It’s a program that was on Nature (public television) entitled The Animal House. Its main focus is how animals all over the world design and build houses that suit their needs. Some are simple, some are amazingly complex and some are even decorated. (yes, decorated!)

If you have a little free time you may want to watch this. I guarantee you’ll learn something.

We, human beings, are obviously not the only ones who expend tremendous efforts in creating a unique house designed specifically for us.

Enjoy!

http://www.iptv.org/video/detail.cfm/23648/naat_20111102_002902_animal_house_2

Here are a few ideas to help you achieve this:

First and foremost, assess your current furniture. Look at it objectively and think about the possibility of rearranging it. Sometimes that can make a dramatic change in the room, but only if it works from a practical standpoint. Rearranging solely to make a change makes no sense, but often it can make a vast improvement and give you an entirely different feeling in the space.

Secondly, one of the most effective and inexpensive ways of giving you the “new look” that you’re after, is to paint. Yes, that’s right, something as simple (easy for me to say because I’m not doing it!) as painting. If you glance thru my website, you’ll see that although rooms may be painted a light color, they are almost never white or off white. All designers are different in their approach to color. Some like stark white. I personally prefer a softer color with more warmth and character. I also think it’s an opportunity for you to make your own individual statement.

Additionally, think about changing small items that can also make a huge impact. Some of these might be: something as simple as recovering current throw pillows with a new fabric, getting a few new accessories and adding some artwork. Next to paint, that always makes the biggest impact. Don’t panic and think dollar signs. Posters and prints can be extremely effective! I would look online and also be sure to check out museum websites. They have a terrific selection. You also don’t have to spend a fortune framing them. You can get them “museum mounted”, which means the posters are basically backed, wrapped and ready to hang. Or, you can opt to get a ready made frame at a local store. The change that it will make in your room is still very dramatic. Think “large” when you select your art. It will be far more effective and make much more of a difference in the room.

Also, depending upon where you live, and the resources available to you, perhaps you may consider hiring a professional for an hourly consultation in your home. Many offer that service with no additional commitments necessary. It might be a wise investment to get their input about the arrangement of your furniture, paint color possibilities, and any other suggestions. It could give you a direction, some creative ideas and be money very well spent. It doesn’t hurt to inquire and see what it may cost. It could help you to achieve what you’re after, which is a new look without spending a lot of money.

Before vanity and sink

Before Shower

Before Bath Storage

After Vanity and Sink

After Shower

After Storage

The primary reason that prompted my client to renovate her bathroom was the existing tub. She really wanted a walk-in shower. It gave us an opportunity to address the other issues, such as laminate cabinetry, lighting and the overall ambience of the room.

The most major structural change we made was making the shower “feel” so much larger by adding a 6” deep shelf and extending the upper part of the wall out the 6” as well (we were fortunate in that there was a storage area behind the shower wall and we were able to “steal” the 6” without a problem). That doesn’t sound like a lot of space, and it isn’t, but it makes a huge difference in the end result. It has the additional benefit of giving her a great space to put sundry things that she will use in the shower. Installing the frameless shower door also visually expanded the space of the entire bathroom. You see straight thru the glass to the far wall of the shower making it feel part of the entire room.

We liked the idea of the floor-to-ceiling storage area at the base of the shower area. We, again, had the space so we increased the depth from 12” to 15”. These extra inches make it easier for accommodating large bath towels. Also, with all this storage we saw no need for a medicine cabinet over the sink. This enabled us to hang a large mirror which we framed in wood that matched the finish on the vanity. This also helped to visually expand the rather tight area between the sink and the shower.

The lighting was inadequate. So, we installed a recessed light in the shower, two in the room itself and a fan light to remove the moisture (especially seeing as there is no window in the room.)  The fixture above the sink purposely shines up to bounce light off the relatively low ceiling and back down to vanity top.  This gives an added feeling of height in the room and is more interesting.

We chose travertine for the floor and the walls of the shower. We installed the floor on the diagonal (again to make the area “feel” larger and it really accomplishes that!).  In the shower we put smaller tiles on the diagonal below the shelf and a border towards the top which correlates with the backsplash behind the vanity. We selected “pearl” painted cabinetry to add some contrast and keep the feeling light.

My client seems to really enjoy the contrast in ambience from the previous bathroom. The selection of natural materials adds an undeniable richness to any project.

Designing for dark areas. Playing with light to create a special mood.

Many apartments, condominiums and townhouses often have an area in the center of the building that has little or no natural light and is consequently dark (often this is because there are adjoining walls with the adjacent unit which prohibits installing a window). As so often in design, we try to take what initially may seem to be a detriment and turn it into an asset.

In this particular case, we hung a tin chandelier that had been pierced with a design and it instantaneously transformed the space. The light coming thru the fixture created these fascinating, appealingly “fuzzy” patterns all over the ceiling and walls which created interest, but a softness as well.

It is effective at all times of the day, but most dramatic at night when it becomes almost magical.

This application could also be effective in a foyer, a child’s room or any smaller space. I don’t think it would work as well in a larger space. It needs flat surfaces in which to bounce off the pattern and light.

FUN!! Don’t you think?

“The emphasis is on freshness, on individuality, on places one would really want to live in, not just look at.” Who in their right minds would want anything else? I design homes that people consider their refuge, their place to relax and reflect- a place that reenergizes them. Their homes are designed for them alone and reflect their needs, wants and personalities. They are filled with things that are unique to them.

A sterile, unwelcoming house designed to be a showhouse environment for the “keep up with the Jones crowd” is nothing I’m interested in doing. So, I guess I’m way ahead of the curve. Seems like I’ve been “undecorating” for years.

However, don’t underestimate the value of working with someone who has expertise in the arrangement of furniture, scale, lighting, color, knowledge of sources and innumerable other things. I disagree with the notion that the idea of an interior designer may be “out of question” in this economy. I feel someone with experience can guide you and help you to prevent costly mistakes, and that does nothing but save you money.

P.S. I’ve known some people with unmade beds and clothes thrown across a couch, but, trust me, they weren’t trying to make a decorating statement. No thanks, not for me.

Instead of putting a lamp on each bedside table, I decided to wall mount two swing arm lamps with silk shades. It really worked out very well for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it freed up the entire surface of the table for the various a sundry things that we all want to keep there: a clock, a phone, pictures of our loved ones, books, magazines, medications, reading glasses, water to drink at night and whatever else seems appropriate to our needs.

Secondly, the ability to be able to swing the arm of the lamp enables us to get the light in precisely the exact spot where it gives us the best light. (Have you ever been in bed trying to read and end up tilting the lamp shade to get enough light?)

Also, for this particular project we were doing a fair amount of electrical upgrades in the house, so I asked the electrician to put a box in the wall at the precise height that I wanted to mount the lights. This way there would be no cords to contend with, and it was a fairly simple job because usually there’s an electrical outlet in the wall below the nightstands which he could tap in to. If you don’t want to get involved with an electrician, you can always surface mount a swing arm lamp and use a cord cover to disguise the wire leading to the plug behind the nightstand. My experience has told me that it will be worth your while to buy a good quality lamp so it doesn’t start to “sag” after using it. (The heaviest part of the lamp is obviously at the end of the swing arm.) A good quality light will often have a three way switch, which is also convenient, so you can adjust the brightness to your liking.

Once again, sometimes the simplest of things can make such a dramatic difference.

Not only is this idea aesthetic, but extremely practical as well.

The electrician was obviously thinking that this was the easiest place to put this switch, but that left me with quite the dilemma. How in heaven’s name was I supposed to hang art on this wall?

I decided that the only way around this was a grouping. It worked out fairly well and most people hardly even notice the switch because they’re too busy looking at the photographs.

Creative Solution for a Misplaced Light Switch

In order to achieve this, the contractor had to extend the soffit in order to mount the cabinets. This created an awkward bump out that could not extend to the ceiling due to beams as you can see in the picture. In order to make this work, I decided to use it as an area to display decorative items and was pleased with the results. Often something unusual becomes an interesting element in a room.

Turning a liability into an asset

The Problem: an outdated condo in Delmar, NY had faux marbelized cabinets, outdated countertops, outdated appliances and inferior finishes throughout.

The Result: a completely updated, open, inviting and highly finished look. The client was very happy.

Use other elements in room to create balance with off-centered window

At first glance one might think that they could never arrange the furniture as it is with the window so off-centered in the space. What is important to the end result is the concept of considering the window, the art and even the lamp as part of the design of the entire wall. It works as a whole and creates a balanced design which is what one experiences upon entering the space.

 Often “difficult” rooms enable us to create very unusual and interesting spaces.

I guess it’s another example of the old “lemon into lemonade” theory. 

– SGS