One of my favorite things in design school was hand rendering. Even though it’s slowly becoming a lost art (with the avalanche of software available), there’s a special, deeply personal and tactile quality to hand drawings that computers simply cannot reproduce.

Michelle Morelan

Now, to say that my sketches are nowhere near Michelle’s is an overstatement but nonetheless, quick and zero-pressure drawings get my ideas flowing 🙂 There’s so much freedom in front of a blank piece of paper, with countless choices to experiment with and I just love how you can design an entire room before purchasing a single piece of furniture!

Michelle Morelan

Once you decide how your space is going to function and the mood you would like it to express (casual, country, sleek and contemporary, elegant, sophisticated….) playing around with color palettes and furniture arrangements is pure fun. Plus, at this stage in the design process mistakes cost nothing.

Case in point:

For a design project, my clients have a small room that they would like converted into a reading room/library. The space is small and rather dark, situated in a pass-through area of the house, so the first design decision was to bring in natural light and extend the footprint of the room by installing bay windows (in harmony with the Victorian-ish architecture of the home).

The modest size of the soon-to-be library motivated all choices of furnishings: a pedestal table with maximum leg room, a window seat with lush pillows, a pair of comfy wingback chairs, floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves…

After the floor plan and the furniture arrangement is settled, it’s time to think color, fabric, accessories, and this is where quick renderings prove useful. Depending on the client’s personal style and list of preferences, you can imagine different ways to finish up the room, and the possibilities are endless!

1) Coastal, beach house feel:

2) Dark, moody, more sophisticated:

3) Cheerful and feminine:

4) Warm, inviting:

Do you have a favorite? Mine is 1), and 4), and a little bit 3) 🙂

xoxo,

Eva