Learn how to communicate through the language of design

As you may or may not know, my native tongue is Hebrew. When we decided to move to Germany, I knew that the language barrier would be one of our biggest challenges. Since we moved here, almost three years ago, I did a bunch of different language courses - intensive and relaxed courses, in a classroom, at a friend's apartment and via Zoom, in private language schools and the VHS (which is funded by the government). Even though we can get by in most cases with basic German and good enough English, It is still very important to me to keep improving my language skills.

Learning a language like German is much more than vocabulary and grammar. It's subtext, slang, context, subtle differences between different phrases, cultural aspects and references like humor and etiquette and much more. Learning a new language is learning a new culture and in order to feel more fluent and comfortable in different social situations, you need to read, write, hear and speak A LOT, in addition, to continue practicing and improving your skill sets.

After moving to Berlin I found that in other languages (meaning English and German) I’m a slightly different and somewhat reduced version of myself. In Hebrew, I can be sharper, funnier and more creative. My English is good, but it’s my second language, so naturally, there are gaps to fill, and my German is, well, pretty basic. Even day-to-day conversations with other parents at the playground or with a salesperson at the storer could be quite challenging.

In Hebrew, we use the phrase "design language" to describe a certain designer's point of view or the style and concept of a specific space. But it's actually much more than that. The phrase embodies the color palette, design features, style, concept and materials - all under one holistic definition.

After thinking about this phrase and trying to figure out if this term also exists in English and if so, is it used in the same way, I realized that we actually use many words from the language field to describe design. For example, we use the term "

" to describe how different elements relate to each other and create a cohesive space. We also use the Hebrew term for 

 (or phrasing) to describe the way a designer creates a design concept and formulates different elements and motifs. And we could also apply the concept of 

 into the design world, when discussing the ideas behind a design, such as inspirations or abstract ideas, and the specific form that a designer gives them in his or her creation.

I really love that, because design really is a language and a form of expression. It’s a language of modules, materials, colors, shapes and much more. And, like any other language, it's a language you can learn on different levels and after you are familiar with the basics you can really start having fun with it and be more creative.

This process that I'm about to share is the same as I do with my clients at the beginning of our design journey, with the goal to find out what they like and what styles they are naturally drawn to. Here’s how you can discover that on your own:

In addition to following different design blogs and magazines, I particularly love Instagram and Pinterest and use them as sources of inspiration and as tools to collect ideas that I can later reinterpret myself. 

Here are a few accounts that I love, followed by some tips on how to use those platforms wisely: 

 to look for specific things that could be relevant to your home and design, such as different styles, rooms, colors and elements.

 of influencers, designers, architects and brands that have a similar aesthetic as you.

Create Pinterest boards and/or Instagram collections to 

. Create an organized system that best suits YOUR needs, for example, if your goal is to restyle the interior design of your home, then the best method would probably be to divide the images according to rooms - living room, kitchen, bathroom, nursery, bedroom, home office, etc. I use this system as well as saving accessories, artworks and creators that I like (and also recipes, but that's for a different post).

we take photos using our mobile devices ALL THE TIME, and we can use that habit in our favor when we’re exploring our personal style. In addition to taking photos of your family, friends and morning coffee, start snapping photos of different objects, shapes, textures and spaces that you see around you and that speak to you. Later, when you have a few moments to yourself, organize these photos in different albums, so you could find them easily and use them as inspiration. To do so I use 

, but naturally, any similar photo organization app will do the trick.

after you've spent all that time and effort collecting inspirations, now is the time to use them in order to formulate your personal design language.

Look through the photos and look for similarities and repetitions

. It could be a color palette, an element, a design style such as industrial or bohemian, or a specific material like wood or concrete. The photos, in general, could be very different but I assure you that you can find details that connect one to the other. if you look at them with the right perspective. 

Make a short list of the similarities that you find.

 Try putting it into words and add specific descriptions, such as “open wooden shelving system in home office” or “glazed partition between master bedroom and bathroom”. This list could later become useful when you go shopping or try to communicate your ideas and wishes to others.

 a mood board is a great visualization tool that allows you to see how different elements, colors, materials and shapes fit together (or don’t). Unlike the infinite feeds of Instagram and Pinterest, a mood board exists within a predetermined frame size and therefore forces you to make decisions and choices, even before you start browsing your favorite shops and vendors.

Creating mood boards can and should be exciting and fun! You should give it thought, but If you are not a professional designer, who might need it as a presentation tool, then it really doesn’t need to be perfect. Don’t spend too much energy on creating the best possible layout and focus on adding images that are most important to you and to your concept.

. Those allow you to add elements like texts and color swatches in addition to your photos, as well as to easily download and share your creations. 

I used to give lectures to designers about creating mood boards and using them as a design tool, so I could really talk about this for hours. But in a nutshell, here are a few short guidelines:

Don’t try to fit everything into one mood board. If you need to, create different mood boards for each room/space/idea.

Be selective and choose the images that are most important and that portray your concept most accurately.

Use basic photo editing tools to make your ideas pop. For example, you could crop an image to better emphasize the specific elements that you would like to feature.

A mood board could help you communicate your ideas, wishes and styling choices to family members, team members, craftsmen and salespeople, however, it doesn't speak for you and you will still need to explain it and the ideas behind it. To do so, your previously made textual list could come in very handy. That is why I would recommend saving all your "design language" materials somewhere handy that allows you to open it whenever and wherever you are.

Have fun discovering your personal design language and style and make sure to share your amazing mood boards with me via email or social media!

How to find your design language 

How the pressing need for a proper desk led us to a three-room makeover

When I was younger, my dad used to tease my mom for being the kind of person to remake a dress because of a button that needs to be replaced, or to buy an entirely new dinnerware set because of one broken plate. Well, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, because our current apartment remodeling is exactly like that. It started with a desperate need for a desk and became a total makeover for three rooms - the living room, the bedroom and the children's room. In the past, maybe I would see it as exploiting one tiny "flaw" as an excuse to make a bigger change, but today I see it more as an opportunity. And even more so, I can understand and relate to that feeling you get when you realize that fixing just one little thing isn't going to be enough. That it actually emphasizes all of the other flaws or problems that you could ignore up to this point, but can't anymore.

We have all lived through over two years of this Covid situation, so I probably don't need to explain why the need for a proper desk was so pressing. Rafael continues to work most days from home, and during those lonely lockdown days he was working from our dining table, and with two young kids, it was far from ideal. To be honest, I liked looking up from across the room and seeing him there, even if he was busy, but for the most part, it was messy, uncomfortable, noisy, and quite an inconvenience for us all. 

This apartment has been our home for 3 years now, and while we have been thinking about buying a flat here in the city, we came to terms with the fact that we will probably stay here for at least 2-3 years until the kids are older. In Berlin, the majority of the population is renting their homes, and buying is not really the standard. There are laws that protect the tenants and make it possible for long-term renting, therefore it is common for tenants to put in the work (and the money) to make it their own.

While we like this place and the neighborhood, it’s not our dream flat, it doesn’t have the amazing features that some of the apartments in the older buildings (known as Altbau) have, and it’s not newly renovated either. It is somewhat ordinary, and I assume that many of you are in the same situation - living in an okay flat with okay furniture, and wishing to make it better, nicer, prettier and more comfortable. We definitely get a little jealous sometimes of other homes that we see, the type of spaces that are so easily made beautiful. But I knew that it had great potential and that with a little bit of love and care it could look and feel elevated.

The first thing that I had to figure out was where to place the desk. One option was to design a custom-made wall unit in the living room, which would include storage, a TV, and a desk. But after experiencing first-hand working while the kids are at home, we preferred to separate the work area from the living room. In addition, we wanted to use the budget for furniture that could be later repurposed if we move or need to rearrange the flat again.

The second option was to place the desk in our bedroom. I know, it's not ideal, and experts could argue that welcoming work vibes into the sleeping area is a mistake, but in small apartments, there are only so many options, and that felt like the right thing for us at this time. There are two bedrooms in the apartment, both are large enough to fit the bed along with a desk, but the room that was used as the nursery is slightly bigger and positioned right next to the living room. Initially, we liked the fact that while the kids are playing, the two spaces are used as one. However, when they are asleep we have to tiptoe around so we won't wake them up. The other bedroom is slightly more separated, and could allow Rafael to work in a quieter environment during the day and for us to be more comfortable in the living room at night. For those reasons, we decided to flip the rooms and dive into a bigger transformation.

I played around quite a bit with this room's layout in order to make sure that the existing furniture fit, that there is enough room for the desk that Rafael needed and that he would enjoy the large window and the natural light without it reflecting on the screen too much. The majority of the furniture was moved from one room to the other, and because it was mostly basic and white Ikea furniture, I knew that I wanted to add color, texture and character to the room somehow. I was set on wallpaper from Room Blush, I had my eye on their designs for a while now, and got three samples to see the pattern and color up close. Their service was impeccable and we wound up choosing a 

 that gives a wall-art vibe. People visiting actually think it was painted. Two small shelves that were previously in the living room got a new location, as well as the white wireframes that I styled with family photos and artwork from society6, and hung above the new desk.

I wrote a little bit about Robin's room in an 

, and disclosed the fact that this room has been "a work in progress" for over two years. I kept waiting for the next milestone and never got there. Now I decided that I'm done waiting, and designing the room as I would like it to be now. Thus while having a plan for changing it up a little bit again, when we can replace the changing table with taller wardrobes. I already created a design for the next phase in order to make sure that the layout as I planned it would work out well in the future.

The two main issues that I was concerned with were color and toy organization. We already had some decorative elements, such as a trio of paintings made by my talented mom, so I based the color palette on them, using bright green and deep blue colors. I tried a few different ways to incorporate the colors on the walls and fell in love with the arches motif, which creates a playful vibe and adds fluidity and flow to the room. Regarding storage, I looked for open shelves that would allow the kids to see and reach everything. We have additional toys and craft materials stored away and we rotate between them every once in a while. On the opposite wall, I created a craft area using Ikea SKÅDIS with extra accessories that I found on Etsy, and matched two stools from SKLUM to the small table that we already had.

"It would be really cool to have a standing desk" Rafael said to me, while we were discussing his exact expectations and requirements for his new workspace. I have had the same idea a while back, while trying to get some things done and wearing Libby in the baby carrier. We know that there are modular desks with adjustable height, but with another workstation we could both work comfortably at the same time and also have more flexibility. After much thought and concedirations, I found a 

 that I liked and found the perfect place for it in the living room, it only meant that we needed to change the entire layout of the room, even though we had no such plans initially. A little help from our parents allowed us to replace some of our least favorite furniture (yes uncomfortable sofa, I'm talking about you).

Our family situation with a toddler and a baby made it clear that we needed to minimize the shopping trips and do as much as possible online. I used free online tools to decide on the layout, share my thoughts with Rafael and create a shopping list.

Having a very clear vision and budget allowed us to be quick and efficient while shopping and get everything that we needed before the kids lost it. Other than the sofa, dining table and cabinet for the living room that we got from Höffner, all items were ordered online, including the colored wall paint and wallpaper.

Tag: Concept