I was having a little think last night whilst dropping off to sleep, and as my brain went fuzzy with fatigue I tried to remember this blog post title - 'Start with the end in Mind', as it is probably THE most important element of designing and warrants a little mention.
Take any design on Pinterest, this little number for instance:
(featured by keltainentalorannalla.blogspot.co.uk),
and you have the end result in your mind - 'this is what I want my kitchen to look like'. It is often really easy to stop at this point, knowing that you want a deep neutral paint colour for your base units and a farmhouse kitchen table. But, don't you find it a bit like going to the hairdressers and asking for a haircut based on a model in a magazine, only to be told by the hairdresser that your face is not the right shape, your hair is not the right type and actually the models haircut is already longer than yours, so cutting your hair isn't going to 'cut it', so to speak.
We often need to go deeper into the design and manipulate certain elements to suit our own homes. For instance, how many windows do we have and which way do they face? North facing rooms can make paint colours appear cooler and darker so you may have to pick a really warm white, that may not even be white, if you want it to look white. Am I right? Have you ever painted a room white and realised it was not the effect you wanted at all?
What is your existing flooring? When we want to change our interiors without changing the fixtures and fittings, these details also need to be taken into consideration. Flooring is a massive feature in any design. If you have wooden floorboards can you paint them/lime them/white wash them, to bring them closer to the overall scheme you are hoping to achieve?
Take a look from other adjoining rooms to check on the how this change might affect the overall harmony and continuity of your home. It is easy to isolate one room, in this case your ideal kitchen, but how does it sit with your living room, or your hallway? This is particularly the case for paint colours and flooring as keeping these all within the same design scheme goes a long way towards creating a peaceful vibe throughout your house.
Lastly, take a look at the detail: does this kitchen have wall cabinets, where are the lights, what worktop has been used and how does this affect the other materials in the room. For instance, some of the navy kitchens work amazingly well with white stone worktops, but will you be creating a similar look if you want to use a wooden worktop and already have dark floor tiles for instance?
If you have features that you can't get rid of that will contradict your ideal scheme, work your existing decor into a more achievable look or the features might jar with the finished product. Analyse the details, cross reference with other rooms plan, plan, plan and start with the end in mind.
Next post: How to choose the right brand of paint.
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