And A Place to Call Home

When  their  youngest  daughter was  diagnosed  with  a  rare form of  lymphoma,  the McAvoy family was  living  in the northernmost stretch  of Mt. Pleasant, making  their  fartoo-frequent  drive  to  chemotherapy  sessions a real road trip. The family decided it was best to sell their home and move into a rental unit near downtown while they constructed a home closer to MUSC Children’s Hospital.  This  process  placed  a  burden on  their heart  for  other  families  traveling long  distances  to  take  their  sick  children to medical treatments; not only is the journey emotionally taxing, but it is also fnancially  taxing. Matt and Amy began a nonproft organization known as The Journey House, which  currently  funds hotel  stays close  to MUSC  for  families who need  the assistance. Their  future plan  is  to build a home  downtown  to  house  these  families.   

Nordic Calling

Unpretentiously warm and welcoming, this bachelorette pad’s quiet Swedish style is livened up by dashes of cool blue

Key Ideas

1.Blue is a cool shade so it is very complementary to an all-white colour scheme. It will instantly switch the mood from cold to inviting. 

2. Brighten up dull and petite kitchen spaces with the use of vivid hues  and implement some open shelving. An entire kitchen of closed cabinets will box up the space and make it  look narrow. 

3. Keep multi-purpose rooms versatile with portable furniture. This home’s study room features a desk that slides along the window niche so the settee can be accessed as a spacious reading corner.

4. For a lighter and roomier feel, go for low-lying furniture so it doesn’t hinder your line of vision.

Eating Clean

Organization is the key for this clean-lined kitchen remodel

“A  place  for  everything  and  everything  it  its  place.”  This  age-old adage  describes  the  thought  process  Komal  Sheth, Allied Member, ASID,  used  when  conceptualizing  this  total  kitchen  transformation. Owner of Spaces Designed Interior Design Studio, LLC, in Austin, Texas, Sheth  created  a  space  for  every  individual  item  hiding  all  gadgets and appliances  for a  streamlined  look. After completely gutting  the original, basic builder  kitchen,  she  redefned work  zones,  creating a professionally  styled  kitchen  that’s also a  family-friendly  entertaining space. 

“The owners wanted their kitchen to be clean, modern, yet friendly,” explained  Sheth,  noting  that  they  also  wanted  a  transitional  style that would  blend  in with  the  home’s  overall  look.  Placing  emphasis on  maximum  effciency,  she  reconfgured  everything  in  a  far  more functional  manner.  “All  of  the elements  were  there,  but  they  were scattered,”  she  noted.  “We  broke  it  down  into  distinctive  stations  for cooking, food preparation and baking.” 

Holiday Homecoming

Dressed in finesse, this petite weekend home is the epitome of hotel luxe

Key Ideas

1. It’s common now for the dining, living and kitchen to share the same space so setting a consistent design lingo in this open-plan area is important. Use similar materials and fnishes but in different shades to introduce some visual distinction.

2. Aside from the tried-and-tested mirror trick to enhance the visual size of a space, shiny surfaces like marble fooring and glass can also accentuate the illusion.

3. Opt for sliding pocket doors for small spaces. It eats up less foor area when pulled open and can conjure a more airy feel.

4. Borrow some hotel-inspired elements such as the silver letterings to mark each room. It is sure to add some class!

Cabinetry Talk

The bare facts of custom-built laminate cabinetry straight from the industry experts

Synonymous with custom-made cabinetry, laminates are pretty much the prime material in every home. Look into any household today and you would most probably fnd laminate kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, shelving and design features like pillars and wall coverings. To better understand the characteristics, variety and maintenance of laminate, we got a group of laminate experts to answer some common questions and share their maintenance tips for the material.

Q. What is laminate?