First of all, patience is the best practice when entering into a renovation project of any kind. At the end of the day you are dealing with other humans as a collaborative effort to create a beautiful space. Covid has also create a headache for all supply of plumbing, tile, etc. Best advice, is make a plan and purchase early and then start any construction once the items have arrived or close to arrived. This will limit the time your bathroom is torn up and will reduce disruption. You will also have to embrace the dust. Construction dust is very fine and floats and hangs in the air. Even when the crew sweeps and cleans at the end of each work day, expect to be dealing with the dust.

If you have other construction projects in your home, this is the time to do it. It is easier to get a team to come out for a larger project, stay focused until it’s complete. Also most clients that have lived through the dust and construction typically do not want to live through it a second time.

Working from home and spending more time at home than we all have in 10 years has caused a surge in homeowners wanting to renovate and rethink their home space. This year will be remembered by the series of unforeseen challenges with supply chain issues that caused a pile on of delays. We have spent an average of an extra 3 months longer in a clients home. Appliance are currently at a 6-9 month lead time with no relief insight. The solution for that is vendors are proving loaner appliances and then when the proper one comes it the place holder gets switched out. It’s not as pretty but it allows projects to move ahead with timelines.

We just wrapped up a new build we have been working on for the past year. It always a pleasure to take a vision from beginning to end, rather than just renovating a space.

COVID has really slapped us in the face and made us rethink our home space. Everything from clutter, home office make over and e-learning situation for the kids. We are reevaluating our home sphere, because, let’s be real we could be sheltering in place for another year. The pandemic of the 1918 lasted for 3 years.

We wrapped up this basement over haul right before everything was shut down. We dug down 3 feet to make a 8ft ceiling into 10ft ceilings, so it truly became a lower level vs a basement space. We equipped it with a golf room simulator, full bathroom, lounge area, ping pong table, built in bunk beds and wet bar with full fridge, for an edgy teen space.

Author: Sydney Piwowar

Often for whom this is their first time working with an Interior Designer freak out at the idea of custom furniture. They want to see in front of them exactly what they are paying for, before they pay for it. This is often not the case in our practice. Nearly all of the millwork (cabinets and built ins) we design are custom. This means combinations of designs, colors, and patterns never done before. By nature, you will not be able to understand its full glory until completion. If you are working with a good and transparent designer, she/he will take the appropriate measures to ensure you have all the tools necessary to feel comfortable with your investment. 

To create peace of mind for our clients at JTD, I have come up with a 5 step system to ensure you are happy with your purchase. 

1. Adequate drawings

Not every interior designer has experience with construction drawings or details. It is important that no matter how creative your designer is that they are able to successfully communicate their design intent in these drawings. This will maintain total control of the design and limit the amount of miscommunications and damage control later. 

2. Renderings

Some more complex or large installations should be conveyed in 3D or color 2D renderings. This will help you start to imagine how form and function are working together in your piece. Some designers who do not offer this as a service should be able to outsource it or complete themselves at an additional service fee. 

3. Samples

If your designer does not provide you with samples for all materials, they are not doing their job. You should see all finish materials for metal, woods, and upholstery. It is custom that they do not show you building materials that are not visible in the finished product though. 

4. Contractor’s portfolio

For those who are hesitant to pay for an additional service or contractor for their custom piece, it helps to review their existing portfolio. You can see their craftsmanship and previous experience this was to create peace of mind. 

5. Trust your designer

At the end of the day, they know what they are doing. Designers have a muscle in their brain that allows them to envision spaces and forms without any external support. Many people without this muscle struggle to trust. If you have never worked with this designer before, or have never worked with a designer before, it is ok to ask about their experience with custom furniture. Ask to see some of their other work. This will not only allow you to see their capabilities, but the level of originality and practicality of their custom designs. 

Author Sydney Piwowar

We have seen and heard of cement tiles for years - that is nothing new. What is special about the ones we are seeing today is that they are Encaustics. Encaustics are paintings and ceramics using pigments mixed with hot wax that are burned in as an inlay. Each tile is handmade and dries slightly different from the next, with variation in depth or bleed at the edges of the pattern. The inconsistency adds to the overall beauty of the tile when laid. There is a slight variation and shadowing in the tones of each tile, when installed in mass the result is pure sophistication and character! These beauties can be used for indoor/ outdoor flooring, in bathrooms and kitchens on the walls or floor and splash backs.

Check out these uses of my current favorite color: soft dove grey. It literally makes the space glow!

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Author: Sydney Piwowar

I call it the “Modern Mural”. Artists used large scale murals to tell the most elaborate, and beautiful, stories through tile mosaics. So many different cultures have done this through the years and I think America has found its own. It features clean lines, purposeful choice of grout colors, and a hand made nature, expressing the amazing new technologies we have to impact our spaces. I have curated a few of my favorite images and combinations to inspire you and a tile guide to inspire your next renovation.

California can have it's light, breezy SoCal vibe with all white walls and boho splashed in. Fresh exciting, bold things are happening with deep, dark colored walls. Paint or wallpaper are all in.

Think of London library vibe.

Shake of the norm. No wall is permanent. Be brave and go for it.

xo, Jen

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