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What is family-first design?

Hi Friends,


For anyone who has looked at the 13th Ave website recently, been on my Instagram or Facebook page, or has heard me ramble in my stories, you'll know that I specialize in "design for families" and "family first design" on the surface that may seem pretty self-explanatory. You design homes for families, duh. But the reality is that for me, it goes much deeper than just narrowing to a client base. Oh no, it's much more specific than that, and that's what I want to dive into today: How does family first appear in interior design?


In family-first design, there are 3 pillars that I explore when working with families: Function, Investment, and Aesthetics. Within each pillar, families and I collaborate to prioritize their needs and wants within each pillar to make sure that the result is ideally suited and unique to them.

Function: This is somewhat of a buzzword in design and something I would like to dive deeper into in a future post, but we'll define it as "how your house works." Yes, your house is working all the time; some parts for you and some parts against you, but it's always working. When I meet with new clients, that is precisely what we dive into: For each family member, we discuss what is working in this space and what is not. What are our needs now, and what will they be in the future?


For example, when beginning a living room project, after a series of questions and conversations, I often hear things like, "We don't keep toys in here, but they always seem to find their way in." Or, "We love the color of this rug, but it's worn out, and cleaning it is a pain". Or "We all fit on the couch now, but the kids are growing, and soon we won't!". These are signs of things that are not functioning now or soon will not. Once we identify those needs, we can find practical solutions to alleviate all of those and make life easier!



Investment: In speaking about investment, we go beyond the question of how much a family plans to spend monetarily on a given project and into how we should prioritize this spend. It's an exercise of identifying the things of high value to the family and allocating the budget accordingly.

Back to our living room example, if a family values natural light and ambiance, then a more significant portion of their budget may be allocated to things like putting in bigger windows and window treatments, adding in new hardwired lighting, and layering additional lamps. Whereas a family that values movie night and watching Sunday football, it's likely that a more significant portion of their budget will be allocated to that dream couch (you know, the one that feels like a cloud, soft but firm, deep enough to nap on, enough space for the whole family and the dog, the kind you can eat on, spill on and then wash right back to new).



Aesthetic: I intentionally saved this for last because, in family-first design, we need to work through the real-life needs and wants before we can get into the pretty. In using the word aesthetic, I am referring to your personal style, what lights you up, makes you happy when you see it, and what makes you feel at home. It doesn't have to have a rigid definition like "modern" or "mid-century"; instead, it's a style that is unique to you. Learning about a family's aesthetic is often an exercise of reviewing and discussing Pinterest boards and saved images and getting input from each family member along the way.


To look at this in our living room example: One family member may like a "layered" look with lots of pillows and throws on the sofa, a gallery wall, and a fully styled coffee table. Another family member may gravitate towards minimalism and a feeling of neatness and tidiness with everything put away and out of sight. That's where the art of blending aesthetics comes in as we figure out how to add those layers into a room that brings that calm and orderly feeling.



Please use these pillars in your home as you tackle a project. Take the time to think about and discuss with your family your priorities in each of these buckets. List them, sort them, and use them as your guide as you embark on the ongoing journey of home.


XOXO

-L

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