up to 1,852 members worldwide with over 2,600 images submitted to the pool so far! Yeah, wow is right!

All images are taken from Flickr members of their own spaces and contributed voluntarily, and we have monthly styling challenges posted in the Discussion section on the first of each month and some members can participate if they'd like while others can simply enjoy watching from the sidelines. There is a lovely range of homes to see that represent so many different decorating styles though I have to admit the focus is really on fresh, modern living, vintage modern, bohemian, eclectic, retro... I'm not opening the group to styles that fall outside of those areas because I want the group to have some visual harmony. Not all photos submitted are approved (I have to play the bad guy moderator) based on a number of reasons (too dark, not taken by the person submitting it, text/borders on images, product shots meant for promotional purposes, two many of the same photo, etc. but I do my best to allow as many as possible without the group becoming out of control as so many Flickr groups often do. And that always bothers me because I join a group with promise and hope and then in a few months it's a mix of so many different things that the overall excitement is gone for me and I usually leave the group. I think this is because many groups are either not moderated or they are moderated by people who are scared to deny certain photos to the group - they don't want to offend or hurt anyone's feelings and trust me, I'm a sensitive soul myself so I understand how this can be challenging. BUT if you run a flickr group you are doing a huge disservice to your members if you start approving every single submission. It's almost like blogging, you cannot possibly show everything that you see or that is sent to your inbox. I suggest Flickr group owners taking their groups as seriously as their blogs -- it's heard I know, but your members will really, really appreciate it and your little group will blossom into a beautiful, inspiring space online.

Here's a glimpse above from one of the members, Jillian Frances, who took the time to create the above collage of 9 images from the following flickr members who contributed to the group: 1. me, decor8, 2. dottie angel, 3. fifi mandirac, 4. i L'aria, 5. die frau im haus, 6. the new domestic, 7. fensismensi, 8. i L'aria and 9. designace30. Don't you love the bold, energetic palette!

To see all of the images, or to join the decor8 Interior Styling Group, please click here.