56
G R E AT E R N A S H V I L L E H O U S E & H O M E & G A R D E N
™
ask a
designer
™
Q.
My husband gave me the best anniversary present ever!
He finally agreed to custom build and showed me the nest
egg he has been building for 10 years to surprise me! I am deter-
mined this will be a happy project to reward the en re family. I
have heard some horror stories, though, and want to make sure I
get off on the right foot. What sugges ons would you give me to
have a successful and smooth project? —L.L.
A.
I'm so happy for you! The very best plan is to have the
most complete idea of your home possible before you
begin. This sounds very simple, but few follow this basic advice.
Typically, a home dreamer completes one stage before beginning
another without consul ng a designer un l the house is complete.
This approach yields surprise a er surprise requiring an unending
demand on your two most precious resources: me and money.
I would plan the home layout, sea ng arrangement, color
schemes, and major furniture selec ons before building. In the
same way that a cook envisions a well-func oning kitchen, home
dreamers should envision the look and use of the house very thor-
oughly. Strive to design beauty in your func oning elements so
that they deliver both style and usability. Whatever is not de-
signed may require decora ng as compensa on. For instance, if
you want a bright and cheery room for your morning reading, your
plot of land and home plan should be selected so that the room
will have at least one window receiving eastern light. If the room
faces west, you could end up decora ng
with brighter colors and adding more ar-
ficial light than you would prefer.
Consider how many guests may be en-
tertained at one me, at what me of
day, and how formal that event might be.
This informa on should translate into the
appropriate room size in the correct rela-
on to the entrance, powder room, and
food service areas. Many plans for homes
as large as 6,500 square feet contain
great rooms that seat only six people
comfortably. The tall ceilings and scale of
the rooms make them feel grand. Typi-
cally, much later, when buying furniture,
a homeowner realizes that three of the
four sides of the room must be used as
passageways and that furniture must be
placed toward the center of the room.
No ma!er what events take place in
the home, take care that square footage
is where you need it. When planning
color and style, consider the house from
above as if you were a bird looking down
on it. Think of it as a board game, and
begin assigning colors and pa!erns. One
GNHM 0314.e$S:Layout 1 3/10/14 7:05 PM Page 56