Designers Reveal ALL

 What parts or areas of the home are worth the greatest investment? 
+ The yard and landscaping. We love to live and play outdoors, and homes that take advantage of their site and open themselves up to the elements feel more connected to their location and are enjoyed by their owners more. –Stephen Pararo

+ Living rooms and dining rooms for entertaining; whether you are serving caviar or Beanie Weenies! –Jared Paul

+ Today, most clients have traveled to the most luxurious resorts around the world and want to bring that feeling into their own home. There is a vast array of beautiful products that can evoke feelings of a first class spa. –Cindy Davis

+ Consistently, kitchens and baths are great investments, but I think that whatever makes your home more appealing and comfortable for you will also always be a good investment emotionally and financially. –Carole Weaks

+ Where you spend the most time, where you need the most comfort, where your technology is located, or most importantly, where your spouse deems the most important. –John D. Oetgen

+ For those who don’t want to make investments in the permanent structure of their home, I feel art is the best investment. One glance at a special image can change a dull day to something exciting! –Barbara Heath

+ An outdoor space that connects to the house, adding “real use” square footage to your home. By adding a water feature, patio or screened porch, you will feel like you are on vacation every day. –Melanie Turner

 What types of rooms or details are clients requesting that they haven't in the past?
+ Value for the investment and something that will make a design statement without being too trendy. –Doug Weiss

+ Our clients are asking us to re-invent their homes, incorporating new items with their own treasures. –Barbara Heath

+ Simple, functional and clutter-free. Comfort is foremost. –Jill VanTosh

+ The right details for the right reason, that say and mean more. Each project charts its own course, but the Food network has actually gotten people interested in cooking well and often. They not only want a great-looking kitchen, but one that really works. In the past, we created massive kitchens with acres of Calacatta Gold marble, but there is a new curiosity in stepping outside the box. It’s refreshing. –Jim Howard

 What elements of the home do your clients most want to change (or want to change first)? 
+ We’re seeing more emphasis being placed on the areas that are used daily and less on those that are just for show. A formal dining room that becomes more casual most likely will be used more. –Carole Weaks

+ It is the intangibles, like atmosphere, proportion, color, light and the architectural details and decoration, that provide good structure and bones. Put yards of expensive fabric in an ugly room, and it is still an ugly room. –Jim Howard

+ To add comfort, energy efficiency or convenience to their lives. More people are asking for clean, livable spaces rather than to re-create a barn in the Cotswolds or a chateau in France. –John D. Oetgen

+ They want to achieve more open space, to knock out small areas and create openness to get more natural light and conserve energy. –Jill VanTosh

+  Clients want to brighten and lighten. I’m hearing, “This room is so dark; it’s depressing. What can we do?” –Maria McLaurin Nutt

+ Clients are “nesting” more than ever before, so they want to be comfortable in the spaces where the family gathers. They’re requesting that their bedrooms be sanctuaries, a place to escape. –Corey McIntosh

+ We are seeing clients wanting to change a lot of exterior details in the past year or so. We have seen a lot of major changes, such as complete exterior re-facing (new brick or hand finishing textures to stucco exteriors). New garage doors and overhauls on landscaping run a close second.  –Cindy Davis

 In this time of inconspicuous consumption, are smaller homes really the new big? 
+  I am finding that my clients want to downsize and get out from under extensive household maintenance issues! –Beth Webb

+ No, smaller homes are smaller homes, and big homes are still big. Very few have been torn down to build smaller.  There is still conspicuous consumption among us. It is just masked to look more humble. Also, people are following the same purchase route as always, just more on a budget.  –John D. Oetgen

+ What we’re seeing is people recognizing what they actually need and not following a formula for what might work for other people. For example, we have a couple with grown children and lots of grandchildren who have decided to upsize rather than downsize because they want a home large enough to celebrate family occasions. On the other hand, we have clients doing the exact opposite because they don’t want the upkeep of a largehome. –Carole Weaks

+ With clever design approaches and furniture placement, a smaller home can become very spacious feeling. The more important every square foot becomes, the greater the effort is put into its design. –Doug Weiss

+ There will always be big houses for people who want and can afford them, but for the moment, we are seeing renovation take on a new relevance. –Jim Howard

+ With our “wired” society, we all are multitasking many times over. Technology allows us to do this, but at the same time, we require downtime in relaxed settings. I don’t know if that necessarily requires “small” as much as it requires cozy, non-confused spaces. –Barbara Heath

 How did you approach solving a remodeling dilemma for a client? 
+ Good design, good time frame, good contractor, good budget and good insight into the client needs, not to fashion. –John D. Oetgen

+ Have a contractor that you trust with your life! –Maria McLaurin Nutt

+ We are opening up spaces to make larger living areas and getting away from the separate namable rooms like living room and dining room. One very unique thing we are doing a lot is removing walls between bedrooms and bathrooms to make one completely open, connected space. –Stephen Pararo

 What types of materials and finishes are clients requesting (or you are specifying) for their homes? 
+ Clients often want uniqueness, but when the time comes to pull the trigger on something that might be a stretch for them, they sometimes get cold feet.  But like life, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Men still want wood, but now we have developed new methods of finishing and staining. Wood floors, libraries and ceilings are just as wonderful when they are cerused, bleached, white-washed or limed as they are in the “trophy dark walnut.”  –Jim Howard

+ Simple, timeless and classic finishes. White marble and wood-planked walls. –Melanie Turner

+ Warm woods, beautiful stone, marble agates, lots of washes and translucent palettes. –Beth Webb

+ They want good clean design, more natural and unpretentious. –John D. Oetgen

+ Most of my clients have children and pets, so durable, easy-to-clean fabrics, rugs and carpets are usually top priority for them. But of course, they still want some style. –Corey McIntosh

+ Natural everything: linen, cotton, wool, marble and wood. –Stephen Pararo

+ Wallpaper! De Gournay, Arena, grasscloth from Stark, Kravet and Jerry Pair. Flat, washable paint finishes on walls. Color on ceilings. Marble slabs for backsplashes and as walls in baths. Antique reclaimed stone floors. Patterned wood floors. And faux bois! –Patricia McLean

 What is your latest style or design obsession? 
+ My latest design obsession or style would have to be this new “Bohemian,” exotic, traveled elegance. I love to mix bold pops of color with unexpected details such as a clean, refined Baker table and beautiful panels of washed, beachy linen. Spiritual and religious influences are becoming a large expression of design. –Cindy Davis

+ I am over all the immediate gratification! Quality and craftsmanship take time. –Beth Webb

+ Brass and gold. –Jared Paul

+ My latest design style is definitely using a fresh, clean palette with splashes of color to balance rich, dark wood furniture. My latest accessory obsession is Elizabeth Lyons’ hand-blown glass. –Maria McLaurin Nutt

+ I’m obsessed with reading and have hundreds of books on design, architecture and landscape. Lately though, I have developed a keen interest in lacquer from the ’30s, great hardware and fittings, ancient mosaic floors and just trying to do it all a little better. –Jim Howard

+ Photography. Creating virtual interiors with photography and collage. –John D. Oetgen

+ Breathing new life into old things through the use of paint, refinishing or reupholstering. I love the idea of eliminating as many things from the landfills as I possibly can. –Corey McIntosh

+ Lacquered furniture. Every room should have at least one piece, no matter how large or small. –Barbara Heath

 What trends are you seeing for the kitchen and bath? 
+ People don’t seem quite so interested in having baths large enough to entertain in, thank heavens, and we’re seeing more emphasis on a kitchen that actually functions without running yourself ragged because it’s so spread out. –Carole Weaks

+ Fewer cabinets, open shelves, bigger usable pantries for the kitchen and separate his-and-her baths. –Melanie Turner

+ Baths must have easy access to showers with no shower curbs. Tubs that remain easy to get in and out of for the coming years and baths that endure and grow with the homeowner. –Jill VanTosh

+ We’re moving away from granite. It’s been done to death. Clients want more interesting and unusual surfaces for kitchens, baths, butler pantries or stone furniture tops. Travertine, marble and soapstone are making quite a comeback. –Corey McIntosh

 What paint colors are you being drawn to right now? 
+ Grey and yellow. –Jared Paul

+ The same as always: any shade of white, sky blue and beautiful mineral colors like bronze, steel, smoke, silver, nickel and unfinished brass. –John D. Oetgen

+ I remain true to white because it suits any palette. However, I love the robust effects of orange and a dash of pepper. –Jill VanTosh

+ Peacock blue lacquered walls. This color combines two things I love the most—the ocean and the sky! Dark walls always give you more depth.   –Melanie Turner

+ Prussian blue; it is deep and captivating. I just lacquered a library in it, and wow; the clients love it! It’s great with curtains that are the same color, grayed down. –Jim Howard

+ Slightly cooler earth tones, browns and golds that have a little more gray pigment, bringing them into the taupe family. –Doug Weiss

+ Many people know that my favorite color is blue, no matter the shade, but in general, I am in love with Donald Kaufman paints and the palette that is slightly off from the routine. DKC-45 is a color that conjures a memory of homemade pistachio ice cream on a hot summer day. –Barbara Heath

+ I am absolutely being drawn into these wonderful, soft, tonal palettes of gray. The new slate grays have so much soft movement that allows you to design with incredible pops of color such as soft canary yellows, blushed peaches, violets and even the atomic orange, for color splashes without full commitment. –Cindy Davis

+ I’ve always been drawn to fresh, clear colors that are not muddy. They are always soothing to live with. –Rita Carson Guest

 What one tip can you offer to perk up a room, improve its function, or overhaul the look of any space with minimal effort? 
+ Ask yourself what you can do to make it more functional. Can you enjoy an intimate meal in your living room or library? –Doug Weiss

+ Place the furniture properly so that it works in concert with the function of the room. –Stephen Pararo

+ I always tell my clients that a neutral backdrop is essential for a room’s longevity. It’s so easy to change a pillow periodically or upgrade your art collection. You can change your bedding, switch out lamps or even just the shades! –Beth Webb

+ I just did this in my own home—I moved all my accessories, art and furniture out of my living room and, one piece at a time, artfully repurposed and repositioned. I was amazed at how many items did not make it back into the room and how much more we enjoy the room! –Barbara Heath

+ De-clutter. Close your eyes, count to 10 and start throwing away any item that is not used, worn out, always hated or out of proportion; and if it’s sentimental, store it for the right time and place. Get rid of old window coverings; it’s better to have nothing. Design built-in features to hold any clutter. –Jill VanTosh