Location, Location...the art of scouting.

Hello everyone! Thought I'd pop in here today and give you a little behind the scenes action. As an editor, photographer and stylist I am always, and I mean always, scouting locations. You never know when a great location will fit into a story and having a vast amount of visual inventory helps me do my job better just as having the right ingredients make for a great cake.

For me, having some "rules" as to what makes a location great helps in guiding my selections. Here's a few of my top criteria in what I look for:

1. Character
You just can't manufacture character in a few days. This is the layering of a home that takes years and often decades to produce. It's the peeling paint on the side of a barn, the worn footsteps on a front porch and the pencil markings on a door post marking the height measurements of little children. You can't buy character, it's acquired.

2. Is it Timeless?
Will the home look just as beautiful in ten years as it does today? Does it have qualities that never go out of style? Does the homeowner choose pieces that fit the home and the way their family lives? Does it remind you of a time long ago?

3. Light and Life
Does the location feel alive? Can you sense movement and the reality that people actually live there? Are there tattered books and logs near the fireplace? Do the windows showcase the beauty of natural light? Are the outdoor surroundings celebrated indoors?

4. The Wow Factor
We all know this when we see it...it's the incredible furniture choices and their unique placement that stops you in your tracks. Or it's that one piece you've never seen before. It's the choice of rich colors, textures and fabrics. It's usually indescribable but you know it has it...Wow!

5. Unique
Does the home reflect a unique sense of style? Nearly all homeowners are influenced by others design aesthetic but does their particular home still have something unique that is all their own? Maybe it's the way family photos are displayed or the mix of kitchen cabinets or even the way certain rooms are used in unexpected ways. A home truly needs to have unique qualities to give it that extra pizazz.

6. Welcoming
This is the quality that I love the most...does it make you want to sit down and have dinner with the family? Do you want to come over and wander through the garden and play with their children? It's the home that, in an instant, makes you feel as though you've dropped by a hundred times. And believe me...this shows through in the images. How many times have you looked at a magazine spread and felt completely comfortable. Like you could move in that very day? Welcome home!

These are just a few of the things that roll around in my head when I'm scouting. I'm sure there are other ideas and highlights but these come from my heart without question. I think if I love the location others will too. I suppose homes are and always will be a matter of the heart and that's the first thing I need to have tugged when I have the honor of peeking into some of those sacred places.

Wouldn't you agree?

(blogged by Heather Bullard)

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FYI, this great location belongs to Ki's friend, Jane Hall, owner of Mustard Moon.