Inspirations for Great Designs

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Inspirations for Great Designs

There are designs that look good and then there are truly great designs.  But, what makes a design great?  The highest quality designs are more than nice colors, appealing lines and cool looks. Great designs move people.  But, how do you achieve a great design?

Great designs start with inspiration, providing solutions to problems and improving the owner’s quality of life.  For the homeowner, great designs start with introspection, which is begins by defining what you want the project to achieve.  Simply define what success means for your project.  If you’re a designer you need to guide your client through this process.  Most of all listen and understand the client’s goals, help them articulate their goals, listen and then listen some more.  A great design is very personal.

 

 

Great designs move people, but people are motivated by different things.  So, what one might view as nice design another person could feel is a great design.  Their differing opinion is perfectly acceptable and it doesn’t mean that one person is right or wrong.  A great design is what inspires and brings value to the intended audience.  When a harmonious chord is struck with the intended audience then you have achieved a great design.

Creating a great design is a process by which individual design elements are arranged within the same space so that a harmonic structure is achieved.  Some of these elements might be abstract and only known by the intended audience.  Some examples are utilizing family heirlooms, artifacts collected during holiday travels and other elements that provide sentimental value can be the elements that make a design great.  To the outsider the design might be nice, but for the intended audience it is very personal.  These abstract elements, sentimental values combined with the pleasing colors and styles create a truly great design, which not only brings harmony into the home, but into the family’s life as well.

The homeowner wanted more than a kitchen.  They wanted a lifestyle.  The kitchen remodeling project, a home built by homeowner’s father, all started with an Aga stove. To this particular homeowner the Aga told an enchanting story. The whole design emanated from this story. One supporting design note is the use of antique decorative tiles that were used as the backsplash.  The homeowners found these tiles during a trip to Germany.  These tiles had evidence of past lives about them.  These decorative tiles became a tribute to the people who used them in the past and a reflection upon time spent in Germany.  As you gaze upon this room you see that other design elements are orchestrated to create a harmonious space that speaks to the homeowner’s heart.  This is a great design that this is more than a mere remodeling project – it is a tribute to family, ancestry and a warm-hearted lifestyle.

This design not only moved the homeowner, but it touched a chord with many others when it graced the cover of Dream Kitchens and Baths – Best of the Best-30 Timeless Looks, Spring 2011.

Stay tuned for our next post as we continue to explore Inspirations for Great Designs.

This article was contributed by Patrick Kennedy of Superior Woodcraft, Inc. Superior Woodcraft brings utility, beauty and harmony into our client’s homes and lives.
Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
160 N Hamilton Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
215-348-9942
http://www.superiorwoodcraft.com
Credits:
Cabinetry by Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
160 N Hamilton Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
215-348-9942
www.superiorwoodcraft.com

Design Credit:
Convenant Kitchens and Bath, Inc.
1871 Boston Post Road
Westbrook, CT  06498
860-399-6241
https://www.covenantkitchens.com/

Photo credits:
Jim Fiora
Jim Fiora Studio, LLC
https://www.jimfiora.com/index
203.488.8687
jim@jimfiora.com

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