Things We Notice

The question we most get asked by friends or new acquaintances when they find out we are an interior designer or kitchen designer is “what do you think about our space?” Some want critiques like Simon Cowell, some want ideas, some even want just to know where to start or what to look out for. For most of us as soon as we step foot in a space we’ve already spotted things we like, don’t like, things that were maybe not done to its full potential. So for one of the last writings of the year here are some of things that we spot fairly quickly that our educated trained eyes notice that might go unnoticed.

Gaps

Oh boy this is definitely one of the biggest ones. No pun intended. Gaps between the doors and drawers (called reveals) normally range anywhere between ⅛” to ¼” depending on the design and the quality of the craftsman. No matter what reveal size though it should be even throughout the cabinetry. One of the areas that often may start as “correct” that gets out of alignment pretty easily is the corner cabinets, with two doors and an extra hinge that extra weight and movement can easily pull them out of whack. Reveals aren’t the only gaps we pay attention to. Gaps between crown moulding and the ceiling, but also the gap between the flooring and the base cabinets. Whether it be an island or wall cabinets this is 100% avoidable. General rule is gaps show the attention to detail of the craftsmen, whether thats the flooring installer, cabinet installer, maker or designer.

The Big Pieces

One of the first things we notice as well is the big pieces that you may purchase in a space, mostly because some homes have a lot of money tied up into them or it’s where we can see some savings in, and because they normally are large and draw the eye towards them. Like washer/dryers, fridges, stoves, dishwashers, even kitchen sinks. Are they a name brand? How big are they? Can we see any features from the outside? Often that tells a lot about a space by what is in it. For instance we have a dishwasher with drawers. Most homes don’t have that, it definitely didn’t come as a “samsung” package when the space was built. Oftentimes we recommend getting a quality dishwasher even when trying to save pennies so maybe you have one brand for that and one brand for everything else signifying a knowledge or appreciation for a certain aspect. Or maybe it’s a gas range, that normally suggests that at least one person has an appreciation for cooking or baking, so yes we will be delighted to come for dinner.

Cohesion

Everything has their own style so we tend not to judge that as harshly. You like Tiffany blue and want an entire wall painted that colour, we’re not here to stomp on your parade. Love what you Love. Cohesion to us means how you’ve paired what you want, what you have, and what was there to start. Has the place been painted but the old cabinets are still there and that’s next year’s project? Did you recently move together and you are still trying to figure out what of each of your stuff is going to make the cut? Or does none of one’s stuff fit the bill and is going into storage?

The interesting thing about all of these is that a professional can always help. That’s having the right cabinetry company who can take care of the gaps from start to finish. Finding a designer that can help with planning the big stuff and making sure it is all cohesive. When people ask us in a social first meeting for critiques we stay towards the positive side and often keep it to a minimum. Better to say little than too much. Not just a good design philosophy. It’s a whole nother ball game when we are in “work” mode. If you need any of these things worked on don’t hesitate to contact us, the professionals!