Purpose Interior Design founder: 'Find something that really inspires you'

Purpose's designers design homes from concept to completion. They specialize in furniture selections, space planning, window treatments, styling, cabinetry and communication with contractors. 

The Purpose Kitchen features Sorento cabinetry, which Braun, the studio's lead designer, said is a "full-custom, full-overlay style." It's also a frameless line. The look is two-tone with both wood and white cabinetry. 

"I like it a lot. But it isn't timeless. It's definitely a trend right now. It's not going to stick around forever," Braun said of two-tone. "Some clients don't want white on the base cabinets because they're worried it's going to get nicked up more than a wood. So, we would do maybe wood on the base and white on the uppers to brighten things up. But it really is working with the client figuring out their comfort with two-tone." 

The island is Cambria quartz, which Braun said was sourced from Solid Fabrications.

"It's a great material. It's very strong. It's non-porous -- nearly indestructible," she said. 

The side of the island features a waterfall and a metal accent piece that Port Neal Welding created. 

"It flows into that wood panel, so that's a nice detail that some homeowners want to think of if they didn't use a designer," she said. 

Braun said the entire Purpose Kitchen can be supplied and designed to meet clients' needs. She pointed out that the appliances came from Karl's TV & Appliance, while the plumbing fixtures came from Briggs, Inc. 

White is timeless

Braun said white interiors are still a "big deal," but people are selecting more wood tones and moody interiors, which they're pairing with white. They're opting for raw materials, like stone and wood, in an effort to bring the outside in, she said.

Besides white cabinetry, Braun said a white subway tile backsplash, or anything creamy, won't go out of style.

"A cool gray is on its way out. When gray came in, it was hot. Everybody was doing gray floors, gray walls, gray cabinets. Everything was gray," she said. "Now, people are accenting with gray or making sure the gray has a little taupe in it."

Braun said green is a "very hot color" that people are using in place of a neutral. She said green can "soften up the space." However, you may want to think twice, for example, about going with a green sofa. 

White furniture is the bestseller at Purpose, according to Braun. She said customers want white because it brightens up the room and is "very timeless."

"It gives a very classy look and it doesn't go out of style," she said, before mentioning that you could easily change pillows out on a white sofa to coincide with the changing seasons.

But wouldn't a white couch be hard to keep clean? Braun said the studio has kid and adult-proof fabrics.

"You could spill red wine on this and it'll puddle and sit on top until you're able to clean it," she said as she stood in a staged living room between two white sofas on Purpose's retail floor, which is open from Monday through Friday. "We plan to test that someday, but we have not yet." 

Where to start?

For a new home, Braun said the floor plan phase is typically when Purpose's designers like to get involved.

She said they start with finishes -- paint color, floor, grout colors, before moving on to furnishings, lighting, cabinetry and countertops. 

"We can provide almost everything for the home, except for the labor portions," she said.

Braun said breaking down an entire floor plan by space can downplay a sense of overwhelming. She recommends beginning with the kitchen.

"If you don't know what you want, I would start with looking for inspiration somewhere, whether that be Pinterest or walking our studio floor," she said. "Looking at other friends' homes, maybe they have a pink color that you really like, or something. Start really small. Find something that really inspires you and, then, we can build from that."

Braun said Purpose's designers can even work with a feeling you want to invoke in a space. And you don't have to stick to current trends. She said Purpose bends toward the client's style. 

"It's your home. You're our client. You're our customer," she said. 

A recent install came to Nicole Layman's mind. Layman is the owner of Purpose Interior Design and a stylist. 

"It's gorgeous, but it's not for everybody. This is very specific for the client," she said of the office space, which incorporates green, monkey wallpaper, a pop of pink and a zebra rug. 

Braun added, "That jungle-themed office might not be your style, but say you were buying that house. You might think it was done tastefully. You're like, 'I could live with this. This is beautiful,'" she said.

Staying within budget

Braun said there's always wiggle room within a budget. She said the key is not sacrificing design. 

"We'll help you save in areas, but we don't want it to look like it's standing out like a sore thumb in the space," said Braun, who acknowledged staying on budget can be difficult. "It has to fit the rest of the home."

Investment pieces, should be given higher priority in a space. In the kitchen, Braun doesn't advise skimping on countertops and lighting, which she called "the jewelry of the space."

"You want that to be bold and of high quality," she said of lighting. "You don't want builder-grade."

When you walk into a home, Layman said you can tell immediately if the lighting was purchased at a big-box store. 

"If somebody is looking to just make their kitchen look more high-end, just switching out the light or that faucet at the kitchen sink and the countertops can completely change it, or painting cabinetry that they have. Paint goes a long way to help a budget."