Craftsman Style and Technology

One of my current projects is a beautiful Craftsman home in South Pasadena.  The owner is very detail oriented and chooses to keep (most) of his 100 year old home historically preserved.  Before I became part of his team, he remodeled his kitchen and did a very fine job.  His kitchen reflects the flavor (no pun intended) of the Craftsman period but was custom designed to suit his lifestyle.   The next major remodel was the bathroom.  Its original claw-foot tub and pedestal sink had seen better days and the owner, standing 6’2”, wished to do away with the tub altogether and opted for a barrier-free shower.  Because of his height, and the lower ceilings, we installed two ceiling-mounted rain shower heads, together with a hand-held body spray.  We integrated the Craftsman doors and windows into this design and updated the feeling and the function of his bathroom.  We even included the (space-age, said tongue-in-cheek) Toto toilet.  This particular toilet performs several tasks, the least of which is automatically lifting the lid when you enter the room and flushes the tank and closes the lid when you walk away.  If you’re not familiar with these somewhat new toilets, take a tour of the Toto website.  http://www.totousa.com/ProductDetail.aspx?productid=411  

We’re now working on the living room and refurbishing the entire front bank of windows.  The windows will be removed, stripped, stained and the original hardware will be polished and re-plated, if necessary.  This is all done with tender loving care as the glass is original to the house and reflects the striations in the glass of that era.  My good friend, and skilled craftsman, Lorenzo Tatone of Dip ‘N Strip, will be handling this part of the job.   http://www.dipnstrip.com/

With all of the creature comforts that we have in today’s world, it is difficult to live in a home that is historically correct.  Would we want to live there?  I choose not to.  But, in the world of interior design, we can integrate beauty and fine workmanship into a home without losing the feel of the era it was built.  I believe that a home is a work in progress; that it evolves as the occupants grow and their lives change.  A home is where we live the way that we wish to live; a place that reflects our lifestyle and personality; and, integrated into that home should be a little beauty. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (a paraphrase of a statement by Plato).  So, as a homeowner, beauty is found in your home in the way that you wish to see it; not the way that I, as a designer, wish to see it.  As an interior designer, I bring a keen eye for spatial relevance, scale and proportion, color sense, textures and lines, just to name a few.  You, as the homeowner(s), bring your family’s personality and special living style.  I see this diversity every time I meet a new client.  It is this diversity that makes the world such a wonderful place; and, makes my job as a designer so interesting and fulfilling!!    

D M Designs is a full service interior design studio focusing on client satisfaction.  This is accomplished through open communication between D M Designs and the client to assess the client's needs and wants, then taking the process to the next step to design a space that is pleasing to the client and reflects their personality.

Donna Marie Mushinskie, CID
D M Designs
donna@dmdesignsinteriors.com
www.dmdesignsinteriors.com
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