Designers are reimagining space and traditional pieces to meet the ever-evolving needs for comfortable living. To live well, it's essential to plan with the end in mind. To achieve your desired goals, it's necessary to envision the outcome first and then create a plan that will help you achieve it. The same principle applies to design and construction. Planning with the end in mind is a reliable way to design and build an environment that achieves your goals.
Nowadays, adaptable, comfortable, innovative, and sustainable solutions are in high demand, and people want their homes to be easy to live in more than ever before. Therefore, we are sharing a few key concepts to help you plan with the end in mind and create homes and businesses that work for you, offer more ease, and help you live well.
Design Thinking
Our mind is a powerful tool. Revolutionizing the way you think about how to use space will open possibilities for purpose and potential. Evaluate your needs and think through what you need out of your home. Maybe you don’t need a formal dining room but you need a home office or maybe you have a growing family requiring more room in the kitchen. Ask yourself if it’s within reach to renovate, relocate, and repurpose a space for a different intent.
Adaptable Features
The marriage between practicality and aesthetics offers a significant advantage to thinking beyond the obvious. Make the most of every square foot by opting for space saving solutions. Leverage furniture that serves a dual purpose like sleeper sofa and daybeds and compartments such as countertop cabinets that disguised toasters, air fryers, and the like. Double down on drawers, vertical built-in solutions, and time saving solutions to help redefine space.
Mindful Selection
The key to a well considered selection is ensuring that it’s functional for your lifestyle. If something is not working for you in your home and you have the reach to change it, do it. Attaining pieces that bring about worry or frustration is mental clutter which hinders our ability to move through our days with ease and flow. Even if your family must make the choice to save up, it’s worth investing in a collection of pieces that supports a life of flow, gratitude, and good energy. Quality, performance, and scale are other factors to consider when selecting the right pieces. If you have teenage children or pets, consider a performance fabric that is more durable, easy to clean and has a low pile count.
Let’s discuss about scale. This one has taken our team years to learn and we still learn something new about to incorporate scale on every job. Some examples of scale include when a sectional is too big for the living room it is intended for or a nightstand that is too small for the room and adjacent bed. The wrong scale takes away from a room rather than complimenting it. Spend time understanding what the best proportions would look like before you make the purchase and identify how you want energy to flow through the room. The right proportions will help ensure that the room feels whole, even if there remains work to do in order to complete the space.
Dynamics
Evolving dynamics of modern living means that we have more exposure to things that are good for us just as much as things that are not so good for us. Take stock of your home to assess surface conditions, textiles, and materials that promote good health. Here are a few suggested areas of your home to inventory to ensure that what you’re bringing in your home is as good for you as how you would like it to look.
What type of surfaces do you have? What are they made of?
If you live in a highly dense area, what type of air filters do you have and do they support the best air quality possible?
Would an air purifier serve your family to help reduce sicknesses and illnesses such as colds?
Will a vaporizer add value to your wellbeing if you live in a dry geographic zone?
What type of materials is your furniture, throw blankets, bedding, towels, and clothes made from?
If it’s within reach, invest in materials that are more natural, with less artificial dyes, and if possible, can be washed often. I like slipcovers for high traffic seating areas which allow me to wash and care for it to keep down dirt, dust, and odors. I also recommend looking into items that have a chain of custody report which offers more insight into the disposition of materials and manufacturing process. This is a lot to ask for every item you purchase (I know), however, building the habit of research will help better inform you on the decisions— quality and authenticity thereof— you make about what you are bringing into your home and how well it serves you and your family.
Residential and commercial transformations are no small feat. This is where an all-star team consisting of contractors and designers are your guide, but remember as you consider the many facets of when to renovate, what to purchase, and how to pull it together, keep in mind the many opportunities to rethink how your home or business serves you (and how you’re caring for it) and ask how you're living. Until next time.
Stay Simply Inspired.
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