design

Why Use an Interior Designer for a Remodel or New Home Construction?

February 14, 2019

People often want to know why they should use an interior designer for a remodel or new construction project. Isn’t that work reserved for the contractors and architects of the world? Why not just save the interior designer until the end, when you actually need some decorating done?

This is one of the most common misconceptions regarding the interior design world: that interior designers come in after the fact to pretty everything up. In fact, experienced homeowners and design firms understand that having an interior designer involved in the remodel or new construction phase of your home’s design can literally make or break the success of the project.

Facilitate a Fluid Design/Build Process

Forget about the fluidity of the design itself (for a minute, anyway) and let’s just talk about the design/build process. If you aren’t careful, you’ll end up with a “which comes first: the chicken or the egg?” conundrum. Without a single point of contact working on your behalf, the design/build process can be a nightmare. Who’s deciding on the design? The architect? Your own perusal of floor plans you like? Neither of these options provides the personal, holistic approach required for a truly successful home design. You need someone who will get to know you, learn about your interests, passions and tastes, and can translate the tidbits they glean into a home design that is as functional and comfortable as it is attractive.

The clients remembered the work we had done and contacted us while she was in over her head, trying to select tiles for all the rooms. Once we were hired, the clients were able to get out of “overwhelmed mode” and begin to relax and enjoy the process. We acted as guide, mediator and facilitator – making sure each half of the couple was reflected in a balanced way in the design and keeping them abreast of every important decision, action, and change required throughout the construction process so that things moved forward according to the timeline and budget. We put all the pieces together to create a personalized, cohesive look that would still appeal to potential buyers if our clients ever decided to sell.

Reign in the Loose Ends and Keep Costs in Check

Did you know that one of the most expensive parts of building or remodeling can be all of the delays and re-dos that occur as the result of change orders? The builder gets going, the homeowner sees half-finished or completed section and says, “Yikes! I don’t like that after all!” or “That isn’t what I envisioned,” and it’s back to square one. These time-consuming and costly changes are practically non-existent when you work with an experienced designer. We make sure that things are designed right the first time, and we are there (dare we say “micromanaging”) the project so there are few to no mistakes, and anything that doesn’t seem quite right is stopped and corrected before it requires significant effort to reverse or change.

Also, we have relationships with the best contractors, subcontractors and vendors in the business. You don’t have to do any of the work figuring out who’s who. We can provide referrals to the right people from the get-go, which results in top-quality craftsmanship every step of the way. No flaky or negligent contractors here! If a client already has favorite contractors and vendors in mind or in contract, we are happy to work collaboratively with them as well. Finally, we work with artisans and vendors that only establish relationships with professionals rather than the public. This results in more affordable prices for highly-customized work, and we are able to pass the bulk of those discounts on to our clients.

Suburban Oasis Example: While this project was technically a remodel, we changed so much – from knocking out exterior walls to expand the view, to redesigning the kitchen and bathrooms, master bedroom, all new paint colors, lighting fixtures, window treatments, flooring and carpet. We installed custom cabinetry and built-ins, new countertops and appliances, etc. A full remodel of that undertaking is only on-time and within the budget when you use an interior designer and professional build team that knows what they are doing.

Gain the Advantage of an Artistic Eye

Many people know what they like when they see it, but few are able to create and invent the little (or bigger) extras that truly knit the design together and maintain the aesthetics and flow from room-to-room. An interior designer has that eye; she can tell you when to repurpose something you have, scour the flea markets for something you don’t and will share ideas for brilliant custom art and accessories that will be especially unique to your design. Like the idea of custom furniture, furnishings and art? A well-connected designer will make them a reality. This is something that can’t happen – unless you have an eye and the artistic connections – if you work strictly with an architect/build team.

Hiring an experienced interior designer can be one of the most powerful decisions you make before starting a new home construction or remodeling project because you’ll benefit from an adviser, inventor, artist and advocate from the moment the design phase begins through the completion of your project.

Choosing Furniture

February 10, 2019

Let’s go furniture shopping!

There’s an exciting thought. Until you think it. Then it can seem somewhat daunting. Furnishing a home is no easy feat and the ultimate goal should be to select timeless pieces that can be used for decades to come – even if their rooms, placement, location and orientation change down the road.

Here are some guidelines for choosing furniture that you and your guests can enjoy for a long time to come.

Take the Long and Winding Road Approach

Home design is not stagnant. It is a living, breathing thing that changes and evolves along with your tastes and lifestyle. That being said, it also doesn’t make sense to reinvent the home design wheel once a year, as remodels and renovations are time and cost consuming. Therefore, interior home designs should be timeless enough to last a while, but changeable enough to accommodate shifts in seasons and styles.

The same goes for your furniture. Choose pieces that can be moved around fairly easily so your living room or family room can accommodate better party flow or more intimate conversations, depending on the gathering.

Consider things like:

Swivel chairs that move to accommodate conversation or enjoy the view out a picture window.
Enough light-but-comfortable pieces that can be easily moved (poufs and ottomans are examples of these).
Smaller end- or coffee tables that serve as portable surfaces.

Consider Size and Shape

Yes, you want to invest in versatile furnishings but you also want them to fit the room they’re in. Proportion is important. Your furniture should always accommodate comfortable flow as well as a sense of the room’s spaciousness.

In most cases, you want at least 36-inches between the edge of a piece of furniture and an adjacent object so people can walk and move comfortably around the space. Draw your rooms to scale using graph paper, and take these with you when furniture shopping to ensure potential furnishings will fit well.

Think About Materials and Textiles

The materials and textiles you select should reflect your lifestyle and the building occupants needs. If you live alone or are empty-nesters, you can be slightly less selective since wear-and-tear isn’t as much of an issue – – unless you own pets. If you have children, pets or grandchildren that visit on a more regular basis, you will want to select furnishings and textiles that can take a bit of a beating.

These days, designer fabric and upholstery designers offer fabulous prints and designs in high-quality indoor-outdoor fabric, allowing you to enjoy a designer look without having to fret every time a dirty paw or errant chocolate chip comes in contact with the furnishing.

Consider Adding a Few Custom Pieces

One of the best things to come out of my years of working as an interior designer are the contacts I have made with artists and furniture makers throughout the Bay Area and beyond. This provides clients the ability to enjoy custom furniture for a much more affordable price. Custom pieces can transform a room’s design.

Custom furniture pieces are ideal for unique or hard-to-fit spaces, rooms or niches. They can be used to put the finishing touch on a particular “look” or to meet your personal lifestyle needs. Maybe you need that perfect reading or napping nook, or a corner cabinet to house your prized wine opener collection. Designing a custom furniture piece is a way to put your ultra-personal mark on your home’s interior design.

To Match, Or Not To Match… Nightstands

February 9, 2019

Furniture sets are nice because of their convenience. But, in the world of an interior designer, that convenience comes at a price – “matchy matchy”. Furniture, furnishings and accents should be complementary, of course. However, when everything matches, it can yield an interior space that seems a little bland and devoid of personality; hotel rooms and other public spaces come to mind. Mixing your furnishings up can create more visual interest and mismatched nightstands are a great example of this.

Perhaps you are already a fan of shabby chic or non-matching furnishings, or maybe you have been the beneficiary of some pretty cool hand-me-downs. Either way, there are plenty of ways to make mismatched nightstands look entirely at home and stylish in your bedroom.

How to Make the Most of Mismatched Nightstands

Proportions

Even if the pieces aren’t matched, try to pair end tables, small dressers or whatever you are using that have similar proportions. If the height, widths and general shape of the tables are similar, they will hardly appear mismatched. Using some identical accents, like a pair of lamps or other identical accessories, will make the fact they are mismatched less noticeable.

Color

Tables that are painted the same color will go a long way towards “working,” even if their architecture is different. This is easy DIY project and if you are brave, it can be a fun way to introduce a bright or bold color that you might have shied away from otherwise.

Matching wood tones

Similarly, finding antique or contemporary pieces with matching wood colors and tones will help the pieces to harmonize. This is a great way to get an end table with extra function power. In this Orange County bedroom, one of the owners likes to write before bedtime, an action that is difficult with most traditional night stand styles since there’s no room for knees. By choosing a small antique writing table, and then finding a nightstand in a similar shade of wood for the other side, the couple have complementary nightstands without her sacrificing the nightly writing ritual.

The same but different

You can also select two different versions of the same thing. A shorter, taller, skinnier or fatter version of the accompanying nightstand can be a fun play on the same design and is also an interesting study in proportions. This can be helpful when a bed has to be placed off-center in a room. The skinnier or smaller table will work better against the wall, giving just enough space for a lamp, your smart phone, a glass of water, etc.

Embrace the difference

You can also take the opposite approach and celebrate the fact that your nightstands are mismatched. Don’t even worry about the fact that they’re different. Put a funky lamp on one and a more traditional lamp on the other. Let your pile of books runneth over while his simple alarm clock and small reading lamp stay neatly in place all year long. The rest of your bedroom decor can tie it all together.

Yes, working with mismatched furniture can be challenging at times, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a wonderful way to create a more interesting living space.

7 Questions To Ask Your Potential Interior Designer

January 28, 2019

Did you know you don’t have to hire the first interior designer you schedule a consultation with? Quite the opposite. Your consultations should be viewed more like professional interviews. It’s a chance for you and designer to sit down, talk about your hopes and visions, and get a feel for one another so you can determine whether or not it’s a good fit. You’ll be working very closely together – maybe for a long time depending on the scope of the work – so a personal connection is almost as important as the designer’s capabilities and talents.

Bonus for you: by scheduling three to five consultations, you’ll glean a host of free ideas that you can put to use when you get started on the official remodel or renovation.

7 Questions to Ask During Consultations With an Interior Designer

Here is a simple list of questions that will yield important information while simultaneously allowing you to learn more about the prospective designer, her philosophy and her general style.

Can you work with our budget? Unless funds are unlimited, you must have a budget for any given home improvement project. This figure should be set, fixed and firm to keep your sanity and make sure you don’t get in over your head. Build in a 10% to 15% emergency contingency. Once you have this figure set, you’ll be able to run it by your prospective designers to see if they can work with it or not.
How do you charge? In most cases, designers charge by the hour or by the room. Or, they may have an entirely different fee structure. This can greatly alter the total price of your design from designer to designer so make note of how they charge and determine which fee structure you feel the most comfortable with.
When are your fees due? It’s no surprise that money is often the most stressful aspect of a design (notice the first 3 questions are all about finances?), which is why it’s so important to have complete transparency. Does your interior designer want half now and the balance upon completion? Does she prefer to receive installment payments? Get all of the financial agreements in writing and signed so there is no room for misinterpretation.
What is your design forte? In theory, every professional interior designer would be able to create a perfect version of any design you desire. In truth, we’re human and we all have our own design fortes. If you are a hardcore modernist, you’re best off working with a designer who specializes in modern design. If you like things a little more eclectic, seek a designer with a portfolio laden with funky-chic designs.
Can you show me examples of my style/budget/ideas in your portfolio? And, of course, seeing is believing. Take time to review their portfolio. Can you see yourself living in any of their designs – especially those at your price point? If not, they may not be the designer for you.
Do you offer industry discount fees? The longer a designer has been in business, the more connections she gleans along the way. These connections often result in discount fees for furnishings and textiles that can be passed along to the client.
Can you provide professional references? Don’t neglect the power of references. It’s good to speak with people who have worked with the designer so you can get a better feel for how she operates, how she handles challenges or hiccups, and so on. This input often seals the deal on who a client hires.

5 Tips for Mixing Wood Types and Finishes

January 27, 2019

Feel like your wood furniture reads more like a “wood finish sampler” than part of a cohesive interior design? Never fear. This is a common design conundrum and one that is easily solved without sacrificing any favorite pieces or spending money on expensive refinishing or painting.

So, whether you are a hoarder of gorgeous wood species or are a teak fan who just merged households with your oak and pine lovin’ counterpart – I have several solutions for you.

5 Ideas for Mixing and Matching Your Different Wood Types and Finishes

Think of it as pattern mixing. Different wood species mean different wood grains, and what are wood grains but one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful and fascinating patterns. Patterns can and should be layered to create depth and interest in your rooms. Think of different wood types as patterns waiting to be mixed up. Consider the undertones in the grains and place your pieces accordingly, using tables, hutches or sideboards that share similar hues or undertones. You can also approach this in a different way, keeping the grains consistent and throwing caution to the wind when it comes to finishes. Use other textiles and objects to create additional lines of communication between the pieces so they all feel related.
Make one of the pieces a focal point. Perhaps you have a particular table that is one shade while the rest of your wood furniture is another. Use the odd ball piece to create a focal point and surround it with the others so that it stands out. You can use surrounding accents to tie it in. For example, let’s say you have a table with a dark stain while the rest of your furniture is lighter pine or oak. Place that darker table in the middle of the room and use the lighter pieces around the edges. Then, use other objects or accents that match the focal point to tie it together.
Take advantage of area rugs. Area rugs can be a great neutralizer when you move into a home with gorgeous wood floors…that don’t match a single piece of your own wood furniture. Choose a neutral area rug that is large enough to house the bulk of the furniture, whether it be a dining room table and chairs or the coffee and end table set in your formal living room seating arrangement. Once you have the area rug in place, the furnishings will all come together with the area rug as a buffer.
Choose sides. You may realize that you have two distinct “sets” of wood furniture. One half is one type and/or shade while the other is another (typical when two homes merge as one). In this case, choose sides and keep all of the furniture with one shade in one section or side of the room with the rest on the other side. Perhaps they will be divided by a couch or seating area. Or, maybe one shade set becomes part of the reading nook while the other comprises the main seating area.
Use solid colors too. Even with the above tricks, it may be that you simply have too many wood pieces in varying shades. If this is the case, break them up using solid color furnishings so it doesn’t look too much like an episode of “Woods Gone Wild.” Simply painting one side of a butcher block or dresser white can help to tone down the effect.