Interior Intuitions
CH&L: Clients come to you for…
Bev Adams: My expertise and experience in design; knowing that the product they select for the rooms I design is based on their functional design needs as well as their psychology and the psychology of the space. The design revolves around the clients’ dreams and design wishes. Design and product selection is not about just branding; it is all about what best suits the story of design, the needs and energy of the space.
My clients come to me by referral. The legacy, history, and reputation of my design expertise, solutions, and knowledge create an environment for my clients of safety and creativity in the design process. We just have a blast! The design experience is fun and exciting, and the results are inspiring.
CH&L: Your design philosophy is…
BA: "Function first, spirit second!" By using surveys, I collect basic information about the habits, needs, wants and wishes of the client. The second tool is the "Personal Design Profile,” which digs deeper into the clients' secrets, lifestyle, and psyche, allowing me to better understand what materials and/or layouts might enhance their energy, the energy fields of the rooms, and the users who will be in these rooms. Careful analysis of the client's needs in the material sense, as well as the “spirit of the room” are vital in kitchen, baths, and other interior residential spaces.
CH&L: Your style is influenced by…
BA: My intuition of the needs and elements of design that will best suit each client individually and the craft of many years as a Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer. Form, line, texture and color have different impacts on different individuals, as well as the historical influence of current and/or historical trends. My style is molded from the client history book: Old world yes, contemporary yes, transitional yes. These styles are dictated by modifying the design elements of form, line, texture and color into the style.
CH&L: The most inspiring thing you’ve seen lately is…
BA: A glass window and/or mirror that heats an entire room. Seen at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in 2011, this clever means of heating bathrooms can be accomplished by the use of thermostatic mirrors.
CH&L: Every kitchen must have…
BA: Something you love, have loved, and/or an object that inspires. The normal accoutrements of refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, etc., etc….of course…but so what? What brings joy, a memory and/or convenience for a client is selected by the client, understood by the designer, and implemented as a "must have" in the design.
CH&L: Share with us one of your favorite features in your own kitchen.
BA: You would think that with all the "kitchen opportunity" my kitchen would be just fabulous. It is not, because I have not the space to expand it without taking down a few trees! However, if there was one object that I love the most in my kitchen, it would be my Subzero. It serves all the needs of the "big-kids" when they cluster, laugh, and bump into each other during family reunions.
CH&L: Tell us about one of the latest trends you’re seeing.
BA: Functional Trends: In contemporary, Old World and transitional kitchens, the separation of duties has been spread apart more. The working stations are bigger, and are appointed with a plethora of appliance goodies.
Instead of trash compacting or using garbage disposals, the desires for healthier living, and eating have inspired ways to store and or recycle creatively. Vitamin storage in the kitchen is now a required. Composting stations where the garbage and/or items can be transported to the real compost bin in the backyard are now being asked for.
There are more vegetarians than there used to be. Storage of veggies is now a bigger requirement for refrigeration rather than freezer space. "Message centers" are not desks anymore but are stand-up-on-the-go computer stations.
Technology has taken over the inventory of the kitchen food lists. Flat-screen, built-in computers with wireless connections are a must in the kitchen. Servo-driven drawers that open by just touching the drawer are helping the “aging in place.” I predict that soon you may just tell the drawer to open and it will be voice-activated via voice frequency, which is similar to Dragon Speaks. LED lighting and strips of lights are now becoming more popular because of the minimum size.
In materials, anything can be combined, and the more bizarre the combination the more interesting the spaces in kitchens and baths have become. Glass is in! In countertops, the selection ranges from leather countertops, glass sheets, aluminum shreds floating in acrylic, wood tops that look like a checkerboard and are waterproof, honed/sealed marbles, and of course granite with different types of finishes—smooth, honed, and/or leathered.
Large-sized tiles in bathroom are the real trend. Tiles that are 12" x 12" are out of style, whereas 24" x 24" are in! Wood floors in kitchens are still very popular in all sizes and species of wood from walnut to bamboo.
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