Think Outside of “The Jones” Box

Ready to build a new home or remodel?

Approaching a new home or remodel project with the willingness to explore different ideas and to stretch one’s understanding of “home” allows for the opportunity to discover the details that make the home the perfect fit for you.

(photo courtesy: http://www.newgeography.com)

Look at any cookie-cutter development ad, surf any home-oriented design website/blog, or watch HGTV and the concept of home distills into a list of “must-haves.” While the intention of many of these lists is to help guide, be cautious of what is motivating the overall project design. Is the home becoming about “x” amount of square footage, granite countertops, a two-story entry, and resale value? Or is the motivation rooted in what will fit your personal needs and desires?

“Keeping up with the Jones'” results in features that might appeal to the advertising market, but would these features make everyday living more pleasurable for those who matter most: the people who live in the house everyday?

(ad courtesy of saltycotton on flickr)

A few tips for a new home or renovation project:

• FIND OUT WHAT YOU REALLY LIKE AESTHETICALLY.
  Be willing to question your first idea or tastes. (As many of our designers will tell you —working in the field continually teaches that their first idea is rarely their best idea.)

• TAKE TIME TO RUMINATE AND CONSIDER THE OPTIONS.
  As Meadowlark designer Jen always says, “Allow ideas to percolate.”

• OPEN YOUR MIND SO THAT YOU MAY BETTER DEFINE YOURSELF AND THE SPACE YOU LIVE.
  Everyone’s needs are as different as people are different. 

• PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ARE THE ENEMY.
  Figure out your priorities for a project but listen and consider other options.

(image courtesy of http://www.simplyborganized.com)

Need a little guidance/suggestions? Seek the help of professional designers and architects. Perhaps you need a solution like an innovative way to store a guest bed when guests are not visiting. Meadowlark’s suggested design for a hide-away bed became a reality when a client was willing to try something a little unconventional. The result: an attic that can function as an office-playroom by day and a guest room by night.