Growing up in a small town in northern Canada, Amanda Dodd began an interesting journey in the world of interior design and construction. “My father was a successful remodeler and general contractor, but when it came to aesthetics, he had a blind spot. Lucky for him, I loved everything about design,” said Dodd, now a Retail Channel Sales Manager with Hardware Resources. By the time Amanda was in her mid-teens, she was regularly helping her dad “make projects look pretty.”
After moving to south Louisiana in the late 1990s, Amanda worked with professional design firms but ultimately decided to pursue a sales career. “I enjoy the business side of interior design, and working for Hardware Resources enables me to keep up with design trends while meeting a wide range of people in the industry.” It’s no wonder that when friends and family are considering a project, Amanda is the person they call for advice. The Schroeders did that when their family built a new lakeside home on Cypress Lake near Bossier City, Louisiana.
The new home would be unique to the area, which primarily had vacation cottages for weekend getaways. “The family chose to build the home in a place that provided tranquility. They wanted their home to have plenty of space but did not want it to feel grandiose,” said Dodd. “I understood their desire to strike the right balance between elegance and functionality, with special emphasis on including family-friendly features.”
“The Schroeders had a clear vision for the project but wanted to make sure they were thinking through functional considerations.” Dodd’s experience made her the ideal person to help advise the Schroeders about innovations in everything from lighting to hardware and organizers.
The Schroeders wanted to find ways to give their teenage girls fun elements in their living space without completely compromising the home’s design aesthetic. Dodd suggested using color Task RGB LED tape lighting to allow the teens to give their room and the bathroom a custom feel. “The toe kick lighting in the kids’ bathroom was probably their favorite feature. Another area to feature Task Lighting was the walk-in closets. “Installing Lighted Closet Rods and sensors to automatically turn on lights in the closet makes the space easily functional.”
The Schroeders wanted their kitchen space to be the heart of the home. They envisioned using it for various activities, from preparing meals and doing homework to hosting large holiday gatherings. Task Lighting’s Tunable-white Lighting was installed in the kitchen to enable the Schroeder’s to select the temperature and dimming level either on demand or via a programmed schedule. “They appreciated having the flexibility to set the tone for the kitchen with ease,” said Dodd.
Despite being an active home with a busy family, the Schroeders wanted the home to feel open and elegant. That meant thinking of ways to keep clutter minimized. Organizers are designed to maximize storage space and minimize counter clutter. Several organizer solutions from Hardware Resources, including the patented “No Wiggle” Magnetic Knife Block and Blind Corner Pullout in the kitchen, basket pullouts in the pantry, and Storage with Style organizers in the laundry room, were installed throughout the home.
Recognizing the custom cabinetry installed throughout the home was the unifying design element, Amanda suggested that the family consider using two styles of decorative hardware, Edgefield and Stanton, from the Elements by Hardware Resources line of hardware. This suggestion was a little surprising to the Schroeders. “There is an unconscious belief that decorative hardware should be different in every room of the home, but when the cabinetry is a consistent focal point throughout the house, it makes sense to match the decorative hardware for consistency and design flow,” explained Dodd.
“Helping the Schroeders with this project really created a showcase of the wide range of products Hardware Resources offers,” said Dodd. “Having been involved with interior design and construction since childhood, I can’t think of another company that offers the depth and breadth of products Hardware Resources offers.”
Scroll down to see more amazing details of this gorgeous Cypress Lake home.
Gorgeous home, wonderful design and materials. Perfectly executed. Well done!