What's Wrong With Pretty?

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In the effort to create well rounded, intelligent designers in the Auburn Interior Design program, the emphasis of our work falls in categories such as functionality, space planning, construction, and presentation. However, it is a little ironic sometimes that we lose focus of making things “pretty” but this is what the entire world thinks our job consists of.

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Why is it that we shy away from trying to simply decorate a space? A well designed space successfully takes all of the previously stated elements into account but also does it in a way that is beautiful. I think the problem is that we don’t want to sell ourselves short of what we can do by only being decorators and not designers. However, it is important to not lose sight that it is a big part of our job to create a beautiful space.

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For starters, the aesthetic beauty of a space is the first thing that people notice about a space and most likely the thing they will remember after they leave. As designers, this is really how we can sell what we do. As people hire us, they want us to create a space that is going to be beautiful, particularly in the residential field. Being able to fully understand the clients needs and create a space that meets those needs is the way that we will earn our living successfully.

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It is our job as designers to not just make things pretty but to make things pretty for our client. It is so important to understand what our clients value and their society as a whole values so that we can create a space that is appealing to that particular group because beauty is not considered the same world wide.

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The aesthetic quality of a space creates a mood that has an effect of everyone in it. By using the elements and principles of design and paying particular attention to things like color, scale, pattern, and style we can drastically alter the feeling of a space. This applies to both commercial and residential spaces alike because between the two we spend about 90% of our time indoors. This is important in residential spaces because this is where a family spends a large amount of their time. If the inside of their house affects their mood negatively it can affect the entire family dynamic.

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 On the commercial side, an office building’s interior can affect the productivity of the workers. Additionally, the different feels of commercial building can set the tone for the type of business that is being conducted and what should be done in the space. As humans, we naturally gravitate to places and things that we consider attractive, so it could be in a business owners best interest to create a space that is inviting to its customers and would therefore make them want to return.

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In conclusion, I believe that creating a beautiful space is one of the most important elements of interior design. We need to be able to understand our clients needs and react to them that creates a space that encompasses the feeling that they wish to convey. If we are able to combine all the knowledge we have about good design work with the knowledge we have about good decorating we can create a space is both functional and beautiful, and most importantly works for the client.

LEED for Homes

Last spring, I took a test, passed, and became a LEED Green Associate. Most people probably have never heard of LEED or if they have, it may seem a little confusing. LEED GA, LEED AP, LEED Certified...what the heck do all those acronyms even mean?? Also, aren't they all for big buildings so they don't concern me? But there, my friends, is where you're wrong.

LEED Platinum Beach House in Encinitas, California [source]

Did you know there is a special section of LEED just for residential homes? Did you know that by building a green home you can actually save a lot of money...and your aesthetics don't have to suffer? 

Really?? Tell me more...

LEED Platinum Home in Manhattan Beach, CA [source]

Let's start at the beginning. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and was created by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED is a tool for green building that provides third-party verification of buildings. Buildings must first satisfy prerequisites then they can earn points off their checklist by using different green building strategies to earn different levels of certification.

LEED Silver House in Palm Springs [source]

For example, say you're wanting to build you house. That would fall under LEED for Homes. Some of the other rating systems include LEED for Schools, LEED for New Construction, and LEED for Retail. You get the idea.

LEED Gold House in DC Metro [source]

When you actually work with a team to build you home to LEED standards, you have a checklist and by doing certain things on the checklist, you earn a certain number of points. You don't have to do them all and you can pick and choose which strategies would work best for your project. For example, you can earn 4 points by setting up a rainwater harvesting system (and p.s. also by doing that, you're not having to pay for water to water your plants outside!).

LEED Gold House on Siesta Key [source]

The number of points you earn determines your level of certification. In LEED for Homes there are 136 available points. 45-59 points is Certified. 60-74 points is Silver. 75-89 points is Gold and 90-136 is Platinum. So if you fell into the Silver category you would say that your home is a LEED Silver Home.

LEED Gold Home in Montgomery, OH [source]

Pretty cool right? If you want to learn more head to USGBC's website

And here are some graphics to show you the savings from LEED for Homes! 

(click here to enlarge them!)

Design is Never Done

Current Design Trend [source]

So many times we are focused on just finishing a project. It’s a lot of work (not to mention money) to change things around, especially in your home. But as it goes, with the nature of interior design, things are constantly moving and changing. Trends come and go. People and their relationship with spaces change based on their different needs. With use and time, furniture, fabrics, and accessories change and become worn and need to be replaced. Whether you like change or not, it is a fact of life that interior design needs to be changed periodically. 

60's Interior Design [source]

There are definitely ways to make your investment in your home last longer, such as using a neutral color scheme on more expensive items like couches and being “trendy” with less expensive items like throw pillows. 

70's Design Trend [source]

Another interesting element about trends is that they always come back around. But it takes time to appreciate them. Looking back at pictures of houses from the 60’s and 70’s, they have a vintage feel because the look is starting to come back in style. However, styles from the 80’s and 90’s aren’t quite there yet. 

80's Design Trend [source]

According to a survey conducted by Homegoods’ almost half of Americans haven’t updated their home decor in the last five years and 9% in more than ten years. And as it goes, only 20% reported feeling happy with their home decor. Seeing as we spend nearly all our time indoors (90% to be exact!), it’s rather unfortunate that most Americans feel that way.

90's Design Trend [source]

However, this is where we as interior designers come in. It is our job to respond to these changes, understand and listen to our clients, and make sure that they are happy in their home. It is our job to be advocates for our clients and help them make the best decisions for themselves and their family, financially, functionally, and aesthetically. 

Current Design Trend [source]

As the name of this blog states, design is never done. As long as life continues to change, the need to new design will be there and, luckily for us, there will be new designers to rise to the challenge.