OVOLO Interiors Blog

Photo by Austin Ban on Unsplash Typically, most people are not doing a wholesale rearrangement of the home's layout during a remodel project. A wall might be opened up to make a more open concept layout or a doorway widened, but most windows, doors, and walls tend to stay in their current locations and configurations. It's usually just within each room that a remodel takes place. And everything about the physical properties, layouts, and architecture of the house stays put when only redecorating or changing furniture! Thus, as mentioned in previous posts, most of the space planning principles are best accomplished through new construction or home additions. The next best way to accomplish them is through a remodel and finally, some principles can still be accomplished using the existing layout and architecture of a house. A good designer will apply as many of the principles as possible while working within the various project constraints. Trade-offs will most likely nee...

Photo by Random Sky on Unsplash See these principles in action on our Houzz ideabook. Planning a new bathroom or planning to remodel your existing bathroom? Below are some space planning principles to keep in mind for this area of the home. Note that when remodeling, these space planning principles tend to be the hardest to apply due to the existing layouts and architecture of the home. Whether it's a guest bathroom, powder room, master bathroom, or kids bathroom, these should all be both functional and fashionable. Here are a few space planning principles to keep in mind for a bathroom: Bathrooms should have an accessible, yet modest and private, location. Bathrooms are best to not be seen directly from other rooms in the home; for example, a small room, closet, or hallway is best between another room and the bathroom. Bathrooms should have an adequate amount of storage, at minimum, and sufficient counter space. There should be enough room to store toiletries, a...

OVOLO Project Portfolio Photo: Contemporary Spa-Like Master Bedroom Makeover See these principles in action on our Houzz ideabook. Planning to redecorate or buy new furniture for your bedroom, guest room, or kids room? Below are some space planning principles to keep in mind for these areas of the home. Bedrooms are vital places in the home; they are places to relax and unwind, places to revitalize and rest, and places to get ready for the day. Bedrooms should be both functional and fashionable: they should look great while maintaining the functions of their core vitality discussed previously. Here are a few space planning principles to keep in mind for the bedroom: Bedrooms should provide an anchored and logical space for the bed. Typically, this is done through the use of architectural features and/or accent walls and beds are also typically placed in a way so that the front is roughly opposite of the entrance to the bedroom. Bedrooms should have adequate stora...

Commercial Photography Services Photo by OVOLO Interiors See these principles in action on our Houzz ideabook. Planning a new kitchen or planning to remodel your existing kitchen? Below are some space planning principles to keep in mind for this area of the home. Please note that these principles can also be applied to outdoor kitchens and cooking areas. The kitchen is considered by many to be the heart of the home. It's a place where people tend to gather, which is why many recently built or remodeled kitchens tend to favor open floor plans and expansive places to sit and/or stand. Kitchens should be both functional and fashionable: a place for you (and your family) as well as guests and visitors; it should be about the gatherings and conversations as much as about the cooking, snacking, and food storage. Here are a few space planning principles to keep in mind for the kitchen: Kitchens should have an efficient work triangle and optimal (and ideally non-overlappin...

Project Portfolio Photo: New Furniture & Decor for a Silicon Valley Condo See these principles in action on our Houzz ideabook. Planning a new dining space or planning to redecorate/redesign your existing dining space? Below are some space planning principles to keep in mind for these areas of the home (note that the term used is not “dining room” but “dining space” for reasons discussed below). Dining spaces may be called by several names and can be both indoors and outdoors. Indoor dining spaces typically are either a dining room or an eat-in kitchen but these spaces may also include other spaces in rooms such as a kitchen countertop eating space. Sometimes, these spaces are part of larger open concept rooms such as great rooms and sometimes they are closed off to each other. Outdoor dining spaces may include porches, decks, balconies, patios, and so much more. Here are a few space planning principles to keep in mind for any dining space in your home: Dining spaces...

Project Portfolio Photo: Eclectic Redecorating and Styling See these principles in action on our Houzz ideabook. Planning a new living space or planning to redecorate/redesign your existing living space? Below are some space planning principles to keep in mind for these areas of the home (note that the term used is not “living room” but “living space” for reasons discussed below). Living spaces may be called by several names and can be both indoors and outdoors. Indoor living spaces are typically called living rooms and family rooms but may also include other rooms such as dens, music rooms, entertainment/TV room, etc. Sometimes, these spaces are part of larger open concept rooms such as great rooms and sometimes they are closed off to each other. Outdoor living spaces may include front porches, back decks, patios, and so much more. In terms of rooms, these rooms are very important in the home. They should be both functional and fashionable: a place for you (and your famil...

Photo by Douglas Sheppard on Unsplash See these principles in action on our Houzz ideabook. Planning a new entryway or planning to redecorate/redesign your existing entryway? Below are some space planning principles to keep in mind for the entryways. In terms of rooms, the entryway, or foyer, gets easily overlooked, but it should be one of your first considerations. It’s needs to be both functional and fashionable: a place to enter the home from the outside on a day to day basis, a place to direct people to other areas of the home, and a place to give a first impression to guests. The front entry is where your front door is located and the back entry could be directly from a garage or could open onto a driveway (this entry could be the primary day to day entry of the home, depending upon it’s use). The back entry does not usually include sliding doors or french doors from a bedroom, living room, dining room, or kitchen; however, it may typically be included within a laun...

Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash Let's talk about space planning, which leads to the basic layout of a room. But first, it starts with an in-depth analysis of how the space is to be used, taking into account all who live in the home and even some visitors to the home. Rooms and spaces within rooms are zoned to account for different activities that take place in a space. For example, a large open-concept great room may have a zone for living (watching TV, reading a book, holding a casual conversation, etc) and a zone for dining (both day to day eating as well as dinner parties). Circulation zones that show how people will move through the space are defined in the space planning process; you don't want furniture to get in the way of people's expected movements. The space plan is finished by adding the furniture, decor, accessory, and artwork details. Some times, there are conflicts that need to be resolved during the space planning process. For example, perhaps a q...