How many times have you seen a gorgeous photo of a space and wanted to apply the look to your home?
Maybe you think the lighting is perfect or you love the colors.
Maybe you see a special piece of furniture or you're attracted to the vibe the room evokes.
Whatever it is, you just know you wish your place felt more like that.
As a designer I hear this all the time.
And yet, no matter how insanely gorgeous the space is, I have to tell you it's not the beauty — or even the functionality — you're really after.
Take my client Lynn for example.
I worked with her to remodel her master bathroom. She had great taste and a collection of images to show me her ideas for the space.
All of them were luxurious and serene with a neutral palette and a touch of personality.
But what’s most interesting is that once we got to the stage of selecting materials, there was a shift in her vision.
She realized the colors and materials weren't as important as the experience she was trying to create in that bathroom every single day.
She wanted to enjoy getting ready in the morning and be able to wind down in the bath at night.
She was after an experience at home in her master bath.
And because she was really able to hone in on the exact experience she wanted to have in her bathroom, we were able to mold all the material and color selections around that vision with much more precision and ease. This is the mood board we created for her space...
I find that when it comes to design, form follows function and function follows feelings.
When we're designing the look of a space what we're really doing is dialing in how you aspire to live and how you want your home to make you feel.
From there, we implement the functionality and the pieces that bring that functionality to life.
Maybe you crave relaxing Friday nights at home or having a place for your family over the holidays. You might want to entertain friends more often, cozy up out back on the patio with a glass of wine to watch the sunsets or maybe it's your goal to have a space to work from home.
The possibilities are endless and unique to you. And they'll likely change over time as you do, too.
Knowing how you want to experience living at home is a CRITICAL part of interior design — it's what helps set the foundation for your future, for the daily routines you'll adhere to and the sense of pleasure you'll experience as you come and go.
It's never really about the perfect sofa or piece of art — it's what get's orchestrated to evoke an experience that creates a meaningful life at home for you.
