How did you come up with that Idea? How To- A step process to building a fireplace.

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People are always Asking Me - Where do you come up with your ideas?

Well it starts with a passion for design and building.   That for me started as a child building lego,  which progresses to building small pieces of furniture,  then small buildings, then basements,  then homes.   It simply escalates.

Each Project starts from the ground up with a well planned design based on experience learned from others.   Watching and evaluating other peoples methods is extremely important, observing is the number one skill.

The passion causes you to seek other peoples ideas for how they fundamentally build things and you build a repertoire of methods and styles.  Each project comes from the ground up, and each project grows successively more complex,  if you have the passion and constantly challenge yourself.

By learning to train your brain to think linearly, and follow one of the sets of patterns  you have learned,  you can constantly refine your patterns to achieve new and better results.  

Each of my projects comes from a collaging effect.
  • Ask questions about what the person wants
  • Look around at their house to view their existing styles and whether they want to keep or change them.
  • Ask the person if they have examples of what they have seen that they like,  collected magazines,  pictures of friends houses,   homes they have visited in real estate developments
  • Do your own daily research of similar styles,  (i like Houzz)
  • http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/78845170/thumbs/lisas-fireplace
  • Share those with the person and ask if they like certain ideas or not


 I regularly study design in magazines,  and on Houzz,  reading hundreds of articles,  opinions,  methods of construction,  and learning new techniques to building better and simpler design.  

After a while you adapt to creating simpler and more attractive designs by learning the components and assembly in a more refined way.  


As you build from the ground up each component,  its like following a tree up the branches.   You can end up in many different places.   If you didn't do the research to find out which direction you want to go, you can wind up in the wrong place.

Each step of the design should take into consideration the overall end objective and whether that stage of the build is going to lead to the target described outcome.  Sometimes that means starting over with a following a new branch on the tree,  or at least backing down the tree to try a different direction.  

There is more than one way to get to the top of the tree,  and you might have to follow a  different method of building to get to the revised target design.


Somtimes (like the picture below, (ceiling view down of the back of fireplace))  there are roadblocks in the backend that you have to work around,  and ensure they don't impede on a smooth design.   Pipes for exhaust in the fireplace don't always exit the wall directly behind the fireplace,  or where you might like).

Creativity is extremely important -

  1. to adapt to oddspaces
  2. to achieve an outcome that meshes with existing styles
  3. to look unique  - different than every other example


Fit and finish grows more precise with each project

  • using new design methods and tools (moving to autocad from pencil)
  • avoiding mistakes you made with previous designs
  • listening to peoples opinions of what they liked and disliked in past projects
  • researching and refusing to believe that you know everything.


   In the end each project becomes more rewarding than the one before,  and offers a new learning experience.   Whether it is done well is truly a derivative of whether you put your heart into its development, and how much time you are willing to spend in redesign with combinations and permutations.   Nothing is right or wrong, and there are many ways to look unique and imaginative.

                         Happy designing.   Life is a journey - not a destination.




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