Living With Meaning

This home is magical - in the heart of south Minneapolis and still a thousand miles from anything. This homeowner truly understands how to live with meaning - while others try to understand the meaning of life. The primary living space of this home is on the second floor. The feeling is like living in a tree house - three walls of windows in the dining room (third photo) provide views of the century old lilac bushes below. The feeling is warm, familiar, carefree - as if the house is telling you you've been here before. The conversations between the generations are welcomed here with old architecture mingling with newer artwork and estate sale finds.

The second photo is of the sitting room between the dining room and kitchen. The homeowner had the olive sofa along the same wall as the long wooden table (left in picture). The white book case wall houses a television in the cabinets below. The sofa moved to the window wall creating a focal point at the end of the room and giving the long (primitive) table more elbow room. The two largest pieces of furniture appear more comfortable on separate walls - sizing up each other's apparent strengths. The pair of vintage wicker chairs pull up close for intimacy and extra tv viewing. The space is warm and inviting like a room full of characters from a great novel.

The furniture in the first picture stayed in the same place with the exception of the small wooden chair under the window. The collection of art pieces on the mantle were carefully rearranged and the small oil painting to the left of the fireplace was lowered - now the painting embraces the vintage side table and is warmed by the glow from the antique brass lamp. Picture books were added to the cocktail table and lastly the cushion inserts of the sofa were taken out of their casings and reversed to create a refreshed look (this is a great way to revive tired looking upholstery).

This house is a living, breathing entity thanks to the homeowner's willingness to allow the home to tell her "why architecture matters" (Paul Goldberger). For her this house has been a "guardian of identity" "A house that has grown into a knowledgeable witness" - The Architecture of Happiness - Alain de Botton. Loving What You Have sometimes means a deeper appreciation of old houses. (Photographs by Landmark Photography - Minneapolis).  Jay Nuhring

Keep The Table

I am always surprised by how a piece of furniture can look completely different when paired with other furniture or put into a different setting. I often times encounter clients who have given up on a piece of furniture because they think it is outdated. The words "I really don't care if you decide to get rid of that piece of furniture" is not unfamiliar when talking about design with clients. I respond by nodding my head in a manner suggesting I agree with them and then with the most delicate interjection encourage them to suspend their judgement until we've investigated every possible solution. It's a bit antiquated but I often say "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water". Any one can remove the potential problem piece of furniture from a room - few can take that very problem piece of furniture and make it better.

The "Before" and "After" example above illustrates this point well. At a glance the dining room furniture appears to have multiple personalities - non of which get along very well. It's a collision of different styles and periods that just do not belong together. The original dining table is glass. The side chairs are finished in a high gloss black lacquer. The end chairs are a traditional wing back style upholstered in a baby blue fabric and the carpet is a traditional Chinese pattern. All of these styles diminish the architectural voice - barely audible at this point. The architecture is being suffocated by the furnishings.

The dining room comes to life by eliminating the black lacquered and blue upholstered chairs and by adding a classic white modern armless chair. The traditional carpet is replaced with a simple cream colored broad loom custom cut to fit the space. Notice the original dining table was used but accessorized with contrasting organic elements of rustic wood containers. The room has a clean, crisp, California feel. Totally upscale, relaxing, chic and tranquil. The architecture is more vocal - one can understand the subtleties and nuances of the architectural details that before were overpowered by the ill suited furnishings.

It would have been easy to have eliminated everything in the room and started over. Keeping the table saved the home owner money, extended the life of a perfectly good table, and paid tribute to a beautiful architecturally designed and executed home. Loving What You Have means looking at what you have with new eyes. The very thing that you think is outdating your room may be the very thing you end up keeping. Love what you have and it will love you back.  Jay Nuhring

Rearranging Accessories

One movie is known for it's quote "Build it and they will come". The same is true for your home - "If there is a surface it will inevitably collect stuff". The urge to put something on a ledge, shelf or table top is greater than the ability to resist putting anything there at all or at least suspending wanting to put the very first thing you find there.

The "Before" and "After" photographs above are an example of too many things on a surface that have no relationship or cohesiveness. It is also an example of how to scale the appropriate size artwork above a desk this size. Not only is the artwork too large with the piece of furniture it is hanging above but it is also too large for the wall (notice the french door to the right and the window to the left). The space between the door and the window is minimal and calls for smaller scaled art. Notice the width of the artwork in the "Before" picture - it is almost the same width of the desk. This kind of spacial relationship creates tension between the artwork and the desk. Both artwork and desk are vying for the same attention and presence within the room. In this struggle for attention the desk wins out - being the more prominent furnishing in the mix. Now that the desk has been identified as the chosen piece to work around everything else on the wall must bow to the desk - support the desk and not dominate the desk. Identifying this kind of hierarchy early on is important to layering the secondary and tertiary furnishings later. The desk is the primary furnishing for this composition therefore the artwork must be smaller scaled.

Changing the scale of the artwork not only supports the hierarchy of the desk but also gives the accent lamp a bit more attention. Before the accent lamp was struggling to stay on top of the desk as if the picture was slowly nudging it to the edge - waiting for it's fatal drop to the floor below. Now the accent lamp feels grounded and permanent within the composition of pictures and silver tea set. In addition to the smaller artwork the wall color changed from a dreary off white to a fresh yet historic golden yellow (Benjamin Moore - Waterbury Cream - HC 31). The new paint color highlights the white enameled woodwork and makes the antique wood and brass accents come alive. Now the desk top becomes a true focal point with a curated mix of antique gold and silver accessories - more feminine, more thoughtful and more suspenseful. Makes me want to stand in front of the desk and actually study it's components.

Funny how in the "Before" picture I would have not given the desk a second look - it holds no interest for me. It simply looks like an old piece of furniture I would never have any interest in. But now, with a few simple changes the desk reclaims it's glory within the company of some distinguished friends. Loving What You Have can be as simple as changing a picture, changing a wall color or changing an arrangement on that old desk. Love what you have and it will love you back.   Jay Nuhring

Another 2 Hour Living Room Makeover

I never tire of rearranging furniture. I can't help myself. I see a room that is ill-configured and I immediately begin the mental gymnastics of flipping sofas and lowering artwork. Often times, for me, the urge to want to move furniture around is to make a room feel better, have better energy, better flow. Read any article about how an interior designer achieved a certain look and you will more than likely find the words "energy" and "flow" describing the process. These kind of words, when used in the context of interior design, are not quantitative or qualitative concepts. Describe a room as having good energy and one might think you're one ottoman away from being a bit cuckoo. But it is true, this is how rooms are described and more importantly experienced. It is the experience that matters and words like energy and flow are words that describe experiences. As a trained architect I naturally strive to create environments that are memorable and engaging. Environments that make one feel like they're in good company. A room should feel as if it is full of people even when there isn't anyone in the room. Now that's a room I would like to experience.

The picture above is an example of a large living room in Orono, Minnesota with furniture placed around the perimeter of the room. One of the challenges with builder designed homes is the scale of the rooms with relationship to the furnishings. In most cases the rooms are simply too large and the furniture inevitably appears lost and disconnected. A natural instinct for some is to arrange the furniture around the perimeter of the room. The result is a sense that the furniture is orbiting the room - floating without any sense of being grounded. Placing furniture around the perimeter of a room is an interesting human phenomenon. It is much like the way some people think of their property - calling out the boundaries of the land with fences - drawing attention to the boundaries of the yard. The problem with arranging furniture around the perimeter of a room is that no matter how large a room the space will always feel smaller and less interesting. Pushing furniture to the outer walls in a room simply informs the viewer of the limitations of the space. On the contrary pulling furniture away from the walls creates depth, increases the intimacy between the pieces of furniture and forms an environment that is more compatible with human interaction.

In the "before" photograph above the home owner has one of the two large sofas with it's back to the kitchen (same direction of the photograph). The sofa ultimately creates a "closed door" to the living room. The connection between the heart of the home (ie. kitchen) and the living room is instantly broken by placing the sofa in this position. The arrangement ultimately shuts off the space and compromises views into the room. The fireplace is hidden behind the sofa and there is no sense of a focal point. The room is simply not appointed properly and lacks any kind of engagement. The room is slowing dying and needs immediate resuscitation.

The "after" photograph shows a completely transformed space - same furniture, same accessories, same room, simply rearranged. This is the same view from the kitchen. The space is open and inviting. The fireplace reclaims it's rightful place as the center of attention and can be experienced for the first time while working in the kitchen. The upholstery pieces are positioned closer together for better conversation and function. The carpet comes into view once more adding much needed texture and pattern. The furnishings take their assigned position with confidence and bravado following the order of the architecture. The room feels better - more energy - better flow - more engaging - more interesting and full of life. Looking at the room reminds me of a bunch of friends getting together. Kind of makes me want to join them! Loving What You Have is about experiencing a room in a way you haven't before. Love What You Have and it will love you back.   Jay Nuhring

Appointed Furniture Placement

Over the past 48 hours I shoveled my driveway six times - four times with snow accumulation of five inches or more and two times with a mere dusting. You might be wondering why I thought it was necessary to shovel the two times when there was hardly any accumulation. I'm still wondering myself - as neurotic as it sounds I found gratification in staying ahead of the predicted snowfall and satisfaction in how the driveway looked - perfectly void of any snow while all around the snow is piling up in record depths. My driveway is asphalt and this past summer I had it coated with the black tar that is suppose to prolong the driveway's life. The contrast of the black against all of the white was actually appealing to me. I liked how the shape of the black driveway became more apparent to me as the snow piled high around the edges where the driveway meets the lawn - now buried four feet under.

I've always been drawn to things that have contrast. I find things to be more interesting when there is contrast to make whatever being compared more obvious - each component is more engaging because of the stark differences between the two. For instance Central Park would not be as interesting without the backdrop of the surrounding buildings of New York City. And a silhouette is pleasing because of the stark difference between the background and the foreground - one enhancing the other and vice versa.

Loving What You Have sometimes means creating contrast between the built environment and the furnishings - stating the obvious and making the pieces of furniture stand out against the background of a room. The example above is of a living room in a home near Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. The "Before" photograph shows a room with furnishings that neither engage the viewer or stand out against the background that is the architecture. There is just the right amount of seating for conversation except that not all of the pieces are working at their fullest potential.

In the "After" photograph the wing back chair is moved next to the fireplace. This brings added height to the corner of the room - resulting in your eye being drawn to the furthest corner of the room versus your eye stopping in front of the room. The wing back chair also disguises the radiator visible in the "Before" picture. The pair of accent chairs cradle the end of the room opposite the fireplace (one chair was moved out of the picture frame for this particular shot). The mantel accessories are thoughtfully composed in a way that bows to the fireplace - standing like attentive servants waiting for direction. The only end table is now between the sofa and the wing back chair. The books and accessories in the bookcase are recomposed for a better visual from the front entry hall. Finishing touches include fresh flowers on the cocktail table and a fire in the fireplace (Asiatic Lilies have a distinctive sweet scent and the flowers themselves last for several days). The room is very warm and inviting. The furnishings are appointed and patiently wait for an unexpected guest. Loving What You Have means taking care in the things you have - your favorite book, the cushions on your sofa, and the beautiful vase that was once your great grandmother's. Love what you have and what you have will love you back.   Jay Nuhring

Loving Your 1990's Italian Sectional Again

I love everything architecture and interior design. I have a secret obsession with furniture (chairs in particular) and I'm drawn to furniture that is usually overlooked and often times misunderstood. I think the reason why I'm attracted to furniture like this is because I feel compelled to make it work. This requires a closer study. What is it's scale? How does it respond to the built environment? Why does it look outdated? When it's paired with another piece of furniture how does it change it's look? It's a great exercise in design - challenging yourself to make something out of place or outdated look current and relevant. But when a piece of furniture finds it's right placement in a room with relation to other furnishings and the architecture the result is wonderful and poetic - everything is right in the world at that moment. It's really just Loving What You Have.

The first photograph is a "Before" of a living room in a home near Saint Paul, Minnesota. Here the home owner separated the 1990's (Ligne Roset style) sectional into two (2) pieces. Although the sectional was dated I knew a couple simple changes would fast forward it into the 21st century. The accent pillows with attached head rests give the sectional a dated look and the Chinese carpet makes the modern architecture seem dull and less interesting.

The "After" photographs show the sectional assembled to create one long serpentine seating area. The Chinese carpet was replaced with a cream colored broad loom carpet - cut and bound to fit the space perfectly. The original cocktail table was repositioned into the middle of the room and accessorized with large tropical leaves and cocktail table books. The dated attached head rest pillows were replaced with seven (7) custom white euro sized down filled pillows. The room is luxurious and elongated giving a feeling of spaciousness and elegance. The space feels clean, crisp and updated with a few simple changes using the homeowner's furniture. West coast spa retreat is how I would describe this Minnesota modern home.

Loving What You Have reminds me of the scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus looks at Charlie Brown's Christmas tree and says "I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all really. Maybe it just needs a little love".   Jay Nuhring

2 Hour Living Room Makeover

Thanks for visiting "Loving What You Have". This blog is devoted to everything that is HOME and everything that is you and your life style. My name is Jay and I would like to share with you a new way of looking at your home. Seeing your surroundings differently. Essentially, re-Seeing your spaces and what you have in a way that, hopefully, will make you fall in love with your home for the first time or quite possibly, all over again.

Loving What You Have is about making the ordinary appear extraordinary. It's about understanding why you do not like a particular piece of furniture or furniture arrangement and why that piece of furniture does not like where it is in your home. It's about an intimate relationship between the built environment, that is your home, and the furnishings that occupy the spaces in your home. I believe there is a delicate and dynamic dialog between furniture and the spaces they take residence in and if you ignore that dialog there can be discord and chaos. Think of furniture as having human characteristics. When I experience a room that is not engaging, inviting or simply not attractive it is usually because the furniture is not engaging with the room, engaging with the window placement, engaging with the entrance to the room, engaging with the other furniture in the room, engaging with the adjacent room, and engaging with the architecture in general.

The pictures above are an example of Loving What You Have. The first photo is a "before" picture of a living room viewed from the entry hall, dining room and adjacent kitchen of a home in Minneapolis. When one walks into this room they would see this exact picture. This room is large - the entire width of the home. When I first saw the room it seemed out of balance, void of detail and unapproachable. In fact, the furniture appeared unhappy, a bit depressed and not interested in engaging me, the viewer. The large picture windows struggled to "fit in" to the ensemble as if standing naked in front of two laughing sofas. And the orientation of the sofas suggested that the large floor plant in the corner of the room was the focal point - clearly balance, focus and a sense of cohesiveness were void in this room. All of the components of a great room existed - but not placed where they wanted to be.

In the "after" picture the sofas switch to the opposite corner of the room, following the order of the windows as if to say "I'll have what they're having". Following the order of the architecture creates a hierarchy between the architecture and the furniture - the architecture being the precedent and the furnishings reinforcing and drawing attention to the same order. Not shown in the "after" picture is a low book case (left of photo against a wall). Before, one sofa had it's back to the bookcase. Now the sofas "include" the bookcase as part of the guest list of furnishings. The once hidden Noguchi table is now front and center and the Eames lounge chair comes out of hiding from the corner. The 8 x 10 carpet is rotated 90 degrees and the large floor plant changes corners with the branch arrangement.

The only items purchased for this transformation were four (4) royal purple accent pillows (TJ Max - HomeGoods - down filled) and fresh flowers for the cocktail table. The furnishings actually appear happier and much more inviting as if welcoming guests with open arms. Loving What You Have is about understanding how to re-See the things you have and making your home more beautiful, more functional and more livable!   Jay Nuhring