"My job as a designer is to provide a space that allows and encourages people to feel comfortable in their own home. A comfortable home should be one that’s filled with laughter and love in good times and bad.” -- Beryn Hammill

Interior designer Beryn Hammil knows part of her job is to help create meaning in a home. Here, she gives sage advice for big projects like downsizing from a big home to an apartment, finding fabrics that can withstand west-facing views, and dealing with grandchildren who have peanut butter on their fingers.

GN: How did you come to develop your style?

Beryn: My style as an interior designer is a reflection of each client’s needs, whether it’s traditional, contemporary or eclectic. I take my direction from conversations with my clients and respond to what they want and what works best for their lifestyle and budget. What’s always present, however, is my input and guidance to prevent them from making mistakes that they’ll regret later.

GN: Tell us
 about some recent projects you’ve worked on.

Beryn: The last project I worked on was assisting a client in a downsize move from a large house to an apartment. We worked together to choose what they would take to their new home and what they would dispose of, either by giving items to family members or selling.

The new apartment got a complete remodel in preparation for their moving into it, including a new kitchen and two bathrooms. Everything was painted in custom colors to complement their furniture and a few new pieces that were acquired or fabricated.

The biggest challenge was the drapes for the new bedroom: They were fairly new in the previous home and were expensive, but the ceiling height was higher in the new home and therefore the panels didn’t fit; they were too short. The solution was to add the same fabric as the bed skirt to the bottom of the panels, thus making the drapes look like they were always intended for the new home.

Another one of my favorite projects that I worked on recently was a complete remodel and the acquisition of new furniture for clients who were moving to a new home so they could live closer to their grandchildren. The fact that there would be small children in the house and the west-facing water view presented a challenge in terms of the fabrics we would use. All the fabrics chosen had to be able to handle the strong afternoon sun without fading as well as the occasional peanut butter and jelly sandwich accident. The custom-designed area rug brought a sense of nature into the room and added another layer of calm to the space.

GN: What advice would you have for homeowners in hiring and managing
 contractors?

Beryn: Once you’ve determined who should be your contractor, whether it’s for a small project or a large one, let him do his job; don’t second-guess him and don’t tell him how to do what you hired him to do.

Do be prepared with information at the start of the project. Know what you want as changes during the process are expensive and create opportunities for problems.

If you have a designer as part of your team, then let him or her function as your representative with the contractor. If you don’t have a designer and you need to communicate something about the work, talk directly with the contractor, not the subcontractors.

Remember that a project turns out well because everyone is functioning as a team, yourself included. Communicate clearly and be decisive.

GN: What's your philosophy on creating meaning in the home?

Beryn: As an interior designer, I believe that a home with meaning is one that includes items that have memories for the people living there. My job as a designer is to provide a space that allows and encourages people to feel comfortable in their own home. In the end, their home is not about me, but about them. A comfortable home should be one that’s filled with laughter and love in good times and bad.

Learn more about Beryn’s work at bhammil.com.

[main image: Beryn Hammill]