Making Do Requires Innovation!

​It’s not quite the same bag as buying a used car, but it comes darn close!   Transforming an interior environment that includes a challenging set of “givens” – some that can’t be changed  but maybe a few that can be modified – is sometimes enough to make you lose your hair...
 
“As is” comes in many forms, shapes, sizes and complexities.  Often a new client puts it right up front:  No structural changes, no major modifications of existing configurations...just do what you can!   And, oh yes; the orange ceiling color stays.   Oh, boy.
 
Like most Interior Designers (and Architects) I welcome challenges!   Most of them make you stop short at first, then the wheels get turning and the Interior design team accepts that this one will be different.  It simply means that the planning, strategies and prospective Interior design concepts will have to develop from the old exposed pipes, the mystery box in the far corner of the (orange) ceiling, and the sloping concrete floor.   The client’s clear message of limitations rings in your ears.
 
All of such challenges are not quite as radical as the example above, but almost any fixed situation – be it color, structural anomalies, or immovable objects – immediately force the team to “react.”     Creative design is usually reactive primarily at the front end – listening to the concept the client has in mind, learning the negative stipulations and/or limitations (including financial) and learning their Vision.  Then, the Interior designer moves into “active” mode, creating the client’s vision from their talent, knowledge of resources and understanding of the problems and possibilities.

Vintage structures that have passed the tests of time, beauty and functionality are worth the investment and creativity it takes to bring them into contemporary service!

​When confronted with a significant “make do” situation, the Interior design path must hold their creative skills to a reactive paradigm, and seek compatible solutions from that perspective!
 
Why are some Interior environments held to working within the kinds of limitations mentioned above?  It might be due to revised ordinances or possibly new local legal stipulations.  For instance, if you deconstruct problem factors a, b, c, you must then conform to all of the new disciplines regarding older structures, such as bringing them “up to code,” or meeting important safety and earthquake guidelines.  There are other rationales as well, but it all comes down to the same challenges for clients who want to improve their Interior spaces, but are not ready (financially or otherwise) to go all the way to complete renovations that would meet new guidelines.
 
Which brings it all back to –innovation!  The orange ceiling color is probably negotiable; but moving walls, reconstructing entire basic elements like the sloping concrete floor are issues that must be approached carefully in order to comply with existing regulations.   That’s where innovation comes into the Interior design process!   Turning “resident ugly” into interesting and acceptable Interior design tests both your team and your patience.
 
Many older structures exist in a kind of twilight zone.   When it comes to competing with newer, more efficient structures, there are the somewhat “romantic” aspects of respect for age to consider, plus the charm of unique elements, which are difficult to deny yet, risky (and expensive) to hold onto or modify. 
When a business is situated in a vintage structure, wants to remain there and wants a remarkable face-lift with which to address their competition – not to worry!   It may be touchy, but it’s not impossible.  Your Interior design team knows the ropes and will help you do magic!