What the Heck Is 'Good' Design Anyway?

mjchama Good design is defined by the relative proportion of one thing to another: how the house fits into its landscape; how the table fits the kitchen; how the bowl sits on the table. Nothing too large, too small, too overpowering, too whimpy. And its not as easy as it sounds.

midmodfan Good design is well-balanced. It is real (opposite of fake) and unpretentious. It makes sense every day. It is cohesive. It improves your life. And it is a totally personal thing because otherwise there wouldn't be so much bad design.

the_misfit I'm afraid the inclusion of "contemporary" and "casual" as essential elements take this idea from "good design" to "trendy design," a much lesser thing. No doubt these appeal to architects, but architects are neither the only nor necessarily the best tastemakers, and formal and ornate always have had and will continue to have an important place at the design table. I don't want to suggest that anyone should fail to enjoy his casual, minimalist retreat if he wants it, but that can happen without the conviction that one neighbor's scandinavian penchant is "good design" and the next neighbor's Victorian collection is a design mistake. The arrogance inherent in the push to be most-contemporary has been responsible for most of the worst architecture and design this country has seen.

(But, in general, nice ideabook!)

whg1635 Has anyone read the book "Patterns of Home: The Ten Essentials of Enduring Design"?

Bud Dietrich, AIA @whg1635 - that's an excellent book, one I'd recommend to anyone thinking of a home project

jeanettchka Agree with previous poster regarding modern/contemporary style (different thing entirely from good or bad design). Many different styles incorporate good design, not just the latest trendy style.

Defining Design LLC Good design is evident when there is good flow, pleasing combinations of scale, color, proportion and individual touches. A sense of comfort and welcome is perceived whether the room is stark contemporary, or fussy "frou frou. (Though most of us are at a stage of "less is more")
There is always room for other styles, and tastes, but good design will be clearly apparent when the room/s "feel" as good as they are beautiful.

cender Thanks Houzz, I love your articles from architects. They always seem to be a little off, and a bit "chest beating". Good design is balanced and not trendy. Style, be it contemporary, modern, post-modern, transitional, etc. is not architecture. Good architecture is timeless, well-balanced, and functional. Our readers have said it all. I live in a home that was designed by a well-known architect in our area. It is a new home. I did NOT build it. The design has no form, function, or balance. It is "Pretty". I bought it on a Short Sale. Screaming deal. But as a residential designer, I now must deal with the lack of form and function. A very famous American architect once said, "If you have form and function, beauty will follow." I do believe that.

kowsowitz As I live in my den with a temporary kitchen while the real kitchen is remade, I am convinced once again that I don't want a kitchen completely open to other significant living spaces. My den is not adjacent to the kitchen, so I didn't have the choice of "opening up," but I'm glad that I was never tempted.

My husband and I share cooking chores, so I'm not particularly lonely in my kitchen. Maybe others are more scrupulous in cleaning up as they cook, never allowing strong cooking odors to linger, and keeping clutter to an absolute minimum. I want to be able to walk away from the site of dinner prep to enjoy my meal. Because we've handled prep together, there is seldom a mess to face afterward. When there is a mess -- big meals, certain dishes, holidays -- I know that we don't have to eat in view of it.

I understand that this preference may seem quaint, considering the informality of most houses, but I value the comfort of eating in a peacefully separate space.

astraea Maybe because I'm an engineer, I related much better to articles by architects than interior designers, because they are more focused on practicality & liveability. I will say that some basic concepts depend a lot on your geographic area. I live on the Jersey shore, and while I do have outdoor living space, it is often too humid & hot to sit out there to compensate for smaller indoor space (which I fortunately don't have). One gripe I have about "open plan design", is that with some homes, it was/is done at the expensve of storage space .. a move most people come to regret!

waterlynx If you like digging around in design principles, have a look at A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander et al. Although ancient, it's still in reprints because it's considered to be such a classic instruction for designers of all sorts. Example: "A building without a center is like a man without a head."

Bud Dietrich, AIA Yes, waterlynx, Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language is a wonderful book. In fact, many of the pieces I've written, such as those in my Architect's Toolbox series, are inspired by A Pattern Language. I heartily recommend the book to anyone considering a home project.

waterlynx @Bud ... Well that explains why I enjoy your articles & in this case, why that book came to mind! :) The "you" in my previous comment referred to readers, not to you personally. I know of no architects who have not heard of or seen that book.

Tia Good design is which that keeps one's carbon print as little as possible. That means efficient floor plan with only spaces that you use frequently - formal dinning room is such a thing of the past, so are those separate "formal" living rooms and family rooms that rarely get used. Good design also takes into consideration for topography and the light thought out the day. Good design for the interior should have a consistent theme - color, personality. It should calm, and comfort with high quality, durable items but nothing too precious.

adamshae Good design is defined by surpassing expectations.

akmcmullen To me, living in a house with SO much wasted space, I'd agree with Tia for the most part. Everything must have a purpose and be used, and not get in the way or compete with anything else.

Daniel M Martin, Architect LLC I think the reason architects love modern design so much is it allows us more freedom in putting spaces and windows where they can do the most good. Often times traditional styles require a balanced symmetry of space and windows that seems to fight what we consider "good" design. I can understand clients need for warmer, cozier, familiar spaces and materials. I feel my job is to reconcile the extremes into something clients feel comfortable in and yet teach them a new way of living they may never have experienced. "Good" design can be a life changing experience. I've lived it and my children have grown up with it and understand the difference inherently. This has always been a fascinating discussion and I'd love to hear more points of view.

bubblyjock Good design is the amalgam of a sound knowledge and awareness of classical proportions, and a realistic sense of space and ensuing effective use of that space.

Think of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and the Adams - Robert, John, and their father, William. Their work has stood the test of time: they all produced buildings and furnishings that are still pleasing to the eye, lovely to live in, and eminently practical.

Great Scots, indeed!

sunron I think along the same lines as Tia.
Good Design is first and foremost based, centered and focused on being a good steward of limited natural resources. A house becomes a home by ensuring that the design fits its surroundings, considering all the sites attributes and deficiencies, limiting the disconnect between 'inside' and 'outside' only to the degree necessary for protection from the elements, and ensuring comfort, ease and convenience.
Accessibility for all levels of physical ability should be integrated into the design, and areas must allow a logical 'flow' from one area to the next.
The structural elements of the house should be exposed to allow the beautiful 'bones' to be appreciated. The design should be something that you love in and of itself.
Still, the ultimate reason for a structure is to be a beautiful package that encloses and protects all that is important in your life, and provide a background to display precious posessions, and accomidate precious beings without becoming pretentious or uncomfortable.

Lori Taylor Good design to me is living in a home and not questioning the architect's or builder's choices. We moved into a spec home years ago and many times found ourselves asking "Why did they do that?" We later moved into a custom home that we designed. It was much better but not perfect--we had to change the question to, "Why did we do that?"

een63 Regardless of various styles, good design is where function is key. If the function is in place the aesthetically pleasing can follow. If you want a sleek, modern, minimalist look, great, or old-world charm full of knick-knacks, fine... either way, please design enough storage and work rooms that accommodate the day-to-day life of busy people.

Clutter rooms between the garage and kitchen that neatly store everything messy and bulky should be more common. With everything from brooms, mops, light bulbs, deep freezers, second refrigerators, school science projects, wrapping paper stations with bows, ribbons & embellishments, sewing supplies, arts & crafts items, picnic baskets, paper plates and outdoor party supplies to all the various holiday decor items.

We need butler's pantries for storage of all those big, awkward items from trays, holiday dishes, large serving bowls, platters, footed compotes, soup tureens, candlesticks, place cards, cake plates & domes, vases, elements to centerpieces and to all the various glasses and bar ware.

A kitchen isn't complete without a stroll-in pantry where every non-refrigerated consumable and paper good (in bulk from Costco) and other kitchen related items like mix masters, crock pots and oversized soup pots are neatly and easily at hand.

Utility rooms need to have space to actually hang up drip-dry clothes as well as the clothes straight out of the dryer (in separate places), a sink for the delicates, as well as an area to fold clothes, sheets & towels.

We need stroll-in closets in every bedroom (including the teenage-daughter's rooms) so we can put an end to changing out seasonal clothing because of the itty-bitty walk-in or step-in closets.

Storage, built-ins & more storage in every possible nook and cranny. We can edit all day long and be uber minimalist in our decor but we still need "stuff" to function. And this STUFF needs to go somewhere... and that somewhere shouldn't be out and visible as a 'decorator' item. Design some brilliant storage solutions for every room, please... so our space can stay aesthetically pleasing and uncluttered. We're consumers. We consume. We have STUFF and nowhere to neatly store it.

Woo Hoo, the dissertation is over. And I think we can all agree I need lots of storage to consider it a good design.

cfox2 I have to agree with een63. We are in the final phase of building our final home and my husband and I spent alot of time deciding what had to be incorporated in it. One of the most important to us was a BIG utility/laundry room. It is 10x18' and has floor to ceiling cabinets in most of it. We want to have all those things you only use a few times a year handy, but not in the way. Vacuums, mops, etc. all handy but hidden. Double sink, for soaking clothes, but also where hubby can clean fish. And don't forget the half bath so that you can come in dirty and not have to track thru the house. As this is the only house we have ever designed and had built, am sure we will be saying "why did we do that"? but are excited to start the last phase of our lives in this home. We also have lots of out door living, with decks, breezeway and covered porches. Probably not for everyone but fits us well. Builder told us that all the outdoor living added a lot to cost, but, like I said, last house and just the way we want it.

engineerchic Our recent reno included adding a porch to the front of our house. Mainly we did it for curb appeal, but after spending a few hours out there on a rainy summer afternoon ... As God is my witness, I will never be porch-free again ;)

So now I think good design includes a covered outside area to enjoy inclement weather. Storage is important as well, but so is paring down the stuff you have! Do we really need 18 serving platters? Proportion applies to all aspects of life, including how much "stuff" we hang onto.

cfox2 Thats true engineerchic, but you have canning stuff you use once a year, meat slicers, etc. We have gone with the rule, if we haven't used or missed something in a year, it is out of here. And with the move out of state, will really pare down...but still HAVE to have convienent storage. We also went with the walk in pantry in the kitchen like eek was talking about. And yes, a covered porch or deck is wonderful.

astraea To cfox2 - I'm with you; you can never have too much convenient storage! When I moved, I gave up large laundry & utility rooms. Now I just have a fairly small laundry/utility room. I'm glad to have tall storage closets in the garage, but worry that it's just not as temperature-controlled as inside the house, so there are things I'd prefer not to store out there.

writerinfact Tia, good design need not be limited to projecting calm, if the space is not intended for "calm" activities. Can you imagine a "calm" gym? You may be calm in it, but you probably wouldn't exercise much. And I mean "you" in the sense of "a person," not any specific "you." One may want calm in bedrooms and other personal, private spaces; less "calm" is usually tolerated in more public, less personal, more "group-y" areas, where there may be zings of fire-engine red and sunset gold rather than restful greens and blues.

So I guess what I'm saying is that good design facilitates the activities and lives that take place within its boundaries.

writerinfact een63, you said "Clutter rooms between the garage and kitchen that neatly store everything messy and bulky should be more common. With everything from brooms, mops, light bulbs, deep freezers, second refrigerators, school science projects, wrapping paper stations with bows, ribbons & embellishments, sewing supplies, arts & crafts items, picnic baskets, paper plates and outdoor party supplies to all the various holiday decor items."

And while I agree with MOST of that, I beg you to consider that not everyone's sewing room can be contained in the mud room between the garage and the kitchen. Mine would probably displace all three cars in the garage, should I be so fortunate as to have said 3-car garage in the first place! Then again, sewing (and associated activities) is a passion of mine, I've been collecting the constituent parts for nearly 50 years, and someday, Goddess willing, I will have exactly the studio I desire, with only the bells and whistles I have carefully considered and chosen to include.

Then again (again), mine is mostly negative experience. I have never (yet) owned or lived in a permanent, legally-mine home, and I what I know about design is along the lines of "I HATE corner kitchen sinks!" Maybe that's actually decorating, not design. But every single place I have ever lived (I don't think I've ever actually counted how many places that is!) has had at least one major flaw to go with a multitude of lesser irritants. So I guess the definition of good design has to include the minimization of flaws and irritants, such as ensuring that there is actually room to physically turn around between the shower enclosure and the sink, before you walk out the bathroom door, without having to squeeze sideways through the gap (sorry, a friend just redid her new-old house, and I use the downstairs bath, even though the door is a bedsheet at the moment!).

But, in short, I enthusiastically agree with the need for a clutter room! I just don't want to do my sewing there. ; )

een63 @writerinfact, It sounds like you need a huge sewing studio. I hope you get that luxury one day.

I've seen various clutter rooms that even contain areas for a potting bench (but I could never come to grips with the idea of bringing all that dirt into my house). To me, the beauty of clutter rooms is that it is wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling cabinets, work areas, cubbies and large work-surface islands that you can make into whatever you wish! It's a beautiful space where everything has a place and life can be neat and tidy, as well as efficient. And the beauty is, if you're in the middle of a project you can just shut the door(s) and still entertain guests without anyone seeing things out of place or just leave the project out so you can start in on it the next morning without having to clear off your table so you can have breakfast. This wonderful room adds so much to the quality and efficiency of life.

And I concur regarding corner sinks - uncomfortable and so much wasted space (that could be used for efficient and effective storage!!!) I also have issue with corner fireplaces - what a nightmare to decorate around; they completely mess with my flow. I couldn't wait to move out of my last home with that dreaded corner fireplace.

Anyway, I don't think there is such a thing as a "perfect" design, as everyone has different priorities and aesthetic preferences. Lots of good and adequate design out there but it's so personal and usually when including my wish list, over budget!! However, to date, I have yet to hear anyone ever complain about having too much storage space. I dream of the day where I might have an empty drawer or cabinet. *sigh*

jeanettchka My home has more clutter rooms than other spaces: a sewing room, a room where my husband does his computer projects, and my computer room with all my genealogy records and a utility room for the laundry. Plus my needlework area is in our family/TV/dining area. Also have books everywhere. LOL Do enjoy seeing ideas for organization and storage and reading how others keep up with things. Often wonder what an architect would do with designing a place for us.

BuilderFish Good design is universal and enables any person of any ability to enjoy the home. So many architects and builders don't understand the importance of accessibility, and most people learn the hard way (after they're forced from their home).

astraea BuilderFish - Most older homes aren't ADA compliant, and maybe not even newer ones. If people buy those homes who aren't disabled, do you think they're going to make renovations with compliance in mind, if those changes add significantly to the cost, or require space where they don't really have it? I think it's similar for environmentally friendly design .. most people are for it, until they realize how it can add impact the cost of a project!

jeanettchka Accessibility is something that needs to be addressed in any good design as the population ages. Features that insure people being able to remain in their homes should be standards, being built into the design, not something to be added only when the need arises (which it will for all of us sooner or later) often at a higher price and much inconvenience.

cfox2 to builderfishes comment: You are so right. When we decided to start shopping for our retirement home, even though we had been talking about building, decided we might get more for our money in this economy in resale. That ended up a fact, but all of the homes would need major renovations if at sometime we ended up in wheel chairs etc. We had to remodel our folks home for them and it was alot of mess and money. Decided to go back to building so that it would be elderly friendly. Wider doors and halls, things like that are fine in any home. Our biggest drawback to resale was everything had so many stairs...fine now, but still looking ahead.

BuilderFish I'll respond to some of the comments. First, ADA doesn't apply to residential houses, only commercial and public spaces.

Second, we need to reframe the question and/or problem. It's not about disability or inability, it's about ANY-ability. Brazil, Europe and Asia are among the places that "get it".

Don't get me started on cost considerations, NOT building steps in many cases SAVES money so we can't use cost as an all-around excuse; however, I get the point about doing major retrofits. But my primary point, universal design is simply smart, think kid-friendly instead of "senior" or "disabled" (which is insulting to PEOPLE with disabilities). UD merely distills to convenience and efficiency, who doesn't want that!?!

cfox2 You are absolutely right...at this point in time, though, we are just focused on us. Sorry. But I agree that it would be great for kids also.

astraea BuilderFish – Political correctness aside (and I grew up with someone disabled in the house), if universal design was really used, we wouldn’t see so much 55+ housing designed as 3- and 4-level townhomes with all those stairs! And every multilevel home would be built with a full bath on the main level, in the event someone was even temporarily unable to do the stairs & had to sleep downstairs. We wouldn’t see those mega whirlpool tubs without anything to hold onto. And it’s totally different to discuss new construction design, and what universal design elements are reasonable for a homeowner to include in their redesign project.

Daniel M Martin, Architect LLC These comments seem to be leaning more toward personal needs, tastes and desires. This points up the fact that everyone is different and the need for more personalization and customization to help you achieve your own definition of "good" design. The best way to achieve this is to hire professionals that are experienced in evaluating your particular needs and helping you turn it in to functional, attractive space. The return on investment is well worth it.

writerinfact I agree with everything you've all said! When my dad became suddenly wheelchair-bound, my parents moved from Jersey to Phoenix. I'm sure nearly everyone is aware that Phoenix is surrounded by, and contains, numerous "retirement" communities. Mom and Dad had to move in with my sister (an interior designer - she remodeled her townhouse so it wasn't a total disaster for him) while they looked for housing. Even in the retirement communities, there were no accessible designs. Not that there weren't any available, they simply didn't exist. They couldn't find an accessible house on the market, so they had to build it. Except for the "hole" under the middle of the kitchen island, the roll-in shower in the master bath, and the chair access under the vanity, you wouldn't notice the accessibility of their house. The extra wide hallway is not THAT extra wide because it also contains the laundry area (opposite a wall of bookshelves). But this whole situation only points up the need for ALL new construction to include universal design considerations. That tiny little threshold at the door may be enough to keep the wheelchair outside, or require assistance to get over (past). While I don't qualify as disabled, I certainly consider myself to have limited mobility. And if it's MY house, it will be stair-free. Ramps? Fine. Elevator? Well, maybe the best of a bad bunch of choices. But stairs have no place in my home, except for single, level-change steps here and there. With handrails, required by code or not. My house, my rules. (That should probably be a sign outside the front door! ; ) I think the coolest thing I've seen with a UD label is a dishwasher you don't have to bend over to use!

So I guess I can summarize with: good design includes universal design!

writerinfact Astrea, my personal philosophy (I'll be 56 next month, so this has had time to gel, if not yet to ossify!) is that there must be at least one powder room, if not a full bath, on every distinct floor of a home. If I'm in the basement (horrible thought!) because that's where the laundry room is, there better also be a half bath. If I'm coming in through the back door, I want to see a powder room. And if a house (apartment, condo, whatever) has two or more bedrooms, it better have two or more baths to go with. Plus a powder room for guests - who wants their boss's husband - or worse, the boss - using your everyday bathroom, with all the clutter to be found in a many-times-a-day space that has absolutely NO storage! And I shudder every time I see a plan that forces guests to traipse through a bedroom to reach any kind of bath at all. I grew up and lived most of my life in places with 4 or 5 people and 1 bathroom. I used to tell my kids, when taking a bubble bath and hearing a knock on the door, "There's a gas station on the corner and a tree in the back yard; take your pick!" (No, it wasn't a joke. At all. That door was LOCKED!)

writerinfact BuilderFish, I think most of us are using the acronym ADA when what we mean is universally accessible. It's just a relatively convenient label to hang on the topic. And whether it's required by law or not, it's clearly common sense, which (I'll say it again : ) is rather uncommon.

astraea Writerinfact – I’m totally with your comments, and thanks for clarifying the ADA/UD usage! It’s not that easy to put a bathroom in, where there isn’t room allocated for one! In another discussion (I think), I mentioned that one thing I disliked about this house since the beginning, was the “Jack & Jill” bathroom between the 2 smaller bedrooms. I also don’t want guests traipsing thru my home office, or the guest bedroom, to access the main bathroom! I have a powder room convenient to the “public rooms”, but if there’s a crowd, it’s silly not to be able to use the main bathroom as well .. no one uses MY master bathroom (LOL). It would be nice to have a powder room in the basement, because I do have it set up with gym equipment, sewing machine & laundry. Unfortunately, it’s not worth taking away from the limited finished space for that. Shame on the builder for not excavating the 2 large crawl spaces, which would have added about 800 sq ft to the basement .. ah, what a luxury that would have been!!

frenchdecor For me good design house should be: not too big (not very small); well proportioned (all spaces); good sound proof; open concept living/dining room; separate kitchen with shut doors (minimize odor and sound throughout the house) with pantry (including section to keep in it broom and mop) and eat in kitchen area (not island with bar stools, so kids wouldn't fall down), enough cabinets but not too many (we are doing grocery shopping in general every week, right?); Garage preferably to be adjacent to living space (not to bedrooms or under bedrooms). Some storage space (more storage you have more extra things you tend to pile up).
I don't like my house and never liked it (my husband bought it). I did some re-designing, but some things you can't change or do it with a moderate budget. What idea had our house's designer? I have side main entrance. It's not just I can't make pretty facade but can't even have decent over entrance roof as beside entrance garage is attached to the house. As result one bedroom has 14" high window above garage roof (it's a cave). In most old and new houses garage is adjacent to bedrooms or built under bedrooms. I wish my husband would keep his car outside, so noise of door opener wouldn't wake me up. Open concept design, so popular, is my main headache. I would like to have living/dining open concept, but not kitchen. First, you can smell in whole house yesterday's dinner (eventually houses become smelly as soft items: furniture, rugs, fabrics absorb odor). Second, when I work in the kitchen my family members watching TV yelling at me to keep noise down increasing volume. How I can decrease noise of water running, frying, chopping, fan? Kitchen 11'x12' has 2 doors (outdoor and basement) and 2 openings (dining room and living room) and of course only few cabinets fit in it. Let's live along non existent sound proof, morning noise in the kitchen when we can hear everything as it's all happening in the bedroom because somehow sound waves come directly to the bedrooms, nobody can watch TV if someone sleeps (including in the basement). Our second kids bedroom was not livable as sewage pipe (sink) in the bathroom was in adjacent to the bedroom's wall and running water would wake you up; in addition it is over utility room where it's a problem to do proper sound proof ceiling isolation over all wiring/piping/vents... and it's so small that in the morning there was no air in the room. What a genius architect should be to design such house? House should be functional then pretty. We are looking for years for another house, for my taste with minimum re-designing, however there few designs are more or less good and proportioned in our neighborhood. Am I too picky? I don't really think so.

Nancy Kaiser "Modern" design is anything but. It actually springs from the Art Deco and Bauhaus movement in the 1930's. Think chrome and stream-lined ala Hercules Poirot. Contemporary is the correct wording although today's contemporary definitely has its roots in 60's and 70's styling. What's old is new again. The Atomic ranch is in vogue.

The Gaines Group, PLC Good Design is healthy, energy-efficient, and durable. It allows all of your friends to visit, designed for any ability. Good Design is responsive to the needs of the user, it is economical, it is beautiful. Good Design is balanced, proportional, and functional.

So often architects design homes based on what they think is best and do not learn how the client will use the space. This results in homes that are more expensive to build, are not functionally what is needed, and are therefore are not lifetime homes.

Good Design lasts a lifetime, is timeless, and is exactly what the clients wanted and did not know how to describe.

Laura U, Inc. Good design must consider three things: intention, function and beauty. Every decision that I make for an interior is carefully considered prior to presenting it to a client or including it in their home (intention). It must also be smart, useful and have a very valid reason to exist in the space (function). Lastly, the space as a whole should have special meaning for, and elicit an emotional response from, its inhabitant (beauty). Beauty and enjoyment can be found just as often in the smallest accessory as in a large art piece. Ultimately, if the person experiences the space in a joyful way, then the design is good.

http://www.chron.com/life/article/What-is-good-design-Experts-have-their-say-2082545.php

cityofhue Thanks Houzz for an excellent article, and what is almost as enjoyable is the discussion afterwards. Your readers and commentators offer personal insight into a complicated and personal topic. The article and comments are appreciated.

slmchirillo Open and airy, great windows. Flow between spaces. Simple lines and easy to maintain spaces. A feeling of space - but not too big. Inside-outside connection. Clean.

jameson Very interesting conversation. Good design seems to be something of personal interpretation. For me it entails simplicity and serenity in my home. I don't want a lot of stuff or need much storage. Others may want that as part of the function of the house. Some may want open spaces to unite their family or divided spaces for privacy and organization. The beauty and fun of good design is how well it fits the needs and personality of the individual homeowner.

jameson Very interesting conversation. Good design seems to be something of personal interpretation. For me it entails simplicity and serenity in my home. I don't want a lot of stuff or need much storage. Others may want that as part of the function of the house. Some may want open spaces to unite their family or divided spaces for privacy and organization. The beauty and fun of good design is how well it fits the needs and personality of the individual homeowner.

jameson Very interesting conversation. Good design seems to be something of personal interpretation. For me it entails simplicity and serenity in my home. I don't want a lot of stuff or need much storage. Others may want that as part of the function of the house. Some may want open spaces to unite their family or divided spaces for privacy and organization. The beauty and fun of good design is how well it fits the needs and personality of the individual homeowner.