How to Ensure Your Architect’s Creativity Results in a Brilliant Home
Hiring an architect says you are looking for professional experience and elevated creativity in designing your new or remodeled home. You might have no idea what you want or you might have strong ideas, but either way, good communication with your architect will ensure that you get a home that amazes and delights.
When talking to your architect, describing your ideas as a general direction rather than a specific outcome allows the designer to think outside the box.
We strive to ensure that our clients’ highest expectations for their projects have been exceeded, not just met. And we’ve found that when a client can tell us what they are looking for without being too specific, it gives us a framework but leaves room for us to let our creativity loose and create a home they love.
Make it Red or Make it Warmer
As one way of explaining this, a past client, who is a graphic designer, gave me an apt analogy. He said that when a client tells him to make it red, they leave him no creative freedom. There is only one way to get to red—by using red. This may ensure that the client gets what they expect, but it also ensures the solution won’t exceed that.
However, if the client says to use a warmer color or a more energetic color, the designer can take that in many directions—red, orange, yellow, etc. As creative professionals, we want you to be surprised in the best way with what we design. By leaving space for interpretation in your communications, you open the door to our creativity.
One of our clients describes his experience with AT6 like this: “I communicated to Jason what I liked and why. He took that and was able to make it come to life and put a level of practicality on it, knowing my budget. He had a better feel for function and design, which was exactly what I was looking for. He coached and guided me, but I know he’s the expert…he gives me choices that fulfill the things I’m looking for.”
When talking to your architect, describing your ideas as a general direction rather than a specific outcome allows the designer to think outside the box. A little masculine, light and airy, soothing colors, similar in style to favorite furniture. These ideas give the architect a basis for what you want, and still allow their creativity to surprise you.
Creating a Home That Surpasses All Your Expectations
Building or remodeling a home is one of the biggest investments most of us make, and we hire architects to maximize our chances of getting a memorable home that works for our particular lives. Once you have found the design team you want to work with, give them the information they need as a foundation, and leave them to do what they do best—create a home that surpasses all your expectations.
