1: Unpack Essentials First like a few days clothing, toiletries, tools, pet supplies. Put them in their rspective rooms.

2: Wipe out shelves, clean windows, & mop under appliances before putting things away. Plan ahead where to place certain items, like putting dishes & glassware in the cupboards above the dishwasher. Decide what goes where before unpacking.

3: Plan where to place furniture before putting it in place. Make a sketch of the room, and locate furniture on the sketch. Easier to erase a sketch than move a heavy piece of furniture.

4: Focus on unpacking one room at a time. Unpack the items most-used first, like shower curtains, toilet paper, soap, kitchen glasses, silverware, dishes. Set-up the beds, and make them with fresh linens.

5: Unpacking the living room can be done by everyone living there, as it will contain lots of items & several electronic hook-up. Use a surge protector when setting up computers or stereo equipment.

6: Have the garage set up with shelves & hooks for tool placement, yard supplies, and sports equipment.

7: Make your house feel like your home.  Hang window shades, blinds, or curtains. Consider painting some rooms a different color. Add new knobs to cabinets, and/or refinish the cabinets. Hang family pictures, artwork, and mirrors. Add potted plants.

8: As you unpack boxes, take inventory to see that nothing has been lost or broken.  Remember insurance claims need to be filed within a few days of moving, and damaged items need be kept as evidence.

9: Collapse each moving box as it is emptied, and set aside for storage or recycling.

10: Start of list of home repairs & maintenance that needs to be done; and create a shopping list to make sure you have everything you need.

Before you know it, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy your new space! Remember, in order to be functional for you,  it should fit you like your favorite shoe fits.  After you are in, ask yourself, “Does the Shoe…..FIT?” If you need some  help, give us a call; we’re the interior & exterior space experts.

Space for circulation is often overlooked in our involvement with styles, colors, room focus, etc. We forget to really analyze how much space we need in order to get around in an area. Oh, we leave “some” space–maybe a foot or so.

In kitchen areas, we can generally expect more than one person to be moving about, at least some of the time. Cabinet and appliance doors open to narrow a passageway. Stools are pulled out into the passageway. Likewise dining room chairs must be pushed from the table to allow us to get into them and up from them.

A standard rule with designers is to leave a minimum of 3.5 feet space in a kitchen aisle or around a dining table for circulation. Coffee tables and sofa’s need about 2 feet of space between them for leg room. To enter a conversational furniture arrangement, again use the 3.5 feet rule as minimum. Of course, one “can” get through in a smaller space–however, it is awkward and appears cramped. People are more comfortable with the extra space.

Your existing hallways  or corridors may not be 5′, but if someone in the household is walking down the hall with a laundry basket, and someone else is approaching  from the opposite end with something at his side, they will wish the hallway WAS 5 feet wide. (Even wheelchairs can turn around in a 5′ space–a definite consideration should there be an accident or an elderly in the home.) Typically, we say a minimum 3 feet of width for a passage that only one person will walk through, and a minimum of 3′-6″ where there may be two people passing from opposite directions. (Odd?? yes! How does that second person fit into a 6′ space?–Both people have to slide a bit sideways!)  If you are building, just make the halls 5′ wide. You will be very glad you did–as will every owner of the home thereafter. 

Remember, your spaces need to fit you like your favorite shoe. Ask yourself, “Does the Shoe….FIT? If not, feel free to contact us, Breay Design Associates, for help……You’ll be glad you did!

Asymmetrical balance

Last posting we discussed symmetrical furniture, and/or accessory arrangement as being great for a formal style of space, having a mirror image or 50/50 balance. But what if you don’t care for formal, and it’s somewhat predictability?  You still need balance in the arrangement of elements to have a feeling of assurance to the  space.

Aysmmetrical balance is for the more casual style. Instead of a 50/50 mirror image, as symmetrical balance of elements, aysmmetrical is more like 65/35. It balances, but not as a mirror image. It’s a little like many of our lives in this day and age. We may work extra long hours for awhile; then take off time to be with family to balance our life. 

An example of an aysmmetrical furniture arrangement would be the sofa having a chair or two perpendicular to it, with  a table and lamp in the corner, between the sofa and chair(s). Think of an “L” as an example of symmetrical balance.   

Accessories look great arranged aysmmetrically; perhaps one item taller, with one or two small items on one side, and three or four small items on the other side. For interest, we wouldn’t align the objects in a straight row. We’d put some forward, some back, something a bit in front of the larger item.

Aysmmetrical arrangement is particularly pleasing in architecture that is also non-traditional, non symmetrical.  It often works well with the architecture of western homes. If in doubt, walk outside and look at the front of your home. Are windows and other features  the same on the right as on the left? Is the door centered in the front view? If so, you have symmetrically balanced architecture, as opposed to aysmmetrical.

And remember–if your surroundings don’t fit “you”  like a favorite shoe, you need a little redesign!  –Sharon Breay,    Does the Shoe….FIT?   design programs & workshops

Symmetrical balance occurs when things are arranged the same on both the right and the left, somewhat like a mirror image. My Mom used to have her sofa against a wall, with matching end tables on either side of the sofa, and matching lamps on each end table. There was a 50/50 split to the arrangement. This is symmetrical balance. Another example would be to place a loveseat on either side of the fireplace, facing each other. This principle can also be applied to a group of wall hangings, as one large piece in the center, with a smaller piece on either side.

So what does it matter? Just as we feel more relaxed and assured when our lives are in balance, we feel the same when coming into a room with the elements balancing each other.  Symmetrical balance presents a somewhat formal and reserved look to a room. This is worth considering. If you wish a formal look to an area, simply arranging the furniture will help you achieve your goal. If the architectural style of your home is formal, this is the type of furniture and accessory arrangement for you.

But what if you are more casual? What if you don’t care for such predictability? Can you still get a balance of elements in a space? Join us May 30th for the next discussion of furniture and accessory balance.              And by the way, which do YOU think is easier to attain?  Home Interior balance, or   Life Balance???

And remember–if your surroundings don’t fit “you”  like a favorite shoe, you need a little redesign!  –Sharon Breay,    Does the Shoe….FIT?   design programs & workshops

 What does Happiness have to do with Design? Aren’t we referring to colors and furniture?  Well we are, but good design is much more than colors and furniture. Design is very much based on psychology. Applying our own personal psychology to a space can contribute greatly to our happiness. We do need to follow good design principles, but we must equally take into consideration the personalities of the inhabitants of the space.

 The other day my husband wanted me to look over his new website for his stamp dealership. The header had a large background of very deep gray that gradiated down the page. My personal opinion was that it looked gloomy, even depressing. And yet the graphics person working so closely with my husband apparently didn’t feel the same. I also thought back to a recent hotel stay where there were lots of coral colors, plants and sunshine. It gave me a feeling of being in the tropics, and made me feel very happy. What colors and things make you feel happy? What themes of rooms make you feel happy?

Lighting has much the same effects on our happiness. Very bright lighting throughout your home could easily make you feel tense, jittery, and grumpy. Yet soft colored, low level lighting would probably make you feel relaxed, even secure.

 One of the first steps in applying the Chinese philosophy-religion of Feng Shui (the placement of furniture & accessories to bring you wealth & happiness) is to eliminate clutter.  A harmonious flow comes from having only a few favorite items setting out. It seems our minds have quite enough to thing on.

Bring in natural light and fresh air. Have house plants that purify the air, such as fern and ivy.

It is not the trends and latest TV show designs that we need to follow. We need to follow our heart. Use good design principles, but don’t overlook your own personality. If you need to GET AWAY!–you may wish to address the happiness your own home design gives to you.  Think of your home as a shoe, and ask yourself, “Does the Shoe….FIT?”

Can you picture the lopsided room with lighter weight (and color) shelving on one side and heavy, large furniture on the other? The homeowner had accommodated seating for several, with positions to see the television. But the proportion of the seating and coffee table, coupled with the seating being one massive solid, overpowered the room. That sectional was like trying to fit the movie monster King Kong into the room.

Proportion is the biggest problem I see in our interiors. Don’t be fooled by the size of furniture as it sits in massive furniture store displays, with hundreds of other pieces.

Take the measurements of the piece and compare them with the size of your room. Do not bring King Kong home unless the room can accommodate the monster!

Had our hostess used a lighter looking sofa, with smaller arms and less mass, with a few side chairs (versus fully upholstered lounge chairs), putting one chair at the shelving for balance, the room would have looked infinitely better and been far more flexible. If we can further visualize this furniture in the room, using two small tables rather than 1 large coffee table, we have space between pieces, smaller sizes, and better balance.

Psychologically, we all become uneasy with tilting objects. Don’t let your room tilt!

Proportion and balance contribute much to an enjoyable space.