I really love to design bedroom suites, libraries as living rooms (or living rooms as libraries), and foyers.
For bedrooms, it’s the place where we all begin and end the day. Making sure the appointments are the best you can afford and are suitable to your tastes is so important. Its a very personal space and a lot of the time, you can get away with expressing yourself more truly than you would say, in a family room, where you are pleasing everyone.
I love living rooms, but they are becoming a lost social etiquette. Quite frankly, they are usually a waste of space- so I like to make them a living room “slash” something else space. Our modern lives are so fruitful, so I really like to incorporate collections, books, photographs, interests… this is an area of the house where I feel you can really express personality without it being in your face all the time. Plus, the more unique it is- the more conversation will abound when you actually do use it to entertain guests! If a client knows they won’t use the Living Room as entertaining space, I like to make it a reading room. Everyone reads- so why not have a special retreat for that activity? Viewed in that context, it becomes personal and interesting and inviting for the client.
My third favorite is the foyer. I suppose for the same reasons as the bedroom and living room. You can really be free with this space! It’s a passage, but it’s also a statement- a gesture to the tone of the home. Aside from exterior architecture and character, the foyers holds the “first impression” card. This is the place to go bold with color and/or pattern, utilize architectural features and design details, and display a knockout lighting fixture.
-Janelle Steinberg BA, ASID Allied
Principal and Director of Design
J Steinberg Design
