Whether a minimalist or an eclectic collector/gatherer, one’s details of home are important and personal. Like personality types, what is important to one person is not so much for another. However, it tells a story. The details of a home make it just that. Home.
This interior has a lot of personality and very much reflects the artist who lives here. Antique family side chairs take a near full century leap with this new, colorfully eclectic upholstery.
Residences, the dwellings in which we live, can take many forms – from short-term to decades of ensconced living. To “reside” regardless of the length of time – suggests a certain level of comfort to include some detail(s) to make it “home.”
Each home is an individually personal space filled with details that make it so.
What might YOU consider imperative elements of what you call “home?” Consider comfort, color, ambiance, familiarity, convenience, nostalgia and perhaps just pure joy.
A hotel room for the busy “road warrior” traveling for business, might reveal a photo of a loved one placed thoughtfully on the nightstand. Something as simple as this can make a temporary residence feel more like “home.”
Upon plopping the overnight bag on the hotel bed, one of the first things to unpack might be the framed photo of a loved one to place on the nightstand.
Dorm rooms will reflect personalities, pleasures, interests, colors and imagery for young people leaving home for the first time. They create their own sense of place and “home” while embarking on their new chapters of life.
While looking around your place of residence – this place you call “home,” consider what is important to you. It might be the actual architecture, quality of natural light, a collection, a piece of art, furniture, photographs, decorative accessories…
A little over a year ago during the throws of our introspective isolation, my cousin, a thoughtful artist of photography, commented from Connecticut about The Essence of Home. In it she shares intimate observations and encourages personal study of your significant space – memory or current abode. She also suggests an interesting little project in which she invites us to “take half an hour and create a photo essay of a place that has significance” to us. “Challenge yourself to capture a feeling. Wait for the right time of day and seek out the mystery of the place. (This is a great activity for kids, too. You’ll be amazed by what they choose to photograph – what “home” means to them.) See what thing you’re drawn to capturing; become aware of the everyday beauty in the space around you.” https://www.catebarryphotography.com/
As an interior designer, I am engaged in creating and illuminating details that are meaningful. Whether a view or an object, color or finish, access or privacy – inside or out of the interior these elements collectively contribute to create the overall design. I encourage my clients to identify things they do and things they own – things they have gathered and how they live. What of them is of greater importance and why. This process begins a dialog of preference, value, and interests. Establishing priorities to springboard a project is key to a firm platform for the design.
You know the old question…If your house were on fire, what would you want to get out? It might be a person or a pet certainly – but if it were a material possession(s), it is a question worth pondering. The same is true if you moved or remodeled, what elements would you want to retain or replicate and what would you eliminate or change?
Vintage family pieces reupholstered, new pieces repurposed, bookcases filled with personal treasures, and the precious pet in the center of the action. Home.
The details of your home are personal, identifying, comforting aspects of your interior design. Discovering these important details is significant in effectively planning your interiors.
A friend sent me one of her trade articles from the residential real estate perspective regarding how this COVID crisis might bring change to the housing market. In the article, it touched on the size of homes, working from home, privacy in the home and smart technology that will play a larger role. Plus a nod to adding a stock tank pool to your backyard to beat the summer heat!
It’s true that this period of weeks having a close-up look at our homes – their design, function, aesthetics – has resulted in some new ideas and opinions about how and where we live. Have you felt the need for more privacy or more space?
How might Covid 19 brings changes to the housing market?
A few years ago the pendulum swung in commercial design favoring the open office/collaboration layout. What was a new concept of open office spaces in the middle of the last century, resulted in the design and development of systems furniture flourishing. Then the even more “open” concepts of collaborative spaces with foosball tables to entertain the staff providing breaks without leaving the building entered the scene.
Open office encourages interaction – not as much as fully, open collaborative spaces.It maximizes space, but still omits total privacy for more concentrated work .
This has continued today as some were slower to jump on the trend and are still experiencing the “new-found” re-design of fewer private offices and more collaborative spaces. However, the pendulum is swinging back a bit with feedback from some employees reporting that they need more quiet space to do their work and focus away from distractions. Having a private space can be grounding and comforting and allows an individual to worry about less and focus on more.
In a rotating office, there less comfort and familiarity. This can contribute to distracted performance. Yet, all of this data is variable depending upon the nature of the work, temperament of the individuals, style of individual work practices, existing conditions in the workplace, culture of the business and even geographic considerations.
But as this relates to homes, many of these factors have similar effects. The real estate article notes that rather than down-sizing homes, with more open floor plans which has been a recent market trend , they will see a rise in the desire for buyers to want larger homes, in which to partition activities. This might very well be true. Especially if working from home is instituted. The need for privacy away from the possibly over- collaborative office environment, to finding oneself commandeering a pocket of the house for their work needs, requires a design focus.
Where larger, open kitchens had become the fulcrum of family life, the real estate article suggests that this might not be so popular moving forward. I’m not sure I agree. Where the article states that “the noisy epicenter” might require re-thinking, I believe that it will remain the vibrant epicenter adjacent to the primary living area, but that other areas of the home will be designed to provide needed escape and privacy.
Too much collaboration and collective living/working can result in a desperation for private spaces. There seems to be a cry for balance. Where we want gathering spaces for the family to be together for meals, games, movies or projects, the confinement with family, although precious and priceless on the one hand, has also proven that there is great value/need in private spaces.
Home-designing.com is a great resource for visual ideas. Here a cozy reading nook with office/study space and going vertical, to best use the space, are tall shelves. They can also make room-dividers when partitioning off private spaces! Lots of natural light connects inside spaces with the outdoors.
Partitioning spaces within an interior is something we reference as “zoning.” We design “zones” to offer certain tasks or activities to take place separately from others. Sometimes this is partially divided by low walls or screens and other times the need for complete partitioning – as in separate rooms – is in order.
Another creative space from home-designing.com featuring a double workspace, partial wall partition to “zone” spaces. Color “pops” are fun too!!!
The ever popular Jack and Jill bathroom might connect a bedroom with a separate study – a bedroom suite rather than merely a pair of bedrooms. Study spaces will play a more important role as more on-line options for schooling are made available. Learning and working from home have been eye-opening experiences. Privacy is paramount when trying to focus on your work. Study spaces can be single rooms dedicated to this purpose or pockets in the home – converting closets and beneath stair areas for small desk spaces and study nooks. Slivers of garage space might be opened to the indoors. Unused attic spaces might be captured for loft-like openings up and away.
Decorpad.com is another great resource for creative space-planning and design ideas. Here Leslie Goodwin shoots this valuable space which is captured to carve-out a home-office.
Space-saving and consolidating furniture pieces like bunk beds – going vertical to better utilize the “real estate” in bedrooms, etc. Valuable square-footage will be captured and used creatively – much like clever design efficiency on a boat or motor home. Space is precious – let’s use it wisely.
Back to the kitchen being the fulcrum – multi-tasking can also be a result of this confined at-home mix of activities and responsibilities. At certain ages, parental assistance is necessary to navigate the studies and coordination with the on-line programs. The kitchen has been and becoming more and more a classroom/study hall. While older kids might just want to be in the center of things while they don their headphones effectively separating them from much of the surrounding activities, still keeping them in the mix, others are actively sharing their lessons with their at-home parent/teachers smack dab in the center of the activities.
Larger homes – rather than downsizing to smaller can allow for multi-generational living. College kids studying on-line rather than going away might return or stay at home. Grandchildren requiring day care might be with grandparents part of the time.
Conversations centered around energy conservation with the desire to have a more open connected feeling with the outdoors can seem contradictory; but technology has advanced window, skylight, door, and many different translucent and transparent panels, to bring the outdoors in!
Lucere resin panels can be used a limitless commercial and residential settings!!
Residential design might be enlarging, partitioning, adding light and connections to outdoor living. Therefore, sharing the joy while providing space, privacy, healthy circadian rhythm and connections to expanding to and enjoying the outdoors.
Last August 11, 2019, I left you hanging with a radical bathroom remodel that was in the throws of being transformed. The title of the blog was Everyone Loves Before and Afters. https://patriciandesign.com/everyone-loves-before-and-afters/ Here today, I am excited to present the finished product and a little more to the story…
Everyone DOES Love “before and afters.” The original blog identifies the material process of the project, but as important as the material applications are the emotional aspects of design and precede the material selections.
The home is a bungalow style home from the 1950s. Charming architectural elements and traditional details set the stage, sensitivity, and the emotions behind any design decisions we were to consider. See the first phase of this home’s updating design in the primary living space at this link: https://patriciandesign.com/project/classic-blue-white/ The kitchen was also re-finished. Maintaining the same design layout and appliances, the new finishes resulted in a startling transformation. https://patriciandesign.com/project/kitchen-transformation/
The challenge in this project was to retain the character and traditional charm that the couple so enjoyed about their home, while introducing new, modern design features and trends melding with traditional design elements. New custom cabinets for the vanity and linen storage/display unit along with the re-design of the shower – eliminating the tub and making a “doorless” access and a pocket door connecting to the adjacent guest room were the three key construction components.
Dated finishes done in the 80s, by previous owners, were common and bland. The tub and shower were enclosed with by-passing glass doors in aluminum tracks and frames. This bathroom was the dated and fussy room that we presented last August. The tired and dull finishes needed replacing and refreshing. It was to be a complete make-over to compliment other recent improvements in the home.
Once the general concept for the remodel is determined, the “what if” stage begins. The stage where ideas are tossed about and decisions lead to other decisions. The options are massaged giving way to different combinations and considerations.
After all the options are discussed the plan is adopted – a combination of everyone’s input. Hopefully not design by committee, but in this case the couple, in whose house we were working, and the me, the designer. After the design is determined, the input of the general contractor and/or the sub-contractors can come into play. They are generally given the opportunity to evaluate existing conditions and voice opinions and procedures or details that their expertise can bring to the project. Everything is considered until a cohesive plan is developed.
New cabinets were locally fabricated to not only insure excellent craftsmanship, but to customize the fit (left to right) and provide specific drawer configurations for the desired new height of the cabinets with an additional sink.The tub was removed, and the new shower enclosure was clear glass and given a wider footprint to allow for a jog which eliminated the need for a door. The shower valve was relocated from beneath the shower head to the opposite “pony” wall, making it easier to operate the temperature and flow without getting wet first!
Other than the shower reconfiguration, new cabinets, and pocket doorway into the guest room all else was superficial cosmetic design features. This is where the layers of embellishment come into play.
During the process, there were certainly hesitations about the combination of patterns and finishes being proposed…however, you know you’re on the right track when the happy homeowner has fun accessorizing and creates the perfect towel/robe hooks! DIY – finding these blue, wooden, open-work plaques, our creative homeowner bought polished chrome and glass doorknobs and attached them securely to the plaques – Voila!
In keeping with the traditional design direction previously adopted in updating the interior, the flooring was selected for its natural stone mosaic authenticity. With a warm grey selected for the custom cabinets and white herringbone patterned subway tile on the rear wall of the shower enclosure made for a fresh modern look.
A mix of patterns – a balancing act – the art of design. Do not be afraid.
But wait! These traditional elements and modern trends were further embellished with a second layer of curvy turquoise mirrors installed over the full-wall mirror – suspended between is a polished chrome sphere of open bands providing ambient light and additional task light for the vanity area.
Layer upon layer until the composition is complete!
Classic blue and white screen-print on paper with an overall pattern of vines and leaves fills in the voids creating a not-too-busy backdrop – adding further dimensions to the design.
Natural stone slab of a white crystal-like granite – looks like a stone quartz crystal.
Drapery fabric in a traditional floral on linen with whimsical, modern “martini glass” sheers soften the window and diffuse the incoming light.
The resulting completed interior is a radical transformation from the dull beige and peach of the previous scheme. Fresh and crisp – with just enough busy to be playful – the new owners claim that they smile every time they enter or even walk by.
Remember the first photo? The BEFORE & AFTER transformation is extraordinary.
Here, today, find designer focus and pro-tips for improving our living spaces. Most of us have spent more time at home than we have in years. Sure, we usually wake up, prepare for the day and return in the evening, to end the day. Weekends are usually that bonus time around the house – unless we spend them on road trip excursions. However, being at home every day is unusual for many and has provided opportunities to critique and take stock. Go from “making-do” to making better, with a little focus on the details and some professional help!
New catch-phrases like “shelter-in-place” have become part of our vernacular. Staying home has resulted in massive numbers of internet orders, cautious home improvement store visits and related activity. The shared anxious energy and creative energy spawned, from our restricted living and working regimens, is “going viral!”
Well, we certainly never really considered that trendy term of something being popular being a REAL virus spreading across the planet – but the humor, common complaints and simple joys, of this surreal modification to our lives, are “going viral” all over the internet. From the vantage point of the design world, we are seeing a multitude of comments about people going stir-crazy and making plans for needed home and office improvement.
HOME DEPOT – Pick-up in the store or have it delivered FREE to your doorstep!!
We are finally – and I say finally, after nearly everyone else we know has done so – ordering storm doors. Yes, to leave open and let in the light of day!!! It has taken being around the house for so many consecutive days that has geared us to the circadian rhythm that our orientation provides and illustrated the need to avail our interior of a significant missed opportunity for natural light! Just never seemed that important…until now! We have labored over having lights (glass) in new primary doors, but after weighing the options for light, security and transparency have opted for clear, full-panel laminated glass storm doors with interchangeable screens, for fresh air – weather permitting.
Yes – Anderson DOES do double storm doors – but try finding that information on their website or even through Home Depot – they’re terrific – you just need to inquire!!!
This unique opportunity to be quarantined inside our homes has given us an opportunity to evaluate the flow, function and lifestyle within our private environments. Have you noticed any things that you want to change as a result of this confinement and forced, close-up evaluation?
Here are a few topics and tips that have come-up in recent conversations from both consumer/clients and designers:
More perceived space: Perhaps open a wall or completely remove a wall(s) and connect two rooms for better communication and visual enlargement of the floor plan.
Adding mirrored walls or individual mirrors add depth and also expands a space to give it a perceived increase in size.
Add cozy color and texture with area rugs, throws and accent pillows.
Add skylights for more daylight.
Change paint colors for a refreshed feel.
Remodel kitchens and bathrooms – people have been sharing intimate spaces and preparing meals significantly more than regular lifestyles dictate and now recognize limitations in their current designs.
Re-upholstery of existing pieces that function well, but need to be refreshed and modernized.
Purchase new furnishing to improve the comfort, function and visual appearance of the interior.
Desires for additional lighting or replacement fixtures, to improve and enhance the quality and color of light inside all rooms for tasks, ambiance, accent spots, indirect illumination, decorative fixtures and even landscape lighting to highlight the features of the plantings and exterior structures, have been heightened.
Workplace design has migrated into homes prompting consideration for a more efficient permanent pocket of living spaces designed for that specific purpose of home-offices. A few from our website portfolio are illustrated here…
Before – this cluttered space was serving as an office – but without organization or pleasing aesthetics. After – this same space reorganized furniture placement, added new work-surfaces and cantilevered shelves to match existing teak pieces, creating an atmosphere of organization, enhanced workspace and display of personal hobbies and memorabilia. Before – this room doubled as a sewing room and home office – but the lack of organization made it inefficient and unpleasant.After – by adding storage, cutting a steel trundle bed (found in their storage unit) down to window-width, and rearranging the workspaces, this same room can now comfortably accommodate a guest, organize work and sewing spaces and pleasantly display art and memorabilia.
For both working from home and schooling from home – the needs, for this space, have become critical. Imagine, down the road, more on-line courses might be considered and even more opportunities to work from home now that the practice has been proven!!
Even a pocket tucked in the corner of a room can be ample space for quiet focus and an organized workspace. Areas designed for study can also be used for arts and crafts and other projects.
Office spaces will reflect this modification in the working environment, by creating more flexible workspaces allowing a variety of scenarios for performing tasks between home and office and an increasing appreciation for a more fluid arrangement of office layouts and furnishings.
During this isolation, I have enjoyed several ZOOM continuing education classes offered by Knoll that have centered on workspace layout and furniture both at home and in corporate settings.
Patio perk-ups to expand the enjoyment outdoors – at both home and office – maximizing the livable exterior areas of either small balconies to expansive spaces, backyards, decks, improved landscaping, outdoor kitchens and fully-furnished furnished living spaces – are seeing increased attention to detail.
Woodard furniture – one of our favorites – has been designing and fabricating for well over a hundred and fifty years. Since 1934 they have perfected the art of metal furniture design and fabrication. As industry leaders, their expertise brings a collection of superior craftsmanship and a wide variety of materials and styles to accommodate both commercial and residential applications.
Let’s keep moving forward through this pandemic with positive vibes for creating enhanced living spaces – both inside and out – for more productive and enjoyable living!
I’m currently working on an urban loft apartment. The criteria with which I was presented, upon our first meeting, consisted of three items: One – to enclose an open bedroom to provide privacy, Two – to provide alternate access to the shared master bathroom. (There is also a powder room, but the shower and tub were only accessible through the master bedroom), Three – because it is a relatively small footprint with voluminous tall ceilings, he was hoping to create a small second tier for additional square-footage. I understood these items to be his intended “improvements.”
While on-site, at the first meeting, it was (and is always) impossible to limit the observations to only those isolated areas of concern without seeing all else that is occurring around the space. Therefore, I consider the extra comments that I offered for minor changes to be “enhancements.” These are things that have not had or do not have priority in the eyes of the client and might have even gone unnoticed forever. Items such as adding a wing wall at the front entry to screen view from the door through the kitchen, concealing a new tall closet of matching cabinetry directly behind the wall to add storage to the kitchen, add a clerestory window and bookcase with cabinets to the new wall between the master bedroom and living area for borrowed light and additional storage!
Occasionally these offerings are met with a shrug, hmmm or a “maybe” and not really considered to be of great value, but more often than not they are greeted with exclamations like ‘Oh, I never would have thought of that.” “What a cool idea!” “I would love to have that.” And it is with this enthusiasm that my client responded.
So when considering remodeling or identifying the primary improvements needed, begin with the priorities then layer design details of additional enhancements and you will create a master plan that can be executed over time in phases in a preferred or practical order of priority.
1. Begin with your list to improve the function and enjoyment of your environment.
2.Prioritize the list and guesstimate costs to establish a starting conversation regarding budget.
3. In addition to cost – consider pairing like-kinds of things together such as adding or removing a wall which involves framing, sheetrock, texture, paint – it might be cost-effective to do all items related to these trades even if they are not the same priority.
4. The distinction between improving and enhancing is a fine line because improving does enhance, however I consider improving more practical and enhancing with embellishments that are less critical, but make further improvements and enhance the quality of the space. Such as crown molding, improved base trim, unobtrusively installed mirrors, windows, updated hardware, etc… https://bit.ly/2HCYrU
5. Storage is always welcome. Look for opportunities to add cabinets, vertical spaces to maximize your footprint, second-tier countertops, raise cabinet heights even furniture to provide additional storage. https://bit.ly/2GZglUa
6. Passing daylight through to interior spaces is more common in offices than in residences, yet for the same reasons of “borrowing” light in commercial spaces, skylights, vertical slivers of glass, transoms and clerestories are valuable assets when it comes to bringing daylight into pockets of darkness. https://bit.ly/2HCddKU
7.Evaluate your existing lighting. Adding dimmable ambient light to rooms to supplement existing down-lights such as pendants in kitchens, translucent lamps shades on table and floor lamps, even well-concealed under-cabinet lights will add control and mood enhancements. Spot light wall art and sculptural pieces, illuminate corners with up-lights (up through trees, behind chairs), and consider changing to LED lamping (bulbs) for longer-life, cost -effectiveness and a full range of colors!
This up-light filters through the plant from behind the chair casting interesting shadows and illuminating an otherwise dark corner.
8. When considering new flooring know your needs as there are so many options for soft under-foot, freeze-proof to carry outside, ease of maintenance, durability, non-slip, and of course the many aesthetic preferences.
This interlocking vinyl floor has remarkable graining look, color and texture and provides soft “give” underfoot. These new luxury vinyls defy our early perceptions of faux finishes.
9. Stacking laundry machines have provided terrific opportunities for added space in laundry rooms, more cabinets, counter space, laundry sinks, craft areas and more! https://bit.ly/2HpkKih
10.Opening walls enlarges spaces – even a peek-through, but also create the interest of depth and layering of dimension, color and light. https://bit.ly/2GZrMLj
