Every Home Needs a Moment
Similar to the moments in life that stay with us, every home should have a moment of its own. It doesn't have to be grand in scale to make a lasting impression. Often, it's a single, carefully designed feature that brings character, creates emotion, and tells the story of the home or cottage. When given the space to stand on its own, that one detail becomes the element people remember long after they've left. It could be a colour used in a certain way, a unique tile, lighting that makes an impact or even something quirky that leaves the visitor pondering the ‘why.’ Some of these moments cannot be planned, they merely reveal themselves to us as the design process unfolds. We grab the opportunity and find a way to style something just for that particular moment.
We have a lot of moments on site, especially on photo shoot day. It’s usually a bit chaotic and exciting at the same time, but we try to have our “moments” that demonstrate the fun and team spirit we embody at Home by Tim + Chris.
Often these moments are what create an emotional connection through design. They are the moments we can’t wait to show our client, and moments that can’t be recreated because it’s so unique to that space and time.
The moment in this Balsam Lake hallway, is the layers of reflection enhance by a free-standing mirror that play off the view, the surrounding woods and evoke a sense of depth. The mirror becomes less about what you see in it and more about what it frames beyond, creating curiosity.
A moment in design is when you get to define the room. The moment shapes the experience and gives us something to jump off of. It commands attention, it’s unexpected and it captures the eye.
I think this is where having a designer can really be a turning point for your home or cottage style. It’s where psychology and design intersect. I always try to write from a place of “why” people struggle when they are not designers and instead what a designer brings to the project that isn’t simply the obvious line-item list.
The answer isn't that designers are born with some magical ability that other people don't have. It's that they've trained themselves to see relationships instead of individual objects.
Most homeowners walk into a room and ask:
What sofa do I like?
What paint colour should I choose?
What light fixture is trending?
A designer walks into the same room and asks:
Where should the eye land first?
What story is this room trying to tell?
What deserves to be celebrated?
How does someone experience this room from the moment they enter?
Those are fundamentally different questions.
The homeowner is selecting. The designer is composing.
A home office receives its moment with a bright, fun wallpaper design that immediately infuses the personality of the homeowner into the space. Using the wallpaper specifically and sparingly, presents the office as its own unique space that separates itself from the surrounding rooms. It creates a moment in time that only works in that particular room. A composition of how an office should feel and look to attract someone to want to work there.
Lighting is another way to create moments. Using unexpected styles, and placement allows for the mood to be the moment. Lighting can frame an area, it can create ambiance and it sets the tone for a room will make you feel.
Another small moment with wallpaper for this coffee bar area. Suddenly the small niche takes on an interesting and stylish feel. It’s not even really about creating an accent wall, instead it’s about framing the wood shelves with a backdrop so the space becomes deeper and eye catching.
As homeowners, I see it all the time where people become blind to their spaces. We know every corner of our home. We stop noticing the architecture because we've lived with it for years. We don't see opportunities, instead we tend to see limitations.
As a designer, I don't carry that history.
I walk into your project with fresh eyes and immediately notice things like:
the incredible view that isn't being framed
the ceiling that could become dramatic
the wall that's begging for texture
the fireplace that should become the focal point
the circulation pattern that's weakening the room
I literally see the potential before it exists! And that’s what excites me for every project. I know that I can make an impact on my clients lives by giving everything within their space a role. And at the same time, carving out the special moments that make the space really become yours.
Hardware is often where we can claim a moment. In this project the sharp contrast of the gold against the black countertop, really showcases the jewellery that this mixture creates.
In some cases, the moment becomes something extraordinary and shapes the entire experience of the space. In our Nahma project on Balsam Lake it was about a large round, custom, interior window that would command attention from the great room and the primary bedroom. In this case it was natural for me to instinctively look for the moment that would strike a statement for both rooms. It was truly an architectural moment that allowed one memorable moment to lead the entire design story. Everything else from that point on simply supported the moment.
The custom round interior window was a massive moment in this build. It created a dynamic that matched the soaring ceilings and majestic feeling of the entire property. The other advantage this moment had, was the history of the property itself. That commanded a large impression that I wanted to leave visitors with. When a property comes with a rich history, it needs to live up to that story line through architecture.
Other smaller moments tell the story of how the cottage owner uses the space and surrounding area. An accent wall creates a display opportunity it also breaks up the built-in wood tones and adds drama to an entryway.
Tile creates moments. Using pattern and colour in ways that help accent an area, can be tactile, eye-catching techniques that inject fun personality and can even nod to the period of the home and the design style we are trying to convey.
Unexpected Moroccan influenced tile creates a big moment for this bathroom floor. The earthy tones and uniquely shaped tiles, created a noticeable point of interest upon entering the room.
Traditional hunter green herringbone tile does the same in a historical restoration. It created a moment of relevance for the new with old. Against the white, the green also commanded attention owning the bathroom design story from start to finish.
Here’s a design moment using lighting. We created impact with the coffered ceiling and a unique modern light fixture. This set the tone for the entire walk-out lower level.
Sometimes a piece of art is the moment in a room. It doesn’t take much if it’s done the right way and uses the right spot.
If I had to conclude the story around the moment, I would say it’s very much an intuitive thing for me. I tend to discover the moments along the way for a client. You can’t force it. It unfolds over time as the design process takes hold.
Sometimes I recognize the opportunity immediately, but more often it emerges through the process of listening to the home, understanding how my clients want to live, and allowing the architecture to guide the conversation. Those moments can't be manufactured or selected from an image. They evolve naturally, and that's precisely why they feel so authentic. When the right design moment reveals itself, it doesn't compete with the space, instead it belongs there. It feels inevitable, as though it was always meant to be part of the home's story. If I had to sum it up, I would say:
"It feels inevitable, as though it was always meant to be part of the home's story." – Chris Van Lierop, Principal at Home by Tim + Chris.
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