Dishing the Dirt on Design Dilemas : Find the Floor!

Most of my clients are quite familiar with my mantra, “Edit and Delete” until you are comfortable with the amount of accessories, and the harmony they create. “Form and Function” are also important when designing your space, as they are necessary for comfort and relaxation. As indicated in my first Rant,moving from 2700 sq feet to 1500 sq feet requires hard choices, to ensure that harmony is created. And as important, is the function of the new space. Men still need “their space” and women need to be organized and not feel crowded. Such is the situation I find myself in today. My husband, although most attentive when it comes to colour and furniture, leaves the conversation when it comes to where the roasting pan for the turkey is to be stored and where the shoes are going and where the tool box will end up. Giving up a garage (for someone who spray paints on a regular basis) is not easy, but we will adapt or kill each other in the process. I digress….. The savior to this story is the closet organizer. Some clients think it is an extravagance, others think it is a convenience, but people believe me once you have had your space reconfigured to your usage and requirements, you will be elated and never go back. Many different companies sell everything from wire to painted mdf, and all finishes and colours in between. Have you noticed that fewer people are wearing full length coats, and there are more jackets, hats, boots, newspapers, keys, leashes, etc. that end up around the front closet but not inside the front closet. Organize the space to suit you, and start with your front closet and list all the items that need to go in this space. Organize and then the laundry room is next and then before you know it you are on your way to the master bedroom. I measured the length of my husband’s shirts including the hangers and found that if I raised one bar 3 inches I could get anther 12 feet of shelf space for my sweaters. Even the kitchen cupboard has an added shelf or 2 where the short whiskey glasses take up more height then they deserve. Liberation!!!!!! What a great feeling, when you can see the floor and not trip over everything. Take a good look in each closet and find all the wasted space that is free, look up, that is where you will find it. Then you will see the floor, it is there I promise. Till next time, design your life………Lesley

visit the website at www.elizadesign.net

Dishing the Dirt on Design Dilemmas: Quality Workmanship

It has happened to all of us at one time or another, out of desperation or frustration or an unexpected guest coming to visit, the impatience of having some project cleaned, fixed or in come cases painted…….you see where I’m going with this story. Yes, even designers with a blackberry full of trades, cannot always exercise patience. Clean up is almost always a pleasant surprise and almost always never expected anymore, (although it was always a part of the job, in the old days). I have been taken aback, literally reminded of what business use to be, by 2 brothers who arrived at our new condo, at the request of the developer, to check our kitchen cupboards to see if they we aligned correctly and to make note of any deficiencies. The shoes were removed in the hallway and the polite, articulate discussion of why they were there, took place. They were neat and clean and most of all knowledgeable. I am not talking 60 year old men here, these guys were good! I had decided on a whim the week before that, since I had moved a whole 2 weeks previous, I would have the place painted ( what can I say?), and since I was not able to get my regular painters, I was left with some paint residue on the new cupboards. Brent and Dean offered to clean it off, which was not their responsibility, and took an additional half hour of their time and left me feeling like I had just been given a wonderful Christmas present early! Before they left, the drywall dust was cleaned up and any packaging or tools were removed, without hitting the door on the way out. To all the Brents and Deans out there who are proud of their work, I thank you, as you may never know how great it feels to receive value, without having to coerce it. I told them that I would include this story in my blog and they were embarrassed, however it was a wake up call. It is the little considerations that make a job memorable, and I think sometimes we all expect mediocrity but pay for the service. Thank you to the Journeyman Installation Group, who restored my faith! Tomorrow I think we will look to the closets and what a joy it will be, to be organized. Till next time, design your life……. Les Macdonald

Dishing the Dirt on Design Dilemmas : Lesley’s Rant

From time to time I am requested by clients to come by and see if they can improve their space. Maybe the sofa looked better in the store showroom or the huge TV with custom built cabinet – how come it doesn’t look as good in the new home that is open concept and 1650 sq. ft? Does one need a design specialist to tell them it just does not fit!!! Sometimes it is just that simple, other times when one needs a place for the TV and the spouse still wants to set a dining table for 10 or 12 at holidays, it gets a little more complicated. We are not licensed to do relationship counseling, but we can usually find common ground and with a very reasonable budget, (always negotiated and approved by the client) we can usually come up with a solution to keep the peace and have the space planned to give everyone a sense of harmony.
The most wonderful item to come along in decades has been the wall mounted flat sceen TV, it is a design tool extraordinaire!! However, it amazes me how people still leave the cords hanging, speakers all over the place and install it at heights that require one to sit on a chair with one’s neck back so far they need a chiropractor to get them back to work. By now you know some of my pet peeves, let me throw a couple more at you. Lamps plugged into the wall with at least 6 ft. of cord stretched across the floor – curtain rods installed by the DIY homeowner who has only one screw in each bracket and it isn’t even in a stud….HELLOO does anyone out there know what a drywall anchor is or a stud finder? There is no need to make do and what are you making do for? Why does a 98″ sofa, that was originally sized to fit a large living room, moved to a more compact home that should have a 78′ sofa! PEOPLE we are making poor choices!!! This is what is costing the consumers money, not design professionals who can stretch your resources and set you on the right path. The most important thing is to communicate with your stylist or designer, tell them the truth about your budget and your likes and dislikes. A true professionl needs to hear it so they can get you where you want to be… I always tell my clients (by now you know I have opinions) when I leave your home it should reflect your taste, not mine and should look comfortable, functional and easy to live in. It should not look like a stranger came in and copied a page from a magazine. Original design is usually in some way inspired from Mother Nature, however, it is magic when a collaboration of clients, stylists and trades people come together to complete a project that no one person would have done by themselves.
Sometimes it is just as easy as “please remove that table from there and move it over there and change the pendant light”…can you believe it?
Sometimes it is just as easy as edit and delete…
Sometimes it is just as easy as a new paint colour, washing the windows or buying a new tossed cushion…
Maybe it just takes a new eye to give a different perspective!!!! I was asked once, what could I do that a best friend could not… my answer was simple. My paycheck is determined by how many good, solid decisions I make and how many clients tell friends about my business – how much fun it was during the process and why it was the best money they ever spent! It is not always about design, sometimes it is just about saying “yes” or “no”. Give me a call and find out!!!
My name is Les Macdonald and my company is Eliza Doolittle Design.
The phone number is 604-290-6707.
email: elizadesign@shaw.ca
web site: www.elizadesign.net