TRICKS OF THE TRADE: FLOW

Great design involves knowing about the spacial relationships between a home’s different rooms. FLOW is successful when the interior rooms move smoothly between each other. The living room flows into the dining room, the dining room into the kitchen, and so on.

 A good architect / designer knows how to carve a space so that the plan flows and “good energies” are evoked.  Floor plans have more to do with how a space “feels,” rather than how it looks. When walking through rooms with good flow, one gets a good “feeling.”  Like the bespoke suit that seems perfectly poised upon the body,  well-composed plans achieve the same effect: they feel natural, as though they have always existed in time, with a sense of history preserved.

How to parlay this well designed plan into action is for the professional.  This is a most difficult task because unless the end-user can physically traverse the space, they oftentimes don’t understand what it will “feel” like.   They won’t grasp the ‘Flow.”

“Abby’s Footnotes”

A beautifully designed floor plan allows for a sensory experience throughout every room. This condo is Soho, Beijing creates a natural gradience starting with the master bathroom and ending with the second bedroom of the home. The wrap around balcony dictates the flow of the home and is experienced from every room of the apartment with the help of floor to ceiling windows. The common areas are centered and are free from existing walls, which allow a free flow of light, but the bedrooms still remain private because of their location and permanent walls. The “flow” of this apartment was well designed creating a sensory experience.

TIPS AND TRICKS OF THE TRADE: MIRRORS

MIRRORS can be divided into two types: RECESSIVE and Decorative.  When they are at their most creative is when they are recessive.  That is, when their presence is so subtle as to not even know they exist.  What these so-called blind mirrors do is to  expand space in without you knowing it - it’s magical.  For instance, when placed in a narrow hallway, a recessive mirror will make the hallway look twice as wide. In addition to opening up a space, these type of mirrors reflect a lot of light.  Placed at either across from or at an angle near a window, the recessive mirror opens up the view by reflecting the landscape beyond.  These mirrors are not self-conscious, like their cousins, but rather they seem to disappear. So, when built in to cabinetry, you get double the space - it’s something for nothing, so to speak.  The recessive mirror really captures the inside of the room so magically. 

{Abby’s Footnotes}

My favorite mirror treatment is the use of convex mirrors on an entire wall either in an entryway or behind a bed. Mirrors are enchanting and are like jewels of a space. They provide additional light and texture to a room. Use a mirror opposite to a window and you will bring the sun and foliage into the home. Also, mirrors are a great alternative to artwork. Find an amazing vintage frame and the frame becomes the center of attention.

TIPS AND TRICKS OF THE TRADE: DRAPERY

Draperies enhance the view.  Opposed to popular thought, if designed correctly, they do not obscure, but rather frame the windows, highlighting the outside vista.   This is accomplished by placing side panels on the outside of the window frames and the rod or valance above the top of the window.  For an open, airy feel, sheer draperies or lightly colored panels are best. Some may argue that window coverings are not even necessary. But, here is where subtlety and attention to detail enhance the decoration of a room or wall. Done correctly and to the proportion and scale of the windows they surround, draperies enhance the view. Think of artwork. Most of the time, paintings have frames. These frames serve the purpose of structuring the composition within; as such, it is a source of containment. They separate and define the boundaries of art to wall; so too with window treatments. In effect, they are the eyelids: either blatantly exposing, subtlety informing, or fiercely protecting the viewer from the view beyond. They let in; they let out. In a modern house, sheer draperies, not covering the windows, but lying flat upon its contiguous walls, provide a sexy subtle frame. Again, they soften the transition between outside and in. Usually affixed to an overhead pole, the sheers flail with the wind, flirting with the floor below.  Occasionally, modern apartments have a series of ganged windows that stop short midway up the wall. In these instances, roman shades that fall to the top of the sill are most effective. Set within a pair of side panels, the shades create a perfect composition within the window frame.   Drapery treatments physically and aesthetically give an enhanced appearance inside and out. In their subtle and seductive application, they lead the viewer to a wider perspective, framing their vistas. From the exterior, they invite and give a welcome insight into the interior.

“Abby’s Footnotes”

Drapery elongates a wall and adds elegance to a room. If you love modern decor, but also want to maintain a “homey” feel throughout the home, drapery is the answer. It frames the windows and forces the eyes to look upwards in a room. It is can be referred to as the “earrings” in the room. It is the one of the accessories that will make the room pop! Therefore the casing of the drapery is equally important. Lighter colored drapery work best, but if you want desire a dark shade, try to stay within a monotone palette. Lastly, drapery is not just for windows. They look great in entryways framed behind a door casing.