Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

COVID19: The Remote Designer

During this time we all are trying to have some normality in this weird time and designers are just like every other professional trying to keep projects going. This particular project was done completely remotely. It took a team of people to make this happen but the finish product turned out just the way I designed it!

The beginning started with construction drawings from the builder, for me that gave me a sense of how much of each material was going to be throughout the home. So when I began sourcing materials this was a key point in making sure nothing was overkill or too subtle for each space.



This particular builder had a some options for countertops and cabinet finishes and these were my building blocks for the rest of the selections. I helped my client decide what direction they wanted to go and what overall look they were trying to achieve.



Also this being a semi custom home we wanted to make sure each space had slightly different selections but all coordinated throughout the entire home.



The kitchen selections turned out great together with the warm natural wood floor, soft gray cabinets and a white quartz with a little grey speckle throughout, finished off with a stone looking skinny rectangular back splash tile.



In the master bathroom we wanted a relaxing but sophisticated look. A wall like that looks like concrete and a hexagon shape floor tile to coordinate with so different pattern and texture for all the other surfaces in the bathroom. So drama with the darker grey wood stained vanity and added lightness with the white quartz counters for a high contrast look.



For the guest bath we went with a matte finish wall tile, which looks so clean and minimal just something other than a white subway tile. This tile did the trick! contracting with all the chrome fixtures these two finishes really complement each other well.

This was a home built in Philadelphia and I work in Houston. I share this info because I have had potential clients in the past say "Oh I don't live in Houston, but I really love your work and want to work together!" This is a possibility and a great finished product came out of it! This is one of a handful of remote projects I have successfully completed and so happy to have people who enjoy my work and want me to be a part of their new home.



If you have a project in mind but just don't know where to start, we can help! Contact us
Like what you see?


Make sure you never miss anything! Follow us!

Facebook     Website     Houzz      Pinterest
 
S Squared Design

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Small Space? Big Style!

Bigger isn't always better. Typically it is having your space be utilized more. Some ideas I like to use with potential new clients are how they live and flow through their home. Where do you enter into your home? What do you leave at the entrance? Do your items have homes as well? Do you always drop something at the same place everyday? Maybe making that item feel it belongs there is important. 

These are just a few questions I like to ask when deciding how to start a design for a particular client. Maybe you don't know yet, but I'm here to help guide you through the design process as well as making your home feel less cluttered or that there is just "stuff" everywhere. Think vertical storage. Your walls are your friends and they will help you not collect things on every horizontal surface. 

If you use something daily or almost daily and want to out either on displace or need to access it, then it should have a proper home. Also, if there are items you take with you every time you leave the house those items too should have a home. I'm going to show you some of my little helpers in my home. 


I love blankets! I have like 5 in the living room alone but where should they go? Do they just sprawl all over the sofa or chairs? On the floor? Well I use one of them almost daily so it has a home. Somewhere I can easily get to it but also put it back as easily. As if we were kids learning to put our toys back when we are done playing with them. So these comfy blankets in my home have a basket that sits behind a chair so it appears clutter free on the sofa and chairs but I can grab a blanket anytime I need one or two. Sometimes it doesn't get folded and just in a ball on the other blankets but you cant see that behind the chair. 

One of my more important places in the home is where I enter from, the garage. I have hooks and a key holder, my purse, jacket or keys have no reason to come in the house any further than that so they have a home. I always know where those items are, not in a chair or on the kitchen counter, but in their home on the wall and out of the way of everything else. 


Aesthetics are important in design just like function is important too. Do you like coffee? You probably have a coffee maker that sits on your counter in the kitchen, but what about all the things that go with your coffee maker? Does the bag of coffee just sit on the counter next to it? looks like a piece of garbage waiting to be put in the trash? Well make it accessible and attractive. Get a couple decorative canisters for your coffee and sugar and whatever else you like to have in your coffee. Make it feel purposeful and if it is going to live there make it feel as if its part of the kitchen.



These are just a few ideas to make your home feel like things have a purpose and easily accessible. Do you have any good ideas for storage? Comment below!




If you have a project in mind but just don't know where to start, we can help! Contact us
Like what you see?


Make sure you never miss anything! Follow us!

Facebook     Website     Houzz      Pinterest
 
S Squared Design



Thursday, April 9, 2020

Kitchen Design Tips to Consider

So you have been dreaming about your less than inspiring kitchen you cook in daily. The time has finally come to make that dream kitchen come to life and join you and your home together again! 

A kitchen is much more than a pretty space to look at. It is first and foremost about function. That's right, it can look gorgeous and by all means make you feel happy when you are in there but there are design elements that go deeper than just the pattern of your backsplash tile. 
 


Layout - the floorplan, the footprint and how you walk and stand in the space is important. Do you have a weird existing layout you have been "just living with" for years?  Or that galley kitchen that could have a second entrance into the kitchen or pull the peninsula away from the wall to make room for a fully functioning island you have always wanted?



Maybe these are issues in your kitchen we need to address or at least think about in your new design. 



Perhaps there are too many entrances into your kitchen from more than 3 rooms, maybe the previous homeowner wanted to knock down as many walls as possible forgetting that sometimes you do need walls for elements like a tall pantry cabinet with fully extending interior drawers to see can you have available not just the ones in the front of the shelf.


Open Shelves, Glass Doors or Closed Cabinets - Lately we have all see the lovely photos of kitchen with open shelving. While this is a great idea to give the space a lighter more open space while still giving you storage, it also opens some people open to collect clutter. I have always said if there is a surface some one will put as much as they can on that surface because it us there to be used. This all depends on the individual, some people prone to do this others are not so the amount of open shelves should be considered based on what works for your storage needs.

 
All the Cabinets - More isn't always better. More efficient is. That 16 foot span of wall cabinets may not be needed if we utilized the base cabinets to be more efficient with deep drawers or pull outs for specialty appliances. Having a home for everything you need to access in the kitchen is the most important thing. if you have 3 crock-pots and want to keep them all, we need to find a home for all those in the new design.



Materials - Easy to clean. That is my first priority in a kitchen. Everyone who cooks can be messy at some point. Oh you really like that white carrara marble but use turmeric (stains a lot of materials even if sealed) a lot in your cooking? That is probably not the best material for you then. Using a material like quartz or something that achieves the look you want but also giving you the functional counter so you don't worry about the bottle of red wine you left on the counter and left a ring that you cant get out easily.



These are just a few things to consider when thinking of remodeling a kitchen. A designer should be able to guide you in making the best decisions for your kitchen you are planning to spend a decent amount of money on. We want it to last for years so selections are important as far as quality, function and aesthetics. 



If you have a project in mind but just don't know where to start, we can help! Contact us
Like what you see?


Make sure you never miss anything! Follow us!

Facebook     Website     Houzz      Pinterest
 
S Squared Design




Monday, February 29, 2016

White and Light: Wooded Retreat Kitchen

Surrounded by woods, the plentiful windows to this home provide a beautiful view of the great outdoors, but often don’t let in enough light. However, this home is perfectly situated for a nature-loving couple with two kids under 5 years old to enjoy, escape, and explore- they just needed to let a little more light in. Our goal with this kitchen and living room renovation was to increase the presence of natural light by brightening up the space with materials that allow sunlight to bounce around. This 1980s kitchen needed to be updated with the most efficient, functional fixtures and materials. With two children who love to play outside, it was extremely important that surfaces look clean, even when they’re not entirely spotless from dirt that the kids drag in. Just in need of a slight facelift, read about the small, but significant, changes we made to illuminate the beauty of this space.





The clients loved the original cabinetry and wanted to incorporate it into the rest of the kitchen’s design. Before, the cabinets were a blonde wood which didn’t darken the kitchen, but didn’t allow light to reflect much either. So, we finished them with a white satin finish which allowed sunlight to bounce off to illuminate the rest of the kitchen.
 

In previous projects, clients opted to gut the cabinetry completely and have them go up all the way to the ceiling. Luckily, this client got much use and enjoyment out of the beautifully crafted original cabinets, complete with French-styled doors that allow you to safely display the dishes inside.

 


We didn’t replace the cabinets, but we made sure we added ample lighting underneath. After all, counter space is where you work and it should be well lit. To maximize the brightness, the backsplash is light grey glazed subway tile. This adds a streamlined, modern touch to the kitchen, and the material allows enough light to reflect onto the working surface.



Our client loves classic designs with modern touches. So, we added two shiny chrome industrial pendant lights over the island to achieve that look exactly. Once more, see how these reflect the light? Everything we did in this kitchen subtly adds glow to the entire space- in a way that is functional AND fashionable.


As for the floor, the surface needed to be easy to clean yet difficult to spot dirt. This grey-brown porcelain tile is not only a smooth finish for easy-clean up, but also helps to blend the natural granite, the breakfast area furniture, and the grey modern touches together.


Moving onto the living room, the double-sided fireplace that is meant to bring both rooms together actually poses an interesting obstacle. The previous, outdated mantle used to jut out into the walkway, making passersby duck and dodge to avoid bumping into the sharp corner. We removed this hazard, and created a custom mantle that fit perfectly into the living room side of the fireplace. We outlined the fireplace with mini brick slate tiles continuous in style with the fusion of modern, natural, and classic elements that the kitchen now features. To streamline the journey from the kitchen to the living room, we changed the structure of the doorway to an open arch, rather than a closed, blunt line. This simple structural solution opened up the entire space, allowing the kitchen to be admired from the living room. Now, the double-sided fireplace didn’t have to feel like it was two-timing the kitchen and living room: rather, with the help of the arched doorways, it was uniting the two as one. This is especially important if you are the type who loves to entertain! The happenin’ rooms are of course the space where you cook the culinary creations your guests crave, and the space where your guests gather to sit, chat, and socialize with one another. 

 

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Coakley Residence- Bloom Where You Are Planted

  For this jet-setting professional, finding a place she could lovingly call ‘home’ wasn’t always an option-- until she one day decided to root herself in Houston. Starting from the ground up, this home needed everything--down to a mattress! While a fresh start is always exciting and the opportunities seem endless, this new homeowner already had a vision of planting the perfect home.



 Feeling as if you can float through this home, the ocean blues and greens found in every room offer a serene continuity that is vastly welcoming and comforting. Each guest bedroom serves as a haven for all of the travelers that pass through. Comfort, charm, and ample storage create the perfect space for guests to feel at home.

  
Along with the blues and greens, gray is used throughout the home to be neutral and calming. To add a touch of depth and intrigue, try using many of the infinite shades of gray rather than trying tirelessly to match gray swatches (boring!). As seen in this living room, texture and myriad hues of the same color make this room deeply interesting yet with a calming effect. The sleek leather chair, velveteen couch, and tufted chair are large neutral pieces that allow for small bursts of color to really spark interest.


 Seating arrangements must be strategic! All chairs, sofas, and love seats need to be positioned comfortably so that all guests can socialize without leaving anyone out. This can be difficult to achieve, especially while keeping people’s seating preferences in mind. Whether in the kitchen, dining room, or living room, there is usually a visual focal point in a room for guests to be actively or passively engaged with (think cooking, watching the game on TV, playing Pictionary, looking at each other across the room, whatever!).


  
Our client longed for her home to be clutter free. As you’ll notice in her minimalist office, furniture in the center of the room is streamlined and skeletal. It fulfills its duty as a desk, chair, computer, etc. while keeping the rest of the room visible. Larger pieces of furniture are placed against the wall to keep the room appearing spacious, while concealing anything that may clutter this workspace.


 I never quite understood the phrase ‘the devil is in the details.’ The wooden hexagons pieced carefully together to create this beautiful desk seems rather heavenly to me. I suppose that phrase is highly interpretive, but I’d rather replace ‘devil’ with ‘beauty.’ I’d even go so far to say that this desk and wonderfully colorful rug were a match made in design heaven.


When she isn’t working from home, entertaining guests, or traveling the world, our client retreats to her home’s master bedroom to relax and rejuvenate. Soothing grays, blues, and whites seem like rolling waves that crash soft and white upon a quiet shore. All that is needed for a satisfying rest is a bed and a pair of bed-side lamps.



 Being the traveler she is, she understands the importance of having a comfortable place to touch base, and aimed to offer just that to her guests who spend a night or two (or ten!). And with that, her home bloomed where it was planted: from an empty space in Houston into a haven where all her loved ones can gather.











Not enough seating? Don’t worry- there’s another entire kitchen and dining area OUTSIDE! This is by far the most impressive feature a host can offer her guests. Outdoor hospitality in Houston is a must- Houstonians are proud to handle the heat, but from a shaded distance. Grilling, making refreshing cocktails, and keeping beer cold are just a few of the amenities offered in this outdoor kitchen.



And still, guests are able to socialize in style and comfort as the colors from inside continue outside, but with new textures. The blue hues in the slate blend the orange from the house’s brick in with the gray of the furniture. Stainless steel appliances add sophistication to this outdoor kitchen.







Monday, September 30, 2013

Project: A Place Fit for a Queen

I recently finished a project where my client wanted to use her favorite color, purple. Being a designer can have it's challenges, such as designing with a new color or creating an overall look or style that you have yet to do before. Designing high rise lofts has become a favorite for me and every time I get the chance to design them I have a blast! With my most recent project that was the case and we were going to design with a color that we don't use very often. For this project, my client a cheerful, easy-going lady who wanted her home to be show stopping. Incorporating her love for purple, making each space have a wow factor was important. She wanted something unique, functional and stunning. Here are some photos of the finished spaces and I want to share them with you! Enjoy!


 We wanted the bedroom to have a little femininity to it but nothing over the top. A soft ivory linen, tufted headboard was a great place to start and to make the bed more of a focal point we used a warm grey paint as the accent wall. This made for a nice backdrop for the white and purple painting. 


 A chandelier is always a must for a queen's bedroom, with the 10' ceilings this allowed us to use a decent size chandelier without being too large for the space.


 When the sun goes down there is light to be need at night. We used small mercury glass lamps on the bedside chests for soft lighting in the bedroom. The chests were a must for this smaller room to give our client enough storage and to keep her organized.


 While we kept  most of the room neutral, we wanted to bedding to be the pop of color we need. Solid in color but heavy in texture gives the bed that inviting feel while also mimicking the tufted headboard.


 Crisp and clean lines make this room feel relaxing even with the bold purple bedding.


 Client requested a good amount of pillows and so that is what we gave her, a hotel looking bed with plenty of pillows.


 The views in this place are amazing so we opted for no window treatments to allow the views to be a focus. Minimal furniture in this space to allow traffic to flow from room to room. We used the same grey paint from the bedroom in the living room and it works perfectly with the charcoal sofa.




We did a personal photo wall in the entry. I love giving clients something that makes there place reflect them even more. We mounted large black and white photos on gold paper and framed in a simple, clean black frames. Gold was an accent we use a little in each space but since the hallway need a little more interest, we decided to use in as the backdrop for the photos.

If you have a project in mind but just don't know where to start, we can help! Contact us
Like what you see?

Make sure you never miss anything! Follow us!

Facebook     Website     Houzz      Pinterest     Twitter 

S Squared Design