Good design can be found in the details. I am continually amazed by the number of customers who approach our company with the mindset that they want to hire us for our remodeling services, but not necessarily for our design skills. Often they do not see the value of design until it is placed before them. Hopefully I can help shed some light on the differences that a good designer makes. It’s been over five years now since we’ve brought design in-house, and by offering both design and renovation services under one roof, we provide an efficient and sweet solution for homeowners in our area.

Sure, most folks understand the essential requirement for a floor plan. The carpenters have to have something to follow when they’re creating new walls or removing existing walls. And believe you me, it costs much less to have the proper plans drawn than it does to pay the carpenters for the time they would spend squinting over sketchy plans trying to figure out the next measurement. But design is so much more than just a how-to manual for building walls, or installing windows and trim, design is the medium for the love language of our homes.

Good design begins with respecting the existing home. With an addition, you want to take into consideration the size of the existing structure and make sure that the addition does not overpower the home. Make sure you understand the period or architectural style that your home represents and be consistent with features of that era. Repeat geometrical shapes, mediums of materials and colors. Proportions are considered critical to a good design and can mean the difference between kitchen cabinets that are inviting to use vs. cabinets that look awkward in the room. Natural light, or the lack thereof, can either make a room feel like it has dark hallows or welcoming sunny nooks. Understanding the weight of a certain size crown molding in the dining room either compliments the room or gives the appearance that the crown molding was tacked on as an afterthought. An antiqued rubbing to a painted bath vanity may be the difference between a stock cabinet from a big box store that appears utilitarian vs. a loved vanity worn with generations of family use. A skilled designer is an illusionist simply using paint to make tiny bathrooms seemingly go on endlessly or a skilled designer can draw you into a part of the house without your even noticing.

When it’s all said and done, Welsh Construction designers will transform an average remodel project to an enviable work of art. If a home is where the heart is, don’t you want your home singing love songs to you each day?