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Back in school they told us that design fluctuates with economies. Design has many influences from movies, to singers, to politics. Typically they say that when times are bad, tastes go more traditional. People are attracted to what they know, what feels safe. They often go back to a time or place where they felt safe, maybe it was childhood, maybe it was grandma's house.
Lately I have noticed some changes in this theory. Years ago when we started the war with Iraq, bright pink was everywhere. Pink is innocence and maybe that resonated with the innocence we felt by being attacked. Pink is also calming and maybe that was part of what we were craving, although the colors were so bright, I am not sure how calming they were.
Today the recession has a lot of people worried but instead of going back to "traditional" furniture, we have had a resurgence in the 1950s and 60s modern style with some 70s mixed in. There are a lot of reasons for this I think. First of all, some of these styles are what grandma had for some of these people. Also, the people being raised with these types of furniture are going back to their memories for inspiration.
Life has become very busy with cell phones, blackberries and other electronic devices that let work follow you 24/7. Politics has been very agitated, there doesn't seem to be any meeting place between the parties. You are either for or against and that's it. People are wanting simpler times. The elegant simplicity of that "modern style" has become a source of comfort. It's familiarity, it's straight forward and beautiful. No wonder we are attracted to it.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
sarah's house
Hello fellow design addicts,
Today I thought I would tell you about my new favorite TV show. It's called Sarah's House. It's a Canadian show and on the DIY network.
As a designer, I get bored of the "let's renovate your room for $1000" shows or other ones that do it for a fraction of the price. Not that they don't have good ideas, they do. And I am happy that they inspire people to work on their rooms but they just aren't always accurate. They have tons of tools and the labor is free. IF you have ever renovated anything in your home, you know that the biggest expense is labor. People watch those shows and then come to me and say, can you do this for $1000? Yeah I can, but that means you have to do all the labor and that doesn't include my fee.
So anyway, Sarah's house is about a designer in Canada and she buys houses and renovates them and I presume sells them although that's not said. She decorates it to suit her needs and makes it beautiful. Turning basements into guest rooms, knocking out walls to make bathrooms bigger or adding a master closet. Each episode is one room and she goes through all the rooms of the home.
She uses mostly offwhites for walls and punches of color in her fabrics and pictures. You know I love a little more color but that is my style. Her designs show a great deal of creativity and she does what we actually do as designers. She will "splurge" on a high impact item and budget other items. This is really how we work. You've got to have something that wows you in a room. For instance, in a bathroom, make the floor a "wow" piece and let the shower just accent it. The floor is usually a smaller area so you can afford to go with more expensive tile there but then you can do something cheaper on the shower it will still have an incredible look. It's not about how much money you spend, it is about WHERE you put your money. It's easy to design on a budget and come out with a beautiful place if you follow this rule. Find out what your wow item is, what is going to have the most visual impact, and also what is most important to you and how you use your home.
If you want a whirlpool tub or a toilet that has a heater and bidet with it, that may be your splurge item. It depends on what is important to you.
Design is all about making decisions about what is most important to you. How do you want the room to function, how do you want it to look. You can splurge on the important items and budget more on the less important items. Each room needs something that is the focal point and that is often your splurge item. You can have the room you want, just think about what is most important to you.
Today I thought I would tell you about my new favorite TV show. It's called Sarah's House. It's a Canadian show and on the DIY network.
As a designer, I get bored of the "let's renovate your room for $1000" shows or other ones that do it for a fraction of the price. Not that they don't have good ideas, they do. And I am happy that they inspire people to work on their rooms but they just aren't always accurate. They have tons of tools and the labor is free. IF you have ever renovated anything in your home, you know that the biggest expense is labor. People watch those shows and then come to me and say, can you do this for $1000? Yeah I can, but that means you have to do all the labor and that doesn't include my fee.
So anyway, Sarah's house is about a designer in Canada and she buys houses and renovates them and I presume sells them although that's not said. She decorates it to suit her needs and makes it beautiful. Turning basements into guest rooms, knocking out walls to make bathrooms bigger or adding a master closet. Each episode is one room and she goes through all the rooms of the home.
She uses mostly offwhites for walls and punches of color in her fabrics and pictures. You know I love a little more color but that is my style. Her designs show a great deal of creativity and she does what we actually do as designers. She will "splurge" on a high impact item and budget other items. This is really how we work. You've got to have something that wows you in a room. For instance, in a bathroom, make the floor a "wow" piece and let the shower just accent it. The floor is usually a smaller area so you can afford to go with more expensive tile there but then you can do something cheaper on the shower it will still have an incredible look. It's not about how much money you spend, it is about WHERE you put your money. It's easy to design on a budget and come out with a beautiful place if you follow this rule. Find out what your wow item is, what is going to have the most visual impact, and also what is most important to you and how you use your home.
If you want a whirlpool tub or a toilet that has a heater and bidet with it, that may be your splurge item. It depends on what is important to you.
Design is all about making decisions about what is most important to you. How do you want the room to function, how do you want it to look. You can splurge on the important items and budget more on the less important items. Each room needs something that is the focal point and that is often your splurge item. You can have the room you want, just think about what is most important to you.
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