| |
Every house has a story to tell. Not just about its own history but about its owners, past and present. Every detail liked or disliked says something about the owner. The house is a mirror of its owners
I have been nicknamed the "House Whisperer" because of the way that I look at design and its relationship with clients. The first thing I do is "listen to the space", looking at the original architecture of the building and other historical information. Then I look at how the client lives in a home. Just as every home has a story, every item in a room has a story, and gives more information about the client. "Whispering" to a house is about balancing the needs of a building with the needs of those who live inside.
I look at the colors, textures, accessories to get a feel for the client's personality. I look at the client to see if the client is comfortable in that space. Every room emotes a mood, we look and listen to see what that is, has it been accomplished and is it one that is enjoyed by the owner and the house.
Sometimes, the house makes certain demands. I once had a client that struggled to find the right hardware for her kitchen. It was easy to find hardware she liked, but the kitchen still wasn't happy with the choices. When I found the hardware that the home "whispered" to me, it became the instant favorite of the house and the client.
It is important, to take into account the needs, desires and style of the client. The goal is make the house comfortable for them first and foremost. The house is a mirror of the client and we want to look in that mirror and to see the best attributes of each member of the house, to create a space that is comfortable, peaceful, and restorative for that client. How is a place restorative? Well, there are many ways, the easiest to explain perhaps is color. Some people like loud bold colors, if you put them in a quiet colored room, it will unconsciously disturb them and vice versa. The trick is to find the color that gives them joy and makes them feel more like themselves. The same can be said for styles of furniture. Another way is in the amount of "stuff" people have around. Everyone has different comfort levels there. One person may like things really ornate, with lots of details and lots of accessories, another person may want it to be really modern and very sparse and there are lots of comfort zones in between. This is another aspect we look at when assessing a house. There are many more but these are just a few examples.
Sometimes when creating a design, we will just look at the room and imagine what could be in it. I think this is one of the ways the nickname really came into being. I would be sitting quietly looking at the room, as intently as you would listen to your best friend's secret and come up with the idea that would work in the space. When asked, the best way I could explain it was that "it was what the room wanted". Hence the name, house whisperer.
Being an interior designer isn't just about making things pretty. It's part sociologist, part historian, part psychologist. Sometimes I think being psychic wouldn't hurt. It really is about listening to the client, not just with your ears but with your heart. At Chasworth Place, we want your home to be a grand expression of you and If, as Shakespeare wrote, "Life is but a stage", it is our mission to provide the backdrop for you to create life's great performance.
|
|
| |
