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

compliments of OutdoorLights

Once there was a poem about a light in the garden. Is “a” light enough? Probably not. Exterior lighting needs to be planned as carefully as we plan our interiors and our architecture. So often when I am looking out the window of a home in evening, all I see are the reflections of the interior home staring back at me. I see none of the lovely grounds beyond!  If this sounds like your home, here are tips to rectify the problem.

Yards are to be enjoyed in the evening as well as in the day, and from the inside as well as from the outside. A little string of low voltage or LEDs, or solar lights usually won’t do the job—not because of the type of light, but because of the straight line of lighting fixtures. Too much of a good thing becomes too predictable—and ultimately, boring. Nor will a huge sensor light over the garage door create the feeling of peace and mystique that are so appealing in a night garden. Nor will lighting up the yard like a commercial parking lot be appreciated by viewers, particularly neighbors! 

By mixing lighting heights and intensities, and what the light illuminates, we can create an interesting, unobtrusive night scene that can be enjoyed both from inside and outside. Think about the spaces in your yard. You will do well to provide some ambient, low level lighting for general visibility, some task lighting at areas such as steps, and some accent lighting to focus on a favorite area of architecture, or lawn ornament, or shrub or tree. The task lighting should be about twice as bright as the ambient light, and the accent light, which will only shine on one element of focus, can be 15 times as bright as the ambient light, for real “punch.” 

Next blog, we’ll discuss some methods of lighting the entry. 

See you then!—Sharon Breay

You may want solid information to solve a problem. You realize the “trends” seldom relate to your personal lives and budgets. You can “see through” the entertaining, staged television shows on design. You know that pretty pictures don’t answer your questions. For these reasons I became a designer and professional speaker on design. Audiences have gone wild with my informative workshops; you may enjoy the same interchange here.

This blog is fashioned after my speaking presentations by the same name, “Does the Shoe….FIT?” Your homes ought to fit your personal ways of living, your style, and your home’s architecture, the way a favorite shoe fits. Would you think of wearing steel toed construction shoes with a formal gown? Would you try to get into a shoe 4 sizes too small? The shoe has to fit the activity in order to perform well. So too, must your homes, in order to give you peace, functionality, beauty, and a place that works well for the way you entertain.

Here’s an example of what I mean: I live in a mountain canyon in Colorado. Up here, you wouldn’t wear spike high-heeled shoes when mountain climbing—even though some advertising touts a particular high-heeled shoe as the “shoe of the year.” Even though you’ve seen a gorgeous movie star wear this shoe for such feats as walking through the desert for a week, climbing up the mast of a sailing ship, and running away from a hungry lion! The fact remains, the shoe isn’t appropriate for mountain climbing! Just as the right shoe fits your activity and personality, so too your homes must fit. You deserve to have them fit your lifestyle, personality, and the architecture that you live in….not vice versa.

I am not a professional writer, and may not even have all the answers! But with decades of design experiences, awards, and recognitions behind me, I intend to give you a new slant or viewpoint to deal with the areas you live and work in. Feel free to send me your comments and topic suggestions.

I look forward to meeting again December 30^th, or shortly thereafter!

Sharon Breay, ASID