Mid-century Modern Newsletter

Fitzpatrick—In case you’ve been stuck under the Tuscan sun, mid-century modern style has experienced a steady revival in interiors and architecture in urban areas since the late 90’s. It's now reaching the provinces, such as our fair city. An excellent source for the history and elements of this aesthetic is the weekly e-mail newsletter from DWR(Design Within Reach), a catalog of in-stock modern furniture.

Even if you're not a fan of the period, the well-written articles on urban design, philosophy, architecture and the man-made environment will inspire thought. It’s free at http://www.dwr.com/.

I’m not about to admit how many of their pieces I covet, not to mention the ones I own.

Consider Water Quality When Choosing Materials

Fitzpatrick—This article was spawned, out of order of our repartee, by my own, current, epic-poetry-worthy search for a whole-house water filter. Apologies to Peg, and more on the Beowulf, Gilgamesh and the Odyssey/Illiad-meet-the Internet struggle to come.

Water filters are not only for health—bad water can harm the long-term appearance of your materials (white mineral scale in your walnut travertine shower) as well as the performance of high-dollar fittings (the ceramic disks on that pricey faucet), fixtures (the water inlet on that pricey toilet) and appliances (clogged water lines to your Subzero refrigerator or built-in Miele espresso maker).

For instance, several years ago, my parents built a new house near Paso Robles, California. (They farmed out some trades but did much of the labor themselves. I don’t know if Peg feels this way, but I’m royally annoyed with people who claim to be building a house when a general contractor and a slew of others are performing the work. In that scenario, they are having a house built.) Even in their late 60’s my parents were inveterate DIY home improvement demi-gods from before the affliction became widespread. (I’m positive we kids suffered juvenile brain damage from sawdust and paint fumes; proof—I became an interior designer, the middle son installs solar and the baby is a general contractor). My mom chose white mosaic glass tiles, mosaic porcelain tiles and grout in her bath. Those were great choices for where she used to live, in the San Joaquin valley, famous for its hard-as-diamonds water and accompanying mineral scale problem. Her new water has a yellow component, iron or sulfur I assume. You can imagine how this affects her white materials.

Then there's my mother-in-law, also in the San Joaquin valley, who I understand spends a large portion of her day wiping up water spots on her black granite kitchen countertop before they evaporate and turn white.

Understand the quality of your water before you select finishes for your bath or kitchen. Then choose accordingly, or install a filter to mitigate the effects.

Design/Build—Pros and Cons

Fitzpatrick—Design/Build is a method by which the design professional and the general contractor are the same business or the same person. Here are the pros and cons for the homeowner, from the perspective of one who has worked on both sides:

Pros

1. Can lower the cost of a project since the designer/architect and contractor work together.
2. Can improve the speed and efficiency of a project since communication between designer/architect and contractor is facilitated by being in the same office.
3. Can avoid friction between designer/architect and contractor since they are both on the same team.
4. One-stop-shopping; avoids having to solicit multiple bids from different contractors.
5. Can employ innovative design solutions since both designer/architect and contractor work together.

Cons

1. Limits ability of homeowner to obtain competitive bids on a project unless plans are purchased from the Design/Build firm. In which case, the homeowner could have simply hired an independent designer/architect to produce a set of plans.
2. Can result in a general contractor acting as a designer/architect when she/he is perhaps not qualified, resulting in substandard design.
3. Limits checks and balances by an independent designer/architect and contractor, where both have responsibility to the homeowner.

As with most things in life, the success of the Design/Build endeavor depends on the quality of the skills, including communication, of the people involved. I’ve seen it produce great projects as well as ugly and expensive ones.

Hiring A Designer?

Koontz-Jodi dealt well with both the history and the pros and cons of designers verse design/build as an in-house concept. So I will take this another step forward and talk about why you need a designer at all.

Just as everyone thinks they can paint a room, client's often assume they know best about what they actually need and want regarding a remodel project. The truth though is that a homeowner may go through one, two maybe three remodels in their lifetime. A designer spends their entire day, everyday, on these projects and they are trained in seeing what doesn't yet exist. That experience makes a difference. A designer's best assest to the client is to determine the client's wants and needs and the options for getting them.

Having said that, let me back-up a step. Because I am in the design/build field myself, it's my belief that hiring a certified designer is not as important as hiring a designer who will work towards your goals and maintain the integrity of your existing structure as much as possible. So the third asset of your designer, and arguabley the most important, is to keep you from making mistakes in your design.

In our locale for instance, a current fashion is to apply faux stone to the exterior of houses. Although it started with new structures, it has quickly moved into older neighborhoods where people apparently feel it gives their home an updated look. A good designer could have told these client's that updating a home like this in an established neighborhood just makes the house look like an outsider.

You don't hire a designer based on their price, or even their qualifications necessarily, you hire a designer based on their understanding of you and your home. Designers should be paying attention to what you want, what you need and what you have. Don't trust the person who enters your home with a design based on anything else.

Design/Build—What Is It?

Fitzpatrick—In terms of getting started with professionals, I’ll thank Peg and her snarky comment about Design/Build for inspiring me to start here. Since I’ve worked for independent interior design studios as well as for a remodeling contractor who billed himself as Design/Build, I think I speak objectively on the issue.
Design/Build came to home improvement via commercial construction by way of manufacturing and the TQM (Total Quality Management) model that gained popularity in the late 1980s. America finally figured out Japan was kicking our butts in industry because they—shockingly—integrated the expertise of the average floor worker to improve the efficiency of the overall manufacturing process. As buildings became more complex, architects enlisted the aid of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) and electrical contractors, the folks who actually do the work, to “value engineer” the projects, i.e., suggest tricks of the trade, of which architects and engineers might not be aware, to improve the building and lower it’s cost.
A better project for less money—that’s what Design/Build is supposed to accomplish, by combining your general contractor and your designer/architect in one place and sometimes, in one person.
The next post lists the pros and cons of Design/Build for the homeowner.

Should you remodel?

Koontz-Jodi and I disagree regarding the decision to remodel. It's my feeling that there's no good reason to live in a space unsuited to you for the first twenty years, and then finally make it your own. So, deal with the necessities, pay the bills and be aware that remodeling is not for the faint-of-heart or pocket book. But you can refinance down the road to pay for the dang tuition!

Contrary to projects previewed in the magazines, you don't have to break the bank in order to improve the way you use and live in your house. If you haven't done all of the financial things that Jodi wisely suggests, but you know you need to make some changes, be creative! Think outside-the-box. Or hire help to think that way for you; a designer whose payment is not based on the size of your budget, or a contractor who specializes in 'design/build'. (Jodi's going to say that's an oxymoron-she's a designer you know).

Not everyone needs a chef's kitchen outfitted with the latest and most expensive equipment. Some people just need to tear down a wall or two and get a more workable floor plan in order to significantly improve the use of their space. Bottom line is that you can be a $100,000 client, but you can also be a $10,000 client and until you start thinking, you don't really know where you fall.

So if you're on the road to remodeling, we'll write next about who we think you should and should not be listening too.

Financially Responsible Remodeling

Fitzpatrick:
There is a lot of buzz about environmentally responsible remodeling—the green movement. There is less buzz about socially responsible remodeling—labor-friendly projects.
There is no buzz, in our materially-obsessed, business-blinkered culture, about financially responsible remodeling.
Don’t consider a home remodeling project unless you have achieved these financial goals:

1. You have at least six months expenses in reserve; cash and liquid.
2. You have no consumer debt, meaning no credit card balances of any kind.
3. You have funded your retirement account this year.
4. You have funded your yearly committment to your children's education, if you have them.
5. You have health insurance for all members of your household.
   

Think about your situation. Given the above criteria, should you be considering a remodeling project?
Also, as the interior design voice of this repartee, the same applies for redecorating. If you skipped funding your IRA this year, don’t be funding your IKEA.