A Designer's Thoughts
Design ideas and inspiration, and trouble shooting areas that could affect any remodel and other pertanent thoughts.
"I Wanted to Save Money and..."
How familiar is this to all of us? I often do this for something simple like trying to find gluten-free ingredients in Whole Foods so I can make a special cake for a friend. Not a big deal, there’s only about five minutes lost searching for the ingredients before I get the gumption to talk to an associate and theres on extra money involved.
My mechanic at Piedmont Autocare told me about one of his customers whose car had a major oil leak. Instead of fixing it or buying a new car she'd simply refill it over and over again to delay "spending money". Ok, so probably a few thousand dollars were spent for the multiple quarts purchased over a period of time, not to mention the effect on the environment, but it wasn't like spending hundreds of thousands of dollars. What do you think, did she actually save?
Before Kitchen, Alameda Victorian (note this kitchen had been this way for 10+ years due to over enthusiasm without a plan)
Lately I've been contacted by several homeowners through Houzz and Yelp who have also tried to save money, their contractor has already started demolition and may have even started reconstruction yet have nothing to install and their timeline completion date is two weeks away! One said "I should have contacted you earlier, but I kind of wanted to save money and tried to select everything by myself, but I failed... Sad face." I'm not writing this to put them in a bad light, rather I know many homeowners like yourself who are spending $50,000 - $150,000 yet succumb to this same pitfall and I hope that you can learn from another's experience.
So how do you decide if you need an interior design professional to work with? First, ask yourself a few questions and be honest with your answer.
What are you willing to invest in your kitchen or bath remodel?
- What is my financial state and where am I funding my remodel from?
- It’s all saved up and set aside and there is room to be flexible
- I'm getting a second mortgage or home loan and my max spending has been approved
- I'm using credit cards to get the miles and I can make regular payments so it's not an issue
- What is my schedule and availability to work alone or with a kitchen and bath designer?
- I'm a stay at home parent with a flexible schedule and my spouse is almost always at work
- I'm single and I work long hours and I only have Saturdays open
- My spouse and I both work long hours, but we can occasionally take a few hours off during the week
- My family is constantly on the go, between work, kids sports and other activities, and my volunteer work, I have no idea when I'll be able to make my remodel happen
Have you remodeled in the past?
- How did it go?
- Was the end result something you are proud of?
- Did I do it by myself, let my contractor dictate or work with a designer before hand?
- Is there anything I would've done differently if only I...?
- Did it look professional or like I did it myself?
Now weigh out the true cost implications to your life
- What is your time worth / how much do you get paid an hour?
- If you were to miss work for full 8 hour days at a time what would that cost you?
- What kind of connections and resources do you have to go to great showrooms the first time?
- Will you be visiting 3 or more of the same type of showroom for tile, lighting, cabinets etc?
- If you were to work with someone who does this every day, how do you think your time spent might vary compared to being on your own?
- Hint: I typically work with homeowners in 3 hour increments and around 4 different showroom visits
- Or we have a discussion and use the Houzz ideabooks so that I can act as their personal shopper and bring back possible solutions to discuss at a more ideal time
After Kitchen, Alameda Victorian
When should you start selecting materials? Right away (as in weeks or months before your contractor has started to demolish your existing space) with these steps
- It may be in your subconscious at first. Start with a Houzz ideabook as I've described a few weeks ago in my article "Houzz???".
- Go through a schematic design to layout your space. Maybe it's not changing locations all that much, that's ok, do something to help you visualize anything that isn't your out-dated, falling apart, dirty looking, cluttered kitchen or bath that you have now
- Make a detailed list of all the parts and pieces you think you need, then add the many more parts and pieces you didn't know you need
- Make a list of reputable showrooms like my favorite, Jack London Kitchen and Bath Gallery
- Contact the showrooms, make an appointment with a sales associate and go shopping!
Remodeling your home for the first or last time should be enjoyable and rewarding. What you invest and value is relevant to what you receive.
Houzz???
Maybe you haven't heard if it, Houzz (pronounced how-zz) is the digital equivalent of a home remodeling and decorating magazine.
Kitchen & Bath Design News: Living Large in a Small Bath
It use to be, that when I was going to meet homeowners who were considering remodeling their kitchen or bathroom for the first time, I would ask them to buy magazines and tear out only the pages they liked and recycle the rest. It was a very constructive communication tool but also wasteful of both the earth's resources and their money.
To use Houzz, you simply set up a free user account and then create an "ideabook". You can add the app to your web browser so that when you are on any website you can add those images to your idea book without being on the Houzz page, or you can search and browse with-in the Houzz site for images and add them from there. You can also download and use Houzz as an app on your Mobil devices! Be anywhere and daydream (not while driving please).
While this service has added a great many benefits it can still be overwhelming. Start by making an ideabook for just one room at a time, if you are doing a kitchen and two baths for example you will set up three "ideabooks". Many of the photos you will see are going to be of rooms that are bigger than your own. This is naturally to be expected as photographing smaller spaces can be very difficult. It's okay, use them anyway. You should be focusing on the big picture. Find rooms that give the feeling you want your kitchen or bathroom to have. You might find a really cool item like a light fixture or a faucet, but those details will come later and it's the reason you will work with an interior designer.
As a designer I use these starter "ideabooks" to gain a better understanding of your personal style. During a complimentary consultation we will review photos of your existing home and talk about what is and is not working. We'll also review your ideabook and talk about why you like what you saved. Maybe it's the "light and airy" feeling, maybe it's "clutter free", maybe it is "zen" or "timeless". Which ever the reason, you saved each image, and the reasons are unique to you. As we contrast them with your existing circumstances, these give me insight into what might be right for your remodel. I often use these images as color inspiration for me as I create the initial schematic designs.
Design Set Match's Idea Book: San Francisco Edwardian
I also create ideabooks and use them throughout the design process to continue the conversation. Sometimes I will start creating it during schematic design. If I have a particularly challenging element to solve, maybe it's grab bars that look like towel bars, sometimes it's a unique way to open a shower door or simply a light fixture that would be an element of interest and I have included it in the drawings. I will save it in the "ideabooks" to keep me from needing to do double the research. I typically use it as a live document. Once we have had our first appointment in a showroom, I will add the selections you have chosen and the ones we have narrowed it down to so we can compare them side by side. Often homeowners don't have time to go to every showroom, and I will start to research various light fixtures and add them so you can delete the ones of no interest and give me feedback at any time of day, usually when your kids are asleep and you have some time to reflect comfortably or even during your lunch break.
The main rule of thumb to start your's is: Be open minded and look at the big picture not the details and don't overthink it. No more than an hour is needed for you daydream and save ideas to give a good sense of what might be right for you.
We need a kitchen designer, not a kitchen salesperson.
Homeowners spend months trying to design their perfect kitchen or bathroom only to come up empty handed and overwhelmed.
San Francisco Inner Sunset Victorian
They've spent hours sifting through Houzz, Pintrest and Google collecting inspirational ideas and clever tips. They start talking to contractors only to be told, "tell me what you want and where you want it". Often they have no idea where to start, and sometimes they download free "home design" apps that are slow and not as helpful in giving a realistic picture of their new space. Many walk into kitchen and bath fixture and cabinet showrooms or big-box stores, and come away disappointed by the experience of "being sold" because, naturally, they only design with the products they sell and their limited choices in design style. Sometimes it feels as though the sales oriented designer isn't even interested in good design, only increasing the dollar spent or they are not experienced enough to notice the important details.
Finding a "designer" is the easy part.
You can search on Houzz, Google, Yelp, NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association), NARI (National association of the Remodeling Industry), IIDA (International Interior Design Association), ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and other directories, but how do you narrow down the choices to find the right interior designer who doesn't act like a sales person? Ask questions and start with the basics.
Berkeley Brown Shingle
- Have they worked in your area?
- Do you like some of the homes in their portfolio?
- What is their rating on Houzz, Yelp, Google+ etc?
- What do other professionals have to say about them, would they recommend them?
- Were you referred by a friend, did you like what you saw and heard as they remodeled their home?
- What about their website, does their process sound like what you would expect and enjoy?
When you do decide to meet with a kitchen and bath designer for the first time, think about how you feel in their presence.
- Is it easy to be relaxed in the conversation?
- Are you doing most of the talking, are they listening and taking notes?
- Or are they giving you "free" design and treating your project like a cookie cutter?
- Do they offer a small design agreement so that you can "test drive" their ideas?
- Do you feel that you can trust them?
- Will they introduce you to general contractors and other professionals that they would trust to be in their own home?
- Do they provide more than line drawings and show you what your remodel could really look like?
- How do they speak of their competition? Do they bash them or are they cordial and appreciate other professionals, hint, this is a good indication of how they feel about their clients too
Computer Renderings
Ultimately, what is the deciding factor for you?
Do you look at the three-legged stool of remodeling and decide that the cheapest option is the best for you? Maybe a designer in a showroom working on commission might be the right fit after all. If speed or quality is your focus, an independent interior designer or a design-build company might be your best option. Whichever route you choose, trust is the essential ingredient. If for any reason you don't feel right or have a strange feeling about them you can politely end the conversation and let them know that it's simply not a good fit, thank them for their time and be on your way.
What Size Tile Should I use?
Should the tile on shower walls be bigger than bathroom floor tiles?
There are no real rules regarding tile sizes. Ultimately, the tile on the floor should be less slippery, and if you do a standard drain in the shower you will have fewer cuts if you use something that is 4" or smaller. Linear drains have really opened up the possibility of using larger tiles on the shower floor because you can now slope the floor in one direction instead of from all four corners.
As far as aesthetics, go with your gut. When you are looking at tiles in the showrooms and on displays and even on Houzz, do some comparisons to see what you ultimately like. For instance, if you are doing a traditional bathroom, do you like a smaller "octagon and dot" or a "basket weave" pattern on the floor with a rectangular "subway tile" on the walls? Or do you prefer a larger square tile on the floor set in a diagonal pattern with the subway tile instead?
Berkeley Traditional Universal Design (small 9x7 Bathroom)
Photography by Treve Johnson www.Treve.com
Helpful hint: for a small bathroom, try to avoid using a tile that is approximately 12" x 12". Whether you are conscious of it or not, it is a size we are all accustom to; for example most of us look at and hold 8.5 x 11 paper daily and it is almost the same size, it becomes easy to tell and feel if a room is small. I recommend using larger tiles like 12" x 24", 18" x 18" or smaller tiles like the "basket-weave" pattern in this small bathroom in Berkeley or even simply having the 12" x 12" tile installed on a diagonal or off-set in a "cobblestone" pattern.
What sink size works best?
This question was recently asked on Houzz.com.
Choosing the best sink for you is what is most important. Ask yourself some questions. Do you like to hand-wash your dishes? Are you Left or right handed? Do you have a separate prep sink for washing vegetables? Do you need a separate sink for veggies? What is the largest pot or pan that you need to fit into the sink? Will it only fit into a single bowl? Would a lower center divide work for both fitting your pots & pans as well as having the separate space? What is the size of your sink cabinet ? Will a larger 50/50 (equally divided) work better than a smaller 50/50 version? If you don't have a large enough sink base for a equally divided sink, maybe one that is 40/60 (small bowl on left or right) may work better for your needs.
Kohler: Anthem Cast-Iron K-5840-5-U
One thing I can say definitively is that you should purchase the sink-bottom-grid for the bowl that will hold your dishes. It will keep them off the bottom which generally means that your large pots fit a little better, they won't block water from draining and your sink, as well as your dishes, will last longer without the extra scraping on the bottom.
For more sink options described in this article, visit my Houzz ideabook.