Kitchens are of high importance in a residential design. Kitchens are considered one of the biggest factors in determining the price, desirability, and sell ability of a house.

Kitchens are usually the most costly, time consuming, and involved room in the construction of a house involving location, access, lay out, storage, man made and natural light, electrical outlets and wiring, air circulation and venting,  temperature and humidity control, efficiency, cooking, cooling, freezing, food preparation, eating, cleaning, socialization, personalization, conversations, functionality, and aesthetics.

The basic functions of a kitchen are to be a place into which food can be brought, be prepared for storage or cooking, cooking and or cooling, serving, eating, disposing, cleaning, and maintenance.

  The functions begins with how close is the kitchen to where groceries are brought into the house and where do you put the groceries down first and ends when all dishes are cleaned and put away. How comfortable is the floor on which you will be standing for perhaps hours during the day? How well do the cabinets and counters fit the proportions of your body so that you can be comfortable as well as efficient in kitchen activities? How well can you see what you are to do? How well does storage and layout of the room fit the way you like to do things? What is involved in cleaning and maintaining walls, floors, ceilings, exhaust fans, appliances, et cetera?

There are a myriad of  questions to be considered, analyzed, and answered for a well planned and designed kitchen. Contrary to the popular saying: One size does not fit all.

And the there are the aesthetics of a kitchen. What ambiance do you like? What colors do you like? What materials do you like? What style do you like? Do you want a simple, stark, and efficient food laboratory or a warm, cozy,  and homely  feeling or something in between? The options are unlimited. Choose your own way.

All of these factors need to be be taken into consideration and put together into a complete balance for the best kitchen results.

A kitchen is usually the most costly and complex room in the house. Therefore, it is to be used and enjoyed as much as possible for all of the above reason.

Food for thought.

  What is the ultimate purpose of a residence?

Buildings are constructed to enclose space from the elements. After that, the activities by it’s users that will take place inside the building are it’s reason d’etre.

To many, the purpose of a residence is financial as a tax deduction or a growth investment or rental income. To some, it’s like a gas station. It’s where they eat, sleep, and dress. To others, it is a manifestation of their accomplishments and status and lifestyle. And the bigger and more expensive, the better.

The purpose of life is to live. If a residence is not used for the best and most living of it’s space by it’s occupants, it is not being used to it’s highest potential.

It matters not how many square feet, the level of quality, the cost, or the acreage. If it is not being used and lived in by it’s occupants, what is the merit of a residence?

Mankind requires tangible and intangible experiences in life.

A house should not be just a house for the people who live there. It addition to shelter from the elements and a comfortable interior environment, it should be the place of manifestation for one’s personal intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual, and aesthetic life style.

What is the reason d’etre of your residence?

Food for thought.

Many people are very enthusiastic in telling others what they like. Often, such a statement means that they like that with which they are familiar as opposed to what exists.

When we are born we have certain inborn traits which are a deciding factor in our behavior. At that time we don’t really know what we like in aesthetics. As we experience life and are exposed to many different choices we tend to go in certain directions. The more to which we are exposed, the more we grow and increase our knowledge and broaden our horizons.

At the beginning, every thing is a new experience. We don’t know what we will experience in the future and such is true for the entirety of our lives. After a period of time, many people get set in their ways and limit themselves to what they already know and insist upon staying in that position. Everything else is not on their radar.

Thus, when it comes to aesthetics, it may be wise and enlightening to get out of such a box and let in some fresh air.

Look round. Observe. Try new approaches. Educate yourself. Research. Don’t limit yourself. Be free.

When such is completed, if you still like the same aesthetics, it will be on a higher and more enjoyable and appreciative level. And there is the possibility that you will discover something which you like even better. You may discover some things which you did not know existed before which can be a joyous surprise.

Life is an ever growing and expanding experience. Let your driving direction be forward and not via the rear view mirror. Join in and don’t sit on the side line. Live and not merely exist.

Food for thought.

Ideas! We have ideas for your home. Come see our new display house with ideas for you. I want some ideas. This month’s edition is loaded with a hundred ideas you can use for your home. Now, that’s a good idea.

We can be bombarded with the messages that ideas are the measuring device for good residential interior design.

What is the purpose of an idea? Is it relevant and applicable and functional for your situation? Is it practical? Does said idea reflect your personality and life style? Is it fashionable or long lasting? Does it enhance the aesthetic experience?

As in any intelligent and well planned situation, it is advisable to look at all angles and aspects of a situation. Use knowledge, experience, practicality, finances, appropriateness, function, and long term results as well as emotions and intelligence in making and executing a choice.

Do not be persuaded by fashion, what’s different, trends, what’s popular, what they are doing, or what’s hot now. Interior design decisions should be made for long term lasting results.

As I write in my published book, The Layperson’s Beginning Bible of Interior Design, interior design is not an Easter basket filled with the more ideas the better. Approach an interior design project with the goals of function, aesthetics, and user’s personality. Use all talents and materials and knowledge currently available to carry those goals to the highest level possible in all areas. Raise the bar. Then design it. Then execute the design. Then live in, enjoy, and appreciate it.

Don’t get caught up in and eat the potato chips of just ideas.

Food for thought.

PS: Please feel free to my e-mail address for any thoughts or comments you may have about the content of this blog.

  Well designed planned and functional floor plans are an important part of any well designed residential interior.

The most important aspect of a floor plan is that it needs to be functional for the activities that will take place in that interior space taking into account all of the physical activities that will take place in the room.

The most important is traffic flow which means that space is allowed for people to walk comfortably into and out of the room, go where they need to go, sit where they want to sit, can easily carry on a conversation with others, reach what they need to reach, see what they need to see, and have access to storage, entertainment, and other places in the room.

Comfort needs to be considered also. Is furniture placed so that one is not in a hot or cold spot from heating and air conditioning? Is it placed so that one has good lighting from natural and man made sources? Is it placed so that one has a pleasant view when using the furniture?

These needs need to be fulfilled for all physical types and personalities that will be using the space.

When such is accomplished, the aesthetics need to be considered. Is the size, style, and placement of the furniture such that it fits into the background and aesthetics of the room’s walls and floors?

  Proportions of all of furnishings of the room play an important role here. The biggest mistake most people make in this aspect is that they jam too many large pieces of furnishing into a too small space or too small pieces in a large space.

All aspects of the furnishings of an interior space need to be considered as part of the aesthetic composition of the room, adjacent rooms, and he entire house so that it not cut up, a heterogeneous mixture, and comes together into a complete whole.

The floor plans of each room should fit in with the adjacent rooms and into the flow and functions of the entire residence.

When all is said, planned, and achieved there will be a natural and comfortable ambiance about the interior design so that everything looks and functions as it should, everything looks like it is together the way it should be, is unobtrusive, and manifests a synergy that is pleasant and delightful and looks and feels right.  You don’t have to look and think about it. You just experience it.

The last thing to do for a successful floor plan in any interior space is that you are to use and enjoy it.

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

Food for thought.

  There is a lot in all medias about housing in this country today relating to trends. What age group is living where, what are people wanting in housing today, what effects are labor and materials making, what is the housing market doing, how are technology and new materials affecting building, what are popular features, what style is prevalent, what colors, materials, appliances, et cetera are being promoted today, what are the current emotional and intellectual features that are currently desired, et cetera. The list goes on and on.

A trend is a movement in a certain direction being manifest by mass activity.

For residences, trends happen when when a certain number of people in building and buying houses and where and how they chose to live and the environment there of make decisions to go in a certain direction.

People in real estate, builders, contractors, mortgagors, manufacturers, marketers, suppliers, et cetera will use this information to gear their efforts to fulfill this movement and forecast it’s affect on future businesses. Such is a basic function of all well managed businesses.

Trends come from and are geared toward mass consumption. Many people want to be in, on, or what’s popular with trends as it ties them to the present time and gives them a certain cache of with it and of it.

The question you need to ask yourself when faced with a trend is: Do you want to follow the masses and become part of a trend , or are you an individual who chooses his own personality, needs, wants, and situations to be the deciding factor in making choices?

What is your ultimate goal in a residence? Is it a place to live and be your self? Is it merely a financial investment option? What are your long term goals in designing, building, buying, and living in a house?

Trends in many ways are a lot like fashion. Some become out dated. Some cause change in a new direction. Some loose their effectiveness  or are no longer of merit.

How does a trend affect you, your life style, and your long tern goals? Think about and analyze trends before making a permanent decision.

Food for thought.

Who or what is an interior designer? In most areas of this country, any one can call themselves such. Some areas, especially states, require qualifications such as education, experience, testing, registration, licensing, et cetera to be an interior designer. Some states may require registration or licensing and no other requirements. Such is only the legal aspect of the situation.

Yet, in almost of the medias, we  are constantly targeted by department stores, furniture stores, retail shops, tile stores, carpet stores, window treatment stores, and many others with calling their employees interior designers, interior decorators, design consultants, et cetera as available for helping you with your home.  In most of these situations, almost all of these people are sales persons who may or may not have had any training in design. Usually, such training is geared to selling their own merchandise and is more marketing than designing.

Then, there are house wives, debutantes, rich people, educated people, sophisticated people, artistic people, those of high economic, social, celebrity, or political status, and many others who are extremely confident and arrogant and consider themselves qualified to perform interior design services. These people can convince others of that ability and get paid for doing it when their biggest and strongest qualifications is pure chutzpah.

You can name the names, play the games, advertise and market it until the cows come home, but do all of these things really make one an interior designer? As in much of life the ism is true here:  ” The proof of the pudding is in the eating. “.

The worth and merit of a real interior designer is what qualifications do you have to produce professional aesthetic, functional, and personal interior spaces for a client? What can you do for a client that manifests results?

The most basic one should be education. If you are going to call yourself a professional interior designer, you should have at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited interior design college level institution.

Underneath and in conjunction with the above there has to be pure, raw talent, intelligence, creativity, imagination, and an instinct for and to learn beauty, and an unquenchable desire to design.

When all of these talents and qualifications are combined with years of experience, the results can be outstanding and lasting.

Food for thought.

There has been a lot of media coverage about McMansions in various media in recent years.

Now there is coverage about functions and status in McMansions and other residences especially about living rooms and dining rooms.

McMansions are usually evaluated negatively for being big and phony and of which much is not being functional or used. Many do have a lot of aspects and characteristics that are not functional or of quality and are there for status which is of high importance to those who build and buy them.

McMansions and real mansions are two totally different entities.

There are surveys and other reports that life styles are less formal and more casual which is relevant to many home owners. Thus, according to this position, living rooms and dining rooms are not used and should not be and having such is a waste of space and is merely a status symbol.

To get to the basic roots of design and aesthetics,  anything that is not of quality or without function should not be manifest in any design composition including houses.

If people want to build and buy big phony McMansions, such is their choice. We have the right in this country to do such.

If people want to have an informal and casual life style and not have living rooms or dining rooms, such is their choice.

If people want to have living and dining rooms which fit in with their life stye, such is their choice.

Designs conceived and marketed to mass consumers do not determine what is good for everyone. One size does not fit all.

All of which is an individual choice. If you want good design in your residence, go with the best quality and functional designs for your life style. Don’t be taken in or influenced by trends or marketing. Good design will give you lasting results which are up and above status or trends. It is real. Superior quality does not need to show off status. It is inherent.

If, after all is said and done, you still have a need to show off with status, get psychotherapy.

Food for thought.

Michaelangelo is one of the most outstanding artists who ever lived in many of the arts.. His works for hundreds of years and through our present time have been seen, admired, and appreciated by millions of peoples from around the world.

His conception and execution of beauty goes up and above that of genius to a level we can only admire with awe.

From where did it all come? What was the source of his talent?

He could conceive the completed aesthetics and only had to execute it which, of course, took time and talent.

He was aware that those of us who live on this planet and see beauty can experience the celestial perception from which all beauty comes.

That of which we are aware is but a hint of what can be.

To experience, appreciate, and enjoy the beauty of our living spaces we have to perceive the beauty that is there and manifest it to our own level of understanding. This result takes the expenditure of many different resources.

As you go about your day-to-day living in interior spaces how aware are you of the beauty therein? How does it affect your experience of life in a positive manner? Would you like to stay where you are or move up to a higher level of beauty and the joy of living?

There is no limit as to what we can experience in aesthetics during our lives. Creativity, imagination, intelligence, new resources, and the advancements of civilizations present unlimited opportunities.

Who are you, where are you, and where do you want to be for the beauty in your life?

Food for thought.

All types of interior designs for residences from many different income levels from all over the world that are published and shown by various medias come across my desk.

Interior refers to not outside space. Design refers to creation, planning, imagination, and putting together an aesthetic whole.

Some people don’t get the meaning of these two words. One of the most popular is that interior design is selling and the higher the quantity of high priced items sold the more profit they make and the better is the design.

Another is ideas which are advertised and promoted as the basis of interior design as if interior design was an Easter basket and the more ideas in it the better is the design.

There are many others such as ego, ignorance, control, newness, fashion, trends, conformity,and etiquette.

In the highest economic levels of residential interiors shown in these medias there is a strong tendency to have celebrity and status and the best residential interior design as all being the same.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Being owned and/or lived in by a celebrity does not make that residential interior good design. Designing, selling, endorsing, or use by a celebrity does not make anything good. As being a celebrity does not automatically make one have good health, have high ethical and mortal standards, scruples, or make them a good or pleasant person, their residential environment is not automatically good because they are a celebrity.

The same is true of status. Status and good design are two totally different evaluations, aspects, elements, characteristic, and traits than interior design. It matters not who lives there, how old it is, how much it cost, how much it is worth on the open market, it’s historical value, how  rare it is, who slept there, it’s zip code, a political office or affiliation, ancestry, how unique it is, or any other thing. All of these descriptions do not automatically make such interiors manifest good design.

Good interior design is the result of intelligent and quality use of the elements of design, creativity, and imagination to make a complete whole for an interior space that is aesthetically pleasing, functional for the purposes it is to be used, and reflects the personality and the lifestyle of it’s users.

All of the other aspects projected on an interior space are not a factor in it’s design.

Again, looking at some of the highest economic levels ( millions of dollars ) of some of these published residential interiors, forget the celebrity and status and look at what’s left. Often, you will see lots of expensive, high quality furnishings and art works, but nothing is coordinated into a whole composition. It’s a group of things in a space. Some look like a furniture showroom. It’s not put together, but is a collection of diverse elements. There is an old ism which would be appropriate here: “With out a dressing,  a salad is just bowl of wet vegetables.”

The next time you come across a celebrity or status residential interior, forget the status and celebrity and look objectively at the design. What do you see?

Food for thought.