design book
Ever wonder what an HGTV Design Star winner would say about designing your space? Lucky you, we’ve got one! Blank Slates Designing
By Jennifer Bertrand
practicalowl/flickr. Image slightly altered, used under a CC license.
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Sometimes it’s nice to see how light affects the space to know what colors you will want to paint. And most importantly, you may even want to redefine the rooms. Our din- ing room has become my office because we were honest with ourselves that entertaining people one time a year didn’t warrant wast- ing a whole room. Now it’s a space that I use every single day, and I love it. I’m up among the action in our house and I get natural light, which I didn’t get in the basement. Third, know that your old stuff may need to be switched out. If it’s a new house, think of it like finding the right hair cut for your face shape. Same goes for furniture and accessories for your home. Something that may have been perfect for your old house may not be the right fit for your new house. If it’s evolving your home style, then write a list saying what you have to keep and what
ello, everyone! Wowzahs, are you ready for spring or what? Just remember all of that cold reminds you that
and she didn’t even know where to begin on how to evolve style. First, do your typical thing that everyone under the sun is doing — start a pinterest page and a house notebook. You don’t have to know why you like photos. But after you pin a certain amount of images, more than likely you’ll start to see specific elements repeat — like white cabinets, or lots of natu- ral wood or whatever! Then in your “house notebook,” start a list of goals for the house. Do a page for each room. This will help keep your thoughts organized. It will also give you a base camp for any contractor in- voices, paint color selections and so on. No longer will you have to rummage in drawers or look at old paint cans to have answers! Second, don’t feel rushed. It never hurts to live in a space before you spend money on it. Design is a thoughtful process.
you’re alive and wakes you up! And if any- thing, it’s been so cold that you’ve had time to stare at rooms in your house and think of brilliant ideas on how to enhance them! This column I wanted to discuss what happens when you have a blank slate in a home (even if it’s not all white). Your “blank slate” basically means you can push your home design where you want it to go, but you don’t even know where to begin. It could be that you just bought a house, or it could be that you’ve completely changed your style. For example, I had a friend who stopped having people over because she wasn’t a fan of her old European style. She was now feeling not proud of her home,
VintageKC / Spring 2014 6
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