Technically A Haven

Well, I just made up the term because "interior design" was already taken, too generic, and usually focuses on aesthetics.  A home experience designer focuses on functional systems, problem solving, and the goals you have for your home. Your ultimate goals stem from your values, and if we are aligned with our values, they will drive our priorities in and out of our homes.  I value a positive home environment that enables me to meet my children's emotional and physical needs. But Mommy also has needs . Sometimes, instead of "choosing the battle", I choose to design a creative solution that allows me to side step the issue. Instead of changing the people, I change the environment. I value getting my children to school on time with minimal friction, so I will design a "hair do" station. I value feeding my family tasty and nutritious meals, so I will design my kitchen so that it encourages me to do so. I will chose inexpensive furniture because I want to ...

Whatever you need to make running your home more simple...do that! "Running your home" is going to look differently for everyone, but we would all benefit from fighting our environment a little less. Years ago, we were in a huge amount of credit card debt, and I learned about Dave Ramsey's baby steps . They were so simple, so straightforward, and therefore required minimal effort to consistently execute. And we did it - we paid off our debt. Now, if being debt free was my ultimate value, this would be all I would ever need to manage my finances. But I can think of many things I value more than being debt free. For example, I would pay endless amounts of money I don't have to get my child life-saving medical care.  And there are other more basic situations, too: when I travel, I want to know that I can pick up the rental car that I reserved. It is less simple and makes my life worse if not having a credit score means I have to work much harder, pay more auto insurance,...

 Most mothers have considered the plusses and minuses of open concept vs walled-in kitchens. We want to be able to supervise play, but also don't want to be tripping over toys on the way between the fridge and sink. Over the past few decades, the claustrophobic and lonely kitchens of the previous generations made way for the exposed and dysfunctional show pieces we call the open kitchen. Here are 3 kitchen layouts with the best of both worlds; they are social, utilitarian, and pleasant. There is an option here for every size of kitchen. An open kitchen plus a butlers pantry . Large new homes are often being built with a butlers pantry, also known as a scullery or  messy kitchen . This is effectively a small closed-off kitchen hidden behind the primary kitchen. You essentially have both an open kitchen that is social and aesthetic as well as a secondary closed kitchen where you can hide the clutter of small appliances and dirty dishes. A large  eat-in kitchen . Instead of ...