How to add a wow factor to this galley kitchen?
4 years ago
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- 4 years ago
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Wow Factor
Comments (20)While I certainly agree with paigect that "A Well Tended Garden" is a fabulous book on my way to the dentist needing a book that would allow my mind to drift away to a better place I grabbed Jill Billingtons "Architectural Foliage" from my book case. This book printed in the 1990s is a design book that the non-pro can really embrace. Unlike most books written on this topic she includes specific plant choices and groupings with her discussion of plant shape, form and texture. In a chapter titled "Prima Donnas" she discusses what I have called WOW plants and breaks down those plants into the following categories; Large Leaves, Exotics, Small Trees, Ferns, Spikes and Prickles, Hostas, Bamboos, Grasses, Silver-Greys, and Climbers. She concluded this chapter with the following; "The planting around the prima donnas should be non-competitive and retiring. There is a need for sensitively related foliage patterns which will act as a subordinate background. Should other of these stiking prima donna plants be seen within the same view there must be a linking theme, for example some exotic shapes like palms, bamboos, grasses and fatsia will all look well together. On the whole these plants are better treated as specimens where attention focuses upon them. Other plants can provide a backcloth like yew, portugues laurel, viburnums and so forth, or act as relatively anonymous fillers such as spiraea, ribes, or day lilies....See MoreThe elusive "Wow Factor"
Comments (87)The ever elusive wow factor~so do we want the wow factor to please ourselves or for others that see our home? Does a home absolutely need one, no. As was mentioned further above, if you walk into a home, and lets say the foyer looks like the Palace of Versailles, your expectations will be high re:the rest of the home. It it doesn't live up to such expectations, there's a major letdown. Model homes(usually!)are a perfect example of what I mean by expectations~every room is decorated, so there is no disappointment as you move thru the rooms. If you don't like the house, that's beside the point, but because it's a 'model' all spaces, including outdoor spaces, will be decorated. I'm of the opinion you can have a well decorated home w/o having a wow factor~I see them frequently on this very forum. They're not decorated 'to the nines,' just decorated nicely, with attention to details that may be unique and stand apart from other homes that may be professionally decorated. I personally don't like a home to look contrived, as though a stage were set and beautiful items seemingly set sporadically here and there, if that's been determined to be the wow factor. You *can* have things arranged in a certain way so it doesn't come across as contrived. If you *think* it's looking staged, than it is....See MoreThe Wow Factor
Comments (27)A story about Wow factor: Over 25 years ago, we were house hunting and found a house that wowed us with its beautiful atrium and exquisite decorating. We came close to buying it. Fortunately, sanity set in and we realized that it wouldn't work for our family at all. The family room wasn't connected to the kitchen - family room, living room and dining room were along the back of the house while the kitchen was on the side next to the dining room. No keeping an eye (or even an ear) on the kids in the back yard or family room while cooking. There was 400 square feet of lovely parquet hallway around the atrium. 400 square feet to pay for and clean up to have a hallway? We thought of building and met with architects. We thought, talked and made a list of everything important to us in a house plan to guide the house plans. (I guess that's kind of like the Sweeby test.) When we thought about the list, we realized that everything on the list was in an ugly duckling house that we'd been shown. It had terrible wallpaper, carpet (including avocado green shag), drapes, etc. But the floor plan and overall construction was perfect. The yard was great. Lots of windows. The kitchen family room overlooked the backyard and pool. About $20 K took care of the flooring, window coverings and walls. It took us 20 years to get around to replacing the kitchen counter tile and only just now are we replacing the big faux stone hearth in the family room. Once one got past the bad decorating, I guess it did have some wow features. Entry patio with pond (which really became wow when we got it functioning for koi). Clear cedar ceiling and fireplace in the living room. But the main thing was that it worked for us. For me, words like inviting, warm and comfort are more important in my house than wow. Something can be Wow! but not livable at all - not that the livable can't also be Wow! - just that Wow doesn't have to be livable....See MoreExterior Front - how to complete for a wow factor!
Comments (3)for "Wow" you must move neighboring houses farther away. You have almost no room to plant anything....See MoreRelated Professionals
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