I am blessed to visit many homes each year as a function of my Career. I often enter a home and take no notice of the homeowner’s efforts at design. The main reason for this is that most people simply design by form and function.
All the main elements of any living area must have a function. The chair is for sitting, the table is for setting, the television is for viewing, etc… that is their function. Most major elements of our home must have function in some shape or fashion or we would have no place to sit, eat or entertain our visitors or ourselves. Therefore, most people’s homes have no impact on me because their home design is merely functional. This does that and that does this.
When a person begins to get serious about design in their home they will take that which is functional and combine it with form. I hope you would agree that all objects in a home have shape… but not all objects have “FORM”. The way I visualize it, when thoughtful consideration is taken we know that form often follows function. Yet true form is not achieved until Function combines with Beauty. For me, Form is the way we take that which is functional and make it more beautiful, or cause it to have aesthetic value. A person can only achieve “True Form” when they take more consideration in not only the function of a furnishing but how that function will appear next to the other functional furnishings we already have in our home. When I begin to pay the slightest attention to the design of someone’s home is when he or she has combined Form and Function in a surprising or exotic way. What I mean by this is that most homes are drab, dreary or sterile environments that lack the element of “True Form”. This is not just a matter of combining like elements. We use words like contemporary, country, Americana, etc… to try to define the design of a home. Yet often, even if all the furniture and decoration in the room can be classified as let us say “French Provincial”, there is still a missing quantity. Yes the room now has Function and Form but not anything that makes it special.
So what causes it to be Special? What takes Form and Function and makes it command people’s attention? The answer is so simple and yet sometimes so elusive.
I am not an interior designer by trade, but I know what catches my attention and makes me take notice. Some would call it whimsy or vision or even beauty… but quite simply the missing element is FUN. Does your home have a built in “Fun Factor”. An example of taking form and function and making it fun is a place that is designed to be a Fun experience. We all have visited places at least once in our life (like Disneyland or Knott’s Farm) and were astounded at the architecture where Function and Form were designed to be Fun. This technique is often referred to as a Theme park. Now here is the amazing part. Most people I know have a built in instinct for “Theme Design”. It is, at it’s most basic structure, what I refer to as “The Fun Factor”. Most of us use this design technique without even thinking about it when it is someone’s birthday or when we rearrange our entire home to accommodate the celebration of Christmas. (“Honey, where are we going to put the tree this year?”). We combine elements of like form and function and make them fun. Most of us will go to great lengths to “decorate” for a party. Something that is temporary and not designed to last for more than a day to a month and most of us decorate these parties or celebrations with a Theme in mind. For birthday parties we often will buy paper products, plastic utensils, and cakes with built in themes behind them. For example: We may decorate the house for the birthday party of a six-year-old girl with Barbie. Barbie cake, plates, napkins, and streamers… you get the idea. We can do the same thing with our home décor and it does not have to be whimsical to be fun. Each season my wife changes certain elements of our home for the theme of that season. Now that September is here she will soon be busy changing out our table dressings, window treatments, knick-knacks and such to “celebrate” the change in season and in so doing she unknowingly kicks up the “Fun Factor”. There are also many more permanent changes you can make to your existing décor to make it more pleasing, more enticing, and more FUN.
So pick a theme, whether it be cows, chickens or pigs for the kitchen. Asian summer for the living room. Country comfort for the bedroom. These are the kind of home designs I notice on the job, and all your friends and family will too. Just remember to take the function you have and consider the form and make it unforgettably fun for the people who visit your home and you will have real home design to showcase your living spaces. ---Function---Form---Fun---
Also remember this, an Area Rug can be perfect Form to add to your Fun and exciting décor. They come in all shapes, colors, sizes and themes. The exclusive selection we feature on our web site is designed for this purpose, to add some spark or color or just plain Fun to your home décor. Article By Charles Beason Charles is a Flooring Design Consultant. His base of operations can be obtained at www.rugrunnerbiz.com | Need More Professional DIY Home Decor Advice? This Ebook is a MUST READ
This exclusive collection of Area Rugs has been hand selected for their complamentary color ability. These colors and designs will compliment most any interior design color scheme. Be sure to check out the extended selection under the heading of : Rug Specials ...The Safe way to Shop on the Web... Secure Encryption Server Technology Your Information is totally Safe with us !
UPDATING INVENTORY
More Rugs
Do you have questions for Rugrunner.biz Secure Encryption Server Technology Your Information is totally Safe with us !
|