Between 2007 and 2012, designing and executing a Designer Show House was a Wilson Kelsey Design staple as Sally and I shifted our practice from commercial/corporate interior design to residential interior design. Having transitioned out of commercial interior design around 2005, at the time we saw participation in show houses a great vehicle to showcase our...
This past weekend I spent time revisiting and remembering one of our favorite projects, the renovation of the Forster – Leach House an 1804 Federal Period home in Manchester, MA, whose design is attributed to well known Salem architect, Samuel McIntire. Sally and I have been decluttering and cleaning the office because in the next...
Renovation projects. They’re never ending. It’s home ownership’s dirty secret. The one no one ever tells you about – until after you’ve purchased your first home. Sally and I are in the process of selling our home and doing the downsizing thing this summer. Going thru photograph albums of the work we’ve done on the...
Sally and I always enjoy our summer snackies and sippers on the side porch or on our circular brick patio in the back yard. In the summer, it is one of our favorite evening time rituals as we relax before dinner. Sally and I took this past July 4th week off, thoroughly enjoying several days...
The open plan kitchen seems to be an integral part of everyone’s dream home. Real estate brokers will tell you it’s always on their client’s must have list. In new homes, they are looking for kitchen, dining and living spaces combined into one large contiguous room. In existing homes, they want to see the kitchen...
Kitchen storage – it’s always a hot button when Sally and I work on a kitchen design with a client. They all seem to be storage obsessed. Terrified that there might not be enough storage for all their stuff… KITCHEN STORAGE : CASE STUDY 1 We first encountered this behavior when we worked on a...
This past week I had the opportunity to discuss kitchen and bathroom living/aging in place design solutions with manufacturers and interior designers from across the country when I hosted #kbtribechat. #kbtribechat is a community of kitchen and bath professionals who gather once a week on Twitter to discuss kitchen and bathroom design and trends, network...
Sally and I covered some of the hidden costs of construction in our most recent post about our bathroom renovation. In that post we discussed why you need a contingency budget, which is intended to protect you from two major sources of hidden renovation or construction costs. Unforeseen conditions Scope creep There are other hidden...
A renovation project, whether it’s a bathroom, kitchen or entire house, is complex, disruptive and can be filled with unknowns and uncertainty. Virtually all of our clients have never undertaken a renovation before. Since most renovations have a life cycle of 25 – 30 years, they may never undertake another again. It’s called a Low...
A mosaic tile mural is the perfect way to spice up your bathroom or kitchen design, if you are considering renovating either of these areas. Here’s why. They’re unique. You won’t look like the Joneses next door. Believe it or not, sourced properly, they are cost effective. Finally, your tile guy will love how easy...