I have been a bad blogger, since we moved house I have struggled to
publish anything [although I have drafted lots]
I’m not one for excuses but I have had a few reasons; I have been working non- stop since the move on two projects Valarie Howes: A Place with a View which is soon to be completed on site and Caroline Sydney- Payne: A Place for Family soon to commence on site.
Today is the first time I have had a moment to start considering [Our] place.
This post will be the first of a series which, start at the very beginning and, use our new place to demonstrate the my processes and what can be achieved.
Step 1; The Client Brief
The first step is the client brief; The client brief is the most important phase of the design process. Really thinking in detail about how you use your existing space, what you aspire to for your home or place of business in the immediate and foreseeable future will help you plan your home in the most efficient way.
Determining your client brief can be tricky, there is a lot to consider, the steps below are the approach I recommend to really get to grips with what you want to achieve
1)Dream House/Business Wish List (Get Pinning)
The Dream House wish list might seem fanciful when you first start but with a bit of foresight and planning you can usually incorporate the most important aspects of your dream home into reality and most importantly it helps you to prioritise your requirements. Pintrest is amazing for this. See [Our] Place: Planning Our New Home here and my Client Board for Caroline Sydney here and you can follow me here
2) What have you got?
Really look at your existing space; What have you got? Which areas work well? Which areas need improvement? Where do you like being and which rooms leave you cold? Which areas are underused? Can you keep and update existing furniture with new doors, paint or door handles?
3)Flow and Interaction
Try to think of Your Place as a whole, the way you use and move between spaces and they way they interact. Can you identify any areas which are underused? Any areas which aren’t suited to the ways you use them?
4)Function
Function is the base of a good space; think about what your space needs to achieve? Who lives here? What happens here? Where is you natural light? Do you need a home office? Do you need a single open plan flexible space for entertaining/ working/ playing? Do you need a separate play room for the kids? Think of how you would ideally like to use your space and you will very quickly start to identify ways to make your place work for you.
5)Details
Where do you want to light? Does your house have enough power/ telephone sockets? Do you want to integrate surround sound? Are light switches on the wrong side of door openings? Will you furniture layout clash with your radiators? Paying attention to the little things you use every day will make a huge difference to your enjoyment of the space when its finished. If you are planning to have work done this can be an excellent integrate or adjust services.
6)Future Proofing
Its an overused term to encourage you to try and predict your future needs and, where practicable plan for them... which leads us nicely into...
7)Budget & Phasing Work
Plan a budget and stick to it, then prioritise your requirements and get them costed.
This will equip you with the information to make decisions and phase work if necessary. There is nothing worse that completing a room, only to realise you need to knock a whole in the wall for your next project.
You may find the 'Dream home' will require phasing to make it affordable; But if you know where you want to end up it will be easier to plan and phase your work in a logical way that will save you time and money in the long run.
Get clear about all the points above and you will have arrived at the [often elusive] Client Brief
Happy planning!
I’m not one for excuses but I have had a few reasons; I have been working non- stop since the move on two projects Valarie Howes: A Place with a View which is soon to be completed on site and Caroline Sydney- Payne: A Place for Family soon to commence on site.
Today is the first time I have had a moment to start considering [Our] place.
This post will be the first of a series which, start at the very beginning and, use our new place to demonstrate the my processes and what can be achieved.
Step 1; The Client Brief
The first step is the client brief; The client brief is the most important phase of the design process. Really thinking in detail about how you use your existing space, what you aspire to for your home or place of business in the immediate and foreseeable future will help you plan your home in the most efficient way.
Determining your client brief can be tricky, there is a lot to consider, the steps below are the approach I recommend to really get to grips with what you want to achieve
1)Dream House/Business Wish List (Get Pinning)
The Dream House wish list might seem fanciful when you first start but with a bit of foresight and planning you can usually incorporate the most important aspects of your dream home into reality and most importantly it helps you to prioritise your requirements. Pintrest is amazing for this. See [Our] Place: Planning Our New Home here and my Client Board for Caroline Sydney here and you can follow me here
2) What have you got?
Really look at your existing space; What have you got? Which areas work well? Which areas need improvement? Where do you like being and which rooms leave you cold? Which areas are underused? Can you keep and update existing furniture with new doors, paint or door handles?
3)Flow and Interaction
Try to think of Your Place as a whole, the way you use and move between spaces and they way they interact. Can you identify any areas which are underused? Any areas which aren’t suited to the ways you use them?
4)Function
Function is the base of a good space; think about what your space needs to achieve? Who lives here? What happens here? Where is you natural light? Do you need a home office? Do you need a single open plan flexible space for entertaining/ working/ playing? Do you need a separate play room for the kids? Think of how you would ideally like to use your space and you will very quickly start to identify ways to make your place work for you.
5)Details
Where do you want to light? Does your house have enough power/ telephone sockets? Do you want to integrate surround sound? Are light switches on the wrong side of door openings? Will you furniture layout clash with your radiators? Paying attention to the little things you use every day will make a huge difference to your enjoyment of the space when its finished. If you are planning to have work done this can be an excellent integrate or adjust services.
6)Future Proofing
Its an overused term to encourage you to try and predict your future needs and, where practicable plan for them... which leads us nicely into...
7)Budget & Phasing Work
Plan a budget and stick to it, then prioritise your requirements and get them costed.
This will equip you with the information to make decisions and phase work if necessary. There is nothing worse that completing a room, only to realise you need to knock a whole in the wall for your next project.
You may find the 'Dream home' will require phasing to make it affordable; But if you know where you want to end up it will be easier to plan and phase your work in a logical way that will save you time and money in the long run.
Get clear about all the points above and you will have arrived at the [often elusive] Client Brief
Happy planning!
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