Top Ten KJA No Nos

By Katherine Anderson

If you’ve had some extra time to kill over the holidays as I have, maybe you’ve made a “top ten list” of your own. I spent some time looking in design magazines and taking walks with my dog. Both gave me plenty of ideas (read complaints) about the things I don’t like in office and house design.

1. Rooms that have no reading lamps. Magazine photos of chairs or sofas with no lamps or tables to put down a glass of tea, bourbon, water, a book or whatever you like, drive me crazy. This goes for waiting rooms too.
2. Faded fake flowers are pure ugly and if you keep them long enough, they turn a bluish shade of green, covered with dust. Near dead plants look equally as horrible.
3. Unclear cluttered pathways. We have sidewalks and roads, we like to walk around in an efficient manner- not climbing over or shimmying around furniture.
4. Ugly artwork or Boring artwork – there’s no excuse for this. I’d much rather see a copy of a great picture or photo than something bought to match a color scheme. It is much easier to find a sofa fabric that compliments the art than the other way around.
5. Clutter. I admit I have some too. I still don’t like it. Too many photos or personal things in an office is…..too personal. In your house, less is more.
6. Too many patterns drive me nuts. Pick a single pattern you like and add calming things with it. Imagine a dinner party with “10 characters”- it’s too much!
7. Offices with residential furniture in them. Dining room tables and buffets don’t look nearly as nice as a conference room table and a credenza. Nor are they as practical. A big comfy sofa is hard to get out of before you walk into a meeting. No fake flowers or potpourri here either.
8. Different window sizes. Many houses and offices now look like there was a bag sale on windows. The proportions look wrong. I also don’t like all the shades or blinds closed. First it looks unwelcoming to friends and welcoming to robbers. Sure the sun fades furniture and upholstery, but it also cheers us up.
9. No defined entrance. This is very easily remedied by adding big pots or painting the door a different color.
10. Signage that is hard to read. Sometimes a sign expert is well worth the money. They understand the proportions and size that your clients can read from a distance

About Katherine Anderson

Katherine J. Anderson, a Columbia native, has her BA in Art Studio with a concentration in Commercial Design from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. She also has a BA in Music from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. Katherine focuses on the beauty in everyday life and pays close attention to each individual client and his personal needs and style. “We’re not all about buying new stuff,” Katherine says. “We need the things you love — we’re all about the treasures of your life.”

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