You Get 3 Moves…

“You get three moves (or decisions)” is a quote that an interior designer has quoted back to me several times. I made that statement while working on a project with that interior designer that had A LOT of design ideas. We were working on a beautiful, open kitchen design. The materials selected were lavish and rich, but they were being lost in the busy-ness of other design decisions. More is not always more, and limits help to focus and clarify. This focus allows the most beautiful elements to come forward.

In architecture school, we were given design prompts for our studio projects. We were encouraged to explore, innovate, and create. However, that freedom often resulted in too many ideas being explored at once. The projects, instead of expressing a clear design idea, were watered down and chaotic. My final year in architecture school I presented a simplified design scheme to my professor. He told me that the design was very simple. He told me that he would allow me to pursue this simple idea, but I would need to design everything down to the last bolt. Constraining the initial idea allowed for more focused and thoughtful design that integrated the whole project.

When you begin to think about designs for your own project, begin by listing everything that you would want to achieve. Once you have created that list, organize it into the most important aspects. Then, ask yourself, “If I only had three moves (or decisions), what would be most important to me?” Would you prioritize a gathering space for your family? Would you prioritize views or outdoor living? What would be most important to you?

It may seem counterintuitive, but constraining a project allows the best design decisions to occur first and results in a project with clarity. When in doubt, remove something or add an extra constraint. And remember, “you get three moves.”