Hmmm, maybe I'll bake tonight! Image courtesy www.reluctantgourmet.com.

Did you see the Apartment Therapy post a couple of weeks ago about free ways to make your house a home? It was a welcome reminder for me. The post covered five different “completely free” ways to impact your home: Spend Time In It, Use Your Space, Speak Kindly, Music Matters, and Entertain Without Worry.

As a designer, of course I spend time thinking about — and worrying about – how my house looks.

Though I do my level best NOT to apologize for my housekeeping (or lack thereof) I am still conscious of it when I entertain. Am I being judged for the dust on those black bookcases? Did I get the last of the splatters off the kitchen backsplash? Oh, horrors, is that a dust bunny in the corner of the hallway!?!

The AT post reminded me that I just need to relax and enjoy the people visiting. A year from now, or even a week from now, will we remember the fun time we had or the housekeeping tasks that weren’t done?

And speaking of all those comments dashing around in my head, the one about speaking kindly of your home was great, too. It said “Homes are places where love and memories are made. Do your best to make them kind, wonderful thoughts.” Think about how your home provides you shelter and safety and honor it in your thoughts and actions.

Here’s a tale: I was asked to do a Feng Shui consult for a couple. I asked to see where they came into their home. Both said they came in through the garage into the basement. Next to the wall, exactly in front of them when they opened the door to their home, was a large box with a disassembled armoire in it. I asked about it. It turned out that the armoire had been there for months and was a point of contention between them: He liked it and wanted it in his home; she thought it was ugly and refused to have it in her home. So the first thing they both were greeted with was something they disagreed about! I strongly encouraged them to move it at least out of sight so they both felt more welcomed when they arrived home.

Do you have something in your entry that brings up unpleasant thoughts? It’s FREE to simply move it!

And I loved the reminder to spend time in your home and to use your space. Yes, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of home-dinner-TV-sleep. You move robot-like from fridge to TV chair to bed. So I’ll try something new tonight! Maybe I’ll throw some pillows on the floor and read, paint a picture for my wall, or turn on some tunes and dance! How will you enjoy your home tonight and every night?

Reworked floor plan for the Master Bath with a new six foot tub and a sauna.

First, the open floor plan. Over the past ten years or so, homeowners are requesting more open space. They want to connect with their guests and they want to be with their family. Kitchens in particular are being opened up to other parts of the home.

Coupled with that is the trend towards eat-in kitchens. Eating bars are being incorporated into counters. Small, cozy table and chairs/benches/banquettes are appearing in kitchens. People don’t want to be in that separate formal dining room, away from the action.

And I’m getting more requests to simply re-purpose the dining room. For the one or two times a year you want to sit down with guests in a more formal space, is it worth it to leave that room empty of people for the other 363 days? How about a media room or a home office instead? Even if you decide to stick with the dining function for the space, can it be incorporated into the kitchen and made into a more casual space for everyday family dining?

A corresponding trend is towards larger master suites. Now that the family can be together in the kitchen and family room, parents are requesting a dedicated space where they can be alone. Recent requests I’ve gotten are for a separate vanity area, a reading nook, a sauna, a jetted tub, and, of course, their own TV.

An interesting trend is away from ‘throw-away furniture.’ For many years, the furniture available to many people was very inexpensive. There are still a number of retailers who specialize in low cost furniture and much of it is attractive – at least to start. But when the sofa needs to be replaced after only a couple of years, or the media center breaks, or the coffee table surface is irreparably damaged, people are asking themselves if it was really that good of a deal to start with.

Another trend is towards downsizing. People are tired of taking care of a big home and taking care of rooms they rarely use. I can tell you that in my neighborhood, condo projects have sprung up everywhere. There’s a wonderful freedom to living under a shared roof where the exterior is taken care of by someone else and the homes are smaller and take less time to take care of. But even if you crave a garden and don’t mind cleaning those gutters, the trend is towards homes with less square footage.

So how does your home stack up? Are there rooms you rarely use? Is the person in the kitchen cut off from other people? Is it already time to replace that side table? Is there a place where the whole family can be together regularly? What can YOU do to make your home more perfect for you and your family?

Ten years ago, interior designers almost exclusively shopped at “Trade Only” showrooms—“Trade” being the design trade. That meant that the client didn’t have access to many furniture, accessory, fabric, and lighting lines that designers did. If you happened to want one of those pieces, you had to go through your designer.

Your designer would either escort you through the design center showing you what he/she wanted you to see or just show you images of pieces he/she selected for you. You paid what the designer told you to pay – usually discounted from suggested retail price but also at a mark-up from the designer’s price. You paid the designer for her/his expertise in selecting the best pieces for you based on your style, budget and the size of your space. You expected the designer to resolve any problems with pieces brought into your home. This was the way of the designer for many, many years.

Then two things happened: Home improvement shows on TV and ready access to the internet. Now clients were empowered to do their own designing and then roll up their sleeves and create it themselves. And they discovered that they could sit at home in the evening and shop from their computer.

Manufacturers started catching on to this trend. Now they could sell directly to consumers without having to have a showroom represent them. Over the last five years or so, even dyed-in-the-wool upscale furniture manufacturers have developed their websites and many offer direct sales.

Competition heated up between companies offering similar items for sale on the internet. And suddenly you paid little or even nothing to have the product shipped to your door.

So how DO designers shop these days???

What I’m finding more and more is that I source pieces on the internet and simply provide the link to my client. Designers no longer make a significant amount of money by finding and selling pieces to their clients. Clients have found they can get the pieces cheaper, sometimes, than even the designer’s price.

In fact, I have two recent experiences where I know that was the case. I needed a new kitchen faucet and knew what I wanted. I got a quote from the local plumbing supplier and then did some internet research. I was able to get the faucet cheaper and even brought to my door by shopping on line.

I also recommended a table to a client recently. I got the pricing from the design center showroom then added in shipping, receiving, and delivery charges. The client did her own internet research and was able to find the same table, delivered straight to her home, for less. And it wasn’t just a little less; it was almost 20% less.

Of course, the client then takes on the responsibility of ensuring the piece is the right size, style and color and that it can be installed where and how they want. And they must resolve any problems with the piece themselves. But these are responsibilities that most homeowners are willing to take on.

So why would you pay your designer to shop for you – even if it’s just to give you the website link? There are still some excellent reasons: Probably the most important one is scale. Your designer has both technical knowledge and real world experience with what sizes will fit best in your space. This extends to everything from size of area rug, to size and shape of your chandelier, to whether your room is big enough for a “big boy’s” recliner.

And your designer is an expert at finding just the right piece that will fit with your style. She/he will know the sites to visit and can narrow down the search quickly to the right selection. You get just a few suggestions for the perfect piece instead of wading through thousands of wrong ones.

And, finally, I tell my clients that even with the link to the perfect piece, they should do a little more pricing research. Once they know the specific piece they’re looking for, they can do some comparison shopping.

And that’s how it’s done! Do you have favorite sites you visit for great prices on beautiful things for your home? I’d love to hear about them!

Wood walls, stone fireplace, leather furniture, soft lighting can all be triggers for a favorite childhood memory.

Her key premise is that each of us holds certain environmental memories and that, conscious or not, these memories impact the spaces we find ourselves in today. Further, once we explore and find those ‘highest positive’ influences, we can consciously bring them into our current space.

Dr. Israel developed a series of interviews and exercises targeted at defining specific environmental influences both positive and negative. The exercises allow us to re-connect with past environments, reflect how those are repeated in current environments, and lead us to creating new environments that truly mean “home” to each of us.

When researching her book, Some Place Like Home: Using Design Psychology to Create Ideal Places, she interviewed lots of architects, clients, designers, etc. One of her first and probably most impactful interviews was with Michael Graves, internationally-known architect.

While working through the interviews and exercises, Graves recalled one of the buildings he was fascinated by as a child. It was the stockyards where his father worked. The photo he showed Dr. Israel was of a series of long narrow pens each opening up to a long perpendicular aisle-way. Holding up the roof were large beams with huge Y-shaped cross struts.

In looking at his current home, he described being drawn to the building, an old furniture storehouse, which he calls The Warehouse. It was a simple series of long narrow rooms all opening onto a long perpendicular hallway. When Dr. Israel first called his attention to the similarity with the layout of the stockyards, he immediately discounted it. Then he started sketching his current home and got almost all the way through the sketch before suddenly making the connection.

Another element that appears in design after design from Graves is that same Y-shaped cross strut. Even when it’s only decorative, it comes in again and again.

This same series of interviews done with other design-world gurus revealed how environments had affected their current design aesthetic.

OK, this is a VERY simplified exercise but give it a try! Think back and recall some favorite places from your childhood. Use words to describe the place: Safe, friendly, pride, wood, glowing, warm, whatever comes to mind. Now look around your home and see if those words apply to anywhere in your environment. Hopefully, you’ll find exactly that same childhood feeling you enjoyed now in your current home.

You can find out more about Design Psychology and Dr. Israel at http://www.designpsychology.net

Plumen's 110 CFL lamp -- a wonderful variation on the old spiral compact fluorescent!

For years we’ve known about incandescent and fluorescent lighting. Incandescent gives off that warm yellow glow we associate with coziness; fluorescent many of us associate with the old blue light that was frequently associated with buzzing.

Then we started thinking about day-lighting: taking advantage of sun light whenever possible. But of course that had to be weighed against the loss of heat through those large windows.

So where are we today, you ask??? Man oh man, have there been changes.

First, there’s the rumor that incandescent lighting will be banned throughout the U.S. While that’s not true – yet –lighting manufacturers have turned towards finding more energy efficient ways of providing comfortable lighting.

For instance, fluorescent lights now come in a variety of colors. Personally, I’ve tried the pinkish tone and didn’t much like it. It’s hard to tell the difference between dark colors under that light in my laundry room. Also, I’ve tried the “daylight” tone. It’s a pretty bright white light that almost exactly matches the color of daylight coming through a skylight. I can now tell the difference between black and navy blue in my closet.

Another option is halogen. It is a bright, white light that’s great for adding sparkle to any reflective surface (like jewelry store cases!). But it burns very hot and uses a lot of energy both to light it and to cool the air around it. Now they’ve come out with a halogen IR (infra-red) that is more energy efficient and gives off light nearly as bright as the original version.

And, of course, there are LEDs: Light-emitting diodes. In the short time these have been out on the market, they’ve made tremendous progress. First they are great because they give off a bright white light, burn for tens of thousands of hours and use almost no energy to run. They do give off lots of heat from the back of the fixture so that requires some creative venting.

The first LED models grouped these small points of light together to create a wider beam spread. The result was a bunch of dots of light; certainly a little distracting for most of us.

Edge Lighting's cool design for LEDs using a channel attached to the walls.

Now manufacturers are figuring out how to diminish the ‘dot’ effect. Some of the newest designs use reflectors to bounce up-light back down into your space. And how about this cool alternative to a track light or cable light for a vaulted ceiling. Edge Lighting (www.edgelighting.com) has come up with a channel that the LEDs sit in and that can be anchored on opposite walls. A bonus is that the heat generated vents into the room instead of into a closed ceiling or light fixture. For a commercial space or game room you could even use color-changing LEDs in the channel instead of a simple white.

Finally, I was absolutely taken with this idea from the Plumen company in the U.K. Why do compact fluorescent bulbs always come in that tight spiral? It turns out there’s no reason! Instead they created a piece of art with that tube. Try grouping them together to create an even more impressive statement in your space. (http://www.plumenshopus.com/products/plumen-001)

So keep watching! Lighting will continue to evolve and inspire us.

This room would benefit from a more saturated color on the ceiling both making it more cozy and emphasizing the architectural details.

I frequently get asked ‘What color should I paint the ceiling.’ I say ‘It depends!‘ For the most part, our homes have white on the ceiling. It’s a great neutral and, especially in our climate, can help to bounce light around the room. But are there options?? You bet!

For instance, a common question is whether the homeowner should try to make the ceiling appear higher by drawing a line a few inches down from the ceiling on the wall and painting the ceiling color down to that line. Alternatively I get asked whether drawing a line a few inches in from the walls on the ceiling and painting the wall color out to that line will make the ceiling appear higher. I think anything that leaves the ceiling and wall the same color, emphasizes the crease between the two since the color will reflect on itself there making it more saturated.

My favorite tip is to paint the ceiling a lighter shade of the wall color. This still gives you a lighter ceiling and more colorful walls but de-emphasizes the change in color. I usually suggest to my clients that they use a “one-quarter tint” of the wall color on the ceiling. Of course, you need to be careful especially with any wall color that has some red (or orange or purple) in it. If you have a wall color like a terra-cotta or lavender or chili pepper, be sure to ask for a sample first. Many times when these colors are lightened, they start appearing too pink. You know who to call if this happens!

See how the crown mouldings pop when the ceiling is the same saturated color as the walls?

And are there any rules about painting your ceiling a totally different color? Yes – and No!

Here are some reasons to paint your ceiling a different color.
1) Your ceiling is high. A more saturated color will help the space feel more intimate.
2) Your ceiling is lower than 8’-0”. Painting the ceiling the wall color can make the line between wall and ceiling disappear.
3) You’ve got great crown molding. A more saturated color on both walls and ceiling will help draw the eye to this architectural detail.
4) There’s plenty of light, either artificial or natural daylight, in the room. Take advantage of this ‘fifth wall’ (the ceiling) to add more color.
5) You’ve got a tray ceiling or medallion or other architectural detail on the ceiling that you want to emphasize. Create contrast between the detail and the ceiling.
6) Your floor is particularly dark. A lighter ceiling will help bounce light around.

And here are some reasons to paint your ceiling a shade of white.
1) There’s nothing interesting about your ceiling. Keeping it a soft white will not draw attention to it.
2) There’s not enough light, either natural or artificial, in the room. A white ceiling, particularly one with some sheen to it, will help reflect light around the space.
3) You want an ethereal feeling in the room. Keeping both wall and ceiling colors very light will help.
4) You have dramatic art on display. All colors in a room will reflect on each other. To stay close to the artist’s intent, keep large planes of color (walls, floor, and ceiling) pretty neutral.

Ultimately, you make your own rules. If your painter says ‘it’s a rule to paint the (vaulted) ceiling white,’ tell them your designer said it’s OK to paint the color you want!

A square or rectangular arrangement for your furniture is a great place to start in most rooms. By aligning your furniture with the walls you create a solid, anchored feeling in the room. In many small rooms, this is the only way to arrange large pieces of furniture so you can move comfortably in the room. But you still have options.

A rug draws the two sides of this room together.

Take a look at this small room. Barely room enough for a love seat and one arm chair. Also there’s traffic from the front door through this space to the rest of the home so it needs a fairly wide clear pathway. Complicating this space is the fact that it’s not actually square. Because the parallel walls are offset from each other, there can easily be confusion as to where the focal point is.

So to take best advantage of each wall, we placed furniture centered on each wall. Then to connect the two sides of the room, an area rug is placed on an angle drawing a clear, visible line from the center of one side of the room to the center of the other side.

This client is a very dynamic person with tons of original art. The angled area rug, besides being functional, also brings energy and interest to this small room without taking up floor space. It’s a perfect combination of merging the client’s personality with the structural limitations of the space.

The round rug creates a cozy feeling.

But what if you’re less dynamic and more warm and welcoming? How about using a round rug? This is another small room again with limited furniture and wall space. There’s a fireplace and built-in bookshelves on the entire wall across from the love seat. And again there’s traffic from the rest of the home through this room so it needs a clear pathway. This round rug has a much different feel in this space than an angled rug might have.

Or what if you have lots of space and lots of furniture but no one ever sits in the room?

A round table draws people together in this room.

Here’s a room like that. Before I got there, the furniture was all aligned with the walls and the back of the love seat faced the entry to the room. Everything was placed around a large rectangular coffee table. By changing the center of the space to a round (or oval, in this case) table, and by using the rounded chairs next to the entry to the space, it’s more welcoming. In fact, one of my favorite comments of all time was from the client’s grown children who, not realizing the furniture had been moved, said ‘This is a great room! Why don’t we ever sit in here?’

So do something out of the box this week! Try angling your furniture towards a focal point. Try creating a welcoming entry to your space by placing a rounded piece of furniture there. Try angling just the area rug to make the room more dynamic. It’s easy!

Marble
Common varieties are Carrara and onyx. These are natural stone so have organic variations in color and pattern. Wide variety of stone colors available. Marble is softer than granite and can stain, scratch and etch more easily. It must be sealed regularly to help protect it. Though it can last a long time, I don’t consider it a ‘green’ product because it doesn’t regrow/regenerate and must be transported from other parts of the world. Price point: $$-$$$$

Look how lively the stainless steel counter is! Image courtesy www.kitchenideas.com.au

Granite
Available in a wide variety of stone colors and a wide variety of patterns. Smaller, more regular patterns are usually less expensive. Granite is one of the hardest natural stones but is still susceptible to staining, scratching and etching. It must be sealed regularly to help protect it. Though it can last a long time, I don’t consider it a ‘green’ product because it doesn’t regrow/regenerate and must be transported from other parts of the world. Price point: $-$$$$

Other Natural Stone
Common varieties are limestone and travertine. Most are more porous than granite or marble making them less suitable for kitchen counters especially in the lighter colors. For the most part they stain, scratch, chip and may even burn. They require regular sealing. Though they can last a long time, I don’t consider them ‘green’ products because they don’t regrow/regenerate and must be transported from other parts of the world. Price point: $$-$$$$

Quartz
Common brands include Caesarstone, Silestone, Cambria, and Chroma. Quartz combines natural stone with resins and pigments to create a surface that’s harder and more durable than natural stone. It is more stain, scratch and burn resistant than natural stone. It does not require sealing. It’s available in a wide variety of natural and decorator colors, mostly in small patterns or solids. Because it both lasts a long time and composed of scrap natural stone, I do consider quartz a ‘green’ product. Price point: $$-$$$$

Terrazzo
There are more and more terrazzo-type counters out every day that combine stone and/or glass pieces with a cement or epoxy. Some are even customizable with the client selecting their own combination of colors to be bound together. Common brands include Fuez, Squak Mountain, and terrazzos (terrazzi??) by Pental and Dal. Price point: $-$$

Acrylic
Common brands include Corian and Avonite. This is a relatively soft surface and will stain, scratch and burn. It can be fabricated with bands of color and can have an integrated sink literally attached to the counter. It can become dull over time because of its softness. Price point: $-$$$

Compressed Paper and Bamboo
Common brands include Paperstone, Ecotop, and Richlite. These are generally newer products than quartz and acrylic so don’t have the same track record but do seem to hold up well over time. Most are at least as heat resistant as natural stone and, because they are so highly compressed, can easily be used next to sinks. These products will develop a patina over time and are available in a limited palette of colors. They are easily modified with wood-working tools making them a possible do-it-yourself installation. Paperstone is made in the Northwest so shipping costs are minimal. These are all considered ‘green’ products. Price point: $-$$

Stainless Steel
While this is the standard for commercial kitchens, it’s an often overlooked option for residential kitchens. Stainless is easily disinfected and easy to maintain. It can be shaped – professionally – into almost any shape including having an integrated sink. It is not susceptible to burns or stains but will scratch and develop a softer look over time. Price point: $-$$$

Butcher Block or Wood
Available in standard-sized panels. Make sure you find butcher block that’s been glued with food-safe adhesives. It is relatively soft so it’s a nice cushion for dishes but will scratch, burn and stain. Some burns and scratches can be sanded out; some stains can be removed. May be best for an insert in another counter surface. Price point: <$-$$

Concrete
Not as popular as most other counters but more environmentally friendly. It can be a do-it-yourself project and provides a seamless solid surface. It will chip, scratch and can develop hairline cracks over time but is heat-resistant. It must be sealed and waxed regularly. It can be tinted almost any color, can even include patterns, and can have items embedded in it. Price point: $-$$

Tile
Ceramic, porcelain, stone, and even glass tile can be used on a counter. All will require installation on top of concrete board so can be thicker than some solid surface counters. Smaller tiles are less susceptible to breaking or cracking; larger tiles must be installed on a completely flat surface. Grout lines are problematic and must be cleaned and sealed regularly. Glass tile and stone tile will scratch. Counters are not smooth and are not particularly friendly to dishes. Though relatively heat resistant, use a trivet for hot pans. Easily a do-it-yourself project. Price point: $-$$

[Great idea from Ryan Flegal to a recent greenhomeguide.com/askapro question: Instead of using all 12”x12” granite tiles (which I think can look like a poor man’s answer to a granite slab counter), try cutting your granite tiles into different shapes and creating a one-of-a-kind granite tile counter. You know who to call if you need help with this design!]

Laminate
Often dismissed as cheap, there are some great laminate patterns out now. Tons of color and pattern options; some great new finish options. Common brands are Formica, WilsonArt, Nevamar. This is a great surface if your budget is tight. It is not scratch or heat resistant and many will stain. No routine maintenance required. It can even be a do-it-yourself installation project. Price point: <$

Come get your own 15 minute FREE interior design consult!

Ever wonder why no one wants to sit in your living room?
Ever wonder how to create a color palette?
Ever wonder if there’s a better way to arrange your furniture?

Bring your measurements, pictures, ideas and questions. I’ll apply my interior design expertise and send you back home with some fresh ideas.

No strings attached.

Monday, June 13 7:00 – 8:30pm
Conference Room in the Redmond Library
15990 NE 85th Street

Need more details? Just call me at 425-785-4284.