The forum is lousy with people regretting their tile decisions when in actuality its not bad at all. Have no regerts.

Is there a focal point in this room? I don’t see any reason to create one on that wall. Accenting with a different paint color will draw the focus. What’s the goal of having it a different color? Can you add a pic of the wall that the sofa is facing?

Really appreciate all the advice.

Following....

"There is no such thing as a bossy, traditionally inspired contractor. There is ONLY a technician who follows the design details provided by the designer, the homeowner or whomever is in charge of the project."

This has got to be one of the most arrogant and misguided posts I've ever seen on Houzz. Contractors are not animatronic zombie drones to be programmed by air-conditioned pocket protected desk jockeys. Drawings and specifications are not carved in stone, but malleable and should be viewed as very strong suggestions as to what we are collectively trying to accomplish.

I've had a 50-year career in construction and have saved many an architect/designer/homeowner from poor and sometimes dangerous designs and themselves. Good contractors are like the goalies in hockey. We're the last line of defense before something really bad happens. Ignore us at your own peril.

I’d want the architect to be familiar with local codes and idiosyncrasies in the location the house will be. Also if you want them to do periodic visits during the build they need to be nearby. No big need for them to be in the same location as you, as long as they’re technically literate and can do zoom meetings with drawings. Anyway, that was my experience doing a remote build. Others may have different opinions.

We used an architect in the state we were living in, but he had in-laws that lived in our new area, so he was familiar with the different building practices in the new state. Our contract was for plans and elevations, but not for a permitted building set.

Our builder in the new state found a local draftsman/designer and an engineer to produce the permitted set of building plans. Our architect sent all the files and was available for phone/email consultations if there were any questions.

It worked well for us. I think it is important to be able to meet in person and brainstorm with the architect during the design phase. We had several visits were the architect brought the current version to our house and we played around with potential changes using tracing paper. He would then make the changes and drop off an updated version.

I also felt that the architect in our old town was a better architect than the ones I had interviewed in our new location. He had also designed several homes that were similar to what we wanted to build.

For me, the most important part is where you will be living when construction is taking place?

We sold our old house in the old state and rented a house in our new state, about a mile from the new build. We were able to visit the site everyday and be there for important decisions with our builder and subs. Easy to catch any mistakes and make last minute adjustments as the build is progressing. Finding an honest builder you can trust is the other equally important part!

I would choose an architect with a track record of design you can see will produce the home you want to build. Local knowledge is not the primary criteria and can be supplied by an experienced builder. You'll likely need a local kitchen/interior designer to manage finishes.

Wow, bullying just doesn't seem to work, does it?