Little Things-Adapting

By Lisa Peck, ASID
I was watching a recent episode of The Closer (view) I was distracted from the mystery story by a side plot that I found interesting. The LA major crime squad has moved into a new high-tech facility that Chief Pope is very proud of.  As the squad moves in they find their environment irritating. Brenda must leave her office to get into her private conference room, the lack of color in the space is leaving them feeling flat and the interview room lacks the surveillance equipment they need. Chief Pope is thrilled with the building and tells Brenda and her staff to adapt to the space.  Brenda chooses to make changes to the newly designed space instead of adapting to it. Conflict ensues.
So in terms of the little things...a well designed space should not require that it's occupants adapt to it! The space should be designed to meet the needs of it's occupants. This requires that the designers of the space find out about the little things.
At LiLu Interiors we go through a careful intake process where we ask questions, have a written questionnaire, photograph, inventory and document all the requirements in your space. We find out all the little things you want your space to do for you. How do you fold your towels? In thirds? In halves? This question recently came up in discussing the design of a linen storage area. If you have been folding towels a certain way for 20 years you might not want to change it just because your new linen cabinet has shelves that are only 14" deep.
Brenda didn't want to change the way she recorded, displayed and looked at the details of her case and a good designer would have known that and asked her how to best incorporate her needs into the new space along with the new technology.
A beautiful, new space can have the excitement and attraction of a new beau but if you need to change who you are to get along in the space you may find that the charm wears off quickly and the romance turns sour. At LiLu we know that provided the beauty along side the all the little functional touches means the romance will last.
If you would like a sample of our intake questionnaire email us at info at liluinteriors.com. It can go a long way to helping you think of all the little things to think about that will help you design space that adapts to you...instead of you adapting to it.
The Closer...original set.
The Closer original set. Watch new episodes of The Closer at www.tnt.tv to see the new slick set.