We all have a working knowledge of what design is as it relates to renovating your home. It is to make a plan of, and fashion the form and structure of some space in or added to your home. Generally this is to meet a current need or evolving use of your home.
OK… so how does design happen and what role do you, and should you, play.
For any of us that have given thought to how your kitchen could work better, or how best to use that extra room, you know the effort that goes into this process. Imagination, that is, forming mental images or concepts of what could be takes work. It is what separates us from those who guess, and those with vision.
In over 30 years, I have found two facets of remodeling design to be consistent; first, most home owners have very cogent insights to their goals, and second, folks often have very good ideas on how to achieve them. With our experience we build on those thoughts to go beyond expectations.
Looking at the first part, goals: Ask yourself how do you want the space to work for you? What do you want the space to do that it is currently not doing? Thoughts like, my bedroom is too small. I really would like a place to sit and read, watch TV or sew. Or, I don’t like having to walk so far to the refrigerator from the stove. These are all part of the diagnoses needed to flesh out the goals.
Since you live with your home every day, you will naturally develop ideas on how to fix it, make it look better and feel more comfortable. This is the second part. If you may feel your repertoire of potential solutions may be lacking, there is some homework you can do before calling our architects and designers. One would be to collect magazine images of things you like. Pictures help a professional understand the picture you are trying to paint. A note here, write on the picture the aspect you like about it. For instance if you like a window because of its size, or color, or style, write that down on the picture. This is very helpful.
The other task would be to look at materials, fixtures, cabinets or any other products that might be utilized to meet your goals. Don’t worry about the technical aspects of the project, that is our job. Look at the finishes. You can look on line, the Internet is a great resource, or you can go shopping. We often take our clients to showrooms that we trust and people that we work with.
The design process begins with identifying what you want and your goals. Add some imagination, some technical knowledge and the results are an over the top, drop dead gorgeous home.
By Tom Reilly
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