Interior Design

How Long Will The Project Last?

March 23, 2018

One of the first questions clients typically ask is, “How long will my interior design project take to complete?” Of course, as you may have guessed, there is no straightforward answer to this because there are so many variables to contend with . There are project averages, however, as well as a few guidelines I can provide so you can plan for the road ahead.

Basic timelines for typical remodels are:

Bathrooms: 2 – 4 months
Kitchens: 4 – 6 months
Living rooms or bedrooms (not including the bathroom): 2 – 3 months

These times are all based on the idea that your design, order/lead times and installation move forward in a timely manner and that there aren’t any unforeseen complications or changes made midstream.

Are you working with an experienced interior designer?

One of the most important steps you can take to streamline the design and build process for your remodel is to choose an experienced interior designer. She will be instrumental in facilitating the progress of your design and should be able to give you a fairly accurate timeline once you’ve signed off on the final design.

Do you have a clear idea of what you want?

This is one of the most important factors that will affect the duration of your project. The first step with any remodel or interior design project is to hire your interior designer and get to work on the plans. The more specific you are in what you want, the easier it will be to put the plans together. That being said, you also want to be flexible enough that you can be open to any changes that might need to be made due to structural limitations or budget.

Also, if you change your mind back and forth throughout the process, this can also affect timing because it can take longer to return products and re-order new ones, a process that causes delays with construction and/or furnishing installation.

Will there be construction or structural changes involved in the process?

Not surprisingly, the more construction or structural changes that have to be made, the longer the project will take to complete. If construction is involved, it also involves more entities. You may require an engineer to evaluate whether or not the desired structural changes are possible. Then your architect will draw up the plans and the contractor and subs can start the build-out.

Sometimes, structural changes are very straightforward and you don’t need the assistance of an engineer or architect. In these cases, construction moves forward more quickly, assuming there are no unforeseen issue when they break into interior wall spaces. Of course, any complications that come up – interior plumbing or electrical work that wasn’t to code, mold or mildew damage, a beam that turns out to be load bearing and can’t be removed – all need to be dealt with before the project can continue.

Do you already know what materials and finishes you want?

Usually, the answer to this is, “No.” Perhaps you know what sink you want, or you have an idea of which kitchen cabinets you want, but most of the materials and furnishing selection happens with your interior designer. Once you’ve made your selection, items need to be ordered and delivered – this process takes time. For instance, the average lead time for cabinets is anywhere from 10 to 14 weeks, and it can take longer for certain custom items.

While a living room remodel may only take a few weeks to a month to actually design and install, the lead times for certain custom furniture or art pieces can be much longer.

A Brief History of Interior Design

March 7, 2018

If you travel to the south-west of France, you can visit the site of the world-famous Lascaux Caves. On the walls of these caves are paintings dating back as far as 17,000+ years ago. These and other rock paintings, rock carvings (petroglyphs) and sculptures made from the rocks themselves, called relief sculptures, as well as artfully woven baskets, mats, and decorated pottery are all examples that interior design has been alive and well for millennia.

The History of Interior Design From the Middle Ages to the Present

The idea of interior design as a concept or profession didn’t come to pass until the 1900s, however, home design certainly existed before then. Prior to the middle ages, we know ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used beautiful architecture – some of which can be viewed and toured today – that involved artistic and ornate tile work and paintings. However, this level of showy design, or architecture as art, was largely limited to churches, important government buildings and the homes of the wealthy.

The idea of “interior design for the wealthy” continued through about the 18th and 19th centuries when innovation made it easier to produce mass goods.

The Middle Ages – 1150 to 1485.

The information we have about interior decoration during the Middle Ages and through the beginning of the Renaissance is scarce, pieced together from bits of archaeological evidence and surviving manuscripts. Most people lived predominantly in hut-like structures built from materials foraged in a particular region- rocks, mud, peat, grass, etc.

Woven wall hangings and rugs were often used on the walls and ceilings, as well as the floor, to act as insulation as well as decor. This was the period when Gothic architecture came into be and furniture and furnishings were often made from carved pieces of heavy wood.

The Renaissance – 1400 – 1600.

The last decades of the Middle Ages were shrouded in doom and gloom, largely the result of the Black Plague. When things returned to normal, western civilization entered a period of Renaissance – when art, music and literature were celebrated. Artists and scholars drew much of their inspiration from “The Classic Orders” of antiquity and Renaissance architecture reflects this.

The Catholic church was a significant influence so much of the art, frescoes, tapestries and wall hangings from this period reflect biblical stories or depictions of famous saints. During this period that average residences went from largely open floor plans to designs that included specialty rooms, like dining rooms, libraries, and reception areas. Because it took so long to construct larger buildings, they often reflected multiple influences – Renaissance through the Baroque period.

Baroque and Rococo – 17th Century

The Baroque style was found predominantly in areas like Italy, Austria, parts of southern Germany, Spain, and Portugal where the Catholic church continued to have a strong influence. Specific Baroque expressions varied by geography. During the same era, Rococo style became popular in more secular regions of Europe, like Austria and north Germany. It was lighter, more fun, and frivolous.

The 18th Century and Beyond

By the 1700s, interior design was increasingly popular in the average home. Modern innovations made it easier and easier for “commoners” to acquire art, fabrics, and other materials, though most home decor was made by the occupants or traded/bartered for with others in the community. The industrial revolution and enhanced mechanization during the 1800s made it even more accessible for middle classes to enjoy the benefits of stylish interior design.

Now, modern homeowners have the luxury of changing their interiors – fairly effortlessly – every decade or so, which was relatively unheard of prior to the 1900s.

Learn About Home Lighting Design

February 26, 2018

Lighting is key to how our eyes perceive color, shape, contrast and details. It affects our moods as well as our abilities to focus or relax.

When I arrive at a consultation, my clients are all atwitter, ready to tell me about the amazing ideas they have for countertop and flooring options, cabinetry and wall colors. In the meantime, I’m shrewdly peering from room to room, figuring out how much natural light we have to work with, if there are ways to bring more natural light into the space, and how I can work to decrease the glare over here and increase lighting in that shadowy spot over there.

While it’s not often a client’s favorite thing to learn about, astute interior designers know that without a thoughtful lighting plan, all their hard work will fall flat – or will never be viewed in the way they envisioned it in their minds..

Steps to Create a Thoughtful Lighting Design

This is why it’s important that clients to understand a little bit about lighting before they move too far into their design choices. Some colors will work better than others, depending on the amount and quality of light in a living space at any given time.

Here are some of the steps involved with creating a thoughtful lighting plan that shows your future home renovation in its best (literal) light, while also providing the right amount of task and ambient lighting, and a balance of light and softened shadows.

Where Do You Need Light?

Have you ever thought about where you actually need light in your home? Probably not. You simply flip on a switch or move a lamp from here to there. An interior designer takes it a step or two further. We consider the orientation of your home and even the existing landscaping.

Where does light enter you home in the morning? What about at noon, or at dusk? Do evergreens keep light from entering your home in certain locations? Or do surrounding deciduous trees open a window for light during the darker months of the year? What does each room look like throughout the day when all the lights are switched off? Would your home benefit from skylights or solar tubes?

These are the types of questions we think about and answer in order to create a general lighting plan – subtracting or diminishing light where it isn’t needed and adding it where it’s lacking.

How Can We Optimize Light Quality or Quantity?

There are lots of ways to tackle this one. Of course, we use a balance of natural and artificial light. But, as you know, artificial lights are not created equal. The types of lights (LED, halogen, incandescent or CFL), the wattage and the use of a shade – or no shade/filter – makes a huge difference on the way our eyes perceive light. Ceiling height will affect the quality of overhead lighting and suspended light fixtures. Certain fixtures may have decorations that accentuate or inhibit the flow of light.

Speaking of flow of light, how does light move from one room to another? Apart from the type of light fixtures I recommend, I might also suggest a client use glass cabinet doors in the upper cabinets between the kitchen peninsula and the adjacent living space to maximize the flow of light. Or, we might decide on a different type of window treatment to enhance the quality of light that comes in to a particular room – you may want a different quality of natural light in the kitchen than you do in the bedroom, for example.

What Are Your Personal Lighting Needs?

Lighting needs for a young couple will be very different than the lighting needs for an elderly couple or family. I might install a different type of fixture in a corner used for reading or homework than I will in a corner that’s used for yoga or meditating. Then, there are accent lights to consider – those that have a fixture design that adds visual interest as well as those lights that are specifically directed to highlight a specific design feature.

A thoughtful lighting design will always take the home occupants’ needs into consideration, and will also include a plan for the future if necessary.

Choosing Lights That Fit the Design

Now that we have the plan’s foundation in place, it’s time to build it out with the right fixtures. Typically, this means a mix of recessed lighting and suspended fixtures, as well as table and floor lamps. Things like energy-efficiency are also important, especially if you are planning a sustainable home renovation. Ultimately, we want light to be balanced in terms of task, ambient and accent lighting, but we also need to ensure the fixtures we select are the right aesthetic fit for your home.

Work with an interior designer who understands the importance of lighting when it comes to showing an interior design to its optimum advantage. Get out of the shadows and glares, and learn to see your home in a new, improved light.

Arranging Living Room Furniture

February 25, 2018

Arranging furniture is often a process of trial-and-error and, odds are, if you’ve moved into a new home or planning to remodel the one you’re in, it will take a few different arrangements before you land on the living room furniture placement that suits your family or household best.

Helpful Tips for Arranging Your Living Room Furniture to Enhance Style, Function & Flow

It’s impossible to give you a set of rules because every living room is different – and every family’s use of that space is different as well. However, there are a several tips that can get you started.

Get out the ol‘ fashioned graph paper. If lugging furniture back and forth doesn’t appeal to you, and/or you are good at envisioning two-dimensions in your head, I recommend getting out a sheet of good ol‘ fashioned graph paper and start drawing, cutting and shuffling. Your first item of business will be to outline your living room’s exact perimeter measurements to scale. Mark windows, doors, the fireplace and other architectural features that will affect furniture placement. Then, use another sheet to draw to-scale shapes that mimic your furniture and furnishings, and begin placing your “furniture” in different spots to see which arrangements seem to work best.
Consider traffic flow. Think about how people enter and exit your living room space. You want your furniture to facilitate, rather than hinder, traffic flow. Also, try to prevent traffic from bisecting those who are seated and their view of the television.
Think about your focal point(s). What is your our living room’s focal point? Is it the television or a large picture window? Perhaps it’s your fireplace mantel or a gorgeous work of art. In any case, your main seating area should be placed such that the eye is easily led to an attractive landing point.
Get furniture away from the walls. It’s so common for people to place couches and/or chairs right up against the wall, thinking it will make the room seem larger. In fact, this tactic can make for a boring interior design and can also yield a great deal of dead space if you aren’t careful.
Create a balance of high and low energy. If your living room is big enough, try to create separate areas for entertaining and higher-energy activities – like movie nights – and quieter, low-energy areas – like a corner or fireplace-oriented furniture arrangement that facilitates private conversation or a reading nook.
Think about surface placement. Make sure that every couch or chair has a hard surface nearby, whether it be a coffee table, end table or a nearby credenza or book case so you have a place to set drinks, snacks, magazines or books, the remote controls, etc. If you are in the process of remodeling, this is a good time to think about lamp placement too, as well-placed floor outlets prevent trip hazards created by exposed electrical cords stretched across the floor. Figuring out your future furniture arrangement now will allow you to be more precise with your new electrical plan.
Don’t forget the benefits of area rugs. Area rugs are used often to help anchor living room furniture and/or to create a visual sense of different areas in a single space. One rug, or two layered rugs, can be used to anchor your main seating area while another smaller rug can create the boundary for a small play area or reading corner.

Flooring: Choosing The Right Color

February 20, 2018

Whether you’re choosing carpet, hardwood or laminate flooring, there are color choices to contend with. In the case of hardwood and laminate options, colors will be lighter or darker wood stain options. In the case of carpet, the color world is you oyster.

The following guide will help you select the color that will look best now, and that will also blend with future design changes or potential remodels.

Choosing the Right Color For Hardwood or Laminate Flooring

For the purposes of this post, we are going to treat wood and laminate flooring the same. As a general rule, darker wood finishes show dirt, pet hair and other debris quicker than lighter floors. If you have a busy household, filled with kid or pet activity, you may want to keep your flooring options on the lighter side.

With that in mind, here are the steps I recommend for selecting hardwood flooring:

Visit the showroom with a few samples. When you head to flooring showrooms, bring a few samples of textiles and paint chips that are exemplary of your home’s design and color scheme. This will help you and the sales rep settle on a better selection of flooring samples. Choose your three favorites and stick with them. More than that and it becomes harder to make a choice.
Take the samples home. Once you get the samples, take them home and begin shuffling them around the perimeter walls, cabinetry or key furniture pieces they’ll be making contact with. See how different finishes and tones bring out different colors or aspects of your existing furnishings. Just like paint samples, you want to look at them in daylight, dim light and artificial light. Discard your least favorite right away.
Live with two. Unless one jumps out as your obvious favorite, live with the other two samples for a couple of days until you’re able to decide on one of them.

Choosing the Right Color For Carpet

In some ways, choosing your carpet color isn’t all that different from choosing hardwood or laminate flooring. The most dramatic difference is that your options are seemingly endless. Here are some steps for helping you choose the best one.

Permanent or temporary? How permanent do you want this decision to be? If you choose a carpet in a rich burgundy or forest green, that’s great. But it’s also important to remember that as your furnishings or fixtures change through the upcoming years, those colors may not work anymore. Also, if you think your home will be on the market anytime in the next 5 to 10 years, boldly colored carpet might turn off potential buyers, so do keep that in mind. The longer you plan to have the carpet in place – especially if it will be laid throughout the entire home – the more neutral you’ll want to go.
Choose samples and take them home. Choose carpet samples in your preferred colors and then take them home. View them under different light qualities. Wood varies a little bit under different lighting sources, but carpet colors can vary quite a bit due to the different fibers and dyes involved in their production. Start moving samples around against walls and furniture throughout the day and evening to see what you think and remove your least favorite options right away.
Consider flooring transitions. If you are selecting different carpets for different rooms of the house, rather than the same one throughout, consider the transitions from room-to-room. A color wheel can be helpful for this.