history of interior design

Choosing the Right Appliances for Your Kitchen

August 17, 2020

Kitchen appliances can make or break a kitchen remodel. There are so many styles, features, and technology options available it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Then, there are always budgetary concerns—picking the right appliances would be easy if money were no object. Even so, it is possible to design the perfect kitchen with a little forethought and your priorities firm in mind.

Here are some things to consider when choosing kitchen appliances to ensure you fall in love with the heart of your home.

Ovens & Cooktops

A high-performing, quality oven is crucial. Because ovens can have many features, it is best to focus on those you’ll actually use and the food you want to cook. A good oven will have a fan to cook food faster and more evenly. You’ll also want an oven with bake, roast, and broil features for all your baking needs.

Picking a suitable cooktop is important for both the practical purposes of remodeling your kitchen as well as aesthetic purposes. Just like your oven, you need a cooktop that gets the job done, but it certainly doesn’t hurt if it looks good, too. Try to pick a cooktop that takes up appropriate space and fits your overall color scheme.

Most cooktops have four burners, which is pretty standard for home cooking. However, if you like to entertain guests and large crowds, you may want to pick a cooktop with more burners. Then, you have to consider how easy it is to maintain. Whether you’re a clean-as-you-cook or cook-at-the-end type, you’ll most likely want clean-up to be easy.

Refrigerators

There are three fridge installation types:

Built-in
Freestanding
Fully integrated

These three options all come in a range of sizes and styles to suit your needs. You will also want to consider performance and configuration. Performance-wise, you need to choose between a single-compressor or a double-compressor unit. A single-compressor unit works twice as hard to maintain both the fridge and freezer. While double-compressor refrigerators cost more, they allow you to keep food fresher for longer.

One of the most popular refrigerator configurations is the French-door style with a side-by-side fridge and freezer. Make sure you don’t go too small when you’re choosing kitchen appliances. When you buy your fridge, you want to have enough room for your typical food storage. For two people, consider a fridge size of 12 cubic feet.

Sinks & Dishwashers

Your sink tends to be the focal point of your kitchen. Some popular sink configurations include:

Single, rectangular basin
50/50 double-bowl
60/40 double-bowl
Three-bowl

Once you know your ideal configuration, the next step is to compare materials. The material you choose affects whether your sink is resistant to scratches and stains, how you’ll clean the sink, and your kitchen’s overall look.

As for your dishwasher, you want to choose something that is efficient and fits into your kitchen seamlessly. If you use a dishwasher often, choose one that has deep-cleaning features and a variety of options. Running volume is one of the most important factors. Find a dishwasher with a low decibel rating so it won’t keep you and your family up all night.

General Tips for Choosing Kitchen Appliances

No matter what appliance you’re shopping for, there are a few general tried-and-tested tips that can help:

Don’t be afraid to mix-and-match. You don’t have to buy all your appliances from the same collection or brand.
Tailor your budget allocation to your lifestyle. It doesn’t make sense to spend a big chunk of your budget on a double oven, for example, if you rarely bake. Forget what a traditional kitchen “should” have and get what you’ll use.
Time your remodel. Many appliance retailers hold annual sales around the same time every year, such as Memorial Day or Black Friday. Time your remodel to line up with these sales to save more. Buying your appliances as a package from a single retailer also often comes with a discount.
Know your space. As appliances of all types come in standard sizes, measure your space, and note any size restrictions. It can help to draft your kitchen on graph paper. Also, note any ventilation or power requirements and where they are in your kitchen.
Stay neutral. That bright blue retro fridge may look amazing right now, but will you still love it in 10 years? With big-ticket items like appliances keep to neutral colors—silver, black, or white—so that if you choose to redecorate in the future, you’re not choosing kitchen appliances all over again. Paint colors and cabinet handles are much easier to change!

9 Ways to Create a Modern Nursery for a Girl

November 27, 2018

There’s plenty of inspiration out there for those who love the traditional and antique-inspired nursery for baby girls, but what about those of you who prefer a more modern look? The tenets that categorize modern design – cool, clean, streamlined and low-profile – aren’t necessarily synonymous with the soft, cuddly and nostalgic emotions associated with newborn babies.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to decorate a baby girl’s nursery without having to suffocate in ruffly bassinets or first-edition prints of Precious Moments artwork. Here are 10 ideas for keeping a baby girl’s nursery on the modern side of things.

Stripes on the walls. Look for striped or geometric wall paper prints in colors that you like. Or, if you are feeling truly inspired and brave, you can opt to paint them yourself. Even one single accent wall will add a modern aesthetic and it’s something your baby girl can grow into.
Stay away from soft pastels. One way to bunk the traditional girl’s nursery is to stay away from the softer pastels and, instead, choose slightly bolder versions of the same color(s).
Use a non-traditional color. I love this baby girl’s nursery that used a beautiful deep dove gray, almost charcoal, for the base color and then added swatches of a dusky pink as the contrast. It’s decidedly modern but maintains a completely girlie aesthetic.
Use stencils. I think stencils are a wonderful way to jazz up any room in the house. Using a relatively generic stencil, like a tree, a paisley, or some other gender-neutral shape, allows you to glam it up girlie for now but also leaves room for interpretation for potential future buyers or should you convert that room into a study or guest bedroom later on.
Mirrored furniture. Metallic finishes and mirrored furniture and furnishings are trending right now. Look how the mirrored dresser/changing table in this nursery keeps the softer elements of the design from going too traditional.
Enjoy a mix of patterns. You have so much room for pattern opportunities in nurseries and children’s bedrooms. Kids are high energy and fun – and their bedroom designs can reflect that. Mixing patterns can be a bit of a challenge but a nursery is a great spot to begin experimenting.
Use black. Black is both modern and chic – and it’s rarely used in a nursery design, especially a girl’s. Choosing to use black furniture and accents in your little girl’s nursery will certainly put you on the cutting edge and the results can be visually stunning. Plus, babies don’t see in color very well at first, so you’ll be doing her a visual favor as well.
Choose an atypical crib. Keep your eye out for a more uniquely shaped crib. This circular crib is modern in its design and allows for a whole different furniture layout in the nursery since the crib can be placed in the center of the room, or off-center – freeing up a significant amount of wall space.
Go neutral. Perhaps the most modern idea of all is that girls and boys don’t have to align themselves with gender-specific colors. A neutral nursery provides the opportunity for you to create a soothing space, filled with books and toys that all children love. Your daughter can pepper her nursery-slash-bedroom with accents of her choosing as her tastes grown and evolve on their own.

9 Ways to Create a Modern Nursery for a Boy

May 21, 2018

Traditional nursery designs are sweet, but they can also lend themselves towards the feminine. For this reason, I’m noticing more families asking about modern nursery ideas for their soon-to-be baby boys.

The following are 9 ideas that can help to keep your nursery a little more masculine and may also help you to transition your baby’s space into a little boy’s space and beyond with the right planning and color coordination.

It’s never too early for geometry. Skip the cuddly, soft pooh-bear motif and head straight to geometry. Whether you like stripes, checkers, angles or all-of-the-above, using geometric patterns on the walls, via an area rug or for the bedding will add a more modern and mature element to the bedroom, saving you the hassle of a re-design in a couple more years.
Pattern layering. Mixing and matching different patterns is a fun and high-energy way to add a more contemporary design idea into your nursery space. If you’ve never done it before, stick with just a few different patterns and make sure they’re connected via similar color families.
Choose a neutral theme. Instead of teddy bears or bubbly planes, choose a design theme that can be taken into the future. Nature themes or adult versions of trains, planes and automobiles can all be done to suit a nursery space without being too cutsie.
Go neutral in general. This can be especially beneficial if you are a renter or aren’t sure how much longer you’ll be in your general location. Choosing neutral colors, accents and accessories will yield a tranquil nursery space that can be added to little by little as your child develops his own tastes and color preferences.
Use vintage boy decor. One of my favorite things about choosing a vintage design is that there is a hint of the traditional but the result looks modern and hip. The vintage lettering, cool retro dresser and the geometric area rug in this design make for an eye-catching nursery.
Choose fun color combinations. Ditch the more traditional hues, like a pastel or navy blue, and choose slightly more bold and unique color combinations like aqua and orange or green and black.
Add black. Speaking of black as an accent, using black in the baby nursery can be visually stunning and certainly adds a chic and modern touch. There are so many things done right in this baby’s nursery, including a dreamy paint scheme that creates the illusion of clouds and the black window trip and accents that pepper the room. Also, babies see black and white patterns best for the first few months so having a little black-and-white in the space will provide visual stimulation.
Keep it basic. There’s no need to go completely crazy with the nursery. In fact, odds are the baby won’t be spending as much time in there as you think since much of the feeding, napping and changes will happen elsewhere in your home or on the go. This sweet and simple nursery shows that only the basics are required to yield an attractive, contemporary nursery design.
Wall stencils. I am a fan of wall stenciling. By choosing a more generic shape or pattern, like this series of trees, you gain a unique and modern aesthetic as well as a design that can be grown into or will appeal to the masses if you end up selling your home down the road.

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.