What is the home design ripple effect?
Front doors…
Staircases…
Walkways…
What is your favorite home design element? How do you protect this element throughout a lengthy, confusing and frustrating home remodel or home design project?
Whether this energy is tied to a specific aesthetic desire, awakens a childhood memory, stirs inspiration for a new project, or remains somewhat abstract, there’s usually one focal point that draws us in and builds on the “feeling” that’s been buzzing around since first thinking about redesigning or building your custom home.
Maybe this process is more fluid and you allow the structure to lead you to the center, or maybe you can’t find one and know you’ll need to create it. However you come to this space, identification and awareness are important as you make the home your own with renovation and interior design elements.
As our collaborative home design series with Del Mar architect Jim Sneed continues, we discuss a common mistake homeowners make as they begin new construction or a remodel.
Just catching up with our home design series?
Check out the first two articles written in collaboration with Del Mar architect Jim Sneed:
- 3 Tips to Increase Curb Appeal from Del Mar Architect
- Home Design and Construction Isn't for Everyone
How to Weather the Ripple Effect
The hearth of a fireplace and the banister of a staircase are two elements Jim is drawn to when he first walks into a home or begins the design process. He starts here because he sees these as the beginning of the heart and soul of a home.
Throughout the iterative home design process Jim has developed over the last 20 years as an architect, he works with clients to understand the ripple effect that accompanies certain changes.
According to Jim, this is one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make during the design process, and one that can quickly derail the master plan:
"One change creates ripples and has the potential to set off a chain reaction that can affect the overall vision for the home. As long as homeowners understand that potential, are aware of it, and address these issues along the way, they will arrive at the home they envisioned."
That said, as Jim outlined in our last article, the different iterations of a project are just as important to a successful project as the finished product. At each stage in development, Jim says he and the client are given opportunities to make changes, or not. As these questions are raised and homeowners test these different solutions, it helps to have these original, foundational elements in mind.
Bottomline: How do you know when you’ve reached uncomfortable waters? The ripples bounce back.
As long as you have that one foundational piece in mind, that one element that remains unaffected by the ripples, the soul of the house and your original vision will remain intact.