How We Design Homes Around Our Clients
/Many important factors go into designing a home, but none are more important than our clients’ wishes. While design trends come and go, what really matters is how a home benefits the daily life of the people living there. Home should be a happy place.
The Initial Consultation
A great design begins with understanding your habits, goals, and personal style. So, before we even think about a design scheme, we spend time getting to know our clients so we can create their perfect space. In the initial consultation, we learn all the details about our clients that will shape their home design.
We discuss things like:
Family and household dynamics
Hobbies and interests
Whether you enjoy entertaining
If you have pets
Your daily routines and how you use each space
Work-from-home needs
Storage requirements
Any family heirlooms or meaningful pieces to highlight
Of course, we’ll also discuss personal tastes, including the design style and color palette you are envisioning, if any. Budgetary requirements and the project timing will also be addressed early on.
The first consultation helps us understand not only your aesthetic preferences, but also the more functional aspects of the design. For example, a family that frequently hosts parties may need larger seating areas with durable, performance fabrics. And someone who exercises regularly may want a home gym that they can use on a regular basis.
While we will have many conversations over the course of the design process, this first one sets the direction of the design. To set up a consultation with us, click here!
The Design Process
Once we have an understanding of your preferences, we’ll create an overall concept based on your personal style, which will serve as a touchstone for every room in the home. The design scheme could be coastal or industrial, artistic or minimalist. As we design each room, these are some of the key pillars that we consider:
Creating a Sense of Flow
We think about how you plan to use each space, where the majority of your time will be spent, and how rooms connect to one another. The goal with any design is to create an environment that feels intuitive and effortless to live in. Based on this information, we place furniture, layer rugs, install lighting, create custom builds, and even knock down a wall if needed! Whether you want your rooms to feel open, intimate, or both, we create the desired effect so that your home fits your lifestyle like a glove.
The Design Process
Once we have an understanding of your preferences, we’ll create an overall concept based on your personal style, which will serve as a touchstone for every room in the home. The design scheme could be coastal or industrial, artistic or minimalist. As we design each room, these are some of the key pillars that we consider:
Creating a Sense of Flow
We think about how you plan to use each space, where the majority of your time will be spent, and how rooms connect to one another. The goal with any design is to create an environment that feels intuitive and effortless to live in. Based on this information, we place furniture, layer rugs, install lighting, create custom builds, and even knock down a wall if needed! Whether you want your rooms to feel open, intimate, or both, we create the desired effect so that your home fits your lifestyle like a glove.
Specialty Spaces
A lot of homes have at least one or two rooms that come as a bonus. They could be used as a playroom or a hangout space. Or, you might desire a spare guest bedroom, a workout room, a craft room, a nursery, or a study. Your home should support your hobbies and needs, and we make sure it does!
Materials
With many years of designing homes, we consider both how a home looks now and how it will look ten years from now. Material selections are based on how spaces will be used and who is using them. For example, if our clients have a dog or young child, we will likely choose performance fabrics for furniture and rugs. The same goes if they entertain frequently, as we ultimately want the spaces to be both beautiful and durable over time. To learn more about how we choose materials, read this!
Artwork & Heirlooms
It’s the small touches that really make a home feel personal. Often, our clients request to put their heirlooms and favorite art pieces in places of honor. While we generally source new artwork and furniture as well, we make sure to incorporate these existing treasures, and frequently find that they serve as a good jumping-off point for colors and patterns.
A lot of homes have at least one or two rooms that come as a bonus. They could be used as a playroom or a hangout space. Or, you might desire a spare guest bedroom, a workout room, a craft room, a nursery, or a study. Your home should support your hobbies and needs, and we make sure it does!
Materials
With many years of designing homes, we consider both how a home looks now and how it will look ten years from now. Material selections are based on how spaces will be used and who is using them. For example, if our clients have a dog or young child, we will likely choose performance fabrics for furniture and rugs. The same goes if they entertain frequently, as we ultimately want the spaces to be both beautiful and durable over time. To learn more about how we choose materials, read this!
Artwork & Heirlooms
It’s the small touches that really make a home feel personal. Often, our clients request to put their heirlooms and favorite art pieces in places of honor. While we generally source new artwork and furniture as well, we make sure to incorporate these existing treasures, and frequently find that they serve as a good jumping-off point for colors and patterns.
A Home That Reflects You
Taking the time to understand our clients and their lifestyles makes it possible for us to design homes that are not only visually stunning but also personal and comfortable. A home is so much more than just a place to live. It’s a reflection and an extension of our clients, a one-of-a-kind dream that is created in partnership with them.
PHOTO CREDIT: PINTEREST
PHOTO CREDIT: WESTING
PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Tondro. Styling: Colin King
PHOTO CREDIT: WESTING