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The Insider Designer
STICK TO ONE TOPIC!
By Lin-Dai Y. Kendall
When it comes to decorating your home, it’s not as
easy as having a conversation and sticking to one
topic, but this little axiom will surely give you
direction, and very likely, prevent you from making
costly mistakes.
The opportunity to help many clients bring beauty,
comfort, style, warmth and character to their home
has provided me with a great framework of decorating
basics that I’d like to pass on. The first one, and
perhaps the most important, is to stick to one
topic, one central idea, and one direction. This
does not have to constrain you to one style, brand,
or color palette; you can choose, for example, to be
eclectic. The important point is that you define an
idea and stick to it throughout the different rooms
and areas of your house.
As we age in our different roles in society, going
from student to entering the labor force, then
marrying, becoming parents, etc., we accumulate a
multitude of experiences that shape our choices. But
at the point in time when you decide to carry out a
remodeling or a redecorating of your home, your
chances of success are better if you have one topic
in mind and s-t-i-c-k to it! The final product is
bound to be very satisfying and lasting.
One of the issues I encounter in my day to day work,
is the tendency to overwhelm clients with a
multitude of choices. The variation in quality,
pricing, and other defining parameters is so wide
that even for an experienced professional in the
design field it can become quite a headache. Here’s
what you need to do to narrow your focus and find
your one central idea.
Make a HOME scrapbook
Start by collecting any photos, materials, diagrams,
etc, that appeal to you. Collect clippings of
arrangements and decor that you would like to see in
your house. Pick furniture styles you like, colors
that call your name, and textures that stimulate
your senses. Just collect, collect, collect for a
period of at least two months. After this period of
time, test yourself and see if you can trace one
predominant tendency. Keep this in mind for the
future.
Make a list of DISCARDS
If you had an unlimited amount of resources, what
pieces would you replace? What items would you
replace them with? And what would go first?
Prioritize.
Prepare a preliminary BUDGET
So we don’t have unlimited resources. You will need
to make a basic guideline of how much you will need
to invest in order to make your home look as
beautiful as those homes that catch your eye each
time the Home & Design magazine comes out.
Hire a DESIGNER
Not all of us have the knack for design and
decorating, and furthermore, many of us may lack the
required knowledge to accomplish that sought after
vignette look. Designers have access to many
resources that you as a home owner may not have.
Take advantage of that. Take your scrapbook, your
discard list and your budget to a designer and work
together towards that great dream of almost every
homeowner: to have a fabulous, professionally done,
“I’m-proud-to live-here” kind of look.
Define your “ONE TOPIC”
Once you and your designer have gone through the
steps described, sit down and define your guiding
concept, your “one topic”. At this point you should
be ready to be selective and disciplined. The
feedback you get from your designer should be in
tune with what you have presented. According to many
of my clients, this is one of the hardest things to
achieve and I don’t doubt it. As a designer, I’m
always perfectly aware and conscientious that it’s
my client’s home I’m working on. Therefore, the
overriding premise should be on what the client
likes, loves and cannot walk away from.
Part of defining this “one topic" idea comes from
defining the client’s lifestyle. It includes
analyzing how the client and other resident members
use this facility they call home. It includes
presenting the client with a proposal or blueprint
that provides a plan of action. The more rooms or
areas within the house that become part of this plan
the better. The designer then becomes the
orchestrator coordinating color palettes, fabrics,
wall colors, textures, furnishings, window
treatments, floor coverings, etc, in sync with the
client’s central topic.
Once you've selected your one topic as the
predominant anchor for the style of your home,
remember to stick to the plan! If you feel the
sudden urge to go out and buy a whole other vignette
to integrate it into your home and it’s not in your
plan, stop yourself and consult with your designer.
Remember, there’s a reason you went to them in the
first place.
Lin-Dai Y. Kendall is an architect and interior
designer with ample experience in design and
construction of both commercial and residential
projects. A mother of four, Lin-Dai runs her design
studio in Fairfax Station, Virginia, and can be
reached at 571-225-1866.
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