Designing for Memories | The Voices of WHA
The Holidays are an opportune time to make memories, don’t you think? From large dining rooms to load up on festive foods, to living rooms with lots of seating to indulge in the tryptophan-induced naps and sugar comas, to designated nooks for seasonal décor. Large backyard spaces for picturesque life events, so on and so forth. But how would a designer plan some of these spaces to enhance these memorable moments?
We turn to some of our WHA staff to get their statements on the matter.
Don White, Senior Principal Designer, likes to highlight large gathering spaces that include indoor/outdoor refreshment centers, outdoor grilling and chilling locations, kitchens that can house catering/staging, and conversation alcoves. These large flexible gathering spaces can enhance any home.
Ron Nestor, Senior Principal Designer, recalls a memory on designing “memorable spaces”:
“Developer Jim Peters told me, Ron, you have to picture the wife opening the front door of the model home and seeing her daughter coming down the staircase in her wedding dress. If you can capture that moment, we sold the house!” A picturesque staircase can serve as a greeting point for party guests, a spot for annual holiday pictures, or a showcase for décor.
Miguel Moreno, Principal of Production, takes a more analytical approach. “The great room must have plenty of seating, chairs, sofas, and small tables for chatting with friends and family. To set the mood, a fireplace can be a focal point, especially if it’s cold outside. It invites people over to gather around.”
New designer Blake Thompson believes gathering places should be in multiple areas of a home, feel open and inviting, but connect to each other. “An open concept kitchen is ideal as it allows the chefs of the house to prepare Christmas dinner while not feeling left out.”
In conclusion, the holidays are a time for making memories with family and friends. It doesn’t truly matter the strategic layout of where it happens, only that it does. The magic of holiday memories can be made in a home, a back yard, a club house, an office, a parking lot…anywhere!
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