20/20 Blog

New Front Door Trend

I went to Portland’s NW Natural Street of Dreams the other day. In this economy, the past few Street of Dreams have been lacking. I really enjoyed it when they had the Condo of Dreams a few years ago. That was new and innovative and worth seeing.  We secretly call this tour the “Street of Screams” and now its not so much designers screaming at what they are seeing, but people viewing the homes. I heard a variety of comments from the sour, wet-blanket, the “glass is always half empty” person to the deluded individual who incredulously asks “how are they supposed to clean that?” When you live in these caliber of homes, you don’t clean it yourself.  I laughed a lot at people’s comments. These homes are built for the wealthy, but they are toured by the middle and lower classes who don’t comprehend the amenities of the upper class lifestyle.  But there are always things to be learned and replicated for the “Everyperson” client of more modest means and products and design to remember. I want to offer my kudos to fellow NWSID member, Elle Dodge, for  her beautiful home design and style.

The following will be images with text that show what I think the current trends are for design. By current, I mean from 1 year ago to the next 3 years. Trends are so nebulous. I do see a resurgance of the square from the early 90′s. Thankfully blonde maple has not yet made its
reappearance. 

Door Hardware

 

Walk-in Shower

Square Ceiling Fixture

Coffered Ceiling

Appliance Trend

A Study of the Square  

The Square form was very apparent in all the homes from grand coffered ceilings to the door hardware to the appliances. I feel     this shape is coming back because people want to feel like they have structure and stability in their lives. All of the door panels were squared off.  No more arches at the top. All of the tile had rights angles. Gone were the circular tiles, the organic shapes, the real river rock for the showers, and the drystacked ledgestone. Everything is angled, streamlined, sleek, and modern. Even the furniture is standing taller and more at attention.  To compare the design history of two countries, we are moving from the comfort of the French to the structured, stiff upper lip of the English. (The Age of Comfort, Joan Dejean).

Modern Kitchen

 Kitchens

The kitchens were all beautiful and always opened into a family room or dining room. Gone were the elaborate cabinets, scrolls, heavy finishes, and dark hardware. Embracing light from all sides was a re-occuring theme for this years’ houses. Cabinets were lighter in color, sleeker in style and less heavy feeling. Ample storage could be found in large pantries and cabinets along entire windowless walls. The window view was the focus in these kitchens.  As you can see in the Modern kitchen, the right angle theme is repeated at every scale. 

Paula Deen

                                           There was a kitchen based on Paula Deen and her home line. This pantry was a little startling, but memorable.  Pantries were ample and well organized, but subtle. Most of these kitchens were real, working kitchens for active hosts and  entertainers. The lack of fussiness was nice to see. 

Dining Banquet

Kitchen Eating Bar

 I was impressed with the casual dining set-ups for the kitchens. They all had a hint of sophistication to upgrade their casualness. I think this is good example of showing how good design can upgrade your lifestyle in simple, subtle ways that are still family-friendly and stress free. These are examples of good design and planning; making best uses of space. The banquet arrangement gives a continental feel; I can see this set-up at Angelinas in Paris and imagine drinking potted hot chocolate with macaroons. It can also be dressed up and dressed down like a good pair of jeans. The chairs can be taken out for family-friendly dining and reintroduced for a sit-down dinner with adult guests.

The kitchen eating bar example expands the idea of the traditional island bar. It emerges out from the cooking island into an inviting arc. This arc enables those sitting at the bar to look at one another and to engage in conversation. You don’t feel like you’re sitting at a linear diner counter. This subtle design feature changes the whole mood of the eating bar from a utilitarian function to a relaxed, intimate                                                                                                                  dining experience. All it took to make the difference in how one felt is good design and space planning.

Favorite Dining Set

Dual Shower

What I can’t stand more than anything (and I apologize if this is your house, Elle) is wasted space. I appreciate foyers that are grand spaces and the obvious hubs of a home. Foyers are descendants of the great halls of palaces. Foyers used to be the great rooms where royalty received guests and the masses. As architecture evolved into a more casual state suited for everyday living, foyers gradually got smaller and eventually became lost spaces. Well designed and placed foyers as transition hubs are wonderful functions for easy home living. This foyer space stops me in my tracks and makes me wonder why this space and why here? What is its function? More importantly, what could it have been? It anchors a large foyer. It is too big to be a “drop zone”. Its too big to be entirely for display. It wonders who it is and what will it be when it grows up.  It is, in my opinion, in limbo. If I was brought in to remodel this home, this would be the first space to be redesigned and replaced.

Urban Farms