By Lisa Samuel, ASID, IIDA, Samuel Design Group

This time of year many of us turn our thoughts to love and appreciation, gratefulness, and caring about others in a deeper way. So, what I would like to talk about this month is how these human feelings of compassion, respect, and care for others is part of a designer’s work and how this is essential in completing a project successfully.

Every space has the potential to be well-appointed and thoughtfully designed. There are many variables that differ greatly from project to project, such as a client’s taste and style, budget, and even lighting – whether natural or existing. There is, however, one constant that absolutely must be considered by the designer for every project regardless of style, budget, or other factors: the soul or “life” of the project. What I mean by this is that in the deepest sense the client must be listened to and carefully observed and understood.

A recent project that my company completed for some wonderful people made this so clear in the way the clients expressed their feelings of gratitude. Before expanding on this, I will explain the care and thoughtfulness that went into this particular project. The house was beautiful to begin with but was in dire need of a new lighting plan, which we accomplished. The result is that now all of the art collected by my clients “sings” and brings back a rush of memories of where they were when they acquired the piece. For example, in the La Posada Restaurant “Fuego” celebrating a wedding anniversary for dinner, they noticed a piece of art that they fell in love with. Their collection now hangs in their fabulous home with the perfect light to showcase it. When my team and I unveiled the completed home, my clients cried tears of joy and were overwhelmed with the results we achieved for them.

“Space and light and order, these are the things men need just as much as food and a place to rest their head.” ~ Le-Corbusier