Visually Flowing

The other night I was watching Candace Olson on TV. She was designing an open concept home.  The familyroom was  connecting to the kitchen architecturally but not visually. You can see the episode HERE!

The kitchen had been recently renovated in a beautiful, sleek modern feel. The family room or great room had no connection other than its location to the kitchen. There was no flow from one space to the other. It made me think back to a phrase I used often while working with clients.

“It visually flows,” is a phrase I have used throughout my career in design.  In fact I used it so frequently, those who knew me or worked with me, knew it was one of my catch phrases and one that was very important to me.

What do I mean by visually flowing? Have you ever gone into a room and your eye literally would gently scan the entire room without any jolt or interruption. That is what I mean by visually flowing.

There is nothing worse than going into a room where the eye does not know where to look first. A room that will make your eye jump from one object to another without any flow at all.

How do you attain a room that will visually flow?
I think it has a lot to do with the feel of a room and also the colors and patterns that are used.

If you are using color in your rooms it is important that the colors are dispersed throughout the room in an easy flowing manner. The same goes for patterns they need to coordinate or have some connection in pattern and in color.

The room should maintain the same feel as the adjacent room if they are open to each other. For instance it would not look like a well designed space if a person had a kitchen that looked like this……..

A charming cottage kitchen with country accents has absolutely no continuity or “Visual Flow” to this more modern sleek looking room.

There is no connection in style, color or feel.

Here is an example of a room that visually flows gently into the next room.

This home has an open concept. You can see the edge of the sofa that is in the family room. Let’s look into the family room………

Notice  how one room visually flows into the next. There is no jolt to the eye, there is a soft transition from one room to the next.  How did they get such continuity? 

The homeowner has chosen a common color pallete. They have chosen a soft neutral color scheme with a touch of blue.

 There are also some similar textures from one room to the next. Take notice of the linen fabric on the sofa and chairs,it is also repeated in the cushions in the eating area of the kitchen.

Look at the chandelier, the small table by the chair, the eating area chairs and the hardware on the door. Notice they are all made out of black wrought iron, and a little of the metal is used in each room.

They mixed in another metal in both rooms by repeating the sink fixtures finish in nickel by also using it in the hanging fixture and the two sofa table lamps.

Next look at the simple accessory of the wooden vine ball it is textural just like the natural weave of all the roman shades on the windows.

The small wooden log tables texture is repeated in the kitchen counter where they used a wooden bowl to hold the green apples.

As you can see by studying images of a room you can learn a lot about how to make a room “Visually Flow.” It is all about repeating colors and textures and the feelings in a room in relation to the adjacent room or rooms.

Now that you have done a quick study with this room, how is your own home visually flowing?  Take a look around and see if you need to make a few adjustments.

 Sometimes it is as simple as removing something that pulls the eye to abruptly. Also, maybe taking some accessories from another room and adding them to the mix in the adjacent room will give you some continuity.

Have fun, play around a little. Who knows you might come up with a whole new look by  adjusting just a few things in your home.

“Enjoy the Process!” Of:

Making a few adjustment so your rooms will, “Visually Flow!”

Kathysue

LETTER, LETTER ON THE WALL!!

I have a love for letters or numbers in design. I use a letter “P” in my own home and I have several displayed throughout.

On  the Mary Tyler Moore show, Mary  had a very large “M” on her wall. I believe that was in the early 70’s and that began my love of letters on walls. I had a letter “P” on a bookshelf very much like her letter, “M.”  In my boy’s bedrooms I had their names on the wall.

 

This is a design element that has stuck with me much of my adult life.

I have images of displays that are done with letters that I have saved in my files.

I actually saved this display as inspiration for the playroom re-do I am working on

 

A nursery done by Sarah Richardson.

I love this idea and have thought seriously about using this in my guest room. What do you think?

Ballard

 

I am so excited because yesterday something came via a little brown truck in a great big package!!

It came from Grandinroad catalog!!

A Great BIG TWO Foot Letter “P!”

It only came in antiqued yellow so I will probably be painting it, but it is so amazing!!! It doesn’t take much to make this girl happy, does it?!!

The letter is made out of metal and it has an antiqued finish and I actually do not mind the yellow at all. I need to put all the other elements together to determine if it will look better painted another color. I have a couple of good options up my sleeve.

So now I have added yet another letter,”P” to my collection. I did a post on all my letter “P’s” HERE if you would like to see them.

Do any of you decorate with letters in your homes? What are some of the ways you have used them?

“Enjoy the Process!” Of:

Using Letter’s as a design element in your home!

Kathysue

Blog Mission Statement

This is a hard time of year for many. I have read several post on questioning why they blog or they are feeling what I call, “The In-Betweens.” There also seems to be a bit of meanness out in blogland that is occuring. I have read several post on that subject also.

All of this made me think and take pause about blogging and why I blog. I also think this time of year we are all taking a bit of time to re-evaluate our lives.

When I read that one of my favorite bloggers, PK of Room Re-Mix was quitting, it really made me start thinking as it did for many.

Janell at Isabella and Max blog wrote a post here on is blogging sustainable?

A to Z has also written a wonderful post about some of the many pit-falls that can occur while blogging.

Kat's post on some of the meanness that can occur in blogland, on her blog Low Tide High Style.

On my very own sidebar I have a  post written by Sande at A Giftwrapped Life that so eloquently describes why we blog.

Before starting a blog, I thought long and hard for over a year before taking the plunge.

I had many friends in a design chat room that were encouraging me to do so, and even my very own family were cheering me on.

One of the things I did was to really examine why I would write a blog and what I wanted my blog to be like.

I made a mission statement. Nothing formal or fancy, just something to remind me of why I was writing a blog.

When I get off track, and trust me I have done so, I look at the mission statement to get me back to who I am and what I want my blog to be.

When it is all said and done, I have to be true to who I am.

As a Design consultant for over 30 some-odd-years, I became somewhat of a teacher to my clients. Teaching would have been my second chosen profession after Design consultant.

I wanted my clients to be able to make choices on their own based on what I had taught them. I had long term relationships with many of them and consider them friends.

This profession was so “Good” to me and that is why my blog is called, “The Good Life Of Design.”

It seems we all have the same demons, rewards and doubts if we are bloggers.

I knew these issues would come up from time to time, so that is why I wrote a mission statement of what I thought I wanted my blog too look like and be about.

My Mission Statement

In writing my blog I want it to be an extension of my life in design now that I am retired.

I want to:

1. Write about the process I go through in designing a room.
2. Hopefully teach as I go along.
3. Be motivating to others.
4. Make others feel as if they can do it!(design)
5. Give tools and methods to my readers on what has worked for me over the last 30 years in design.
6. Share some of my home projects
7. Keep the look of my blog simple and uncomplicated.
8. no advertising,
9. no blog list on sidebar, I never want anyone to get their feelings hurt if their blog is not listed, so I choose to not list any.
10. No pictures of my children or grandchildren
11. If I can not say it to a stranger then I should not put it on my blog.
12. Keep my private life private.
13. Try to be uplifting
14. Hopefully try to make a difference
15. Have fun!! When it quits being fun, time to quit!
16. Try to not get caught up in the number’s game of how many followers and how many comments I get each day.
17. Try to keep blogging in perspective and keep balance in my life.
18. Write about what I am interested in.
19. Stay true to who I am and what I stand for in my life.

And Most Importantly!!

Try to:

 “Enjoy the Process” along the way.

Kathysue