If the artist’s canvas is a home, then the media is not only paint but all of the varied building materials with their colors and textures. Wood, brick, stucco, drywall, flooring, cabinetry and siding are all a part of the palette. The challenge for the home designer is different than the artist. Not only does the home have to be aesthetically pleasing but functional as well. The ultimate critic is not the public at large but the home owners. They are the ones who will be spending many hours surrounded by the canvas of their home.
It is fun for me to see a home emerge from the ground. The framing is like wooden soldiers standing erect in ordered rows with embellished by wiring, plumbing, drywall and the exterior veneer that define the rooms. As I walk through the interior spaces, at different stages of completion, I enjoy experiencing the various sensations brought about by the different stages of construction. The echo of footsteps in the new rooms soon to be softened by carpet and cabinetry. The color on the walls brings vibrancy to the drab monotony of drywall. The dusty smell of concrete and drywall give way to one of fresh paint and freshly laid flooring. Outside the change is just as impressive. Raw earth and construction waste give way to green sod, shrubs, trees and flowers.
I believe I have a unique but incomplete perspective of home design and construction. Although I have a degree most of what I know is from hands on experience in framing, trimming and crafting millwork. My hope is that this site will be a community of creative ideas relating to home design. Please feel free to share your ideas, plans, experiences and challenges. In this way we all can learn from each other.
