Designers have invested their time and money in order to design as a profession. This means that they have an innate interest in aesthetics and personal reasons for pursuing a design career. When a person invests that much time and money into something you know they are going to put their best efforts forward in order to serve you, the client. When meeting with a designer their goals are your goals. You are in the driver’s seat. Usually a designer will have forms and questionnaires for you to fill out detailing your likes, dislikes, preferences, colors you would like to use, style you would like to use, and specific needs that you and your family have. There will be questions that are industry standards. The answers to these questions will be the guidelines to which they work from. I would like to give you access to questionnaires designers may use to determine your needs. This will also help you to know your needs. You can download free questionnaires from your search engine if you type something like: free interior design client questionnaire templates. I also took the liberty of attaching a few here for you to copy and paste and then download since they are freely offered on the web. http://freepdfdb.com/pdf/new-client-questionnaire-kristine-passalacqua-studio-of-7544805.html http://freepdfdb.com/pdf/please-print-this-form-and-bring-it-along-to-your-first-58514063.html http://freepdfdb.com/pdf/paragon-residential-design-58514112.html I hope this is helpful for you and any projects that you may have now and in the future.

We are on our way to becoming like the Jetson’s in our home, not that it is a bad thing. Technology makes things easier and more efficient. Hunter Douglas has motorized blinds and window shades and has had them for years. This technology is great for people with mobility issues. Problem is that people with mobility issues tend to be the elderly and sometimes technology and the elderly can be like oil and water. Some elderly embrace the technology, while others fear it. All that is needed in this situation is for a caring and patient person to read the instructions, learn how to use it themselves and then teach them. It is simple or you can install a system that will integrate everything with central control and you can remotely control things or have the system programmed for you. Another example of technology for the home is timers for lights. I just saw on TV a few days ago an advertisement for an app for Smartphones that can control the lights and door locks. Your coffee maker can be timed to brew at a preset time. With the invention of the computers, anything is possible. Somewhere in the world they are making robots that can do the housework for you. Of course let’s not forget the entertainment or media center. Everything in that arena can be automated by remote control and speakers can be installed throughout the house. If you are on vacation you can program your TV and lights to turn on and off at specific times to give the illusion that someone is home. I especially like the use of solar panels to compensate for electricity use. Below is one such company that offers this type of installation. Here is a quote from a website called mysmarthomes.com. “Smart Homes offers Crestron Integrated Building Technology (IBT) as an intelligent platform that unifies all energy-consuming systems including HVAC, lighting, shades, AV, sprinklers, and more. Our system enables facility managers to monitor, manage and control all the technology throughout the entire facility, both centrally and globally.” This technology is ideal for the elderly especially. If you can afford it for your parents, then great, why not do something for them that simplifies their lives? Mysmarthomes.com is just one example of many that specialize in this. Companies like this one are pretty easy to find these days, especially using the technology you are using right now to read this.

I am not a very artsy and crafty person really. I would like to be but I haven’t really developed that side of me yet. I have great admiration for those of you who are, who not only dream up an idea but act on your imaginative side. I was thumbing through some books this weekend and found an inspiring book. The book is called DIY ideas, Projects and Tips for Every Room by Better Homes and Gardens, ISBN: 9781118148389. You can find it at the library or an online reseller. I highly recommend this book and other books like it because it gets you thinking and seeing things in new and creative ways. I came upon an idea of creating flower wall art out of wood veneers. Yes this is a great idea in and of itself, but if you think about it, you can do this with other materials as well. This idea can be applied to other types of shapes and other types of material, even old photos. What a concept! Say you have a particular theme going or want to include your favorite signature shape. My favorite signature shape is a circular curly curl I see everywhere. You know the one, it resembles an Italian paper clip. I may post a picture of this shape at a later date, but for now it is an open circle that goes around two or three times. Say you make a template of your favorite shape, and say you make them in multiple sizes, a few small, a few medium, and one large. Now depending on your color in your room, implement some of the same colors into your pieces. Now say you group these together on a wall. The materials can be foam core, plywood, or maybe even metal sheeting. Perhaps introduce some metallic spray paint within your design. Copper, chrome, and touches of gold may look appealing together. You could use whichever shape you are into. Either you can draw the design yourself or have a friend help you or search for patterns of your shape online, you’re bound to find something that appeals to you. If anyone likes this idea and uses it on a project, please let me know so I can marvel or share your creation. My email address here is janette@ezmodinteriors.com.

With the growing epidemic in obesity in children and adults it is time to rethink our societal habits and norms that promote it. I speak from my own observations in and around my own life. I see that a young family member is becoming obese and know it can be reversed for him and many others. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or friend of the family, we all need to be accountable when we see things going in the wrong direction. It is our duty for the sake of the children’s welfare to say something or at least broach the subject or offer suggestions in a non offensive way. The problem these days is that many kids are not getting the exercise that they need. Why not? There are many reasons why this happens. Perhaps kids do not have an active or proactive parent to go outside and monitor they’re play? Let’s face it, time is a huge factor in most cases where kids don’t have ample opportunity to play and exercise outdoors. There are also circumstances in which it isn’t safe for children to play outdoors either. This problem can be easily remedied if they have to play indoors some of the time. Instead of buying video games that keep the kid’s sedentary, look for games that force them to be active. Better yet, schedule play dates regularly that involve activity, even if the kid’s play active video games together, at least they are moving. It is time to look at the video games that we get our kids and make better choices, especially if they are heading towards dangerous territory where their weight is concerned. On another note, I think it is time for manufacturers to make treadmills that children can use with the supervision of the parents. Maybe all that needs to be done is to retrofit the adult treadmills so that it includes attachments for children to grip the rails? Of course, depending on the child’s age and capabilities they still may need adult supervision to make sure the treadmill is not played with and used safely. (That’s a hint for anyone out there who is an inventor or entrepreneur). What does this have to do with design? I am getting to that. As a suggestion when it comes to kids and planning a child’s room is to also include a reading area if possible. It would be nice to include a club chair or other comfortable chair that can be put in their room next to a bookcase of books that they can read during their leisure time. A bed is not a good place to read, in my opinion, because the bed promotes sleeping and may lead towards inactivity in the long run. A desk and chair is not as comfortable for reading for leisure because it can be a reminder of school, therefore a reminder of work. We do not want children to equate reading for leisure as a form of work. We should choose seating for reading that we would be comfortable reading for leisure, after all children have the same needs to be as comfortable as we do. A comfy chair by a window with a bookcase is ideal. These were just a few things I wanted to speak about involving children because not every child gets to grow up in an affluent family in which the parent’s are already are aware of these things. Have a good weekend everybody!!

Task lighting is for as the name implies working light. Some forms of task lighting are desk lamps, counter lights, and table light. These lights are planned and placed where there is work to be done. Next there is lighting for cabinets and underneath shelves. For lighting pictures, art, or any other item you want to highlight on walls use track lighting, recessed wall washers, or recessed adjustable fixtures. Accent lighting is the artistic type of lighting used for visual effect and mood. Artistic lighting is lighting such as spot lighting, sconce lighting, up lighting, and down lighting. For lighting pictures, art, or any other item you want to highlight on walls use track lighting, recessed wall washers, or recessed adjustable fixtures. Creating balance in lighting is an art form in itself. There are knowledgeable lighting specialists that can give you advice on the different types of lighting. The American Lighting Association offers free pamphlets, newsletters, and advice. Lighting is very technical because certain lights are for special uses and when considering light you have to take into account what you are lighting and how much light is too much or just right for the space. Some great websites that I recommend are: http://www.interior-design-tutor.net/interior-design-lighting.html http://www.americanlightingassociation.com