Beauty in design emits an emotional response for me. Good design is NOT expected. Good design provides alternatives to challenges. Good design is functional with a twist and incorporates the home or building’s “Architectural Personality”. All these qualities built upon each other produce a warm and comfortable address that’s memorable for all that enter.
My design ideas start at the curb where I conjure up an emotional connection to a house. The roof line, windows, building materials, it’s status off the street emit clues to me about its Architectural Personality– A KimE Design Concept. Is its signature: Modern, Traditional, Farm House, Victorian, Craftsman, Cottage, or Mountain? Each one of these “Design Personalities” incorporate elements that identify which distinctive personality trait category the house will fall under. Knowing the Architectural Personality is critical in helping me create a Design Plan that melts seamlessly into its surroundings.
Every home has a beginning, middle and an end. I like to categorize them in the following way & think of ways to capitalize on those ordinary attributes:
Beginning–Curb Appeal– A tree lined driveway, flower boxes, a beautiful front door knocker, a carriage light can set the stage and draw you in.
Middle–The Interiors–Walking into a soothing paint pallet, interesting art, 2nd Hand/Vintage furnishing mixed with today’s modern amenities is like a warm hug. There is “something” about the surroundings that elicits a warm & welcoming feeling. You don’t want to leave. That’s part of my plan!
End–Backyard/Garden–“The End” is never really the end–it’s a continuation. The backyard is as important as the whole house. It’s the place where we can embrace the natural beauty of God’s creation. Bird houses & baths, statuary, flowers, a textured landscape creates a plethora of nature’s best attributes to look out over, slow down the pace of life & dream.
Unfortunately, today’s new housing developments perpetuate an aura of sameness that is lifeless & boring. I call it Housing Robots lined up on treeless streets–a housing version of “Stepford Wives”. It would be so easy to go into the wrong house, since there are no redeeming qualities to differentiate them. I call on Architecture Colleges across the fruited plain to revisit the works of Stratton Hammon, George Washington Smith, Jonathan Adler, Howard Van Doren Shaw, Addison Misner who were giants of architecture in the 19th century. Their homes have achieved the moniker of Classic. Design isn’t repetition–it’s an expression of lasting uniqueness that weathers the test of time & stands alone as a testament to what can be achieved by thinking outside the box.