Transformative Homes with Mitchell Thompson Interiors

Married to Design: How Roy Dreams While Diane Plans

• Roy & Diane Mitchell • Episode 5

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How Do You Balance Beauty And Functionality In A Home?

What makes a truly exceptional living space? According to design power couple Roy and Diane Mitchell, it's the delicate balance of beauty and functionality working in perfect harmony. When stunning aesthetics meet practical livability, magic happens.

The creative minds behind Mitchell Thompson Interiors reveal their secret to successful residential design: leveraging complementary strengths. Roy approaches each project with boundless imagination and creative vision, while Diane brings analytical thinking and functional focus. This dynamic partnership creates spaces that are both breathtaking and livable—elevated designs that would be impossible for either to achieve individually.

Material selection emerges as a crucial consideration in the beauty-functionality equation. The Mitchells discuss how technological advances have revolutionized design possibilities, from porcelain tiles that mimic luxury stone without slipping hazards to modern wallcoverings offering incredible textures and durability. They emphasize that understanding how clients truly use their spaces forms the foundation of intelligent design. Through thoughtful questions about daily routines and entertaining habits, they uncover both functional needs and desired emotional qualities for each room.

Whether you're navigating a major life transition, reimagining your current home, or designing a new space entirely, the principles shared in this episode provide valuable guidance. 

Ready to transform your living space into something that perfectly balances beauty with practicality? Visit Mitchellthompsoninteriors.com to schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery call and begin your journey toward a home that truly reflects your unique dreams and supports your lifestyle.

To learn more about Mitchell Thompson Interiors visit:
http://www.MitchellThompsonInteriors.com
Mitchell Thompson Interiors

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Transformative Homes with Mitchell Thompson Interiors. Join hosts Roy and Diane Mitchell, the creative force behind Mitchell Thompson Interiors, who together bring over 50 years of expertise of residential interior design across the US. Are you navigating a major life transition, upsizing or downsizing your home, purchasing a vacation home or redefining your space? You've found the team to guide you so your home truly reflects your unique dreams. Stay tuned and learn how to schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery call. Let's delve into today's topic.

Speaker 2:

A gorgeous space that doesn't work for your life falls flat fast. True interior design brings both style and substance together effortlessly. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host, slash producer. Back in the studio with Roy and Diane. Mitchell, roy and Diane how's it going?

Speaker 3:

Awesome. How are you?

Speaker 2:

I'm great. I'm also doing good and it is great to see you both again. So, roy and Diane, tell us how do you balance beauty and functionality in a home?

Speaker 4:

Sophia, that is an excellent question. One of the things that Roy and I have always done, as a couple who designs together, is leverage our strengths, and when you're talking about a balance between beauty and functionality, that's absolutely what you have to do. You have to take the strengths of function that you need in the home and you have to take the strength of the most important focal points and the color palette and what's going to create a good, balanced, well-scaled and beautiful design. So the way that our strengths balance out.

Speaker 4:

Roy has an incredible imagination. He tends to always go for the beauty component first and he starts dreaming up these just out there. There are no boundaries for him. It's wonderful, and I have a little more of a left brain approach where I start looking at the function first and so at the point in time where we're in that imaginative and creative space with the family, that is how we work together to really get the best of both function and beauty, and it's coming out of our strengths and our talents. So the ultimate product we feel is always ends up elevated more than if just one of us had been working with this client.

Speaker 3:

You know, I think I'm going to have to cut in real quick what I think it is. When I look at beauty, you know, I think of you and it just brings everything out in me. So then I'm looking at people's houses and inside their houses I'm imagining Diane. So there you go that's the right answer sorry I get it.

Speaker 2:

No, it's fine well, guys, what types of materials and finishes work best for balancing beauty with durability?

Speaker 4:

Well, definitely depends on the room Anything that has water in it. You know, we definitely have our go-to solutions because we want the client to be very comfortable about the longevity of the space that we're designing. It also needs to be safe. You know, we can't have anything slippery on the bathroom floor, and those are all considerations that are in the background of what we're designing.

Speaker 3:

The good news is yeah, such as you know. You're talking about slippery floors. You know some people want Carrara marble all over. Well, you can't really put Carrara marble on a floor. There's plenty of stones out there that look like it, that are not slippery, so you have to balance them.

Speaker 4:

And the wonderful thing is that the vendor selection now is just incredible. The technological advances that have been made, in porcelain tiles, for instance, are visually just captivating, and so when we can use that, we definitely, you know look toward our vendors for their expansive offering. If you're in a space where you really don't have water to deal with, the materials become a part of the client's aesthetic Again, bringing into alignment the home with where the client is in their family, what they're trying to do, If they're having to completely renovate a space living room, bookcases, new space for their television those materials are going to read what the mood and the balance and the overall vision of the room is going to be per the client's aesthetic.

Speaker 3:

And then wallpapers out there. Oh my God, wallpapers have, like light years away compared to, say, the wallpaper as of 25 years ago A lot of the white wallpaper that you know you can wipe down. You can actually put it in a wet area because there again you can wipe them down. There's a lot of texture to them. It's just there's a lot of wallpapers out there. Oh my God. Sometimes you feel like you're in the woods with some of these wallpapers that look like bark. So with technology today, oh my God, this is a great time to be in design, because if you can think it, it's there.

Speaker 2:

So, guys, one final question for you today how do you start the conversation with clients about how they truly use their space?

Speaker 4:

Well, a lot of times we have to provide prompts to get them thinking about their routines. You know, we all are creatures of habit and we have very rote behaviors. And so when you are thinking about, let's say, a kitchen, we have people who love to entertain and they have family over all the time. They need great prep space and they need a really efficiently run butler's pantry, let's say. And then there are variances. They may want a great, big single dining table that seats 12 people, or they may want a round, intimate six-person dining space. That's very formal, but those types of questions are definitely a part of every conversation that we have and we're assessing the function, as you were talking about, but then we're also assessing the mood and the level of intimacy that's going to be created and that helps us arrive at the final vision.

Speaker 2:

Roy, anything to add to that?

Speaker 3:

You know, I think Diane said it all- that you know.

Speaker 2:

I think Diane said it all. Awesome. Well, thank you guys again for your helpful insights. It's been a blast speaking to you and we'll catch you on the next episode. Have a fantastic rest of your day.

Speaker 3:

Thank, you, see, ya, see ya.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for tuning in. That's a wrap on this episode of transformative homes. Are you ready to begin the journey toward elevating your home and lifestyle? Visit mitchellthompsoninteriorscom and schedule your complimentary 30-minute discovery. Call roy and diane will explore making your vision your reality. Join us for the next episode as we continue discussing elevated lifestyles through the lens of interior design. One unique and exquisite home at a time.