It has been said that opinions are the most abundant commodity in the world.

With the invention and growing uses of computers and cell phones the presence of this commodity continues to expand.

The residential interior design world has not been immune to this phenomenon per what constantly comes across my desk.

One presentation says that if you want to present your residence for sale you should get rid of all brass handles et cetera as they make residential interiors look dated.

Another presentation states that if you want to update your residential interior look you should change your handles et cetera to brass.

Two presentations with opposite stated positions.

Of what is a lay person to think?

Using resources at your disposal, seek to find what positions are based on personal prejudices vs knowable facts and what positions are universal vs which ones are based on different times, locations, circumstances, et cetera.

And who, or what, determines what is?

With the infinite variety of personalities of the world’s populations one size, or rule or position, does not always fit all.

When choosing between opposing positions evaluate what is the most likeable, valuable, and important to your personality and choose accordingly.

Influential persons have shown us that there are varieties of chickens and methods of cooking them.

It’s your life.

You can then comfortably live your life while the rest of the world continues to discuss such situations.

Food for thought.

What are the factors that make for a successfully designed residential interior?

Think of it as a project with the ultimate goal a complete total interior environment of residential living that is functional and comfortable for what it will be used, is highly aesthetically pleasing, and reflects the personality and life styles of the people who will be using it.

It is a project in which every thing to and inside it should advance to the ultimate goal.

Be aware of how the laws of physics and the principles of aesthetics affect each other and the total results.

It is a complete total whole in which each and every part and space contributes to the resulting whole.

What is the level of quality to be chosen?

How important is what is liked vs what is good design?

There needs to be a final decision maker for each decision whose responsibility is to achieve the agreed upon desired results.

How do the factors of location, finances, time, regulations, et cetera affect the project?

Are resources, trends, popularity, availability, status, tradition, current times, and culture factors necessary considerations?

What is the big picture where you live and have your being?

Food for thought.

Google describes “a period of silence in a composition” of music as a rest.

During that period of silence the musical instrument with a rest is not played.

This rest is a necessary part of the total composition.

That part, and the affectation of it with all of the other parts, determines the level of quality of the experienced results desired by the composer for the entire whole musical composition.

This principle can be also applied to the aesthetic results for the design of residential interior spaces.

Not every space has to be filled.

Whether for minimum or maximum aesthetic style design goals results this composition approach principle can be applied, but it is also not essential, for all residential interior design compositions.

And all residential interior spaces are compositions whether you recognize or acknowledge it or not.

The whole composition via the affection of each individual part with all of the other individual parts is what determines that the result is more than the sum of it’s parts.

What affects do you experience in the residential interior spaces you occupy?

How does such engage you?

Food for thought.

“Subordinate or supplementary objects used mainly for attractiveness” Webster

For well designed residential interior spaces accessories are those things which add to and complete the aesthetics of the spaces.

It is also where more personal and sentimental objects can be added for completing the mood of those spaces.

Just as adding various seasoning to certain foods enhances the taste and enjoyment of eating them selecting the most appropriate accessories for a residential interior design composition completes the aesthetics and enhances the ambiance and joy of experiencing those living spaces.

When the accessories are in and of themselves works of art the aesthetic level bar is raised even higher.

It is a wise choice for those residential spaces where non-family members will be not to let emotions and sentiment run amuck when choosing accessories for those spaces.

For the highest quality level of aesthetic and intellectual results there should be a “raison de etre” of high merit for all accessories used for residential interior spaces and not just bric-a-brae or stuff just to fill in those spaces.

When you look around where you live what accessories do you see and what reactions do you have to them?

Whether consciously or sub-consciously how people react to their environments affects their behavior.

Food for thought.

A recent discussion came across my desk about how long Christmas decorations should stay up after the holidays?

One of the top financial billionaires on this planet stated that it is not the cost of purchases but the value received there of which is of merit.

Both of these approaches can be applied to residential interior design situations.

When considering and planning the design of a residential interior project consider the results desired, the level of quality, and the life time there of.

Where do you want to go and how long do you want to stay there?

What aspects will be for shorter periods and what aspects will be used and retained for decades or for your life time?

Do you want exclusively the time less classics or do you want to experience the changes brought about from current and future discoveries and advances of current residential interior designs?

What changes will take place in your life styles as you advance through your decades of living?

What is going to be the best over all and long term value for your expenditures using the laws of physics and principles of aesthetics for your residential living spaces while on this planet?

Keep in mind during this process the tangible and intangible aspects of your own unique personality.

Think, create, schedule, evaluate, execute, and enjoy.

Food for thought.

Recently, from different sources, opposing viewpoints on the uses of existing residential fireplaces have become more prominent.

Existing fireplaces should be used because they are there, that’s their purpose, and their being used is more authentic and aesthetic where as closing them off is dead spacing them and destroying their use, reality, and authenticity.

Proponents delight in the ambiance of real wood with it”s smells, sounds, and lighting.

Opponents point out the lacks of providing actual heat, the negatives of cleaning and disposing ashes, and the challenges of obtaining, bringing in, and the storage of fire wood.

Fireplaces are definitely a part of the architectural background in spaces where they are used and such has to be considered is the designing of such spaces.

There are many factors to be considered here, as well as in all intelligent residential interior design situations, for choosing.

As grandma said, “there is more than one way to cook chicken”, and there is rarely, if ever, a situation where there is only one design solution.

The major factor to be considered is what is the ultimate design completed goal of the spaces and who makes that decision?

Other factors can be evaluated according to their contribution to the whole of the design composition.

This principle can be used in any residential interior design situation, as well as for many other aspects in life, in making intelligent and quality decisions.

Food for thought.

To achieve the desired results of the whole it is necessary to select elements with the chemical characteristics which will react as needed with each of the other chosen elements individually and all together thusly contributing to the manifestation of the whole wanted results.

This principle is required for the highest level of achievement for any composition whether it be tangibles such as cooking, writing, creating art, physical manner or intangible such as mental, emotional, or psychological expressions.

Many of the residential interior designed spaces from international sources which have come across my desk in recent months have failed to apply this principle which has produced not the highest level of aesthetic results.

With the expendable resources available in these situations not applying this principle shows a lack whether of knowledge, interest, or integrity.

Many of these published examples go to great lengths to list manufacturer, model, color, source, history, brand, et cetera, which is excellent if such is their ultimate goal.

However, this information for the selection of these elements does not in and of itself make the choosing of these elements the best choices for the highest level of the designed space aesthetics.

Is not how it taste the primary goal for what you choose to eat?

Is it then not of merit for how it looks aesthetically to be a primary goal for choosing the elements of the interior spaces in which you live and move and have your being?

Choose your elements carefully, thoroughly, and intelligently.

Food for thought.

To be successful it is necessary for all aspects of a designed residential interior space to blend together.

An important part of that blending success is acknowledging that when it comes to physical comfort people came in many different sizes, shapes, preferences, and cultures.

One size does not fit all.

What is comfortable is an individual choice.

The physical characteristics of persons who will primarily be using the space can be a beginning point.

Some choices of furniture, such as dining room chairs, can be used comfortably by a physical variety of persons.

When the function, aesthetics, comfort, and desired goal of ambiance all come together as one complete whole, an achieved endeavor results.

Food for thought.

In less than two calendar days we begin a new calendar year.

Taking a look at the past year, it’s goals, accomplishments, growth, progress, mistakes, et ceters is a procedure used by many as a mile stone and a factor for planning and setting the flavor and goals for the coming new year.

Utilizing this same approach toward your residential interior living environment is a wise step toward a more complete and quality personal lifestyle.

Are you happy, content, comfortable, and at home where you have been living for the past twelve months?

Does your residential interior environment fulfill all of your functional needs well?

Is there something that needs to be added, replaced, repaired, improved, et cetera?

Take an objective observation all around and evaluate what you see.

Plot, plan, budget, and proceed accordingly to your desired goal results.

What you think and the execution there of will determine what is manifest in your life.

How do you want to live?

Go for it!

Food for thought.

Christmas decorations have made their way into public view for many weeks before the actual holiday.

It is the one time of the year when there are no restrictions on personal expressions for one’s home environment.

It is also the time of the year when the principles of aesthetics seem to be disappeared.

Even some persons in design businesses seem to have lost their way.

Anything goes.

And many times it goes badly.

Of course the ultimate result for these expressions is joy.

But let us not forget that intelligence, and the quality there of, also plays a role.

If the resources expended to holiday foods were also used for residential holiday decorations, the results would be greatly enhanced.

People choose to express themselves at their where they are level especially when emotional expression is dominate.

By all means, be your self and let us not overly judge expressions of joy.

In the world of which we now live any and every joy should be embraced and appreciated.

Food for thought.