What is good design? Experts weigh in

By Melanie Warner Spencer – August 12, 2011 © 2011 Houston Chronicle

Entire art, architecture and design movements have been built on the question, “What is good design?”

To achieve it, man has built, rebuilt, imitated, deconstructed, abstracted and reconstructed everything from skyscrapers to straws. Yet each decade brings a new design challenge.

Modernism shook the world with its radical departure from classic and traditional styles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The modernists brought their attention to craft and “less is more” and “form and function” mantras to the masses, along with the concept that through an improved built environment, we could improve our lives. Out of that philosophy has grown today’s sustainability movement, which focuses on conservation, reuse, adaptability and our relationship to the natural environment.

The next movement has yet to present itself, so meanwhile, we asked a few Texas designers and architects, ‘What is good design?’

David Lake and Ted Flato, Lake|Flato, award-winning architecture firm based in San Antonio, www.lakeflato.com:

Flato: Good design always considers the larger problem, considers the larger context. Good design needs to make the larger environment a better place.

Lake: A lot of times we work in an open landscape. We think of the larger landscape and where it should go and what’s appropriate. We’re also healing and mending an existing environment and trying to connect it back to that.

Flato: That idea can go in many different contexts. In an urban setting, we think of the entire block and how that building can be a good citizen with the buildings around it. Good design encompasses a broader design solution. Good design needs to be comprehensive. Comprehensive is also about health.

Lake: Everything we do has to be sustainable. The man-made world and the natural have to be in harmony. We don’t think of buildings or places being strictly for humans. We take into account the entire natural realm.

Flato: Good design is the result of working with the environment, working with the climate, working with the particular place. You are seeing the climate and the place shape the solution instead of indenting a shape and inserting it into a space.

Laura Umansky, interior designer and owner of Laura U Collection, Houston; www.laurau.com:

Good design must consider three things: intention, function and beauty. Every decision that I make for an interior is carefully considered prior to presenting it to a client or including it in their home (intention). It must also be smart, useful and have a very valid reason to exist in the space (function). Lastly, the space as a whole should have special meaning for, and elicit an emotional response from, its inhabitant (beauty). Beauty and enjoyment can be found just as often in the smallest accessory as in a large art piece. Ultimately, if the person experiences the space in a joyful way, then the design is good.

Liz Lambert, designer and hotelier (her projects include El Cosmico in Marfa, the Hotel San Jose and Hotel Saint Cecilia in Austin and the Hotel Havana in San Antonio):

Good design is often about knowing when to stop. It is about finding a balance between elegance and simplicity, vibrancy and calm, old and new. It’s about collecting objects that reflect your life experiences and your passion more than it is about filling a room. And for me, it’s usually about letting the people be the color in the room rather than the stuff.

Julie Schaff Risman, furniture and interior designer, owner of the Inside Story Design, San Antonio; www.insidestorydesign.com:

Some of my guiding principles: Follow the rules of scale and proportion. Don’t use small furniture in a large room with high ceilings. Better a few larger items than many small ones. Expensive purchases (furniture and rugs, for example) should be classic and enduring; other, less-expensive items can be more trendy — think pillows and accessories.

Mix materials and style to create interest – wood, glass, stone, metal and fabric. Mixing antiques with modern pieces makes a room interesting and not predictable. All of one material or style creates what I call the furniture showroom effect.

Your home should tell your story. Art and artifacts from your travels, collections and artful photos turn a house into a home and prevent the model-home look. Always add an organic element to a space: plants, fresh flowers, seagrass, shells and salvaged items breathe life and warmth into a space. Edit – if in doubt, leave it out.

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The obvious four walls, the ceiling, and the floor.

While we spend much time agonizing about the right color for the walls and ceilings, we should spend equal amounts of time thinking about the floor materials, color and finishes.

There’s so much to choose from:  hardwoods, engineered hardwoods (distressed, wide-plank, etc.), natural stone, ceramic tile, stained concrete, wall-to-wall sea grass and so much more. Once the flooring is selected, we have another important decision to make – choosing the rug that is going to go on top of the floor!

I often use oriental rugs for the more formal rooms of clients’ homes but this isn’t always an option due to the project scope or budget.

I want to share some ideas for rugs that are wonderful and won’t cost an arm and a leg.

I’ve recently fallen in love with several rug companies, and I want to share them with you!  They offer fun, colorful, updated looks at affordable prices (especially when compared to oriental rugs) and create an instant “look” in a room.

The good folks over at Company C (CompanyC.com) offer some fabulous rugs at great price points.  I recently used the “Rise and Shine” rug in a client’s game room – isn’t it just great?  It’s super plush and comfortable – a great rug for relaxing and stretching out on!

Also offering great-looking updated rugs is a company called Chandra (ChandraRugs.com).  I recently used this Chandra rug designed by Thomas Paul in a teen’s room.  So fun!

I’ve also become a big fan of sea grass.  Sea grass is made from grass that has been harvested from the ocean.  Sea grass is durable, stain-repellent (as opposed to sisal and jute), organic, elegant, neutral, goes with everything and is extremely affordable.

When sea grass is freshly-harvested, it has a greenish tint and wonderful “grassy” scent.  As it ages, it turns a beautiful khaki/straw color.  There are also many sea grass weave patterns to choose from.

The wonderful thing about having a custom rug made for your room is that you get the exact dimensions that the room requires rather than having to “make do” with a ready made rug that comes in a standard size, but never quite works in the space.  When you order a custom rug, you can choose your sea grass weave design, your dimensions, and your border fabric – and you get a custom rug made exactly for your room at a fraction of the price of a handmade oriental rug!

Sea grass can be used as a custom rug with a fabric border or as a wall-to-wall carpet.  Wall to wall sea grass is much cheaper than many carpets and is just classically beautiful.   I also love sea grass on stairs instead of carpet or carpet runners.

Sea grass looks great on stairs!

See how modern and clean this sea grass runner looks!

Sea grass is wonderful for both casual as well as elegant rooms, with a timeless, classic look which mixes well with linen, velvet, chenille, antiques and modern furniture.

Remember that your fifth and sixth wall are important elements of your design mix – treat them with care!

To find out more about how to order a custom sea grass rug or rugs from companies mentioned in this blog posting, contact The Inside Story Design.

Of all the new colorways that Sherwin Williams has introduced in their ColorMix 2011, this is the one that I’m most attracted to in terms of esthetics and the elements that inspire them.  These colors provide a natural canvas for organic, nature-inspired materials, fabrics and finishes.  I have used some of these colors and love their look including the popular French gray/blue that is hard to find (SW#0055 Light French Gray) and the wonderful gray/green that works so well with the landscape of the Texas Hill Country (SW#6164 Svelte Sage).

Purely Refined:
Elegant. Tailored. Understated.

True luxury doesn’t shout its presence with glitz, glamor and bling. It whispers, revealing its pedigree through clean, classic lines, exquisite tailoring and handcrafted heirloom quality. Pared down is the new upscale, and its color palette demonstrates similar restraint, filled with understated neutrals, yet with nuances and undertones that interact in intriguing ways. Layering, organic textures and subtle detailing add to the natural elegance of this timeless look.

Elements:

• Ombre-dyed fabrics
• Textured linen
• Concrete
• Smooth pebble floors
• Pleated detailing
• Clean lines, oval shapes
• One-of-a-kind, artisan-crafted pieces

[download a PDF of the Purely Refined color card]

>> contact Julie Risman

The third of four color mix paint group offerings of Sherwin Williams is the group they’ve termed:  Restless Nomad.    These are the exotic colors of far-away lands:  sultry, exotic and primal.

Seen “Eat, Pray Love?”  You get the idea.

Although the colors are intense, the patterns that work with them are classic – animal patterns, suzanis, ikats, antique tapestries and exotic damasks.  I see these colors in a variety of settings but certainly they work as a fitting backdrop for the world traveler who wants to highlight their collections and treasures in their decor.  What fun!

Restless Nomad: Sultry. Exotic. Primal.

Thanks to the Internet, everyone now has a passport to wander the world, soaking up its flavors, images and colors, and stirring them into an eclectic global design stew. Morocco and Turkey are making their presence felt, but there’s no need to stop there. Today’s adventurers feel free to sample from anywhere and everywhere, pairing Persian paisleys with exotic animal skins and Indonesian batiks. Colors, too, wander all over the palette: from dusky darks, to hot vibrant pinks and reds, to earthy food-influenced hues that evoke eggplants and cabbages.

Elements:

• Ethnic patterns
• Exotic animal skins
• Aged leather
• Patchwork and tapestries
• Moroccan and Turkish influences

… to be continued …

[download a PDF of the Restless Nomad color card]

>> contact Julie Risman

We’re surrounded by technology at work, play and in our homes.   These are the colors of technology–thoroughly modern, vibrant and youthful.   Perfect for the pre-teen and teen room or the urban loft.  These are great colors to pair with the modern, clean stainless steel and nickel finishes found throughout the home in appliances, electronics, light fixtures and hardware.

Bold Invention:
Experimental. Artsy. Expressive.

The city never sleeps. Neither do its colors. These high-energy hues vibrate with spontaneity and rebellion. Neon bright, graffiti bold and digitally enhanced to 3-D luminosity, they’re the colors of technology, of avant-garde art and of the entrepreneurial spirit that celebrates shaking off dull routine to do what you love. The eclectic global influences range from the Cynical Realism art movement of urban China to the carnaval spirit of Rio de Janeiro, host of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Anything goes, and self-expression is the new metropolitan mantra.

Elements:

• Graffiti art
• Neon
• Latin American influences
• Pixilated images on art and textiles
• Clashing patterns and motifs
• Modular furniture
• Sculptural ceramic

[download a PDF of the Bold Invention color card]

>> contact Julie Risman

As an Interior Decorator, I have relationships with artisans and craftsmen who can design and produce truly unique creations that will perfectly enhance your new decor.  I have access to to-the-trade dealers, manufacturers and distributors who offer:

• Exclusive accessories
• Original artwork
• Exotic fabrics
• Custom-fabricated furniture
• One-of-a-kind lighting
• Luxurious rugs, hardwoods, and other flooring
• Unique bathroom tiles and fixtures

Once your unique vision has been brought to life through custom furniture and accessories, they often need the skills of expert craftsmen to properly install them.  Some of the trade professionals that I regularly work with are:

• Carpet layers
• Decorative painters
• Custom furniture makers
• Granite fabricators
• Hardwood flooring installers
• Master carpenters
• Painters, plasterers, and wall-paperers
• Refinishers and upholsterers
• Tile setters
• Window treatment installers

>> contact Julie Risman

The first of four color themes in Sherwin Williams’ Colormix 2011 forecast is called “Gentle Medley.”  These colors have a vintage feel without a pastel sweet “shabby chic” look:  they evoke more of an updated vintage feel.  I seem to be finding these colors in accessories, art, fabrics and fashion everywhere I look.

Gentle Medley: Fresh. Airy. Innocent.

Hard times call for soft colors: the hint of green in a spring leaf bud; the chalky blush of a seashell; the time-etched beauty of a vintage fabric or photograph. Fashion has turned a romantic, nostalgic corner, bringing pastels and parchment-pale neutrals back into the palette. The hues are innocent without being sweet — flirty, yet not feminine. They reflect not just a yearning for youthful innocence and gentler times, but also a refreshing honesty and lack of pretension that are thoroughly modern.

Elements:

• Vintage florals
• Dragonfly, butterfly and leaf motifs
• Mismatched flea-market finds
• Hand-tinted photos
• Maps

[download a PDF of the Gentle Medley color card]

>> contact Julie Risman

Sherwin-Williams regularly publishes a list of their most popular colors, which is an interesting way of learning what colors other people are using.  The most popular SW colors of 2009 were:

Dover White	Kilim Beige	Antique White	Navajo White	Softer Tan
Alabaster	Pure White	Latte	Nomadic Desert	Divine White
Macadamia	Interactive Cream	Moderate White	Believable Buff	Biscuit
Creamy	Ivoire	Blonde	Sand Dollar	Snowbound
Accessible Beige	Whole Wheat	Bagel	Camelback	Basket Beige

Lots of beige and cream – all good colors.  And, of course, we are now enjoying a resurgence of all things gray – it’s the “new black,” so to speak.  But, what’s in store for 2011?

Colors for 2011

Many of the paint companies are coming out with their 2011 color forecasts.  In my next few posts, I’ll explore the color predictions for the future starting with Sherwin-Williams color forecast called ColorMix™ 2011. The 39 colors selected by Sherwin-Williams color experts for ColorMix 2011 are grouped into four palettes:

• Gentle Medley:  Romantic, nostalgic, innocent, lack of pretension, youthful, and a yearning for better times (please!)
• Bold Invention:  High energy, experimental, expressive; think neon!  The colors of technology.  Thoroughly modern and no boring beige!
• Restless Nomad:  Eat, pray, love and paint!  These are the exotic colors of far-away lands:  sultry, exotic and primal.
• Purely Refined:  Classic never goes out of style. Period.  Elegant, clean, tailored and understated defines these updated classic colors.

… to be continued …

>> contact Julie Risman

“For centuries, wax has been recognized for its natural protective qualities. Used throughout history by craftsmen, wax provides surface protection and enhances the inherent beauty of wood.

“Furniture wax should never be considered a protective finish, but rather as a protective barrier, providing added wax protection to a finish or substrate from such things as moisture, dust and airborne pollutants.”  [read more from Wax and Caring for Antique Furniture]

contact Julie Risman

SPACES: From candy factory to living space (3rd of 3 posts)

Modern kitchen featuring stainless steel appliances is set amid original wood beams.

“Ann Allega says there are 20 to 30 places to visit within a 10-minute walk from their home. Following in the British tradition, they’ve adopted nearby Beethoven’s beer garden as their ‘local,’ or neighborhood pub.

“They often cycle to restaurants and stores and have been impressed by the amount of activities available for children. ‘We think urban living is something everyone should try,’ Philip Allega says.”

questions about interior design for lofts? contact Julie Risman.

Mexican tiles line the front of the steps leading into the basement.

“Ann Allega says that without the guidance of a professional interior decorator she might have, at best, duplicated what she saw in magazine pictures.

“The Allegas drafted a detailed Request for Proposal and mailed it to several interior decorators before choosing one. ‘A decorator was able to broker the differences in our tastes,’ Philip Allega says, which meant decisions were made quicker and with fewer disputes.

Flowers in the kitchen add a splash of color to the open floor plan.

“Because of the open floor plan, Ann describes the house as ‘one big giant room.’ She knew that with a 4-year-old son, the open plan had the potential to turn into one giant playroom. To avoid this, the Allegas designated play areas equipped with storage. A table in the living room provides plenty of space for creative play, while two large baskets beneath are within easy reach to store toys. The unused space beneath the staircase also serves as an out-of-the-way play area.

“The Allegas’ decorator, Julie Risman, believes in taking inspiration from architecture. The Allega home is a modern loft in a 100-year-old structure. To play off this juxtaposition, Risman deliberately placed the sleek, flat screen TV against the exposed original masonry in the home. The architecture drove small details too – Risman wrapped the TV cords in galvanized casing to mimic the exposed air conditioning duct running above the living area.”

contact Julie Risman