Archives for June 2018

I recently posted on lighting in a house.  A key portion of any building set includes a detailed electrical plan.  In a nutshell, these sheets show the reflected ceiling plan of all floors (if you have multiple) as well as locations of plugs, switch locations and their associated switch legs.  Some fancy homes these days may have separate plans for home automation, security, and other electrified things.  Your architect will draw these up preferably with the help from an electrical engineer or consultant.  This post is a bit of a warning.  If you are building a custom home, decipher and understand these electrical sheets!  If they look like a foreign language to you, set a meeting with whomever drew them and get to know exactly what you are getting and where things are located.  Don’t be shy about letting the designer know your daily electrical needs.

In this age of technology, you need to understand where things will be plugged in and how your family will function with the myriad of electronics throughout the home.  Your designer will not be living in your house and get annoyed that the switch to your bathroom light is behind the door swing and you’ll have to reach around, or close the door just check if you have spinach between your teeth.  Nor will they ever know the dire necessity of a plug specifically for a phone charging station is missing in the foyer because it was not specified.  Don’t let them get away with putting just the code required bare minimum in willy nilly.  Because believe me, it’s  enough.

Every plug and every light switch in my new house is designed to be in its exact location for a reason.  My furniture is laid out, I have inventoried all my family’s vital electronics, and I know where my lights, switches and plugs need to go.

Example: I’m Japanese and I have a plug specifically for my 10 cup rice cooker because well, rice happens at least 5 days a week in my house…

Coordinate with your interior designer if you have one.  He/She will give you invaluable insight into things you didn’t even know you needed.  1/2 hot switched in bedrooms for one.  The ones that turn on the bedside table lamp from a switch on the wall.  How about where your Christmas tree will live in your living room or that tangle of exterior lights you put up every year if that’s something you do?  No one wants to trip over a 20 foot extension cord every day during holiday season!  If home automation is in your future, get to know your keypad locations like the back of your hand.  Which reminds me that that can be a whole other post for another day.

The bigger the house, the more complicated electricity can get.  So don’t pass over the electrical plans because they don’t look like much initially.  They are actually packed full of information that can have grave consequences down the line.  We are blessed to have illumination with a flick of a switch or a touch of a button.  Our electrical components should make life flow effortlessly, not create frustrations!

-K

I happened upon a fabulous cabinet maker recently while helping a dear friend with a major remodel of his childhood home.  I came in a bit late in the game and the kitchen had already been designed and was being built.  Good thing he was a great cabinet guy!

A great woodworker’s craft shows in their attention to details.  This seems obvious, but it truly makes a difference when everything is installed.  If the craftsman offers advice on what it takes to get the job done right (the first time) by recognizing issues that may arise during install, you’re in good hands.  A pleasant personality is an added bonus.  Picture existing sloped floors in a remodel that are not going to be leveled off.  You need a cabinet guy that will account for the height differences that will occur BEFORE the units go in.  Nothing holds a project up like having to send things back to the shop for adjustments due to oversight and then having to reschedule another install day…  Who pays for these delays???  You do.  In pain and frustration.

I have designed a bunch of built-in units throughout the new house which will hopefully make the spaces stand out.  The master bathroom cabinets for one, but the big showstopper will be the built-in entertainment, fireplace, bookshelf combo which will live in the double height space of the living room.  I can not be more excited to finalize the design of that monster.  I’m thinking of a black unit flanking and built around a gas fireplace.  I still don’t know exactly how I’m going to explain how Santa comes down a non-existent chimney come Christmas time… but that’s another post for another day.

Built-ins can visually upgrade a home from looking like a spec house or a rental to a bespoke haven.  Pieces that are made specifically for a house should never look like an afterthought.  Talking through the design phase with a skilled craftsman will ensure that function and appearance blend perfectly.  One can potentially build around bought units to make them look built-in which may save money in some cases, but a custom bench seat made to store toys, or a shoe storage cabinet that needs to be a certain dimension, or that odd space under the stairs that must double as a mud hall and storage?  Those I leave to a professional.  One that will respect my desire for beauty and function while offering the creative touch that a bought piece just can’t accomplish.  Collaborate with the right master builder and your built-ins should just disappear into the fluid language of the space.  I’m looking forward to my one-on-ones with the cabinet maker we select.

-K

Living room built-in stunners.

Built-in beauty in utility and functionality.