It’s onerous to imagine that it’s been 13 years since we constructed our home in Austin. I’ve realized a lot by way of designing these rooms and permitting them to be my canvas for creativity and discovery—and the home has advanced proper together with me. Adam and I joke that the minute we expect that all the pieces’s lastly “finished,” we instantly discover some new nook of the home that wants an replace or refined refresh.
And actually, I wouldn’t have it some other manner. For me, the perfect sorts of houses are ever-evolving, and by crafting a house that displays what’s significant to every of us, we are able to create a spot that empowers us to reside extra authentically, joyfully, and carefree. It doesn’t occur suddenly—designing a house that we actually love takes time.
Just lately I used to be trying again at some previous pictures of the home from after we first moved in, and let’s simply say… it’s come a good distance.
So, seize a drink, get cozy and watch the video under as I relive a few of the largest design “errors” I’ve made so far. And, all of the design classes that I’ve realized to make our house what it’s immediately.
Design mistake: Putting in too many built-ins
Once we labored with our architect to design our home, we determined so as to add built-in cabinets and cabinetry all through the places of work, front room, and kitchen. It was nice for storage—however not so nice for adapting and rearranging a room over time. Constructed-ins are fairly everlasting, and never almost as simple to vary up as furnishings. A decade later, my tastes had modified and there have been sure built-ins that made the areas really feel too closed off and heavy. I needed to open issues up and provides a bit of extra spaciousness to the rooms.
The repair: Take away built-ins and embrace an easier aesthetic
In my house workplace, we demoed the built-ins and changed them with a easy desktop that maximizes the house and permits me to restyle it with completely different furnishings and equipment as my style evolves. It additionally maximizes the sunshine, and creates a way of spaciousness and ease that feels extra aligned with the place my fashion is immediately.
Design mistake: Designing the kitchen with none home windows
That is most likely my largest design remorse, since I spend a lot time within the kitchen and it’s the one place in our home that doesn’t get a ton of pure mild. To be truthful, this design tweak would have meant reconfiguring your complete ground plan of the home. Our present kitchen doesn’t have any partitions that connect with the outside—however I want that I’d prioritized a giant kitchen window after we first began the method of designing our house.
The repair: Lighten issues up with white plaster and fewer shelving
This “repair” illustrates that typically, it’s cost-prohibitive and/or unrealistic to actually repair the difficulty, and also you simply need to go along with the subsequent finest answer. Our houses won’t ever be excellent in each manner, and that’s completely okay. For this problem, I brainstormed some inexpensive tweaks I might make to our kitchen that will let in as a lot mild as potential.
First, we changed our heavy chrome steel hood encompass with a customized encompass fabricated from white plaster. It’s a lot brighter and displays any pure mild coming into the house.
Then, we demoed a few of the heavy darkish wooden shelving to open up the house and permit for extra mild to achieve this again wall of the kitchen. We eliminated the highest shelf and took out a panel of higher cabinetry. You possibly can learn extra about our mini kitchen rework right here.
Design mistake: Placing a TV over the hearth
Once we constructed our home, we assumed we “had” to place a TV in the lounge as a result of… properly, that’s what everybody else did! On the time, it was the one house in the home we’d designated for lounging, so it appeared like the apparent spot. Nevertheless, that is additionally the world of the home that you simply see proper once you stroll within the entrance door, and our massive flat-screen started to really feel like an eyesore that drove my design eye loopy. I didn’t desire a black field as the point of interest in the principle dwelling space of our home.
Plus, in an effort to make the TV look extra streamlined, we’d designed the wall with an inset alcove to deal with the TV and make it flush. However because it wasn’t sized completely for the TV we ended up shopping for, it ended up trying type of awkward.
The repair: Throw out the “guidelines” and design your house how YOU need to reside!
Once I requested myself how I actually needed to make use of our front room, I noticed that I needed it to be an area to unwind, chill out, really feel impressed, and collect with family and friends. So, we redesigned the structure of the lounge with these targets in thoughts. We eliminated the TV and crammed within the alcove, then plastered over it to match the remainder of the wall so we might cling a giant piece of assertion artwork.
Then, we transformed a little-used room with exercise tools into our household TV space. It’s small and comfortable—the proper spot for our household film nights.
Design mistake: Adorning too matchy-matchy
Once I first began out in my design journey, I didn’t have as robust a way of my very own style as I do now. And since I wasn’t as assured in my very own design eye, I discovered myself following guidelines that I’d examine or see in different areas. I believed that all the pieces wanted to be symmetrical, and that furnishings in a room wanted to match! The outcome was boring, predictable, and lacked any form of actual soul and character.
The repair: Infuse your own home decor with a way of play
Over time, I gained the boldness to play and have extra enjoyable with my decor. Including texture, taking part in with asymmetrical compositions, going with what I preferred as an alternative of what felt so anticipated. Now my house feels extra multilayered, textural, heat, fascinating… and a lot extra me!
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The largest change to my house by way of the years? As a substitute of following traits, I begin with deciding how I need to reside and really feel in every house. It’s helped me reprioritize the issues I buy, letting go of the “guidelines” I as soon as adopted and as an alternative placing consolation and connection on the heart. As a substitute of simply one other Pinterest-worthy house, my bed room has grow to be my sanctuary, the eating desk a spot for real-life connection. It’s a journey that I do know will preserve evolving, identical to me.
