June 2, 2016

I will really miss this house!

As professional designers, we often work very closely with our clients in building or renovating their homes.  We agonize over every  decision for wiring, plumbing, wood trim, flooring, and tile as well as the “pretty” ones with fabric, wallpaper, furniture, and paint,  as if they were our own. These houses become a part of us, and it is hard to tell them goodbye.

I recently had a beloved project in downtown Charleston be put on the market and sold. We had worked on the renovation for over a year. I knew every intimate detail of this house and was involved in almost all of the decisions for it. I frequently got to stay there and enjoy our work. So, the owners and I began the sad process of saying goodbye to the house. One last visit in April, and then my wonderful installers arrived to start the dismantling process.

We’ve packed it all up ready to go to the next house in another city. It will be a year or two as we start another renovation. We will find a place for all of the beloved furniture, artwork and fabrics. Some will change form or move to another place. Some won’t fit in the new house. Maybe it will go to a son or daughter’s house. Life does constantly change.

But I will really miss this house!

May 19, 2016

Imagination At Work

From the first time I sit down with the architects until the time we deliver the furniture, designing the interior of a house can be years of work. Space planning, plumbing choices, cabinet designs, lighting concerns, finish selections, trim packages….the list goes on and on. All the while, I have to keep a vision of the finished product in mind. Selections made over a few years time would make no sense otherwise.

April 28, 2016

Kitchen Transformation!!!

When my clients called me about renovating their kitchen, the challenge was that their kitchen is an interior room with no outside views. Plus, they had a large skylight that had a dated feel to it. At first, they just wanted to paint and replace appliances, but quickly realized we could greatly improve the design of their room.  We decided to  open up one end wall  to let in natural light from the dining room. What a difference that made! Then, the white cabinets, reclaimed hardwood floors, and planked walls really changed the look of their kitchen.

Tim Hance, the architect on this project, designed the skylight to flow into the planked ceiling. It  definitely helped to disguise the large square box from before and makes it feel a part of the room.

By moving a door over a foot, we were able to gain a wall of storage at this end of the room.

The cooktop area, island, and baking center have white marble countertops. The glass doors over the baking center are beautiful!