What is design as it relates to our habitats? There isn’t an easy answer to that question. Design encompasses everything from space planning to material choice and beyond. But the experts do agree on one thing—the most successful projects begin and end with well thought-out design.
Design Is Experience
There’s a first time for everything, including a major renovation. Yet just because you have never built a home, remodeled your kitchen or landscaped your yard doesn’t mean the project will be one great unknown after another. Having experienced professionals guide you through the process is invaluable.
Consider retaining a professional landscaping firm. “Your investment in a professional landscape design plan can often pay for itself by helping you avoid misdirected or unplanned work,” advised John Sullivan of Olympic Landscaping.
Even with the most talented design team, expect some detours along the way. No one can know with absolute certainty what is behind the walls or below the ground. And even the best-designed plans often need some tweaking as the project moves along.
“Clear, concise communication and education have been our best tools to reduce the stress that is involved in the remodeling/design process,” owners from Phase II Construction remarked. “By letting our clients know what to expect and what’s coming next, they can look to it with anticipation and comfort in having an idea of what is to come.”
Design is Possibility
Design, after all, is where it all begins. Design is creating the space that reflects who you are and meets your lifestyle needs.
Design is also what translates ideas, abstract feelings and lifestyle into a blueprint for a remodel or new construction. It isn’t always easy for homeowners to envision what a good entertaining space will look like, or how to express a desire for an inviting gathering space in square footage. Designers and other construction professionals can make that leap from ideals to actual living spaces.
With endless options available today, clients walk into a showroom and quickly get overwhelmed. “I tell them it’s a layering process starting with the species of wood in cabinetry and flooring, then moving to solid surfaces, countertops, tile selections and ending with the perfect paint palette,” Stefanie Brooks, Interior Designer, said.
Scott Bergford, president of Scott Homes, agrees. “After twenty-five years in the building industry, I have learned that it is easy to help clients avoid pitfalls by simply asking good questions and learning about what a client’s needs are, what is really important to them and helping them navigate through the process.”
Design is Life
Design isn’t just what our spaces look like. It is how they feel and how they work. Design is a kitchen that is functional, a living room that is inviting and a backyard that allows you to be productive while enjoying the space. Design is the chair you curl up in with a good book (or maybe, now, a Kindle). It’s the table where you play Battleship with your cousin every Christmas. It’s the yard fountain which greets you with a calming sound as you enter your yard on a crisp fall morning.
“Most clients don’t want what everyone else has; that is where being creative and digging into untapped resources is important.” says Stefanie Brooks. “Creating a space that is unique to the client and the character of their home gives them a sense of comfort and something to be proud of each time they walk into their home.”
The spaces that we live, work and play in have a power to influence us in many ways,” commented John Sullivan. “Design is about our lives. Creating beautiful spaces with well throughout designs, well they just fit like a glove. Incredible fit gives us a sense of well-being and, ultimately, a beautiful, functional space enhances our lives.”
In the end, design is the detailed road map to creating form or structure, emphasizing features such as appearance, convenience and efficient functioning. A well thought-out design will save you time, energy and open the door to creative possibilities which fit the way you live. Finding a design expert has an important impact on how you develop the design plan for your spaces.
As Frank Lloyd Wright eloquently put it, “I never design a building before I’ve seen the site and met the people who will be using it.”
olympiclandscape.com | 877.922.7075
scotthomes.com | 360.357.9167
sbinteriordesign.com | 253. 225.6545
phaseii.net | 253.377.3400
Leah Grout