For the last few weeks I have been working on and off on our living room design, and things around here are moving slowly. Normally I would cringe at the thought of things taking this long, but the weather here on the West coast of B.C has been beautiful finally!!
So what have I been spending my time on besides painting and installing trim? Well… BBQ’s with friends, eating s’mores over the BBQ, more BBQ’s, visiting lavender farms, and my parents are here for a short visit over the weekend. Life and summer is sooo short and I don’t want to miss out on it while I could be doing renos. Don’t get me wrong, but sometimes there is a better time for me to fit this re-design into our schedule.
I really know the feel of the room, but I am really taking my time to find the right pieces. I picked up British Interior designer Kelly Hoppen’s book “Style”. This is a fabulous book!
She has some amazing words of wisdom that really flow really well with my personal style and journey that I am on right now, and I so have to share with you a quote from her book.
“Successful design isn’t about what paint colors, flooring materials, or accessories you choose. Those things ultimately play a part, but without first solving fundamental issues such as spacial problems or analyzing how each area is to be used, they are inconsequential. if a room is not well designed from the outset, no amount of fabric or expensive furniture can make it work as a successful living space. This is what separates designers from decorators. The latter are concerned only with surface changes while designers are trained to get right to the root of the problem and it is a fact that every house or apartment has its problems. That is why this chapter is devoted to space and function issues. Space is not just about how much room you have, but about whether you can improve it by moving or removing internal walls or by adding partitions o create a series of more workable areas.”When I read this for the first time, it just hit me. This is exactly how I think and what irks me about so many spaces! While, some spaces may look okay at first glance, but until we are all ready to make the changes that are necessary to move on our space, then that’s when our spaces are left limited. I have personally have sooo… much experience in this area and have such a passion for making spaces work better each time. This is my passion over any new great new fabric or new vase or pendant lighting. In my business, I strive to make your space work the best it can work for your home and not anyones else’s.
For the longest time the lay out of my living room has left me crippled. You enter our living room and the fireplace is on the right wall. Directly opposite of the entrance is two very large windows, which leaves really not a lot of walls to place furniture on properly with how the entrance of this room is layed out.
I thought that my biggest challenge has been the size of my sofa. We have a tremendous amount of room is our living room and I always thought that it was the sofa’s fault. Really what was holding back true perfect design for our room was getting rid of certain pieces in this space. We used to have an old Ikea unit that housed our DVD player, and Stereo equipment. Now this piece has been donated, and the whole room feels free without it.
This piece is perfectly practical to use but truly lacks in my own personal style and functionality. I have since donated it to a friend to see if she can use it, and if not it will get donated to a good cause. In its place will be built-ins that I want to design around either sides of our fireplace. This hasn’t happen because I am really taking my time to find out what we really need as a family in regards to this effort that building them will require.
What is holding back your perfect design and flow for your home? Is it the white carpet that really need to be replaced before another $$ is spent on one more decor item? Or is the piece of furniture in a really bad colour that you secretly despise and publicly hate? May be it’s a wall that you may not know that needs to be torn down and re-built the right way for your family? My personal dream for each person’s home is that they love their home no matter what the size. You will never love your home until it works properly and functions well for YOUR HOME! You will love it because ever surface has been worked on and created by you or by someone who really sees design in a great way. This may be through working with me, or another designer that you know and can trust.
What do you think of Kelly Hoppens take on design?
we plan on doing built in on both sides of our fireplace too! the two things holding us back right now, is the four kids and the $ mula!!!! soon, our vision for this place will be complete, but really i feel it’s more about the process. can’t wait to see it complete! i’m sure it will be fabulous!