I have some friends who sold their home and are planning on building a new home in a rural area. 

The husband wants a large shop for his tools and toys, and the wife wants to be in the new home before the kids start school. 

They came up with a brilliant idea - to build a barndominium. 

That was a new word for me. 

They basically want to build a barn that will be half shop and half living quarters where they can live while their main house is being constructed. 

That seemed like a great plan to me! 

Here are some of the advantages to building a barndominium:

photo courtesy of Elizabeth Anderson flickr.com/photos/steelmastersteelbuildings/4194453789

My project for today is to create architectural plans for a client of mine. 

Her father moved into her home and she now wants to remodel her hall bathroom to make it handicap accessible (even though he is not currently handicapped). 

Per her direction, my plans will be focused on removing the tub to create a wet room and some minor changes to update the bathroom aesthetically. 

I will also add grab bars to the plans and widen the door to the bathroom to 36" wide to accommodate a wheelchair. 

She is one of my smarter clients who wants to make changes now before they are necessary.

photo courtesy of Ken Doerr flickr.com/photos/kendoerr/5188616120

When I walk into a home for the first time, I can almost guarantee that the majority of walls and several furniture pieces will be beige. 

Beige is boring, predictable, and unimaginative. 

You know it and I know it. 

But, the color beige still prevails as the most common color inside homes. 

I blame the overuse of the color beige on production home builders who try to use the least offensive color available in their homes in hopes of appealing to the majority of buyers. 

Beige does not offend, however it also doesn't make anyone happy. 

Many people select beige furniture since they feel it will stay in style longer. 

Well, you will probably have the same boring feeling about beige furniture today as 10 years from now, but you will never love it.

Interior design by Fletcher Design Consultants

Probably the most important lesson I learned from my interior design internship while still in school is to use authentic materials and not materials that are trying to mimic other more expensive materials. 

Basically - don't fake it. 

If you want granite, then use real granite instead of a man made product pretending to be granite. 

If you want wood, then use real wood instead of laminate or other lesser products trying to pass themselves off as wood. 

Feel free to use lesser price materials that are authentic to themselves, but trying to pass something off as another material is just as bad as owning a knock-off handbag. 

photo courtesy of thadz freeimages.com/photo/574636

It is sad to say, but I am often bored going into different homes. 

Homes tend to all look the same. 

Part of the problem is that they were usually built by production builders who filled them with basic, boring, neutral colored finishes. 

Even though the architecture was originally boring, that does not explain why the contents of the home are also boring and very predictable. 

Let me guess, your walls are still builder beige, your bathroom and kitchen cabinets have no cabinet hardware, you have a beige fabric or brown leather sofa, your dining chairs have white upholstery fabric, you have minimal artwork, white faux wood blinds, and no curtains? 

So, how do we fix this problem and create excitement?

photo courtesy of Emily May flickr.com/photos/emilysnuffer/10270506134