Most of my posts might give you the impression that a designer’s life is all rush, rush, rush. And that’s mostly true. Between antiquing, meeting with custom vendors, installing finished projects and the mad-dash of photo shoots, there’s plenty of rushing to go around.
But before any of that, there’s the steady stream of research I compile to inform each concept. The process of sifting through inspiration pictures is where it all begins.
Recently I’ve had the pleasure of working on a client’s exquisite colonial home in La Jolla. I’m designing the interior architectural elements; paneling, pediments, and built-in units, and the research led me down a rabbit hole of traditional East Coast colonial-style homes, which just happens to be my favorite style of home.
I love this room designed by Victoria Hagan. The abundance of white paneling offset with gorgeous antiques. In my clients home we are going to be adding pilasters, pediments, paneling, and a plethora of built-ins. After many hand sketches, we plug the approved designs in CAD. Here is a sneak peek into the Living Room elevations.
I have built quite a library of trim books. Here are some of my favorites; Driwood, New Decorating with Architectural Trimwork, and Creating a New Old House. This research takes time, and it’s not the most social part of the job, but in the end it feeds creativity.
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Hello,
How do you keep track of all of your inspiration photos? Tear sheets, etc. I am not a professional but am learning and I subscribe to most shelter magazines. How do you keep it all together??
Amy, love the Victoria Hagen room and your drawings look like the room you’re designing is going to be amazing. Keep us posted.
Karen
I can’t wait to see the finished result! I’m sure it will be gorgeous! I also love architectural elements and the character they add to a home. It will be worth all the research!
Amy, love that inspiration image and can’t wait to see how your project turns out!
Another great book you should check out is The American Vignola. Its a great book that easily explains historically correct proportions for pediments etc.. It takes a bit to figure out and math is involved but it’s cool to see how exact even the Greeks and Romans started with architecture.
Being an east coast girl, I’m also a huge fan of the Colonial style home. I lived in Center City Philadelphia for a little over a year and I used to love walking through Rittenhouse looking at all of the architectural details just on the exterior of the homes. I think it’s so interesting looking at the elevations that you’ve drafted too. Thanks for sharing and joining you on FB.