DESIGN CONCEPT

It is so important that before the floor plan is drawn or anything is selected and ordered that you have established what your overall design concept is. I always say that my client and I can both love a light fixture, that doesn’t mean that it is what is right for the project. Its like a special code that is written just for your home that encompasses your style, story and lifestyle. I call this the Vibe. We really like to dig deep into the psyche of our clients here. We countless hours pulling together imagery from Pinterest boards and ask our client comment on each. We come to understand what they don’t like as much as what they do like. Here I might find that they want their traditional New England Shaker Style home overlooking the Atlantic to feel classic, not nautical, with a faint Mediterranean feel that reflects their heritage. The home had to be crisp but still warm and cozy. The palette consisted of whites, blacks, warm woods, brass and greenery. Our Goal here is that you too will enjoy this exercise and come up with your own special vibe!

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  • What is the Architectural Style of the Home (honor the style, but tat doesn’t mean you can’t bring in your own flavor)

  • Is there additional styles that you might want to layer in (Coastal, California Chic, Rustic, Farmhouse Modern, Bohemian, Glam, Preppy, Traditional, Contemporary

  • How do you want to feel when n the home? (Etherial, Cozy, Warm, Bright, Swanky, Crisp and Clear)

  • What Palettes are you attracted to?

  • What Materials do you love and keep coming back to?

    • Are these Classics

    • Are these Trends

  • What elements do you want to make sure you see in your home

  • How do you want to live

Once you have exhausted the depths of Pinterst and other fantastic resources Study these images. Print them out. Write one them what it is that you like in the images. Figre out if you have a pattern. I am always looking for those consistency, even if it is common elements that my client dislikes. It is just as telling. Answer these questions above. Set the vibe.

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  • Set the vibe, understand your vocabulary, design tone and sensibility

  • Collect Imagery -List of our favorite resources

  • Sort Ideas

    • Good Ones

    • Good Ones that are not right

  • Collage (there is some helpful tool for this). Isolate and put together all the elements that you believe the project should have, you can do this on the computer or the good old fashioned way with scissors and glue. Go back to this image and keep asking yourself if that is what you want. We find that once we step away from a mood board, we might feel the need to tweak it.

  • Start pulling together samples of materials that you are considering for the project. At this point they can still be conceptual, the gyst of what you are looking for. The more you dig and gather, the more informed your decision will be in the end. Here are some starting points of what we recommend. Another reason to start gathering these items nows is that it can take time for the samples to come in, so we urge you to get ahead of the game. Give yourself time.

    • Flooring

    • Wood Samples for coffee table etc

    • Rug Samples

    • Upholstery Memo Samples

    • Window Treatment Fabrics

    • Accent Fabrics

TIPS

  • Be Honest with yourself - when designing a space know your lifestyle and habits (not to confuse that with the habits and lifestyle you aim to have). example: if you are a person who accumulates clutter, design that way. Don’t design a house with little storage. Make that a priority. Another example : If you are anal (sp) you might want to think about doing white marble counters and linen upholstery if you have kids and pets. These items are sensitive and hard to remove stains. If you got a stain on your white marble counter would this send you over the edge, if so choose something else, because sister its eventually gonna happen. Instead choose a beautiful Quartz and indoor/outdoor fabrics that is much more durable and stain resisitent. If you have pets, do get silk rugs…do you get the picture? In these cases call it Murpheys Law.

    • Trends - Talk about being Classic. Or honest about how often you want to update your space. Think about the longevity of the space. Go back to the vibe guide here. Classic with trendy add ons.

    • Don’t design for your friends. Design for you and your family

  • Samples- You can never go wrong with having the actual materials you will be working with in hand. Look at them in the the space and with each other. Here is a list of how we often get started with our materials.

  • Trays. We organize our projects by trays. It starts with a tray with the overall vibe of the project with the imagery and main materials and then we start honing into each room. If you want more info how this is done or to see inspiration of some of our favorite mood boards.