Thinking about a new kitchen, an upgraded master bath, or a playroom addition? Before speeding down the renovation highway, pull over and take a look at this list of tips culled from our experts. With a little patience and time spent mapping your way, your renovation ride is sure to be a smooth one!
Step 1: Dream a Little Dream
Before calling the contractors, sit down with your spouse, partner, and family—kids, too—and brainstorm. What would each family member like in the new kitchen or bath? What about a pull-out pantry fridge for your toddler “kitchen helpers?” If you adore cooking as well as entertaining in the kitchen, why not install an under lit wet bar with a freestanding wine fridge? Would a sauna in the master bath ease mommy’s sore muscles? At this idea stage, dream your best dream, and don’t let cost be your only guide. If you would adore a tumbled time kitchen floor, put it on your wish list. You may be surprised to find out that your design professional can find a way to make your dreams come true—within budget!
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Pay attention to personality. Most people hire an architect only once in their lives. Searching for one is akin to finding a financial planner, architects say. Look for an architect who has designed projects that are similar in style and scope to yours. “There’s no substitute for experience,” says Todd Strickland, a partner with Historical Concepts, an Atlanta architectural firm. Because designing a home is such a personal project, it’s important that you feel able to communicate with your architect.
Liza Nugent, 41 years old, and her husband needed an architect to combine their apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side with a neighboring unit; they got referrals from friends. The first person they called made a snippy remark about how “unsophisticated” co-op boards in buildings on side streets such as theirs make renovations difficult. “I thought, with that kind of attitude, we definitely wouldn’t get along,” Mrs. Nugent says. After calling two more architects and interviewing three others, the Nugents picked a longtime acquaintance who had creative design solutions for their project. (more…)
While the Blairs squabble with the neighbours over their expansion plans, it is possible to broaden the horizons of your home with the minimum of fuss. And, as Graham Norwood writes, there’s a tidy profit to be had
Don’t tell Tony and Cherie Blair about interior designer Elizabeth Hiney. Britain’s First Couple last week secured planning permission to build a roof terrace on their house in London’s Connaught Square. But it wasn’t without complications. Neighbours were unhappy at a potential loss of privacy, possible noise and smells from the Blairs’ outdoor dining, and whether the terrace would fit in with the skyline of adjoining properties. Meanwhile, Elizabeth has created a dramatic 385 square foot roof terrace at her Cheshire home, with the minimum of fuss and without planners – or neighbours – getting involved. (more…)
Allison Brown had lost steam decorating four months after moving into her family’s new home. Paintings and a wrought iron wall hanging sat on a floor.
“I tried doing it but needed help,” she said.
Brown didn’t want to hire interior decorators, who make commissions by recommending purchases, since she had just bought new furniture. So she called Diane Simpson and Dee Robertson of My Home At Last, an interior redesign consulting firm. (more…)
Congregation of interior decorators, architects and planners at celebration
How can interiors reflect vernacular culture and tradition? Can home space relax and soothe with an eye on aesthetics and without burning a deep hole in the pocket? How can architecture and interior design work in tandem to create neutral workspace the end-user can customise? Can material developers and material specifiers come together to forge new possibilities?
Workaday posers and plausible solutions were deliberated at the first foundation day celebration of the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID) Calcutta chapter last Saturday (January 6) at The Ffort Radisson, Raichak, which saw a congregation of interior designers, architects and planners from across the country and a cross-section of city professionals from different walks.
“The primary objective is to bring in a semblance of organisation in the interiors business and foster spatial imagination and consciousness among consumers to ensure meaningful use of interior space,” explained architect Dulal Mukherjee, chairman of the city chapter formed a year ago. (more…)
