BROADCASTS.com

b'We are thrilled to welcome back our guest today Andrew Cogar who is an architect and president of the award-winning firm Historical Concepts. We discuss his new book, Visions of Home: Timeless Design, Modern Sensibility, collaboration, the narrative of a house, a closer look at a historic Charleston single house, designing around honesty, the concept of the creative process, and more.\\nWhat You\\u2019ll Hear on This Episode:\\n\\nTrials & Triumphs! Karen\\u2019s lingering Christmas issues, the Wilcox mirror, adorable doormats, our love of Etsy, Taryn\\u2019s old bricks, where to store the extra toilet paper, and Caroline\\u2019s new dishwasher.\\n\\nWhat are some examples of \\u201csparks of joy\\u201d as it relates to architecture?\\n\\nWhy collaboration is a fun puzzle.\\n\\nWhat is the concept of a \\u201chouse narrative\\u201d?\\n\\nRecent shifts around the open floor plan.\\n\\nConsidering the guest experience and privacy in a house.\\n\\nReinterpreting the historic Charleston single house featured in Andrew\\u2019s book.\\n\\nThe importance of designing even the small spaces.\\n\\nWhy it\\u2019s imperative to be honest with your design team about how you want to live.\\n\\nWhat Andrew studied and learned while in London.\\n\\nThe concept of creative process; emphasis on two separate words.\\n\\nDecorating Dilemma\\xa0\\nHi Olivia,\\nThe biggest challenge is that this is a pass-through room and it\\u2019s hard to get around this square layout. My advice is going to come more from an architectural standpoint than interior design. First, I would suggest putting up a wall. Most people think of this as an impossible task, but it\\u2019s not! It\\u2019s actually some of the cheapest and simplest construction to do as long as it doesn\\u2019t involve any electrical or plumbing. Assuming the fireplace is a gas insert, I would close up that space above the couch and I would put the fireplace on that wall. Incorporate it in a complete wall of bookcases and built-ins and have the TV worked into the bookcase more to the right. You could get a big reading chair and ottoman to be able to take advantage of the fireplace. I would then shift the cased opening and put that where the fireplace was (assuming those are closets and not a powder room) and move the opening there. That way you can have a 3-sided enclosure at the West side of the room. You can put a couch or sectional where the TV currently is, so it really takes advantage of the natural daylight coming in from the sunroom. This really creates two zones; one is a sitting and reading zone and the other one is more of a living room. Being able to see this from the front entryway will really bring it in with the rest of the house. You can spend just as much money and time trying to solve this room, but I think making these inexpensive and simple changes will really unlock so much potential in the space. Hopefully, this is helpful and works out! \\u2013 Andrew\\nWith regards to the rug, we think you should try to find the biggest rug you can find for the space. Usually anywhere from 3inches to a foot of space around the edges works well. It will really help ground and center the room in a good way.\\nGood luck, Olivia!\\n\\nMentioned in This Episode:\\n\\nEtsy\\n\\nHistorical Concepts\\n\\nHistorical Concepts on Instagram\\n\\nAndrew Cogar on Instagram\\n\\nThe Charleston single house\\n\\nVisions of Home: Timeless Design, Modern Sensibility'