Category: You

Interior Design for Small Spaces – A Good Space Plans Online Four Part Series – Part 2

Posted July 12, 2017 by Dwaina

Multi Purpose Furniture for Designing Your Small Space

Furniture for small spaces has become the norm and much easier to find! Smart and creative multi use pieces make a huge difference when furnishing a small space.

Extendable Dining Tables – are not a new idea for small spaces

Anyone who remembers digging in the back of a closet or under the bed for those heavy wood “leafs”? Then you will appreciate a self storing dining table. There are wood and glass top options of expandable dining tables. Both styles have “leaf” storage integrated into the table itself. This smart table reserves your precious storage spaces like the closet and under the bed for better things.

Dining Chairs – have more potential than you think…

Whenever possible we choose dining chairs that can also be used as a task chair and living area seating. Chairs designed with accommodating or soft seats and backs with handsome upholstery transition from purpose to purpose and room to room seamlessly, and they don’t have to be huge to be comfortable. Chairs with low backs keep them from taking up visual space.

That snappy trendy little chair that looks fantastic in a magazine or showroom… may not be fantastic for sitting through dinner and a movie or responding to all your emails. Summing up… a good dining chair is a worthwhile investment for your small space.

Next week: let’s go to the bedroom

Interior Design for Small Spaces – A Good Space Plans Online Four Part Series – Part 1

Posted July 5, 2017 by Dwaina

What We Think About When We Design Your Small Spaces

At Good Space we love to think about you, your home and your comfort there! So we always start with getting to know you!

Let’s begin to get to know you:

It is important to be honest about how you live – is it you and Netflix at home or do you have people in for dinner or social events or sports nights? Do you have pets, kids, an entourage? A deep dive into your lifestyle and heartfelt needs in your home is the most important place to start when designing any space.

Thinking of you and your needs rather than what may impress others or look like a magazine photo takes a bit of focus on your part but will be worth it when you you feel genuinely welcomed every time you come home! When we are working with clients through this phase we call it the Inform phase – it is the most important part of the collaborative design process.

Comfort First

No matter how many people (or pets) are in your home the plan should be for them to be comfortable – we are passionate about people first in a space- we always try to maximize the seating and the function of a space no matter the size.

How to Maximize Seating

When we are space planning a room we select the largest possible sofas and chairs and make sure they don’t have fat arms or thick backs. This leaves the remaining area of the piece for people or pets…. because that is what really matters in your space no matter how big or small it is!

Where does your drink go?

We always allow space for side tables because we believe every seat in a living area should have a place to set a drink or a book. Narrow side tables are the best way to create this. As the concept of living with less catches on the options for these small versatile tables is getting better every day!

Next week: more about furniture…

The Two Most Common Things People Do When Downsizing

Posted June 16, 2017 by Dwaina

The two most common things people do when downsizing:

1. Decide to completely change their style and go in an entirely opposite aesthetic direction for their new home.

2. Decide to keep furniture because it “cost a lot of money” rather than will it actually physically fit in the new space.

The Unfortunate Reality

Unfortunately the reality is that what you paid for something won’t make it fit or be of value to you in your new home. If you can’t move freely in the space because of your expensive dining table then it isn’t serving you.

As for style change, the most common decision is to go “modern” like show suites or magazines. Modern is often confused with hard and uncomfortable. Remember you don’t change because you move, your desire for comfort while reading or watching TV doesn’t change so sitting on a hard white leather sofa, no matter how good looking it is will not allow you to live in the way that works for you.

Try this:

– Decide what you love and can’t imagine living without.

– Measure it – photograph it

– Do a floor plan of your new place and see if it will fit

– If it doesn’t let it go.

Downsizing or moving to a smaller place can be incredibly challenging. It might be exciting and it might be just what you want, but for most people it is not a comfortable experience. It means letting go of things that have deep meaning and history, things that connect you to your past and the people and memories that are uniquely yours. And yes they may have been expensive. The most important thing in this process is to honour the past and acknowledge it, and most importantly remind yourself they are just “things”. Then roll up your sleeves and start giving stuff away – unless you are a great wheeler dealer I don’t suggest selling things to strangers. If it is fine art or valuable antiques consign them because strangers haggling over your personal things is a really unpleasant experience. I say give it away and allow your history and the energy of the item to carry on. Start with family and friends and then call a charity who will come and get it! Your gift can make a huge difference to someone else. Let your stuff and you go in a new direction and enjoy the process and the freshness of a new start. Good Space can help so head over to our Get a Quote page and see what might work for you.

Furniture & Kids – Buy High, Wash Hands

Posted June 6, 2017 by Dwaina

Photo By Andrew Branch

As much as you might think it is good value to buy cheap furniture because you have kids it isn’t. I say buy sturdy and durable, this usually means you spend more money, and the furniture will stand the test of time.

My daughter in law has the first brand new grown up sofa I ever bought (1983 – recovered in 1990), and my grandson uses it as a trampoline (he is two) and it still looks pretty good and as a bonus large cabbage rose fabric is so hot right now…When my grandson is older/heavier he will not be jumping on it but for now he is learning and the sofa is standing up to that process as well as it did with my kids.

Tip of the day: It is easier to wash a kids hands than a sofa.

Best Summer Lemonade

Posted July 20, 2015 by Dwaina

There is nothing like a cool, refreshing drink to quench your thirst and help you beat the summer heat.

We are in love with the following recipe for Mint, Ginger Summer Lemonade and since we have discovered, we constantly have a fresh batch made and ready in the fridge.

You will need:

1 bunch of fresh mint chopped
1 three inch piece of ginger chopped
2 – 4 tablespoons of honey to taste (depending on how sweet you like, we like ours less sweet)
Juice of 2 lemons
4 cups water
4 cups ice

Method:

Boil the water while you chop the mint and ginger. In large heat-proof bowl add boiled water to mint and ginger. Top with honey. Let sit until water cools (about 1/2 hour). Strain into jug. Add juice from 2 lemons. Stir. Add 4 cups of ice and extra water if you would like less sweet. Garnish with lemon slices and mint. Enjoy!

(P.S. also great with a little bit of gin)

MInt Lemonade. Photo courtesy of dallasgardenbuzz.com