The pretty pictures at the end of a finished project don’t always show the journey and often the 1-2 year long process of design… so let’s back up a bit. We started working on the design concepts for the Orleans Drive Estate Project back in November of 2017. The architect on the project, Ben Scheier, with iPlan, created a dramatic architectural curb appeal with tall plate lines to disguise from the street view the fact that the home has an indoor basketball court.
Once the final floor plan and elevations were in our hands from the architect, our challenge was to make the home feel livable with the tall ceiling heights and then add to a great floor plan the interior appeal with beautiful fresh finishes. We broke the house down into sections and set up a design presentation schedule, so we could present and focus on one area at a time.
This allows us as designers to think through all the details in one space but is also helpful for the client to be able to focus and understand one room or area at a time and to visualize all the components of the design. We present 3D renderings of each space for the client to visualize and cover our presentation table with the gorgeous samples of cabinetry, tiles, hardware, flooring, etc. Presentations are a blast and we love when our client’s face lights up as they come into our office and see the renderings for the first time.
Floor plans provide a bird’s eye view of the interiors but it’s the 3D renderings that give our clients the first tangible glimpse of their dream home in a way that they can actually visualize. You can see some of the renderings from those first presentation meetings before the house even broke ground throughout this post.
Our client was the general contractor on her own home. This is not common and not something for the faint of heart. Her husband is in the industry and a contractor himself but needed to concentrate his time on his business, so their dream home project was hers to run, manage and oversee… and she ROCKED it!
Our design book (that was created and finished before they even broke ground) became the guide and vision throughout the entire build project. It was key to have direction from day one, something that is integral, even with the most experienced builder is, in a successful build project. Every tile layout, cabinetry design, ceiling design, flooring plan was drawn to scale in addition to the 3d renderings and detailed spec details for each and every product. For all the finished pictures and more about the design details see our next post, The Orleans Drive Estate Reveal #2, The Design.
