My Process

I began with my own needs and desires laid out, not just for this project but for the whole house. I needed to keep that larger plan loose until after I had talked to the architect so that I would not fall so in love with a concept that I could not see a better one.

But once I had an actual design, worked out between myself and my architect, then I spent several weeks getting input, ideas, and suggestions from anyone who would listen to me or look over the plans. I did not reject or censor the any of the suggestions, although I might argue over a suggestion if it didn't meet my stated goals, or to get a better sense of it. And added some of the best ones to the what I presented to the next person. I even had a party to solicit group input (not so useful since nobody stayed on topic, but fun anyway).

I only started editing when I felt that I had a good cross-section of input from a wide variety of people. I distilled several pages of notes down to those suggestions or questions which were architectural and which best met my stated goals, and then I went back to the architect with them and we went over what could and/or couldn't fit and how. From that we developed a final design to take to the contractor.

Still, at many junctures in the process I went back to my core goals and asked again, "does this element/aspect meet my stated goals, or is there a better way?" "Is it artistic, comfortable, practical, useful, environmentally friendly?" "Can we make it more so?" and sometimes I even opened the question again to a wider audience.

After saying all that, I never forgot that it was my house, that the decisions were ultimately mine to make, as the results are mine to live with.

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