As I take on more work, mostly because I love, love the clients I am able to work with, I am reminded of the design principles that make for a good plan. The artistic mind can be scattered – mine is at least – and juggling clients, opinions, tastes, priorities, including my own home renovation, can leave me a bit distracted.
Sourcing can be a nightmare when your list exceeds more than a few clients so to be able to reach back into a small bag of guiding principles as organized by project keeps me on track and things moving.
Style File – Have I said this before?
I start every new client with a review of their style file and these really run the gamut – from file folders crammed with tear sheets to hard cover books with neatly cut and organized images to, most recently, a digital scrapbook using houzz.com (it is like Pinterest on steroids, very specifically for home design – brilliant). But the presentation aside, I get a very clear sense of big picture, overall design concept – the ‘feel’ for lack of a less vague word.
Stick with It
Setting clear design principles at the onset of a project is critical – not just for me, but for the client. We need to create that overall esthetic using a super broad stroke so as we select finishes, furnishings and accessories, we have a focus or commitment to refer to.
For example – through an ongoing project on my plate, the main guiding principle has been to keep things “natural” – so as we were choosing countertops, we could eliminate the composites like Caesarstone – natural slab only. As we widdled down fabric selections, we went back to that need for the natural so linens, cottons, wools made their way to the short list.
Your commitment can be rooted in architectural direction or material finish or be more specific like a design style – transitional, classic contemporary, modern. Having already made this big decision will help you make all of the smaller ones. Promise.