THINK OUTSIDE THE CABINET

A friend asked the other day if every time I walk into a house I redesign it in my mind and, the truth is, yes I do. I can't help myself. The creative part of my brain is in constant motion always asking the question, "why?" Why did they paint their house that color? How did they find the antique sofa? Why would she choose to remove that wall? Tile on the ceiling...why? While the current state of our house is far from perfect, I'm always fascinated by the design choices other people make. One of the dangers I've found with my career (and who thought an interior designer would ever be in danger of anything but a paper cut or sharp tongue of a snippy client) is people often ask my advice AFTER they've made major, often expensive, design decisions. If you're a plastic surgeon, for example, and someone asks what you think of their new face lift (and you think they look like a tight drum), what do you say? When faced with similar situations I usually complement the effort, applaud the work and move on. Last week, a family in upstate New York asked my advice about renovations to their lovely old home. When I stepped into the downstairs guest bath the lady of the house was proud to show me the new medicine cabinet she'd purchased to replace the old 1970's version. I looked at her and asked, why? If you're making the effort (and spending the money) to totally make over a bathroom why would you update it with outdated materials? My suggestion: if they need extra storage and have already purchased a pedestal sink, why not remove the old medicine cabinet, turn that space into an interesting focal point by tiling the back wall and adding shelves for vases and bathroom trinkets and create a space behind the antique mirror hanging over the sink? While the walls are naked, let your carpenter bash a small hole for a new storage space. Place hinges on the new mirror and in the blink of an eye you've created a hidden spot for all of your treasures!

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: 2 days

COST: Extra tile for behind old medicine cabinet: $35

STRESS LEVEL: Thinking outside of that era: LOW