AbbeyK — On Interior Design

Design Time

Some clients get frustrated because some things take longer than desired.

Recently there was an issue with a tile delivery. The tile vendor was in California. My vendor had to make the phone call to the tile company — I can’t buy directly from this tile manufacturer. So, if I make the phone call to my vendor, then it takes my vendor a few days to get in touch with the manufacturer because of the time difference plus a little phone tag.

Another misconception is that business practice in my business follows the same time frame as the regular business world, (especially people in the Internet world that are used to having everything happen fast). Interior design is a custom world, it can be slow, and that can be frustrating for people. But it's the nature of the business

A client’s responsibility in terms of contributing to the relationship?

They need to pay on time. Designers like it when clients pay on time. Things get delayed when clients are slow to pay. So if you have a deposit on something and I don’t get a check for two weeks, then just takes it two weeks longer for your sofa to come in. That’s important.

Scale and Proportion

Because taste is completely personal, I feel that my job is done as an interior designer when I have nailed scale and proportion. By that I mean, all the furniture fits in the space, nothing feels crowded, and it feels comfortable to be in and easy to move around the space. The room should not be so full of stuff that people cannot breathe.

A king sized bed will not fit in all bedrooms. Some bedrooms are just too small for the sleepers to get in and out of bed. Another item that won't always fit is a sectional.

How do designers determine what fits? We measure and we do floor plans. We apply standards that guide how much space is necessary between objects and for flow through space. Good designers have an innate understanding of scale and proportion based on training and experience.

What's My Design Style?

A really good designer works in any style, I think. If you love French country, do you need a designer who specializes in French country? Not necessarily. If you only love modern furniture, meaning what most people think it means, Italian, really clean lines, contemporary high style, no. Some people feel that you need a designer who only works in the style that you like, but you can actually get a more creative vision when someone just listens and is creative. I know I get jobs sometimes because people say: “I met this one woman and she totally works in my style.” But every project I have looks different. That’s interesting to me. That’s where the thought process goes through. You have to think and try to solve the problem.

How much space is enough space: design standards

Design standards — the size of furnishings, how far items should be from each other in space are built around a person's body size.

Take a look at dining room standards.
• A dining room chair is typically 18-19" inches wide, and the larger scaled ones are around 22 inches. Most people's bodies fall within these sizes.
• You need about 2 feet to pull a chair back from the table and get up.
• A person walking behind a chair already pulled back needs about 2 feet to pass easily. Edging pass can take less space.
• A dining room may not have room to sit and get around the table unless you have about 36" to 48" from the table to the wall or furniture on the wall.

You can try it for yourself with a friend! Take out a tape measure. Sit in a chair. Pull the chair back and see how much space your friend needs to pass comfortably behind the chair. What number did you come up with for your comfortable dimension?

Cultural issues may play a role as may the size of the passer-by.

There's a group in the Midwest that has a lab where they figure out dimensions needed to perform different tasks in kitchen space.

Starting a Business in Design

It's funny how life can be. Before I decided to start a business, one day I had a conversation with a stranger.
He asked, “What do you want to do?”
My response surprised me at the time. I answered, “I want to help people pick out paint colors for their houses.”
The stranger replied, “You know, people do that for a living.”

This random conversation with a stranger that got me thinking. Before that conversation, I don’t think it ever occurred to me to become a designer.
The more I explored, the more it made sense.

When I told my friends and family about my plans, they were sort of dumbfounded that it had taken me so long to figure it out. It seemed so obvious to them that interior design was what I should be doing.

Deciding Trim for Window Treatments

The details can make all the difference.
Here's the fabric we chose for the window treatment in the master bathroom.

I had a hard time choosing trim for some strange reason, so I took a picture and sent it to the client.
Robin who works with me liked the gray better, the client liked the gray better.
I just couldn't decide --the jazzier one, or the matching tan one?

So I bought them both and shipped both to the workroom. Won't of course charge the client.
I can't remember ever being indecisive like this. Guess I need a vacation.

When I got to the workroom and saw the two choices held up to the finished valance. There was no question. Jazzier was the winner.

We install this week. Check back soon and I'll post the finished window.
I think she'll love it!

This Old House Newton -- Lighting

We are hard at work on the This Old House project. The basics and many of the details have already been decided. Working with Treff Lafleche at LDA and his project manager Stephanie Morrison has been a treat.

Right now we are working on the electrical plan. It's a challenge to find pieces that fit the period and give enough light. Client's taste go towards traditional but we are using some more transitional pieces too.

The biggest questions were the main stair way, the powder room, and the dining room.

Sometimes figuring out dimensions simply takes some taping up to see.
A rectangle mirror (and of course a lighter shade of paint) will really open up the powder room.
P.S.I like the sconce a bit higher above a mirror, but I couldn't reach any higher.

There's a lighting challenge in the main stairway. It's certainly amazing, but a bit dark. We're adding a new fixtures on the main floor, but the stair....
So we taped up about where they would go and about how big they should be. Sconces can get challenging. You don't want them sticking out too much from the wall and you want some wattage. We are putting fixtures with wattage on the landing above and on the main floor. These will be mostly decorative. We are currently looking for antique pieces. Anyone have any ideas?

We also had to check that the pendant placement for what will now be the dining room is centered over where the table will be. I taped down 2 scenarios: table axis on the straight away and on an angle. Good news. The light is pretty much centered. Not worth it to re-frame to get it 2" over.

Check out Old House My House for more about the project from the homeowner's perspective.

On Becoming a Designer

I’ve actually been designing my whole life. Even when I was a kid, my mother encouraged us to express ourselves. We were allowed to repaint our bedrooms. I made window treatments from the time I was 12 or 14 years old, and my friends always asked me to help them decorate their spaces. I have reupholstered, and I can sew window treatments and all kinds of home furnishings.

Today, I have workrooms that construct custom items for clients, but my first-hand knowledge of construction brings a lot to the table.

What’s New in Colors?

Sprucing up for spring? Not sure where to look? Try bold color combinations found in your favorite foods.
Aubergine is an fabulous shade of purple and so are so are persimmon (an orange), lime green and rasberry. Call it delicious!

4 quick fixes for lighting

Here are some easy ways to bring light to your life.

• Replace existing bulbs to the maximum wattage allowed by the fixture.
• Try adding 2 floor lamps in a room. Up-lights can provide tons of light as they blast light towards the ceiling which then bounces back.
• Replace any dark lamp shades with white or ivory ones. Brings in more light since dark colors absorb light.
• Full spectrum lighting adds a warm glow.
• To save energy, replace some bulbs with contact fluorescent bulbs. Great places to try are hallways, basements, or outdoor spaces.
• Looking to do a chandelier? Try a drum pendant instead.