I'm perhaps a bit too fond of saying, "Home design isn't about the materials, it's about how it makes you feel."
Now, I know you practical readers out there are giving me the hairy eyeball. "Getting a tad New Age-y there, Sparky. It's about safety and ergonomics and practicality andandand...remember?"
That's a part of it, sure, but Sparky here'll stick to her guns.
The real reason you build and/or remodel is to feel good - to have a piece of the world that is solely yours, which cocoons you from the outside world and states, "This is me!"
Of course, some of you wouldn't call it emotion, you'd label it logic, like my very practical-minded financial client. He just selected a Wolf range, (keep in mind, he's not into gourmet cooking), and his satisfaction this past weekend was palpable. He says he picked the range for the quality and durability. I say it made him feel good because it was consistent with his ideas.
Funny thing, that logic. *cough*
Now, sure, I'm completely and utterly prejudiced - guilty as charged. :) But I have some strong backup, in terms of research on the field of color psychology, as well as the trigger between senses and memory.
It's not uncommon for clients announce they don't know what they like -- they're overwhelmed by the choices. I say they do - it's just a matter of time before we discover what makes them light up. I pay attention to the body language - how a person will run their hand over the gleaming 4-burner range, or return again and again to a rich topaz tile in the tile store.
The past memories I mentioned earlier can be a strong emotional trigger to selecting materials - maybe the person fondling the range remembers an unfulfilled wish to own a restaurant or the tile person is returning to the same tile because it reminds her of the sun-drenched home of her grand-parents in Napa.
This is one of the reasons designers want you to bookmark or gather magazine photos of rooms you love. "Don't bother analyzing," we say. You don't know what you like? Then why are all the pictures of white cabinets and herringbone wood floors and French doors?
So if you're struggling, here are some tips (in addition to the one above):
- Don't stare at something too long. Your eyes need a break the same way your nose needs a sniff of coffee beans between fragrances or a fine restaurant will offer an appetizer to "clear the palate" before the next course. You've five rug samples on the floor and you like them all -- you think. Walk away. When you return, don't think about it, and immediately point to your favorite. If you hesitate, keep looking. If you point to two or three, then toss the rest and repeat it.
- Pay attention to your gut instincts. If you don't like it in the store, you certainly aren't going to like it in your home, even (and especially!) if someone else adores it and is pressuring you.
- If you can't explain why you like it...you don't have to.
Oh, and the photo above? The client always loved that saying - it'd been a much smaller sign in her previous kitchen. Her friends were strongly urging her NOT to add it and she thought she should listen to them. We agreed she could blame...me. *grin*
