Interior Design and other Mysteries of the World

I’m sure that you’re scratching your head; and, laughing!  Interior design a mystery, you say?  Well, yeah.  How hard can it be?  A little color, a little furniture, a few little accent pieces, and you’re finished.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but it takes (a little) more effort than that. 

Let me digress; I work from home.  It’s wonderful to be able to get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and sit at my desk.  All of my emails are answered before 7:30 a.m., day scheduled, contractors called and instructions given (if I’m not enjoying Facebook posts).  The down side of working from home is there isn’t any interaction with others in the field, except when speaking on the phone or conversing on social media sites.  So, when my close friend, who is also an interior Designer, calls it breaks up the day and provides that social interaction that is missing when working from home.  We speak often; sometimes comparing notes on projects and sometimes asking each other’s opinion. 

The other day she called and said that she was in the window covering isle at a local hardware store and a woman was deep in thought.  My friend, believing that she was being helpful, asked her what she was looking for.  The woman replied that she needed some window coverings.  Well, my friend proceeded to ask a multitude of questions, such as, which way do the windows face, is there a privacy issue, is there a view, what approximate size are the windows, are there any problems you are trying to correct, and more.  The woman replied that she just wanted to cover her windows, and didn’t think of the other issues associated with window coverings.  After my friend asked a few more questions, the woman looked perplexed and walked away in a huff, and without any window coverings! 

Even though being an interior designer is perceived to be an easy and “fun” profession (and, it can be a lot of fun), it’s not just about “pretty.”  There are so many other issues involved before we get to the “pretty.”  Those issues, discussed during the early stages of a project, and rectified, are what pave the path for our designs.  Our designs are predicated on function; “Form ever follows function,” coined by the American architect, Louis Sullivan, (usually quoted as, “form follows function”).  First, the function of the space is determined, then the design is conceived.

 

I, too, while shopping and seeing others with a quizzical look on their faces want to jump in and help with their design dilemma; but, for the most part, I do NOT.  And, the reaction from the woman in the window covering isle is the reason why I push my cart right by them and continue my shopping; and, shopping at the local hardware store (to me, at least) is like being a kid in a candy store!  I LOVE the hardware store; I see something that is ordinary and picture it functioning as something completely different and it becomes extraordinary.  One of my favorite things to do is use a beautiful ceramic garden pot as a utensil  holder next to the cook top.  The varied shapes, sizes and colors of the wooden spoons and spatulas make a beautiful arrangement.

And that, my friends, is why I love being an interior designer!

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
www.fb.com/DMDesignsInteriorDesign

http://dmdesignsinteriors.blogspot.com

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
www.fb.com/DMDesignsInteriorDesign

http://dmdesignsinteriors.blogspot.com

I’ve Joined the World of Bloggers

Donna Marie Mushinskie’s First Blog

I spoke to my friend and colleague this morning,

Denise Turner of Color Turners, about the changing face of interior design and how we connect with our clients.  She said, “Blog!”  I’ve done the internet research and read the Blogging for Dummies book, but I’m still a bit skeptical. http://www.amazon.com/Blogging-Dummies-Computers-Brad-Hill/dp/0471770841

As I told Denise, I’m my own worse enemy.  My perfectionism (no one is perfect) and slight obsessive/compulsiveness makes me question (almost) everything that I do.  I wonder what I can write that hasn’t already been written.  Denise said, “Just do it!”  We’ve all heard that before.  So, here I am . . . 

As I wandered through my home thinking about what I can write that will be interesting, I gazed at the dish of tomatoes from our garden sitting by the window in the hope that they will turn a beautiful shade of red.  There are three that have turned and one that is just starting to ripen.  It almost looks like a very small pumpkin!  And, this inspires me.

                                                                                                           

As an Interior Designer, I look for inspiration in all that surrounds me; the beautiful pansies in my front yard; the hummingbird feeding in the backyard; the cloud-filled sky.  I marvel at the textures and shapes that naturally surround us; another source of inspiration. 

Some believe that we have a magic wand, and a divine moment when we know exactly how a space will look.  Not so with me.  I need to know how a space functions before I know how it will look.  I like the nuts and bolts of design.  I like the challenge of making a space function beautifully (and, safely) and then make it look beautiful, too.  I draw inspiration from my clients and their enthusiasm for the spaces that I (we) design.  Yes, we design.  My clients are an integral part of the design process.  I derive inspiration from their surroundings; their way of life, their cherished mementos, their family pictures of time spent together, and their desire for a newly inspired space.

One thing that holds true with everyone, we inadvertently, or maybe intentionally, tell a lot about ourselves by the way that we live.  Maybe, as a part of the design curriculum, it should be a requirement that we take courses on human behavior and psychology.  Much can be learned by the way a person lives.  This is our cue as Interior Designers.  This is where we step in and expand on “your” design.  This is where we bring our education and experience to the drafting table and make the design exceptional and inspirational.  And, sometimes, a client wants something completely different from what they already have.  Here, again, inspiration is found in the contrary; the contrary of what one already has experienced.  This can be very exciting as an Interior Designer because this presents us with a clean, white canvas from which to draw; where we take inspiration from what is offered naturally every day as we venture out into this beautiful world and explore!

Happy exploring!!

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
www.fb.com/DMDesignsInteriorDesign

http://dmdesignsinteriors.blogspot.com