The Fun Stuff: How to Choose Materials

Most clients’ favorite part of the design & renovation is choosing their materials. It’s your opportunity to really customize your space and make it your own. Everyone has different taste and every client needs a different amount of time to make their choice. I have seen material selections takes minutes, hours and even days. It’s kind of like choosing a wedding dress. If you see too many options, you’re stumped. If you see too few, you feel cheated.

5 Tips to Choose Smart Materials

1)      Make choices that will mesh well with the rest of your home. A good “flow” is key to a good design. Plus, if you decorated your entire house in a traditional way then it’s obvious that your style is traditional. Just because HGTV is all about the contemporary look doesn’t mean you have to be!
2)      Choose your most expensive material first. If you’re remodeling your kitchen choose your kitchen cabinets first and then base everything else off of that. If it’s your bathroom then I would suggest choosing your tile first. Never start with paint! Compared to everything else paint is cheap!
3)      Don’t get caught up on trends unless you’re trendy. Last season my Cosmo told me to wear 5 bracelets, 2 necklaces and 9 rings at the same time but did I listen? Well, yes actually I did and for the record, I looked atrocious! Bill Gates doesn’t renovate his kitchen every 5 years and he’s, BILL GATES! Make choices that are with the times but remember that you’re going to be staring at that flamingo pink backsplash for a while. If you have to have pink then do it in moderation. Use a kitchen backsplash tile that includes pink but isn’t entirely pink.
4)      Collect pictures. I highly suggest www.houzz.com for great inspiration photos. We were actually just featured on Houzz so you know it’s awesome! After you have several great pictures sit down and decide what it really is that you like about each one. This will help you communicate with your designer.
5)      Make smart choices. If your senior mother-in-law is planning on moving in don’t put glossy tile on the bathroom floor. It’s very slippery! Maybe you’re planning ahead and would like grab bars in the shower. There are some beautiful ones out there. If you have muscle issues, there are tubs that have jets to help your pain. There are beautiful handicap tubs on the market. Think ahead! Here’s a link to Kohler’s “Aging in Place” line : http://www.kohler.com/bold-independence/products/category?categoryName=AIP%20Grab%20Bars%20%26%20Handrails

Kohler's "Aging In Place Line"

Kohler’s “Aging In Place Line”

Hope this helps! Give me your feed back! I really enjoy it. If anyone has a tip to add please feel free to comment!

By | 2018-02-10T16:05:24+00:00 November 22nd, 2013|charleston home remodeling, charleston kitchen cabinets, kitchen remodeling charleston sc|Comments Off on The Fun Stuff: How to Choose Materials

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