Blogging is so personal.
My wish is that my clients all feel the special feeling of enjoying thier homes during the holidays. The area rugs are warming them. The wall colors are supporting all the family activities that find them these next few days. I wish that the furniture holds loving family and friends. I wish that the lighting lights the way to wonderful memories. I wish that the accessories hold nuts, and nutcrackers. I wish that snow ball fights erupt outside beautiful adorned entryways, and perfect kitchen doorways to the garage.
My wish for my clients is that I have helped provide homes that hold the best of their lives and will help them start off a new year with promise, purpose and love.
Happy Holidays to everyone that is a part of this life purpose.
You are all in my heart.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A Mere Calm
This holiday season is the most rewarding and relaxing ever. As the last stocking is hung, and the last client is served, I stop among the clatter and remind myself to be thankful for such a lovely mix of wonderful clients.
We have enjoyed many firsts this year. We have worked in almost every area of Columbus. We have expanded our manufacturer offering ten fold. We have expanded our professional connections within the industry by astounding numbers. We have made very good friends. We have begun to really enjoy the culture of Columbus and have begun to see the huge differences between Michigan and Ohio.
We want to pause and wish all of our clients and our followers a peaceful and blessed holiday season.
As 2010 reveals itself we anticipate good controlled growth in all areas. We stop and relish the accomplishments of this year. We thank all those that have made this year possible.
We have enjoyed many firsts this year. We have worked in almost every area of Columbus. We have expanded our manufacturer offering ten fold. We have expanded our professional connections within the industry by astounding numbers. We have made very good friends. We have begun to really enjoy the culture of Columbus and have begun to see the huge differences between Michigan and Ohio.
We want to pause and wish all of our clients and our followers a peaceful and blessed holiday season.
As 2010 reveals itself we anticipate good controlled growth in all areas. We stop and relish the accomplishments of this year. We thank all those that have made this year possible.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Photographing Projects
Residential interiors are so personal. Some clients just don't want to share our
creations. Learning this has been interesting. Some of the most fun spaces cannot
be shared with the rest of you. So I learn to accept it as a compliment, and make
mental notes of why that is so important. We need to feel that our spaces are ours.
That no one will copy personal touches, or family focus. I kind of like this.
Recently I completed a Living Room for a darling client. She is in love with it,
her friends have made wonderful comments. She does not want to share it. I
guess I just don't blame her. A nurturing little respite is pretty, well.... private.
Why let just any designer tuning in be able to copy us and make it theirs.
Privacey is one of those things you just don't mess with.
creations. Learning this has been interesting. Some of the most fun spaces cannot
be shared with the rest of you. So I learn to accept it as a compliment, and make
mental notes of why that is so important. We need to feel that our spaces are ours.
That no one will copy personal touches, or family focus. I kind of like this.
Recently I completed a Living Room for a darling client. She is in love with it,
her friends have made wonderful comments. She does not want to share it. I
guess I just don't blame her. A nurturing little respite is pretty, well.... private.
Why let just any designer tuning in be able to copy us and make it theirs.
Privacey is one of those things you just don't mess with.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A Life Well Lived
Inspiration in design can come from many things. I find it in people mostly, but
oftentimes it is not the person, but the ideas that they bring to the relationship.
I love the challenge of hearing a story and maybe thinking a different way than I
might normally feel because of their perspective. That is the essence of a good designer,
it is listening and interpreting the goals, comforts, desires and perspective of your client.
Then we communicate it with our tools that we have at our fingertips.
A client that is evolved, has lived a life full of art, travel, love, reaching out to others,
and is still doing it everyday with splendor and charisma, now that is a joy to behold.
Discovering the special aspects of their lives as they settle in to a new place and unpack
boxes with quips of "I don't even know where we bought that" bring a joy that is hard to
describe. I am so lucky. To get into someones head and feel what they feel, and then
find that there is more to discover. What joy. What creativity.
I always feel that I have so much more to learn in every aspect of life. I always feel that
everyone has parts of them that are onions with small layers that may be shared or may
not be, depending on the respect shown. When people are open and welcoming and willing
to share their well lived life, I almost feel humbled by it. So honored to be welcomed in.
This season of sharing has so much meaning for me. It is the sharing of a well lived life,
a painting, an antique, a ceramic piece with chips and smudges in the glaze. It is not always
perfect, but it is so worth the effort.
oftentimes it is not the person, but the ideas that they bring to the relationship.
I love the challenge of hearing a story and maybe thinking a different way than I
might normally feel because of their perspective. That is the essence of a good designer,
it is listening and interpreting the goals, comforts, desires and perspective of your client.
Then we communicate it with our tools that we have at our fingertips.
A client that is evolved, has lived a life full of art, travel, love, reaching out to others,
and is still doing it everyday with splendor and charisma, now that is a joy to behold.
Discovering the special aspects of their lives as they settle in to a new place and unpack
boxes with quips of "I don't even know where we bought that" bring a joy that is hard to
describe. I am so lucky. To get into someones head and feel what they feel, and then
find that there is more to discover. What joy. What creativity.
I always feel that I have so much more to learn in every aspect of life. I always feel that
everyone has parts of them that are onions with small layers that may be shared or may
not be, depending on the respect shown. When people are open and welcoming and willing
to share their well lived life, I almost feel humbled by it. So honored to be welcomed in.
This season of sharing has so much meaning for me. It is the sharing of a well lived life,
a painting, an antique, a ceramic piece with chips and smudges in the glaze. It is not always
perfect, but it is so worth the effort.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Not to Brag, but............
Okay. I have to say it. I have been involved with a dream client and a dream project. We enjoyed some installation happening today on this project. Details, details, details, and yet that is what makes interior design sing. I was reminded over and over on this project.
Arts and Crafts meets urban energy. Watching furniture delivered that totally pulls rooms together, selected under a July sun in Goodale Park and yet speaking perfectly in the interior of rooms pulled together in many showrooms, our studio and on site. This space speaks to me of health, positive people energy and love for each other. It is a liveable happy space. The darker tones calm. The wood excited (hickory, what did we expect?). The textiles, details, tile, marble, granite, inlays, paint, all joins hands and embraces us with a life well lived and now celebrated.
I am so proud to be involved with Rick and Peter to bring their home to life in Columbus. The Short North neighborhood is lucky to have you. I am lucky to know you. Happy Holidays to all that have made this project pull together and support two lovely lives.
Arts and Crafts meets urban energy. Watching furniture delivered that totally pulls rooms together, selected under a July sun in Goodale Park and yet speaking perfectly in the interior of rooms pulled together in many showrooms, our studio and on site. This space speaks to me of health, positive people energy and love for each other. It is a liveable happy space. The darker tones calm. The wood excited (hickory, what did we expect?). The textiles, details, tile, marble, granite, inlays, paint, all joins hands and embraces us with a life well lived and now celebrated.
I am so proud to be involved with Rick and Peter to bring their home to life in Columbus. The Short North neighborhood is lucky to have you. I am lucky to know you. Happy Holidays to all that have made this project pull together and support two lovely lives.
Challenges only Brings out the Best in Design
When you ask yourself "what could I have done differently?" when there is a technical question on a project. When all the experts around you analyze it and say that you did all the right
things, but there is a tech glitch, you don't actually feel better, but it makes you strive to still avert problems just like that in the future.
The technicalities of design are what separate the self declared/self taught designer and the true design professional. I can go back to a professor or a tested skill and draw on basic truths and start from there. An educated designer is capable of pulling from history that other designers may not have. Worth the fees paid and the design time compensation? Hopefully we are worth our weight in gold. We like to think we are. Our proof of that is shown when the client is happy and the problems become beautiful solutions in our projects.
Lighting, data, and sound. These are the three biggest challenges for designers. All are moving targets of new developments, different manufacturer approaches, and sound education paying off. I love CEU training and absorb all that I can find. Online class CEU's are great. They challenge us in our own design studios and give a chance to learn about issues and developments that might challenge local reps and local talent. I love the continual growth in my field. I love the challenge of keeping abreast of all of it and staying above the fray. The proof of doing it well always lies in the final success of a satisfied customer and a problem solved.
things, but there is a tech glitch, you don't actually feel better, but it makes you strive to still avert problems just like that in the future.
The technicalities of design are what separate the self declared/self taught designer and the true design professional. I can go back to a professor or a tested skill and draw on basic truths and start from there. An educated designer is capable of pulling from history that other designers may not have. Worth the fees paid and the design time compensation? Hopefully we are worth our weight in gold. We like to think we are. Our proof of that is shown when the client is happy and the problems become beautiful solutions in our projects.
Lighting, data, and sound. These are the three biggest challenges for designers. All are moving targets of new developments, different manufacturer approaches, and sound education paying off. I love CEU training and absorb all that I can find. Online class CEU's are great. They challenge us in our own design studios and give a chance to learn about issues and developments that might challenge local reps and local talent. I love the continual growth in my field. I love the challenge of keeping abreast of all of it and staying above the fray. The proof of doing it well always lies in the final success of a satisfied customer and a problem solved.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Columbus Ohio Design Mecca
Okay, so when I moved here I envisioned calm, peace, and a chance to get away from tyranny and pain. But what I did not realize that interior design is so accepted and welcomed here. I could not be happier.
As the years blow by, and I am given so much opportunity for wonderful work with strong themes, amazing clients, and appreciation for what I do, I remind myself to be thankful and aware of the differences that are presented everyday.
Michigan, and design in Michigan is fraught with delays, disapointments, budget cuts, recessions, employee layoffs, spending freezes, hiring freezes, and downsizing everything from design budgets, to allocations for basic needs. When there is a dip in the auto industry, everyone else suffers. So we suffered alot. The auto industry has been on a ferris wheel, not a roller coaster for some time. When I left in 2005, there was no design industry to speak of. There were many designers that were teaching aerobics, selling financial planning packages, and doing real estate. But design, I did not see any since 2003. I am not a quitter, and giving up is not my thing. But I do know when there is no heartbeat, and when to fold em (as they say).
Moving here was more than an adventure. Moving here was a rebirth, and an awakening. I get to see myself as I truly am. Not just as a survivor, but as a creator of life, joy and dreams again.
Christy Collection Inc. is an expression of happiness and rebirth. I have so many talented and genuine friends that I have had the pleasure of getting to know since I have been here. Many of them are clients. Many of them are involved in the "BIZ" somehow. But alot of them are just people that I cross paths with at Starbucks, the fabric showrooms, and service providers to the trade. We tend to feel as if we are building something together. It is a great feeling.
As 2009 comes to a close, and I get to pause in a hectic and crazy schedule, I want to just remember how hard we all work to get here. And when we are here, we should feel it, smell it, and enjoy it. Just for now.
As the years blow by, and I am given so much opportunity for wonderful work with strong themes, amazing clients, and appreciation for what I do, I remind myself to be thankful and aware of the differences that are presented everyday.
Michigan, and design in Michigan is fraught with delays, disapointments, budget cuts, recessions, employee layoffs, spending freezes, hiring freezes, and downsizing everything from design budgets, to allocations for basic needs. When there is a dip in the auto industry, everyone else suffers. So we suffered alot. The auto industry has been on a ferris wheel, not a roller coaster for some time. When I left in 2005, there was no design industry to speak of. There were many designers that were teaching aerobics, selling financial planning packages, and doing real estate. But design, I did not see any since 2003. I am not a quitter, and giving up is not my thing. But I do know when there is no heartbeat, and when to fold em (as they say).
Moving here was more than an adventure. Moving here was a rebirth, and an awakening. I get to see myself as I truly am. Not just as a survivor, but as a creator of life, joy and dreams again.
Christy Collection Inc. is an expression of happiness and rebirth. I have so many talented and genuine friends that I have had the pleasure of getting to know since I have been here. Many of them are clients. Many of them are involved in the "BIZ" somehow. But alot of them are just people that I cross paths with at Starbucks, the fabric showrooms, and service providers to the trade. We tend to feel as if we are building something together. It is a great feeling.
As 2009 comes to a close, and I get to pause in a hectic and crazy schedule, I want to just remember how hard we all work to get here. And when we are here, we should feel it, smell it, and enjoy it. Just for now.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Interior Design with a Grateful Heart
This past month has been a whirlwind of design meetings, drawings, color work, presentations, ordering, processing paperwork, receiving deliveries, and creating beautiful environments. I have never seen so much beauty happen in such a short amount of time. My thanks go out to all of the people on the team. I could not have done much of this without you. Especially Monica, the guys at Columbus Easy Move, and of course my dedicated internal team.
We are heading deep into the holidays, past Christmas cut off dates, and right into January installs. Many projects have determined that the next phase begins January first. No slow time this year, just more great work and more opportunities to share the fun of all of this.
I have some new projects starting this week. I am grateful for the chance to help others.
ASID has their holiday party on Thursday night to honor all of the folks that made the New
Horizons Project possible. This is their night. We all applaud the unsung heroes that made it work into the night for a month and more. We are so proud of the press coverage that Karen James obtained for this project and we are all collecting the Capital Style Magazines to save and pass out to our mothers. Hopefully alot of the contractors are coming to the party so that we can thank them for the difference that they all made in these women's lives.
We are heading deep into the holidays, past Christmas cut off dates, and right into January installs. Many projects have determined that the next phase begins January first. No slow time this year, just more great work and more opportunities to share the fun of all of this.
I have some new projects starting this week. I am grateful for the chance to help others.
ASID has their holiday party on Thursday night to honor all of the folks that made the New
Horizons Project possible. This is their night. We all applaud the unsung heroes that made it work into the night for a month and more. We are so proud of the press coverage that Karen James obtained for this project and we are all collecting the Capital Style Magazines to save and pass out to our mothers. Hopefully alot of the contractors are coming to the party so that we can thank them for the difference that they all made in these women's lives.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Lime Green, the New Spring Accent Color
If you have spent any time in Home Decor magazines lately, you have seen it. Lime Green is the new "greening" of interiors. The freshness of it is nice after opening windows and doors into spring. But we are not there yet. I am seeing alot of lime green jolting neutral environments with a fun twist. I am enjoying this, as it is not an easy color to live with and I am very curious to see it pulled off.
My predication is that Americans are tired of worrying, about anything. They are looking for a fun new interior color that says that, and says it with accessories, fun punches, and a jolt of just fun color. I am seeing it in bolder finsih statements to wake up neutral pallettes. I have not embraced it yet for any clients here in mid Ohio. It may be a bit trendy and funky for this area. I am looking forward to using it for accents with cool blues, and tangerines. To tone it down and take some edge off. For linens and table top accents, it is a great expression. For bed linens and flowers, ditto.
So when you see it in your magazines take note of how this funky punch is used and compare notes with me. I am anxiously waiting a client to request it, and to embrace it for their own fresh expression.
My predication is that Americans are tired of worrying, about anything. They are looking for a fun new interior color that says that, and says it with accessories, fun punches, and a jolt of just fun color. I am seeing it in bolder finsih statements to wake up neutral pallettes. I have not embraced it yet for any clients here in mid Ohio. It may be a bit trendy and funky for this area. I am looking forward to using it for accents with cool blues, and tangerines. To tone it down and take some edge off. For linens and table top accents, it is a great expression. For bed linens and flowers, ditto.
So when you see it in your magazines take note of how this funky punch is used and compare notes with me. I am anxiously waiting a client to request it, and to embrace it for their own fresh expression.
Details, and then Maybe a Breather
I know that I have neglected you. Sorry. This holiday season has just kept me hopping. Thanksgiving is a bigger holiday than Christmas for residential interior designers. The whole "hearth" thing is a whole bunch of pressure to have all the details just right. I have had a very busy few months, and finally feel like my little family will get a breather and just have time to spend together. This is really really good.
My youngest son is driving and dropping off friends on his way back to Ohio from Vermont. I am his designated "bring him home " companion and have been talking him in. He is now less than two hours away from Sweet Ole Columbus. I am relieved and very excited.
Okay... back to design. This has been a holiday season of getting vintage trees, cozy plaid embellished trees, RED GLITZ trees, Fabulous copper/bronze and gold trees, and then playing with new lighting techniques with our own exterior. Celine and I have decided where we want our Christmas trees, where Santa will come and how much to Deck our own Halls. We have alot to do. But for now, the focus on hearth and home translates to a very homey preparation for all of Christy Collection clients. We have been successful in bringing everything in on time with no damage, and no loss. Except for 6 missing chairs, that should be here on Monday morning for delivery with split second timing. We just have a manufacturer that kind of dropped the ball, and we tried to catch it, but could not. (from this vantage point) We believe that it is all under control now, and the chairs will arrive. But with the processing of over 65 orders in the last three months with complicated COM's, trims, complex custom draperies, lighting plans, and custom finished furniture, we have done pretty well. The credit really goes to perfect execution of orders, really fine manufacturers that we work with, and close ties to customer service.
After Monday, our season may slow down a little to let us actually enjoy Christmas with our families. That is the greatest blessing of this holiday season. With only four new project starts in the last two weeks, the calm is coming. We can see it and we will welcome just a little break. Never in the history of this firm have we had so many projects with phases programmed to begin on January 1st 2010. That is good for the traditionally quieter months, and good for maintaining business levels that have been established. I am so proud of our accomplishments and look forward to a rewarding and challenging 2010. Thanks to all of you that have entrusted us with your work.
My youngest son is driving and dropping off friends on his way back to Ohio from Vermont. I am his designated "bring him home " companion and have been talking him in. He is now less than two hours away from Sweet Ole Columbus. I am relieved and very excited.
Okay... back to design. This has been a holiday season of getting vintage trees, cozy plaid embellished trees, RED GLITZ trees, Fabulous copper/bronze and gold trees, and then playing with new lighting techniques with our own exterior. Celine and I have decided where we want our Christmas trees, where Santa will come and how much to Deck our own Halls. We have alot to do. But for now, the focus on hearth and home translates to a very homey preparation for all of Christy Collection clients. We have been successful in bringing everything in on time with no damage, and no loss. Except for 6 missing chairs, that should be here on Monday morning for delivery with split second timing. We just have a manufacturer that kind of dropped the ball, and we tried to catch it, but could not. (from this vantage point) We believe that it is all under control now, and the chairs will arrive. But with the processing of over 65 orders in the last three months with complicated COM's, trims, complex custom draperies, lighting plans, and custom finished furniture, we have done pretty well. The credit really goes to perfect execution of orders, really fine manufacturers that we work with, and close ties to customer service.
After Monday, our season may slow down a little to let us actually enjoy Christmas with our families. That is the greatest blessing of this holiday season. With only four new project starts in the last two weeks, the calm is coming. We can see it and we will welcome just a little break. Never in the history of this firm have we had so many projects with phases programmed to begin on January 1st 2010. That is good for the traditionally quieter months, and good for maintaining business levels that have been established. I am so proud of our accomplishments and look forward to a rewarding and challenging 2010. Thanks to all of you that have entrusted us with your work.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Blogging Blogging Blogging. Is anyone out there?
I guess it is very common to not have comments from those that read your blog. It begs the question, is anyone out there? I have been practicing interior design for a very long time. I have only been blogging for two months, so it is a bit of a mystery to me, how it really works?
I know that many people read that do not follow officially, and I hear that it is common for it to be this way. I usually reply to blogs because the ones I follow, I am extremely interested in, and I tend to offer up opinion or comment, but in truth, many people do not.
What a rich day today in Columbus. I accomplished most of the items on my Saturday clean up list, so that is a huge thing for me. Celine is having a great day. Baxter got his care package. Chelsea got her care package. Everything seems to be going smoothly.
Sunday is a going to be a very full day. I have a new client that I am starting a complete design concept for. That is a loving task that will take me most of the day. I love this part of the process. Getting started. So fresh and new. I have spent many hours programming and gathering information about this client, which is normal. Now the fun begins. That is why it was so important that today was full of accomplishments. I need to hit the ground running tomorrow. Because I am working at least 8 or 10 hours tomorrow, this is only a three day week. I have alot to accomplish this week, and think I must go get started on a few things right now. Thanks for tuning in.
I know that many people read that do not follow officially, and I hear that it is common for it to be this way. I usually reply to blogs because the ones I follow, I am extremely interested in, and I tend to offer up opinion or comment, but in truth, many people do not.
What a rich day today in Columbus. I accomplished most of the items on my Saturday clean up list, so that is a huge thing for me. Celine is having a great day. Baxter got his care package. Chelsea got her care package. Everything seems to be going smoothly.
Sunday is a going to be a very full day. I have a new client that I am starting a complete design concept for. That is a loving task that will take me most of the day. I love this part of the process. Getting started. So fresh and new. I have spent many hours programming and gathering information about this client, which is normal. Now the fun begins. That is why it was so important that today was full of accomplishments. I need to hit the ground running tomorrow. Because I am working at least 8 or 10 hours tomorrow, this is only a three day week. I have alot to accomplish this week, and think I must go get started on a few things right now. Thanks for tuning in.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
New Moon Debut
Being the Mom with the least need for sleep, I was drafted to accompany four darling twelve year olds to New Moon tonight for its first showing. (even though I know every girl will see it six times in the next two weeks, I still agreed to do this)
And I have not even read the book.
They are gathered at the house. I am insisting on a four hour nap before we leave. So it is the time to put the hammer down and assign kids to bedrooms so that it can actually get quiet here. If you are going to be there, you will see me juggling popcorn for multitudes, and grabbing seats.
Just one of lifes moments, meant to be shared. Being a part of my daughters life is very important to me. Always.
And I have not even read the book.
They are gathered at the house. I am insisting on a four hour nap before we leave. So it is the time to put the hammer down and assign kids to bedrooms so that it can actually get quiet here. If you are going to be there, you will see me juggling popcorn for multitudes, and grabbing seats.
Just one of lifes moments, meant to be shared. Being a part of my daughters life is very important to me. Always.
Peace in the Valley
Okay all of you amazing people out there. I am a designer. The ones that people write about that are harried, manic, running crazy and frazzled most of the time, right? Add to that single motherhood, and the picture is pretty ... well... awful. Not so. I want to set the record straight right now. My thankfulness today is all about balance.
I keep a pretty well run ship here. No, my floors are not immaculate. No, my recycling piles up.
But the important things are done pretty well. My orders are placed immediately. My projects are met with focus, and drive to do the best for my client. My studio is pretty clean. My old samples are purged. But the really important thing of putting my client first. That is done with bravado and verve. My clients tell me that they feel it. They feel loved and respected and listened too.
Now comes the single mom part. I am supposed to miserable, right? Hot tea, or glass of red, perched on a big fluffy sofa, channel surfing and dozing through the evening. I guess that just does not describe the life that my children and I enjoy. Our house is always full. Our pantry is full and stocked. The kids and friends of friends are comfortable here, because they are totally welcome, accepted, and enjoyed. We may not have the cleanest house on the block, but the lights are always on, and the door is usually unlocked.
As a designer my life is full of events, installations, parties, fundraisers, CEU classes, and gatherings of people that I love. My clients become dear friends. My projects become love expressions of my life. It is self fulfilling. I am in the perfect place for my family and myself.
When life hands you lemons and you can continually make lemonade, it is truly a gift. I have dealt with some large changes in my life. I have faced the worst possible scenario and somehow gotten through it with grace and poise. We kind of all have to be able to do that and not shed tears. So the balance part comes in. When this little subset of my family first regrouped the most important single focus that I kept was balance. I began to balance how much I worked and how much I just spent time with my kids. I searched for ways to combine the two and just be around a bit more. In the balance, I found myself. She was there, under all the meetings, and the planned schedule and the travel. She was waiting for me to get real, and I actually did. After coming to Columbus from the recession/depression plagued Michigan I took stock of who I was and who I wanted to be. The person that I found waiting was being very patient. And she/I was ready to have a little more fun mixed in with the work that I love. So balance makes work play. Balance makes the kids laugh it off if Mac & Cheese tends to be a homecooked meal. Balance makes my kids, well, .... er... balanced too. I am grateful for balance finding me, and I was still there suviving upheaval and broken promise. Discovering the joy in my life is a wonderful thing to be thankful for.
I keep a pretty well run ship here. No, my floors are not immaculate. No, my recycling piles up.
But the important things are done pretty well. My orders are placed immediately. My projects are met with focus, and drive to do the best for my client. My studio is pretty clean. My old samples are purged. But the really important thing of putting my client first. That is done with bravado and verve. My clients tell me that they feel it. They feel loved and respected and listened too.
Now comes the single mom part. I am supposed to miserable, right? Hot tea, or glass of red, perched on a big fluffy sofa, channel surfing and dozing through the evening. I guess that just does not describe the life that my children and I enjoy. Our house is always full. Our pantry is full and stocked. The kids and friends of friends are comfortable here, because they are totally welcome, accepted, and enjoyed. We may not have the cleanest house on the block, but the lights are always on, and the door is usually unlocked.
As a designer my life is full of events, installations, parties, fundraisers, CEU classes, and gatherings of people that I love. My clients become dear friends. My projects become love expressions of my life. It is self fulfilling. I am in the perfect place for my family and myself.
When life hands you lemons and you can continually make lemonade, it is truly a gift. I have dealt with some large changes in my life. I have faced the worst possible scenario and somehow gotten through it with grace and poise. We kind of all have to be able to do that and not shed tears. So the balance part comes in. When this little subset of my family first regrouped the most important single focus that I kept was balance. I began to balance how much I worked and how much I just spent time with my kids. I searched for ways to combine the two and just be around a bit more. In the balance, I found myself. She was there, under all the meetings, and the planned schedule and the travel. She was waiting for me to get real, and I actually did. After coming to Columbus from the recession/depression plagued Michigan I took stock of who I was and who I wanted to be. The person that I found waiting was being very patient. And she/I was ready to have a little more fun mixed in with the work that I love. So balance makes work play. Balance makes the kids laugh it off if Mac & Cheese tends to be a homecooked meal. Balance makes my kids, well, .... er... balanced too. I am grateful for balance finding me, and I was still there suviving upheaval and broken promise. Discovering the joy in my life is a wonderful thing to be thankful for.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Clients Become Such Lovely Friends
The nicest thing about residential interior design is the amazing friendships that are a result of it.
It is true. Don't laugh. Those that have survived the design and construction of a new home are laughing right now. Thinking of the countless hours of decisions, pouring over samples, deciding the least of evils, and finally, absolutely claiming the house as your own. It is wonderful how strong friendships evolve out of the sheer terror of building your own home. The designer (your guide to the new galaxy that you have entered) is your trusted liasion, your best friend and your endless supporter in this process. If you ever needed a friend, this is the time.
So today, in my quest of being ever grateful all this month, I want to salute you. My appreciation runs deep for the client that is brave, in the face of uncertainty. Strong when your whole family is freaking out. Humble when new products are introduced at market and the search begins again. And most of all laughs at herself, when maybe just one or two details are misinterpreted and the too large light fixture is installed, or the too intense of paint color is painted. Don't freak out, it is all the process.
The integrity of a designer is measured in the number of clients/friends that are intact AFTER the project is done. That is what we live for.
It is true. Don't laugh. Those that have survived the design and construction of a new home are laughing right now. Thinking of the countless hours of decisions, pouring over samples, deciding the least of evils, and finally, absolutely claiming the house as your own. It is wonderful how strong friendships evolve out of the sheer terror of building your own home. The designer (your guide to the new galaxy that you have entered) is your trusted liasion, your best friend and your endless supporter in this process. If you ever needed a friend, this is the time.
So today, in my quest of being ever grateful all this month, I want to salute you. My appreciation runs deep for the client that is brave, in the face of uncertainty. Strong when your whole family is freaking out. Humble when new products are introduced at market and the search begins again. And most of all laughs at herself, when maybe just one or two details are misinterpreted and the too large light fixture is installed, or the too intense of paint color is painted. Don't freak out, it is all the process.
The integrity of a designer is measured in the number of clients/friends that are intact AFTER the project is done. That is what we live for.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Christmas Rush
Most of my manufacturers cut off orders for pre Christmas arrival last week. I am rushing and pushing to get just a last few clients orders in to satisfy their holiday needs.
Begging, cajoling, reworking orders, meeting with installers, remeasuring and calculating to affirm custom orders when you are pushing everyone is essential. Too often a designer can make mistakes by not double checking when under the gun.
I accomplished alot today in this gorgeous sunlight of Columbus. Driving around, meeting quickly to wrap up client needs, and then spending the rest of the day on the phone and on email assuring quality. What a rush when the answer ends up being yes. Or the negotiation takes over and we try to find another way. Victory on many fields today. This should make everyone happy, and get us into the rush of our last Holiday Decor job installation tomorrow morning.
The Christmas Rush is on.
Begging, cajoling, reworking orders, meeting with installers, remeasuring and calculating to affirm custom orders when you are pushing everyone is essential. Too often a designer can make mistakes by not double checking when under the gun.
I accomplished alot today in this gorgeous sunlight of Columbus. Driving around, meeting quickly to wrap up client needs, and then spending the rest of the day on the phone and on email assuring quality. What a rush when the answer ends up being yes. Or the negotiation takes over and we try to find another way. Victory on many fields today. This should make everyone happy, and get us into the rush of our last Holiday Decor job installation tomorrow morning.
The Christmas Rush is on.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Design has to Live with you
I get asked to design beautiful spaces everyday. The truth is that beautiful only lasts if you can live with it, clean it, and it is a space that truly functions for you, your family and friends.
In the 1900's Sullivan said "Form follows Function". Those are words that good designers live by. The most rewarding interiors are those that work for the person who will live there or work there. If it does not actually function for the tasks that are done in the space, it is not a success.
I have done lectures at the Elementary and Middle School level about Bauhaus Design for years. I always start by talking about the chairs that they sit in. I measure the size of the chair, and ask the children why the chair is 17" tall at seat height? They never thought about it. When you start to define why the parts that make up the classroom are the size and shapes that they are, the children start to relate to what furniture design and interior design are all about. When they understand the components and the active ingredients in an interior, they begin to be creative.
I knew when I was 12 years old that I wanted to be an interior designer. I designed and redesigned my bedroom so many times that it was getting a bit strange. I remember going through a phase when I wanted everything in my room to hang from the ceiling. Luckily I never even got that one started. My Mom said no. I wanted to experiment and explore what was creative and fun in environments. The desire never leaves you as a designer. When you have clients with real life demands on their spaces, you end up with programming that challenges you, and the desire to make the spaces fit the client, be within budget and then they also are beautiful is a very good thing.
I remember the first few interiors that I did. I was very very young. A recent graduate of interior design school, and so excited as each piece came in to the warehouse. I would personally inspect each piece. Then have the warehouseman carefully rewrap it so that it would not get dirty before it was delivered. I still do that to this day. The really great thing, is that I am still really excited. I envision the interior while it is being planned. I can see it in the space. My imagination is so strong, that when parts or pieces are delayed because of budget, I still see it complete. It must be an unusual skill, as I have never heard of anyone else doing this. It tends to make me very patient with a client that has to postpone projects. I know that it will be beautiful, and I have it all in my head. I can wait. Usually it is more difficult for the client to be so patient.
This is a hectic time of year. I have 8 projects that are due to land at the warehouse in the next few weeks. Each one has the details handled. Each one has delivery scheduled. Each one has it's own set of demands, creative push, and deadlines to meet. Each one is another creation that is being realized.
My clients are getting ready to welcome friends and familes into their homes. They are excited to have new pieces for them to sit on, eat at, view from afar, or be in the midst of. It is really fun to be a part of all of this creative thinking. It almost feels like I will be at all of their parties, and their gatherings. I feel very much a part of it all.
In the 1900's Sullivan said "Form follows Function". Those are words that good designers live by. The most rewarding interiors are those that work for the person who will live there or work there. If it does not actually function for the tasks that are done in the space, it is not a success.
I have done lectures at the Elementary and Middle School level about Bauhaus Design for years. I always start by talking about the chairs that they sit in. I measure the size of the chair, and ask the children why the chair is 17" tall at seat height? They never thought about it. When you start to define why the parts that make up the classroom are the size and shapes that they are, the children start to relate to what furniture design and interior design are all about. When they understand the components and the active ingredients in an interior, they begin to be creative.
I knew when I was 12 years old that I wanted to be an interior designer. I designed and redesigned my bedroom so many times that it was getting a bit strange. I remember going through a phase when I wanted everything in my room to hang from the ceiling. Luckily I never even got that one started. My Mom said no. I wanted to experiment and explore what was creative and fun in environments. The desire never leaves you as a designer. When you have clients with real life demands on their spaces, you end up with programming that challenges you, and the desire to make the spaces fit the client, be within budget and then they also are beautiful is a very good thing.
I remember the first few interiors that I did. I was very very young. A recent graduate of interior design school, and so excited as each piece came in to the warehouse. I would personally inspect each piece. Then have the warehouseman carefully rewrap it so that it would not get dirty before it was delivered. I still do that to this day. The really great thing, is that I am still really excited. I envision the interior while it is being planned. I can see it in the space. My imagination is so strong, that when parts or pieces are delayed because of budget, I still see it complete. It must be an unusual skill, as I have never heard of anyone else doing this. It tends to make me very patient with a client that has to postpone projects. I know that it will be beautiful, and I have it all in my head. I can wait. Usually it is more difficult for the client to be so patient.
This is a hectic time of year. I have 8 projects that are due to land at the warehouse in the next few weeks. Each one has the details handled. Each one has delivery scheduled. Each one has it's own set of demands, creative push, and deadlines to meet. Each one is another creation that is being realized.
My clients are getting ready to welcome friends and familes into their homes. They are excited to have new pieces for them to sit on, eat at, view from afar, or be in the midst of. It is really fun to be a part of all of this creative thinking. It almost feels like I will be at all of their parties, and their gatherings. I feel very much a part of it all.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Fun Productive Day
Okay, so I get accused of never taking a break. Well at least not in "high season". But today I did just that. Well I did work for four or five hours, but that sure seemed easy compared to the last four months.
I saw a really fun movie tonight with a darling friend. It was full of great music, great spirit, and more than a few memories. "Pirate Radio" is a really good movie. The music just kept taking everyone back to a time or place that was unforgettable. The spirit of the movie is that music and how important it was then (the late 60's) and now. Phillip Hoffman Seymour is an amazing actor. But in this film he kind of gets it. I kept thinking of my children and how much rock and roll means to each one of them in different ways. They will all enjoy this moive, but mostly Baxter. The energy of it is quite good.
So tomorrow I hit it hard again. I have deadlines to meet, and projects to finish. But tonight it sure was fun to sit back and be entertained. And I heard that the OSU Bucks won in overtime. Now everyone in Columbus is happy.
I saw a really fun movie tonight with a darling friend. It was full of great music, great spirit, and more than a few memories. "Pirate Radio" is a really good movie. The music just kept taking everyone back to a time or place that was unforgettable. The spirit of the movie is that music and how important it was then (the late 60's) and now. Phillip Hoffman Seymour is an amazing actor. But in this film he kind of gets it. I kept thinking of my children and how much rock and roll means to each one of them in different ways. They will all enjoy this moive, but mostly Baxter. The energy of it is quite good.
So tomorrow I hit it hard again. I have deadlines to meet, and projects to finish. But tonight it sure was fun to sit back and be entertained. And I heard that the OSU Bucks won in overtime. Now everyone in Columbus is happy.
Fall Weather Fall Color
The warm spectrum of colors is extremely inviting. Who does not look at coppers, bronzes, deep browns, and soft maples and not feel that the colors invite them into a space? This time of year we are bombarded in retail settings with ensembles that are full of warmth and richness that carry us into them, and we don't even know why. The leaves change outside, and all the greens go dramatic on us. As they do we marvel at the combinations on the horizon, or take train trips to see "fall color". Or we go to ski resorts and go up mountains on gondolas to look at "fall color". We are starting to pull out the wool sweaters, the plaid skirts, the leather jackets and getting cozy in our homes by starting a fire in the fireplace, and enjoying longer nights. This time of year is very short. Soon Christmas over rides the color pallette with much livlier displays of wrap and tinsel. So now we kind of bask in just getting ready for a family dinner around a turkey with lots of pies. I kind of like this bit of pause. I feel it every year. I prepare the house for larger gatherings of people and I am full of expectation for a family experience of just being together again.
So today as I focus on my gratefulness, I want to stop and enjoy the family hearth. The memories of lots of Thanksgivings and fall days full of cider mills, apple picking, and baking Grandma Wards apple dumplings for expectant children. I pause and think about these things and remember to make memories for all the little people that are in my life that are counting on me to give them this training. It really is the responsibility of the Mom figure to do this for the kids. We build this hearth. When things get rocky or tough, we rebuild it with different stones, or bricks or whatever material we can pull together. But we never waiver in the goal of creating a place for family to gather, even as family changes, regroups, and becomes a different group. It is all part of the growth of life. So I would like to be grateful for being able to celebrate it all.
So today as I focus on my gratefulness, I want to stop and enjoy the family hearth. The memories of lots of Thanksgivings and fall days full of cider mills, apple picking, and baking Grandma Wards apple dumplings for expectant children. I pause and think about these things and remember to make memories for all the little people that are in my life that are counting on me to give them this training. It really is the responsibility of the Mom figure to do this for the kids. We build this hearth. When things get rocky or tough, we rebuild it with different stones, or bricks or whatever material we can pull together. But we never waiver in the goal of creating a place for family to gather, even as family changes, regroups, and becomes a different group. It is all part of the growth of life. So I would like to be grateful for being able to celebrate it all.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Design Fridays
Fridays in a design practice are catch up days. All of your paperwork piles up and you file, date stamp, enter figures into logs, pay all unpaid invoices, freight bills, and verify shipping. Wire transferring money is also a Friday thing. It always feels so good to have this day to get all the loose ends pulled tight so that you enter the weekend with a clean desk and bins ready for weekend meetings.
Then life happens. The turn off guys for the sprinkler system show up. The mail delivery dude has a certified letter of new terms (better) for one of your manufacturers. The dog annoys a neighbor. The filing pile is unusually high. Faxes need to be sent remotely. A few invoices need to be paid directly and in person to avoid losing early discounting. Samples have to be returned. Checks need to be picked up to wire transfer funds to Indonesia for a pending order. Freight forwarders call from Beijing just as you are starting a phone conversation with a snag in an order.
The day kind of gets away from you, and the piles are still there. That is when you realize that you never ate your yogurt this morning, and your sugar is probably dropping too. So in my state of grace, and taking advice from one of my oldest and dearest friends, Dan Warmels, I slow down the process. I begin by finishing the frantic phone call. I put one foot in front of the other and focus on what I need to get done, and what I must get done. Remembering that sacrificing quality is never an option.
And then I realize that Friday goes until midnight, and my breathing gets slower. I actually can accomplish all of this wonderful work, without missing a beat. And the miracle happens and the work gets done.
Then life happens. The turn off guys for the sprinkler system show up. The mail delivery dude has a certified letter of new terms (better) for one of your manufacturers. The dog annoys a neighbor. The filing pile is unusually high. Faxes need to be sent remotely. A few invoices need to be paid directly and in person to avoid losing early discounting. Samples have to be returned. Checks need to be picked up to wire transfer funds to Indonesia for a pending order. Freight forwarders call from Beijing just as you are starting a phone conversation with a snag in an order.
The day kind of gets away from you, and the piles are still there. That is when you realize that you never ate your yogurt this morning, and your sugar is probably dropping too. So in my state of grace, and taking advice from one of my oldest and dearest friends, Dan Warmels, I slow down the process. I begin by finishing the frantic phone call. I put one foot in front of the other and focus on what I need to get done, and what I must get done. Remembering that sacrificing quality is never an option.
And then I realize that Friday goes until midnight, and my breathing gets slower. I actually can accomplish all of this wonderful work, without missing a beat. And the miracle happens and the work gets done.
Being Grateful Every Day in November
This concept was presented to me by one of my 500 friends on Facebook. Practicing being grateful every day of November. This focus is a good one. I have been aware of being grateful for a few years now. Being grateful for the good in bad situations. Being grateful for progress, maybe not always perfect, but progress is something to celebrate for it's own sake.
So now that November is almost half over, I wanted to reach out to my fellow bloggers and talk about the state of Grace or Gratefulness. Sounds easy, and it really is. Recently when driving with a dear friend, a car careened across 270 towards us, almost going sideways. As she slammed on the brakes and started screaming, the car passed behind us and hit the guardrail behind us. I spoke softly " Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you for protecting us." My
friend started laughing. To be grateful when your life flashes in front of your eyes was a new concept for her. Of course, my attitudes about life have always amazed her. Being fearless. Never waivering in my pursuit of design excellence, no matter what. Living a full, joy filled life continually without regret, or sadness. Those are all steadfast goals and ones that I hold dear.
So when we got to the restaurant or the store or whatever our destination was, I took a moment and whispered a small prayer of thanks again for the beautiful moment of - SURVIVAL and HOPE. And I also said a small prayer of thanks for my dear friend and her strong skills at life
and embracing the moment. Just help her find inner peace, I prayed. And next time, let me drive.
'
So now that November is almost half over, I wanted to reach out to my fellow bloggers and talk about the state of Grace or Gratefulness. Sounds easy, and it really is. Recently when driving with a dear friend, a car careened across 270 towards us, almost going sideways. As she slammed on the brakes and started screaming, the car passed behind us and hit the guardrail behind us. I spoke softly " Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you for protecting us." My
friend started laughing. To be grateful when your life flashes in front of your eyes was a new concept for her. Of course, my attitudes about life have always amazed her. Being fearless. Never waivering in my pursuit of design excellence, no matter what. Living a full, joy filled life continually without regret, or sadness. Those are all steadfast goals and ones that I hold dear.
So when we got to the restaurant or the store or whatever our destination was, I took a moment and whispered a small prayer of thanks again for the beautiful moment of - SURVIVAL and HOPE. And I also said a small prayer of thanks for my dear friend and her strong skills at life
and embracing the moment. Just help her find inner peace, I prayed. And next time, let me drive.
'
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Busy Week
I have to apologize to my dedicated bloggers for being way too busy this week. Busy is good, but in the world of design, not missing details, following through, and absolute design excellence is so important that one must use ones time wisely.
I have to share with you the joys of a week in Columbus knee deep in excellence in design. Christy Collection Inc. has the pleasure of progressing on 10 current projects that have graced our door. From creating a fitness center in an expansive New Albany home, to the delight of creating Zen space and a luscious oasis of a Master Suite in an inspiring new clients home, we have moved into the realm of total creativity this week. There is nothing more satisfying than getting people genuinely excited about their own environment. Exploring possibilites, and creating these ideas into reality. I have the pleasure of working with excellence in peers with common direction and dedication to excellence.
We are nearing occupancy of a dramatic and beautiful Arts and Crafts / adapted to urban living condo in the Short North. Seeing a custom designed spiral staircase, custom tile work, expansive views of downtown Columbus framed by gorgeous highly figured Hickory floors, and lofty ceilings, just about connects all the dots for me personally. I am so proud to be involved in the creation of this amazing space. The best is yet to come. Furniture will arrive within a few weeks and the stage is set for a dynamic couple to take center stage in this fabulous home. I also hear that I get the first Martini mixed in this space. What more can an aspiring designer ask for?
Christy Collection is almost wrapping up their Holiday Decor for the season. I have been forced to slim down my clients served this year, due to a crazy, busy and full schedule. The 10,000 + square foot home completed today celebrates four years of creating holiday for one of the more darling couples in New Albany. Two level mantels, sweeping staircases with bridges and cathedral ceilings all adorned with 14" diameter garlands, embellished with fruit, berries and gorgeous satin bows. 15' Trees popping with reds, golds, and lime green are framed with two and one half story windows looking on the back pool complex. German Stein Nutcrackers are placed in groupings of historical signifigance. Waterford crystal egg collections twinkle in the cascade of white lights, boughs of evergreen, boxwood, winter red roses, and bittersweet. It does not get better than this in the world of Holiday Decor. This home is not only a masterpiece in itself, but when the Halls are Decked and the candles are lit, it can honestly take your breath away. We are so proud to serve this family and prepare them for holiday entertaining.
Next week Holiday Decor installations will conclude with the creation of one of my favorite client's in New Albany's magnificent home. Again, it is our fourth year of completing special holiday spaces for this generous and full spirited family and their friends and family. Beautiful family hearth trees, sweeping garlands of winter flowers, vines, and ribbons adorn a brass railed staircase with marble foyer. The Entry tree is vintage, with antigue mercury bulbs and vintage drops of pearl and crystal. The site is amazing. Peach, pale green, pearl, watery mercury silver, and washed gold create a shimmer that is difficult to describe. All spaces in their home are family spaces. Down cushions and snuggly spaces give this close family room to just be together and enjoy the season.
It is with extreme pleasure that we continue to serve the Columbus area with fine design, competitive product pricing, and integrity of service. I am honored to be here and be a part of all of the good that is happening all around me.
Thanks for letting us into your life.
I have to share with you the joys of a week in Columbus knee deep in excellence in design. Christy Collection Inc. has the pleasure of progressing on 10 current projects that have graced our door. From creating a fitness center in an expansive New Albany home, to the delight of creating Zen space and a luscious oasis of a Master Suite in an inspiring new clients home, we have moved into the realm of total creativity this week. There is nothing more satisfying than getting people genuinely excited about their own environment. Exploring possibilites, and creating these ideas into reality. I have the pleasure of working with excellence in peers with common direction and dedication to excellence.
We are nearing occupancy of a dramatic and beautiful Arts and Crafts / adapted to urban living condo in the Short North. Seeing a custom designed spiral staircase, custom tile work, expansive views of downtown Columbus framed by gorgeous highly figured Hickory floors, and lofty ceilings, just about connects all the dots for me personally. I am so proud to be involved in the creation of this amazing space. The best is yet to come. Furniture will arrive within a few weeks and the stage is set for a dynamic couple to take center stage in this fabulous home. I also hear that I get the first Martini mixed in this space. What more can an aspiring designer ask for?
Christy Collection is almost wrapping up their Holiday Decor for the season. I have been forced to slim down my clients served this year, due to a crazy, busy and full schedule. The 10,000 + square foot home completed today celebrates four years of creating holiday for one of the more darling couples in New Albany. Two level mantels, sweeping staircases with bridges and cathedral ceilings all adorned with 14" diameter garlands, embellished with fruit, berries and gorgeous satin bows. 15' Trees popping with reds, golds, and lime green are framed with two and one half story windows looking on the back pool complex. German Stein Nutcrackers are placed in groupings of historical signifigance. Waterford crystal egg collections twinkle in the cascade of white lights, boughs of evergreen, boxwood, winter red roses, and bittersweet. It does not get better than this in the world of Holiday Decor. This home is not only a masterpiece in itself, but when the Halls are Decked and the candles are lit, it can honestly take your breath away. We are so proud to serve this family and prepare them for holiday entertaining.
Next week Holiday Decor installations will conclude with the creation of one of my favorite client's in New Albany's magnificent home. Again, it is our fourth year of completing special holiday spaces for this generous and full spirited family and their friends and family. Beautiful family hearth trees, sweeping garlands of winter flowers, vines, and ribbons adorn a brass railed staircase with marble foyer. The Entry tree is vintage, with antigue mercury bulbs and vintage drops of pearl and crystal. The site is amazing. Peach, pale green, pearl, watery mercury silver, and washed gold create a shimmer that is difficult to describe. All spaces in their home are family spaces. Down cushions and snuggly spaces give this close family room to just be together and enjoy the season.
It is with extreme pleasure that we continue to serve the Columbus area with fine design, competitive product pricing, and integrity of service. I am honored to be here and be a part of all of the good that is happening all around me.
Thanks for letting us into your life.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Exploring Design Options
As designers, often we get challenged to think outside our own skin and feel the design in a different way. Sometimes the client is just right. One always likes to think that they are so thorough and complete in their research that we cannot be second guessed into another decision. And sometimes we are wrong. I get remined everyday that the process of design and good decision making lies in our process, but also in the process that our client can grasp and accept. Sometimes it just takes longer. Sometimes it keeps getting better.
I think that some clients "see" their space better than we ever will. We can lead them, but they have to move at their own pace, and reach their decisions with a comfort zone that they understand. I once had a client that told me that he "wanted to see every option". We spent two months choosing textiles, and color schemes for a very important floor of his building. At the time, I felt frustration, an overwhelming sense that time was being wasted, and an enormous amount of money was being spent on a riduculous exercise. Later, as the building came together, I realized that even though he did go back to all of my suggestions, he was just going through his own process of acceptance. He seemed to be a scientist eliminating combinations that could not work. He had to do this. He was happy to spend design dollars doing it, and who was I to judge? So when a client inserts their own form of decision making into a project and slows it down to a crawl, now I smile. The results do not usually change much. But the satisfaction of a client of this type, is amazing. They are suddenly comfortable with your approach and much more reasonable through the rest of the project. They kind of have a slow buy in and need to be involved with details to develope a trust for our talents and our perspective.
Later, it has always been worth it.
I think that some clients "see" their space better than we ever will. We can lead them, but they have to move at their own pace, and reach their decisions with a comfort zone that they understand. I once had a client that told me that he "wanted to see every option". We spent two months choosing textiles, and color schemes for a very important floor of his building. At the time, I felt frustration, an overwhelming sense that time was being wasted, and an enormous amount of money was being spent on a riduculous exercise. Later, as the building came together, I realized that even though he did go back to all of my suggestions, he was just going through his own process of acceptance. He seemed to be a scientist eliminating combinations that could not work. He had to do this. He was happy to spend design dollars doing it, and who was I to judge? So when a client inserts their own form of decision making into a project and slows it down to a crawl, now I smile. The results do not usually change much. But the satisfaction of a client of this type, is amazing. They are suddenly comfortable with your approach and much more reasonable through the rest of the project. They kind of have a slow buy in and need to be involved with details to develope a trust for our talents and our perspective.
Later, it has always been worth it.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Bali Style
I was lent a beautiful coffee table book by a brand new client. She and I have so much in common, it is a little uncanny. She loves travel, feels that living with the natives is much more fun, and wants to give something back for all the riches that we experience in this country.
When she lent me the book, I instantly started tearing through it for ideas for the orphanage and school that I am building and designing in Bali Indonesia. The detail in the book is amazing. The overwhelming theme in the book is tropical dream houses. Could not be more fitting. From a large polished teak platform with translucent draperies surrounding the sleep space, and batiked pillows piled high it is easy to see gazing out from these soft surroundings with morning eyes and feeling refreshed and new. There just happens to be a lot of lounging in this cultural environ. The temperatures are warm during the day, and it is easier to take a mid day siesta and wake refreshed to enjoy the trade winds of night. Woven thatch lets out the heat, and shades you from the sun. Ceiling fans rotate continuously to a lazy drone. The foilage is lush and wet from a
recent downpour that lasted ten minutes and the sun is attempting to dry the droplets from all the broadleaf trees around you. Carvings are found everywhere into teak, or local soft wood.
The moisture of the tropical climate make it easy to carve the teak in to complicated flowers, foilage and decorative relief. When painted with traditional Indoesian paints of bright colors, the carved surfaces take on a lighthearted quality that only adds the cheerfulness of the whole culture.
The use of water in Indonesian structures reminds us that the rains, and the flow of water are part of the culture. Brief showers, pools of water, waterfalls, rushing streams and trickles of water are incorporated into most architecture. With the water comes the flowers. Orchids, any tropical flower that you have ever seen, they are all here. Nature blends into man made buildings with the softness of woven thatch supported by coconut columns, and framed with teak carvings. When it rains the water drips off the individual frons of the thatch and dripples quietly to the ground. It is quickly absorbed and leaves only green carpeting of moss, and fine tiny leaves in its place. Oftentimes lighting plays with the natural architecture of the Indonesian structure. It enflames the water, accentuates the weaving of the thatch and the detail of the carvings. Pathways are typically lit with small votive type solar lighting that can go anywhere and illuminate anything in the night. The sun is everywhere. It is powerful in this climate and bakes the natural elements to a soft patina.
Man made handicrafts separate this tropical environment from other islands. Carved stone, bamboo furniture, printed textiles, woven Ata Grass baskets, and other storage vessels are everywhere with thier architectural take on basket weaving. The Ata Grass is strong and waterproof, making it perfect for use for office storage, and architectural baskets in kitchens, and baths. Where the Ata Grass comes from is at the tip of the island of Bali. It is a strange campfire based little culture where chickens dyed bright yellow, hot pink and cerulean blue are normal pets. The campfire is central to life in this village. All the baskets are woven around these fires and carry the scent of the fire with them. When visiting the village, one must pause and pay respect to the original craft that lives here. The pace is slow, and the village is quiet. It is truly one of my favorite places on the island.
As I leaf through this book, devouring the beautiful pages and taking endless notes, I am reminded just how vast this endeavor really is. To create an expression of a culture in that culture with so many artisans nearby, I am challenged to let the artists become involved and help in this creation for the Children of Bali. Now I need to figure out how to do this in an expeditious way. The tasks laid out before me of hiring an Indonesian Architect, working with in
the framework of the needs of the school and the orphanage, and creating a place of peace and beauty sounds like a wonderful thing to do with the next chapter of my life. I am very excited about this personal challenge. Stay tuned.
When she lent me the book, I instantly started tearing through it for ideas for the orphanage and school that I am building and designing in Bali Indonesia. The detail in the book is amazing. The overwhelming theme in the book is tropical dream houses. Could not be more fitting. From a large polished teak platform with translucent draperies surrounding the sleep space, and batiked pillows piled high it is easy to see gazing out from these soft surroundings with morning eyes and feeling refreshed and new. There just happens to be a lot of lounging in this cultural environ. The temperatures are warm during the day, and it is easier to take a mid day siesta and wake refreshed to enjoy the trade winds of night. Woven thatch lets out the heat, and shades you from the sun. Ceiling fans rotate continuously to a lazy drone. The foilage is lush and wet from a
recent downpour that lasted ten minutes and the sun is attempting to dry the droplets from all the broadleaf trees around you. Carvings are found everywhere into teak, or local soft wood.
The moisture of the tropical climate make it easy to carve the teak in to complicated flowers, foilage and decorative relief. When painted with traditional Indoesian paints of bright colors, the carved surfaces take on a lighthearted quality that only adds the cheerfulness of the whole culture.
The use of water in Indonesian structures reminds us that the rains, and the flow of water are part of the culture. Brief showers, pools of water, waterfalls, rushing streams and trickles of water are incorporated into most architecture. With the water comes the flowers. Orchids, any tropical flower that you have ever seen, they are all here. Nature blends into man made buildings with the softness of woven thatch supported by coconut columns, and framed with teak carvings. When it rains the water drips off the individual frons of the thatch and dripples quietly to the ground. It is quickly absorbed and leaves only green carpeting of moss, and fine tiny leaves in its place. Oftentimes lighting plays with the natural architecture of the Indonesian structure. It enflames the water, accentuates the weaving of the thatch and the detail of the carvings. Pathways are typically lit with small votive type solar lighting that can go anywhere and illuminate anything in the night. The sun is everywhere. It is powerful in this climate and bakes the natural elements to a soft patina.
Man made handicrafts separate this tropical environment from other islands. Carved stone, bamboo furniture, printed textiles, woven Ata Grass baskets, and other storage vessels are everywhere with thier architectural take on basket weaving. The Ata Grass is strong and waterproof, making it perfect for use for office storage, and architectural baskets in kitchens, and baths. Where the Ata Grass comes from is at the tip of the island of Bali. It is a strange campfire based little culture where chickens dyed bright yellow, hot pink and cerulean blue are normal pets. The campfire is central to life in this village. All the baskets are woven around these fires and carry the scent of the fire with them. When visiting the village, one must pause and pay respect to the original craft that lives here. The pace is slow, and the village is quiet. It is truly one of my favorite places on the island.
As I leaf through this book, devouring the beautiful pages and taking endless notes, I am reminded just how vast this endeavor really is. To create an expression of a culture in that culture with so many artisans nearby, I am challenged to let the artists become involved and help in this creation for the Children of Bali. Now I need to figure out how to do this in an expeditious way. The tasks laid out before me of hiring an Indonesian Architect, working with in
the framework of the needs of the school and the orphanage, and creating a place of peace and beauty sounds like a wonderful thing to do with the next chapter of my life. I am very excited about this personal challenge. Stay tuned.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Compliment of the Referral
If I forget to say thank you enough for all the wonderful referrals that I constantly receive, let me say it now. Thank you to all that entrust me with the responsibility of doing it right again. And for those you love.
This has been an amazing season of new clients, referred clients and clients continuing with their homes with more and more areas. We are having so much fun. And doing great work.
I just want to make sure that I recognize those that have the faith in us to recommend us to friends and family. What a blessing you are in our lives.
Thanks again.
Connie Lane Christy, ASID
This has been an amazing season of new clients, referred clients and clients continuing with their homes with more and more areas. We are having so much fun. And doing great work.
I just want to make sure that I recognize those that have the faith in us to recommend us to friends and family. What a blessing you are in our lives.
Thanks again.
Connie Lane Christy, ASID
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Elegant Holiday Entertaining starts NOW
So it is really that time of year. Whether you want to believe it or not the holidays are descending upon us, and we have to prepare, as busy execs, to be able to do all of this seamlessly and flawlessly.
Setting the holiday itinerary is always the most difficult for most families. Herding older children home for some semblance of celebration together, with work schedules, vacation schedules and committments to spouse or partner family functions. If you can carve out a day or two during the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years rush, consider yourself thankful and lucky. I have had it happend only successfully once in the past seven years. Of course, in my case, divorce has caused some extenuating circumstances that don't seem to go away. Every family has it's story and mine is no different than half of the population with step parenting, non custodial parenting, and shared parenting, it has become a difficult balancing act of respect and a sense of fairness. So sit down with those calendars, negotiate with everyone and try to come up with "family time" whatever structure your family may have.
Once you have that calendar set, you can begin to decide what you will do with those precious hours or days. What family favorites to cook. Which family traditions to keep and which ones to forget about with limited time. If cooking something extremely complicated takes you away from the action, and out of reach, opt for something simpler. Your presence is much more important than anything someone would like to eat. I have learned that one the hard way. Being the "dream maker" for a family of seven made me miss out on the simple moments, and now I just don't do it anymore. Valuable time with my family is just too darn.... valuable.
Getting your holiday decor up and in place early really helps the season fall into place. With Thanksgiving so late this year, alot of families are getting really organized and installing holiday decor next week. (that is when my season hits the speeding zone) There is just too much to do as the holidays get closer to worry about Decking the Halls. Now that there are so many life like options available, there is no real reason to wait and put up the tree on Christmas Eve like our forefathers did. (they were worried about a dry tree because they had candles on it) We also see people remove their holiday decor the first week of January. It is over and they have enjoyed it, and it is done. We have a take down calendar that is much more aggressive than our installation calendar. When it is done, it is done. And we remove it, quickly.
I have simplified the Holidays for my sake, and the sake of not missing a moment with my kids. I have always done nine trees, every mantle, lit candles every night and enjoyed every room of my house by having a view of a tree from every vantage point. It is glorious, it is beautiful and it will have to wait for next year. This year my business has grown to a point that we will probably only enjoy two or three trees. We also plan to visit family out of state during the season and will enjoy their houses and their decor. I have a real need for family this year. Even if part of it is adopted just like family friends that have enriched my life beyond reason. They will get lots of my attention this year. And next year when we are in a little less crazy growing time, maybe we will be in that larger house, with nine trees again, and everyone will come to visit us. That will be a nice thing to think about.
Setting the holiday itinerary is always the most difficult for most families. Herding older children home for some semblance of celebration together, with work schedules, vacation schedules and committments to spouse or partner family functions. If you can carve out a day or two during the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years rush, consider yourself thankful and lucky. I have had it happend only successfully once in the past seven years. Of course, in my case, divorce has caused some extenuating circumstances that don't seem to go away. Every family has it's story and mine is no different than half of the population with step parenting, non custodial parenting, and shared parenting, it has become a difficult balancing act of respect and a sense of fairness. So sit down with those calendars, negotiate with everyone and try to come up with "family time" whatever structure your family may have.
Once you have that calendar set, you can begin to decide what you will do with those precious hours or days. What family favorites to cook. Which family traditions to keep and which ones to forget about with limited time. If cooking something extremely complicated takes you away from the action, and out of reach, opt for something simpler. Your presence is much more important than anything someone would like to eat. I have learned that one the hard way. Being the "dream maker" for a family of seven made me miss out on the simple moments, and now I just don't do it anymore. Valuable time with my family is just too darn.... valuable.
Getting your holiday decor up and in place early really helps the season fall into place. With Thanksgiving so late this year, alot of families are getting really organized and installing holiday decor next week. (that is when my season hits the speeding zone) There is just too much to do as the holidays get closer to worry about Decking the Halls. Now that there are so many life like options available, there is no real reason to wait and put up the tree on Christmas Eve like our forefathers did. (they were worried about a dry tree because they had candles on it) We also see people remove their holiday decor the first week of January. It is over and they have enjoyed it, and it is done. We have a take down calendar that is much more aggressive than our installation calendar. When it is done, it is done. And we remove it, quickly.
I have simplified the Holidays for my sake, and the sake of not missing a moment with my kids. I have always done nine trees, every mantle, lit candles every night and enjoyed every room of my house by having a view of a tree from every vantage point. It is glorious, it is beautiful and it will have to wait for next year. This year my business has grown to a point that we will probably only enjoy two or three trees. We also plan to visit family out of state during the season and will enjoy their houses and their decor. I have a real need for family this year. Even if part of it is adopted just like family friends that have enriched my life beyond reason. They will get lots of my attention this year. And next year when we are in a little less crazy growing time, maybe we will be in that larger house, with nine trees again, and everyone will come to visit us. That will be a nice thing to think about.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Buttercream Walls
In creating overall background colors for large residential pallettes, the whole picture must be established. Analyze furniture wood tones, textile colors, accents established. If none of those have been determined, then look to client taste, clothing worn, areas of the home that are most used, and why, lifestyle influences (does the client only use this home at certain times of the year? Are the formal spaces left vacant and unused? Is the whole house used everyday, for multiple types of users? (children, pets, those working at home?) As this profile of interaction takes shape, you begin to see a color scheme emerge.
I am using Buttercream as a basis for a very active family. Their textiles are mostly woven patterns (hide soil, impervious to daily wear and tear). The use of leather is optimal. (highest wear areas like barstools, family room lounge furniture, ottomans) The warm and mellow yellow give a warm basis for a color scheme of action, and comfort for this busy family. In using an eggshell finish, we offer a washability factor with out a sheen in the walls. Add to that semi gloss trim in a warm off white neutral. Deeper tones are chosen for true family spaces. Using faux finishes under chair rails for drama (with 10' and 11' ceiling height, make sure the faux does not get too dark, or the effect is unsettling - too weighted down) The color pallette takes shape in the warmer butter tones with warm undertones of caramel and warmer dark beige.
The color scheme is shaping up. Textiles begin to be pulled. Woven patterns are inter connected with large, med and small patterns mixed to create interest and increase wearability. All fabrics are selected with many factors considered. Cleaning codes, fiber content, wear rating (double rubs testing), and inherent hand or feelability. These are the critical selections of the house. Without the right fabrics, rooms cannot function. Without wearability the fabrics fail and replacement is necessary very quickly.
As the textiles pull the house together, area rugs are chosen, and furniture styles are inputed. There is such a wide range of period specific furniture available today at good pricing levels. Look for detail in American made pieces, and interesting faux finishes from imported pieces (easier to get consistency from supplier to supplier if faux finishes are used with imported pieces - that is why manufacturers do it.) If you do not see detail photos of pieces that you are buying, ask your designer if it is American made or imported. What you will find is that carving and wood details on imported pieces tend to be simpler and larger. We still do our best carving and forming of cabriole legs, amimal footed pieces and decorative details with carvers here in the United States. I am not saying that this part of the industry will not change quickly, it will. Right now we have the edge, as we have been doing it longer and the standards are accepted easier here, for now.
Follow American furniture manufacturers and the product lines that they carry that are made here. Century Furniture has a huge offering. So does Hickory White, Harden, Baker, and McGuire. All of the product lines above use some imported pieces to round out their product offering. But if you seek them out, the beautiful details in American carved pieces can still be found.
I am using Buttercream as a basis for a very active family. Their textiles are mostly woven patterns (hide soil, impervious to daily wear and tear). The use of leather is optimal. (highest wear areas like barstools, family room lounge furniture, ottomans) The warm and mellow yellow give a warm basis for a color scheme of action, and comfort for this busy family. In using an eggshell finish, we offer a washability factor with out a sheen in the walls. Add to that semi gloss trim in a warm off white neutral. Deeper tones are chosen for true family spaces. Using faux finishes under chair rails for drama (with 10' and 11' ceiling height, make sure the faux does not get too dark, or the effect is unsettling - too weighted down) The color pallette takes shape in the warmer butter tones with warm undertones of caramel and warmer dark beige.
The color scheme is shaping up. Textiles begin to be pulled. Woven patterns are inter connected with large, med and small patterns mixed to create interest and increase wearability. All fabrics are selected with many factors considered. Cleaning codes, fiber content, wear rating (double rubs testing), and inherent hand or feelability. These are the critical selections of the house. Without the right fabrics, rooms cannot function. Without wearability the fabrics fail and replacement is necessary very quickly.
As the textiles pull the house together, area rugs are chosen, and furniture styles are inputed. There is such a wide range of period specific furniture available today at good pricing levels. Look for detail in American made pieces, and interesting faux finishes from imported pieces (easier to get consistency from supplier to supplier if faux finishes are used with imported pieces - that is why manufacturers do it.) If you do not see detail photos of pieces that you are buying, ask your designer if it is American made or imported. What you will find is that carving and wood details on imported pieces tend to be simpler and larger. We still do our best carving and forming of cabriole legs, amimal footed pieces and decorative details with carvers here in the United States. I am not saying that this part of the industry will not change quickly, it will. Right now we have the edge, as we have been doing it longer and the standards are accepted easier here, for now.
Follow American furniture manufacturers and the product lines that they carry that are made here. Century Furniture has a huge offering. So does Hickory White, Harden, Baker, and McGuire. All of the product lines above use some imported pieces to round out their product offering. But if you seek them out, the beautiful details in American carved pieces can still be found.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Columbus Business is Rocking
For all of those that would say that Ohio is in a down economy and everyone is suffering, I have to say that the Design World is healthy and strong. I have never seen this much movement in new projects, new interest in real estate, and the remodeling of existing structures. We are in a very comfortable situation with new projects and continuation of existing client work.
I have seen several sectors of the economy speeding up in the last thirty days. From the retail clerks who service us, to the manufacturers that cater to our industry, everyone seems to feel that the economy is doing much better.
The linking of all lead sources on line have also helped. This Blog, Linked In, our website and our Facebook page all hold hands to reinforce what we are accomplishing with our client base.
We are very excited to see all of these lead sources working together for us to get our story out there and help clients discern between the differences of firms.
We are certainly having fun in mid Ohio. Moving full swing into the holidays.
I have seen several sectors of the economy speeding up in the last thirty days. From the retail clerks who service us, to the manufacturers that cater to our industry, everyone seems to feel that the economy is doing much better.
The linking of all lead sources on line have also helped. This Blog, Linked In, our website and our Facebook page all hold hands to reinforce what we are accomplishing with our client base.
We are very excited to see all of these lead sources working together for us to get our story out there and help clients discern between the differences of firms.
We are certainly having fun in mid Ohio. Moving full swing into the holidays.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Design is BOOMING
I am oftentimes reminded that in a tough economy, those that are busy are the ones that tend to have a really good business model, receive good referrals, and continually raise the bar on the quality of their own work. While living, working, and breathing the Michigan economy for over 20 years, I was reminded that my luck, was not really luck, but all the things above.
Residential Design is a frontier that seems to be a mystery to many people. The Designers tend to be a "smoke and mirrors" kind of group. They are extemely talented, have protected sources, have very faithful suppliers, installers and craftspeople at their fingertips. As these designers practice their craft, they continually dazzle people with their approach to vanilla boxes. I always felt that my design sense was more logic than magic, but lately the magic seems to be revealing itself. I have a growing loyal and logical clientele that are experiencing magic at the hands of Christy Collection Inc. We are having so much fun delivering very creative environments that solve problems, create family spaces, and are fun to entertain in. I keep focus on good discounting from suppliers, good pricing to clients, on time and accurate delivery, meeting deadlines, and never letting anyone down. The creative side can be taken for granted, until a big "WHOOSSHHH" occurs and an interior is installed. It all comes together with ease, perfection, no nonsense install and quality at every step. I get to step back, enjoy the view for a moment, while the next phase is planned, ordered, received, detailed instructions are given, and "WHOOSSHHH" it happens again. Continually surprising myself, and the juices keep flowing.
I always tend to reach out to my client and thank them for letting us into their lives. Without them the joy of accomplishment would not be as keen. To solve problems, create beauty and meet budgets and timing deadlines, is truly a thing of joy. Thank you to those of you that let us in. We are continually growing, stretching our limits and reaching higher goals. I am very proud of all that has happened to us since our arrival on the Columbus Design Scene. It is a thrill to be here.
Residential Design is a frontier that seems to be a mystery to many people. The Designers tend to be a "smoke and mirrors" kind of group. They are extemely talented, have protected sources, have very faithful suppliers, installers and craftspeople at their fingertips. As these designers practice their craft, they continually dazzle people with their approach to vanilla boxes. I always felt that my design sense was more logic than magic, but lately the magic seems to be revealing itself. I have a growing loyal and logical clientele that are experiencing magic at the hands of Christy Collection Inc. We are having so much fun delivering very creative environments that solve problems, create family spaces, and are fun to entertain in. I keep focus on good discounting from suppliers, good pricing to clients, on time and accurate delivery, meeting deadlines, and never letting anyone down. The creative side can be taken for granted, until a big "WHOOSSHHH" occurs and an interior is installed. It all comes together with ease, perfection, no nonsense install and quality at every step. I get to step back, enjoy the view for a moment, while the next phase is planned, ordered, received, detailed instructions are given, and "WHOOSSHHH" it happens again. Continually surprising myself, and the juices keep flowing.
I always tend to reach out to my client and thank them for letting us into their lives. Without them the joy of accomplishment would not be as keen. To solve problems, create beauty and meet budgets and timing deadlines, is truly a thing of joy. Thank you to those of you that let us in. We are continually growing, stretching our limits and reaching higher goals. I am very proud of all that has happened to us since our arrival on the Columbus Design Scene. It is a thrill to be here.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Approaching Fridays
Wrapping up my lists for the week is such a relief. I have multiple weekend meetings with anxious holiday clients trying to wrap up details of projects that "must be here", and holiday decor that "must be perfect", and the world is good.
It never ceases to amaze me the support that I receive from the design trade suppliers in Mid Ohio. I have become accustomed to overwhelming customer service, continued support and generosity. We do have some of the best "to the trade" resources that I have ever seen. They just flat out respond to a rushed schedule and an impossible day. I tend to frequent the ones that can respond to my impossible deadlines, with a smile. They get my business on a more controlled leisurely day, to thank them for being there when it was just plain crazy.
I have to mention one such person that is above the rest in attitude, creativity, and personal responsibility. That is Monica from Ruth Wilson Showrooms. I can call and describe a problem to her and in ten minutes I have a call back with multiple vendor solutions, complete with stock information, shipping suggestions, and fabrication suggestions. She knows this industry and is not afraid to take on a challenge. I do not know what I would do with out her on a daily basis.
Thanks Monica.
It never ceases to amaze me the support that I receive from the design trade suppliers in Mid Ohio. I have become accustomed to overwhelming customer service, continued support and generosity. We do have some of the best "to the trade" resources that I have ever seen. They just flat out respond to a rushed schedule and an impossible day. I tend to frequent the ones that can respond to my impossible deadlines, with a smile. They get my business on a more controlled leisurely day, to thank them for being there when it was just plain crazy.
I have to mention one such person that is above the rest in attitude, creativity, and personal responsibility. That is Monica from Ruth Wilson Showrooms. I can call and describe a problem to her and in ten minutes I have a call back with multiple vendor solutions, complete with stock information, shipping suggestions, and fabrication suggestions. She knows this industry and is not afraid to take on a challenge. I do not know what I would do with out her on a daily basis.
Thanks Monica.
Bathing Beauties
It seems that there is never enough time to talk about the truly luxurious parts of our lives, much less really enjoy them. I am talking about bathrooms, the luxurious place that we come to, to soak, revitalize our skin, moisturize our bodies, and make our feet perfect again.
I love a neutral bathroom accented with texture and gilt. Silver, gold, copper, or bronze. Never ever can be too much of it in a space that reflects our skin back to us. Cream, white, taupe, and beige are all restful, and inviting for that half hour of indulgence that we all long for.
My best memories in New Albany are in my first master bath here. I remember feeling scared about my new adventures, a little weary from court proceedings in my divorce, and overwhelmed with grown up children problems and sinking into that big hot steamy tub - where everything just floated away. I would stay until my toes were pruney and my mood was wistful. I would wind down and steam myself into dreamland. Now going back to that house, and recreating all the spaces that I miss so much will be a wonderful dream come true.
So now recreating and improving will include some crystal, some silk, and of course caramel velvet with multiple silk trims and huge tie backs. And of course some hot steamy bath time with pruney toes. Life just never stops surprising me.
I love a neutral bathroom accented with texture and gilt. Silver, gold, copper, or bronze. Never ever can be too much of it in a space that reflects our skin back to us. Cream, white, taupe, and beige are all restful, and inviting for that half hour of indulgence that we all long for.
My best memories in New Albany are in my first master bath here. I remember feeling scared about my new adventures, a little weary from court proceedings in my divorce, and overwhelmed with grown up children problems and sinking into that big hot steamy tub - where everything just floated away. I would stay until my toes were pruney and my mood was wistful. I would wind down and steam myself into dreamland. Now going back to that house, and recreating all the spaces that I miss so much will be a wonderful dream come true.
So now recreating and improving will include some crystal, some silk, and of course caramel velvet with multiple silk trims and huge tie backs. And of course some hot steamy bath time with pruney toes. Life just never stops surprising me.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Climbing the Mountain
Okay now remember the words of wisdom that ring in my ear at moments like this.
Climb the mountain one step at a time. When there is so much great work.
When every client is your favorite, and you will not allow yourself to have a
mis step. When business is blossoming all around you, and you make lists of
your lists, just keep climbing one step at a time.
Each day of fabulous design work is a gift from the design Gods.
Every interior that is changed because of insight, experience and industry
knowledge is a beautiful creation that is there only because of you. (and yes in ten
years they will change it and call you back)
Design is a really fun business. But it is a business, don't forget.
Your best clients become your friends.
Your more difficult clients won't look at you at Kroger.
Your best friends are oftentimes not the best clients. (that goes for family too)
Your mother calls you when you are just plain tired and tells you how much you mean to her.
Your laundry still needs to be done, your dusting is still never done, and the dishes are piling up.
Business is strong. We will embrace every step of this process. And be grateful for a chance to make a difference.
Climb the mountain one step at a time. When there is so much great work.
When every client is your favorite, and you will not allow yourself to have a
mis step. When business is blossoming all around you, and you make lists of
your lists, just keep climbing one step at a time.
Each day of fabulous design work is a gift from the design Gods.
Every interior that is changed because of insight, experience and industry
knowledge is a beautiful creation that is there only because of you. (and yes in ten
years they will change it and call you back)
Design is a really fun business. But it is a business, don't forget.
Your best clients become your friends.
Your more difficult clients won't look at you at Kroger.
Your best friends are oftentimes not the best clients. (that goes for family too)
Your mother calls you when you are just plain tired and tells you how much you mean to her.
Your laundry still needs to be done, your dusting is still never done, and the dishes are piling up.
Business is strong. We will embrace every step of this process. And be grateful for a chance to make a difference.
Tis the Season
Fall and winter are totally my busiest times of the year.
Everyone just kind of wakes up and realizes that they need to get ready for the holidays, and it almost assuradly includes something to do with changes inside their homes. I welcome this "going inside time" and think it is part of the Midwest nesting process. I do it too.
Almost all of my clients have contacted me in the last four weeks and I have added at least 10 new projects to the mix of work that I was already involved with. I think that Columbus is a miraculous place to live and work. We are all lucky to be here.
From Home theatres, to Master Bedrooms, numerous dining rooms, countless living rooms, family rooms, guest bedrooms, and of course kitchen changes, the tempo has certainly picked up in Columbus Ohio. That is not even mentioning my Michigan clients. Christy Collection Inc. has blossomed into a firm of creative thinking, and achievement faster than I dreamed possible.
As we venture inside, remember to take stock of outdoor rooms, and garden areas and prepare them for more brutal exposure. Bring in all cushions, cover and enclose grills, or remove tanks or gas connections and store them inside. Remove draperies, accessories (candles, lamps, area rugs) that might not deal with freeze and thaw real well. My screened in porch is a haven year round. It is a favorite kids hang out (I think it is because it is kind of away from adults) and has to stay in tact, rain or snow included. My decor (as you know) is fairly bullet proof, and I will test it one more time.
Garages need to be cleared out, garage sale time, and snow blowers prepped for winter and kept at the ready. Cars need to be able to be stored inside so that you can get in and be toasty right away. Nothing makes us more upset than having to scrape ice or snow off a windshield because the car does not FIT in the garage.
This is a great time to donate extra acquired goodies to the shelter, habitat for Humanity, or church bazaar, as everyone is getting ready for holiday fundraising for people that sincerely need our help. Remember that most of them will give you a receipt for a write off, and it feels so good to help others.
I am heavily engaged in Holiday Decor and start installations at the beginning of November. My calendar is booked this year. It will be an amazing season.
If you need holiday cheer, stay tuned. This company and my family have alot to be grateful for this year and we will be looking for ways to give back. Join us.
Everyone just kind of wakes up and realizes that they need to get ready for the holidays, and it almost assuradly includes something to do with changes inside their homes. I welcome this "going inside time" and think it is part of the Midwest nesting process. I do it too.
Almost all of my clients have contacted me in the last four weeks and I have added at least 10 new projects to the mix of work that I was already involved with. I think that Columbus is a miraculous place to live and work. We are all lucky to be here.
From Home theatres, to Master Bedrooms, numerous dining rooms, countless living rooms, family rooms, guest bedrooms, and of course kitchen changes, the tempo has certainly picked up in Columbus Ohio. That is not even mentioning my Michigan clients. Christy Collection Inc. has blossomed into a firm of creative thinking, and achievement faster than I dreamed possible.
As we venture inside, remember to take stock of outdoor rooms, and garden areas and prepare them for more brutal exposure. Bring in all cushions, cover and enclose grills, or remove tanks or gas connections and store them inside. Remove draperies, accessories (candles, lamps, area rugs) that might not deal with freeze and thaw real well. My screened in porch is a haven year round. It is a favorite kids hang out (I think it is because it is kind of away from adults) and has to stay in tact, rain or snow included. My decor (as you know) is fairly bullet proof, and I will test it one more time.
Garages need to be cleared out, garage sale time, and snow blowers prepped for winter and kept at the ready. Cars need to be able to be stored inside so that you can get in and be toasty right away. Nothing makes us more upset than having to scrape ice or snow off a windshield because the car does not FIT in the garage.
This is a great time to donate extra acquired goodies to the shelter, habitat for Humanity, or church bazaar, as everyone is getting ready for holiday fundraising for people that sincerely need our help. Remember that most of them will give you a receipt for a write off, and it feels so good to help others.
I am heavily engaged in Holiday Decor and start installations at the beginning of November. My calendar is booked this year. It will be an amazing season.
If you need holiday cheer, stay tuned. This company and my family have alot to be grateful for this year and we will be looking for ways to give back. Join us.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Sometimes We Just Need to Spell it All Out
Interior Design is half passion, and half knowledge. I have known and employed many designers in my extensive tenure as an interior designer and the ones that I remember and enjoy are the ones that are truly passionate about their work. No one should be involved with a designer that does not enjoy what they do. It is counterproductive to the process.
Christy Collection Inc. is a unique interior design firm. We do work for many different kinds of clients, but one thing is consistent. Every one wants to have their dollars spent wisely on products, finishes, and accessories that will enhance their lives and possibly be handed down to future generations. This is an investment attitude of designing a space. Most ASID designers, like us, have huge amounts of resources available to them, if they have managed their credit, and their manufacturer relationships. Christy Collection Inc. happens to be extremely fortunate, as very high discount dealers of most lines. We simply buy products cheaper than most of our peers, because of our credit rating, our volume and our payment history. We are credible business people, as well as very talented designers. It takes both to survive in the design meccha that we live in.
Our history with many different types of interiors is very vast. We have designed extremely specific researched historical spaces, nouveaux contemporary spaces, and a huge mix in between. Our clients are not always the elite, or the rich and famous. But most of our clients do understand the trust and assurance that working with a good team of design professionals brings to a project. We just know where to get installation assistance for all parts of a project. We know where to order, and how much we should be paying. We know which products will last, which ones need TLC and which ones to put in an eight year olds bedroom. Christy Collection Inc. not only does vast residential work in the Midwest, but we also design vast amounts of Healthcare space every year. Problem solving at it's most urgent and cost effectiveness.
Christy Collection Inc. has excellent references, an extensive array of satisfied customers, and a very successful track record in getting the project done, ontime and in budget. We are experienced and creative in all aspects of the interiors project. But mostly (importantly) we are fun to work with. Getting a project done is one thing. Enjoying doing it, is another.
Please visit our website at www.christycollectioninc.com, and our facebook page under Christy Collection Inc. and our new blog at http://activerain.com/blogs/clchristy4544 (this blog is a recreation of our main blog here for the real estate industry. We are pleased to serve you, and pleased to communicate with you.
Christy Collection Inc. is a unique interior design firm. We do work for many different kinds of clients, but one thing is consistent. Every one wants to have their dollars spent wisely on products, finishes, and accessories that will enhance their lives and possibly be handed down to future generations. This is an investment attitude of designing a space. Most ASID designers, like us, have huge amounts of resources available to them, if they have managed their credit, and their manufacturer relationships. Christy Collection Inc. happens to be extremely fortunate, as very high discount dealers of most lines. We simply buy products cheaper than most of our peers, because of our credit rating, our volume and our payment history. We are credible business people, as well as very talented designers. It takes both to survive in the design meccha that we live in.
Our history with many different types of interiors is very vast. We have designed extremely specific researched historical spaces, nouveaux contemporary spaces, and a huge mix in between. Our clients are not always the elite, or the rich and famous. But most of our clients do understand the trust and assurance that working with a good team of design professionals brings to a project. We just know where to get installation assistance for all parts of a project. We know where to order, and how much we should be paying. We know which products will last, which ones need TLC and which ones to put in an eight year olds bedroom. Christy Collection Inc. not only does vast residential work in the Midwest, but we also design vast amounts of Healthcare space every year. Problem solving at it's most urgent and cost effectiveness.
Christy Collection Inc. has excellent references, an extensive array of satisfied customers, and a very successful track record in getting the project done, ontime and in budget. We are experienced and creative in all aspects of the interiors project. But mostly (importantly) we are fun to work with. Getting a project done is one thing. Enjoying doing it, is another.
Please visit our website at www.christycollectioninc.com, and our facebook page under Christy Collection Inc. and our new blog at http://activerain.com/blogs/clchristy4544 (this blog is a recreation of our main blog here for the real estate industry. We are pleased to serve you, and pleased to communicate with you.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Holidays Rushing Toward Us
This last respite of warm weather, and all of it's glory has been so good for my soul. I have enjoyed it with gusto, used it to accomplish goals, embraced the weather and basked in the sun whenever I could. So now tomorrow's colder temps and storms rushing in will be welcome, as change is welcome in our lives. The holiday season is fast approaching and Holiday Decor season is closing in on Christy Collection Inc. My dates are set, and installs are all scheduled, with adjustments and changes noted with each client. I love this time of year. I get to connect with all of my happy decor clients and plan their family holiday celebrations, support their parties, and get organized for the holidays with a cast of many. This year the theme that is most popular is an elegant family traditional theme. Golds, silvers, bronze, and copper are being accented with lots of white, and pearl. Red is always popular, but this year it has ebbed a bit and seems to becoming deeper, more cranberry.
Garlands are being decorated with fruits and berries. Trees are glowing with white lights (mainly) and natural accents of nature, pine cones, floral accents, deeper metallics and moss greens. Lots of very tall trees. Lusher mantles, with candle light and floor touching boughs. Coordinated exterior entryways, with heavy embellished garlands, wreaths, with natural accents, and deeper metallic details.
Many of my holiday decor clients entertain all season. Family parties, office parties, luncheons, wine tastings, intimate family dinners, and the private family hearth where presents are opened and Christmas morning happens.
It is so much fun to be invited in to help make these parts of our clients homes special, and maintain family traditions as familes grow, change, and include friends as well.
As the flurry of holiday planning starts, remember to take time to nurture yourself. Set aside down time for just enjoying your home, your small circle of freinds that are the closest to you, and quiet time with your family to see your home early in the morning, late in the evening and as you get ready for sleep. These are the times that children remember the most.
And then of course in early January Christy Collection swoops in, takes everything down, stores it off site, and leaves your home back to normal with no visible signs that we were there at all. That is the service that we provide for Columbus, and have been doing this for many years. That is how we leave you time to enjoy, energy to make it through, and fresh new ideas for next year.
Garlands are being decorated with fruits and berries. Trees are glowing with white lights (mainly) and natural accents of nature, pine cones, floral accents, deeper metallics and moss greens. Lots of very tall trees. Lusher mantles, with candle light and floor touching boughs. Coordinated exterior entryways, with heavy embellished garlands, wreaths, with natural accents, and deeper metallic details.
Many of my holiday decor clients entertain all season. Family parties, office parties, luncheons, wine tastings, intimate family dinners, and the private family hearth where presents are opened and Christmas morning happens.
It is so much fun to be invited in to help make these parts of our clients homes special, and maintain family traditions as familes grow, change, and include friends as well.
As the flurry of holiday planning starts, remember to take time to nurture yourself. Set aside down time for just enjoying your home, your small circle of freinds that are the closest to you, and quiet time with your family to see your home early in the morning, late in the evening and as you get ready for sleep. These are the times that children remember the most.
And then of course in early January Christy Collection swoops in, takes everything down, stores it off site, and leaves your home back to normal with no visible signs that we were there at all. That is the service that we provide for Columbus, and have been doing this for many years. That is how we leave you time to enjoy, energy to make it through, and fresh new ideas for next year.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Bali Orphanage and School Update
The birth of the Annie Grace Foundation for the Children of Bali is almost here. I have been researching information about what is necessary to do to establish an orphanage and school in Bali Indonesia. There is so much to do, but my load will be lightened by all of the people that are coming forward offering to help.
My aim all along has been to serve all children of Bali, with a focus on the underserved Hindu children that seem to have the largest need. I am hearing so much about the struggles of female children and young women all over Asia and am just beginning research into how pervasive that problem might be in Indonesia. If need be, I will shift my focus to reach out to those that have been affected by human trafficking or kidnapping. I am here to serve those in Bali that have the most dire need, and those issues will be searched out and discussed with all of those that are lending help.
The book "Half the Sky" by Nicholas D. Kristof offers many connections for those starting schools in Asia and Africa. I am contacting him to open dialogue into what some of the largest needs are for women in Indonesia. He is a seasoned veteran of these causes and a Pulitzer Prize winner for his work on this cause and his writings with the New York Times and his own books. He writes with his Chinese/American wife and serves this cause with she and his children.
I met with my family physician today and she had insight into other research materials that may prove fruitful in my search. I am a student of this process and will proceed slowly and judiciously to make sure that my efforts serve the most need.
My Mother accompanied me on a trip to Bali about ten years ago. She was captivated with the children of Bali and befriended my friends instantly. The school and orphanage are named in her honor, as she has taught me about love for children with how she has loved her own six children and her multitude of grandchildren selflessly and tirelessly. Annie Grace is worthy of this tribute. Bali awaits.
My aim all along has been to serve all children of Bali, with a focus on the underserved Hindu children that seem to have the largest need. I am hearing so much about the struggles of female children and young women all over Asia and am just beginning research into how pervasive that problem might be in Indonesia. If need be, I will shift my focus to reach out to those that have been affected by human trafficking or kidnapping. I am here to serve those in Bali that have the most dire need, and those issues will be searched out and discussed with all of those that are lending help.
The book "Half the Sky" by Nicholas D. Kristof offers many connections for those starting schools in Asia and Africa. I am contacting him to open dialogue into what some of the largest needs are for women in Indonesia. He is a seasoned veteran of these causes and a Pulitzer Prize winner for his work on this cause and his writings with the New York Times and his own books. He writes with his Chinese/American wife and serves this cause with she and his children.
I met with my family physician today and she had insight into other research materials that may prove fruitful in my search. I am a student of this process and will proceed slowly and judiciously to make sure that my efforts serve the most need.
My Mother accompanied me on a trip to Bali about ten years ago. She was captivated with the children of Bali and befriended my friends instantly. The school and orphanage are named in her honor, as she has taught me about love for children with how she has loved her own six children and her multitude of grandchildren selflessly and tirelessly. Annie Grace is worthy of this tribute. Bali awaits.
Indian Summer in Columbus
Okay maybe it is not officially Indian Summer. But it definitely warm and it is fall, so I kind of lumped that all together and decided it is my Indian Summer.
My meetings today took me all over Columbus and busy all day. When I finally got home and could grab the convertible, I was so happy, that I just could hardly contain myself. How can wind in your hair and exposure to sun have such an effect on me? I mean come on, design is a happy profession. Rarely is there a bad day in designing beautiful spaces. I am absolutely relishing the feeling that this is giving me. Kind of reminds me when I rode a bike 10 - 15 miles a day in high school. (could never borrow my Mom's car - it was a tool in our lives, not something for enjoyment) I remember riding down Olentangy, then a scenic road with little traffic, and having the sun explode through the trees at intervals while I rode really really fast. Using my toe clips and moving as fast as I could, wind was across my face and it just felt GREAT to go fast.
I was looking forward to this evening and digging into a project that is a really nice one. Very creative, and wanted to make sure that my muse was working. And it is working. Having a few beautiful days before the onset of colder and soon to be snowier weather has made me cherish this little respite of fun. And as long as I am still being productive, and creating beautiful interiors, then all is well in New Albany Ohio.
So I will work into the wee hours pulling textiles, trims, and color into a symphony of notes that support one another and leave a client breathless in their own home, or something close. This is turning out to be a wonderful week of good solid presentations, good design solutions, and satisfaction in a job well done. I love happy clients, and I have many of them this week.
My meetings today took me all over Columbus and busy all day. When I finally got home and could grab the convertible, I was so happy, that I just could hardly contain myself. How can wind in your hair and exposure to sun have such an effect on me? I mean come on, design is a happy profession. Rarely is there a bad day in designing beautiful spaces. I am absolutely relishing the feeling that this is giving me. Kind of reminds me when I rode a bike 10 - 15 miles a day in high school. (could never borrow my Mom's car - it was a tool in our lives, not something for enjoyment) I remember riding down Olentangy, then a scenic road with little traffic, and having the sun explode through the trees at intervals while I rode really really fast. Using my toe clips and moving as fast as I could, wind was across my face and it just felt GREAT to go fast.
I was looking forward to this evening and digging into a project that is a really nice one. Very creative, and wanted to make sure that my muse was working. And it is working. Having a few beautiful days before the onset of colder and soon to be snowier weather has made me cherish this little respite of fun. And as long as I am still being productive, and creating beautiful interiors, then all is well in New Albany Ohio.
So I will work into the wee hours pulling textiles, trims, and color into a symphony of notes that support one another and leave a client breathless in their own home, or something close. This is turning out to be a wonderful week of good solid presentations, good design solutions, and satisfaction in a job well done. I love happy clients, and I have many of them this week.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Found Objects
The use of found objects is an art in interior design.
I developed a keener sense of this in my travels all over the world collecting pieces that became art with a post pedestal, or some kind of bracket that allowed for mounting on the wall.
My favorite found objects to use in interior spaces as art are fragments of clothing with special embroidery, or attachements to them. I first began collecting clothing fragments when I met some members of the Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand. They are persecuted in Burma and cross over into Chiang Mai for opportunities to raise their children in peace. As their lives change, they tear off cuffs from shirts, and collars from jackets. These textiles are heavily embroidered with cotton thread in tiny patterns that are more geometric than most textiles that I collect. I carried these fragments wrapped in tissue paper in my luggage. I would visit my framer and "float " the textiles on dull black matte board, with black wooden frames. The textiles would oftentimes be stitched on to the board to keep them in place. Sometimes three cuffs would be displayed in a row, if the embroidery or base cloth relate to one another. With silver buttons, bugles and hand made ornamentation, these textiles are wonderful to look at framed.
I also collected many garment fragments in Cambodia and China. Both have many "tribes" of people that are disappearing, and their familes are more than willing to sell off pieces of their old clothing. The tribal way of life is being challenged by factory jobs, loss of farming communes, and lack of interest in rural life. The manufacturing in both of these countries has increased so dramatically, that the "old way of life" is not only easily disposed of, but mostly forgotten. The small "local" markets in many areas of these countries are full of textiles that I gathered gladly and transported back to my framers in Michigan, now Ohio. The textiles make lovely art pieces when framed in the way I described. It is art, and it is nice to be involved in perserving.
I developed a keener sense of this in my travels all over the world collecting pieces that became art with a post pedestal, or some kind of bracket that allowed for mounting on the wall.
My favorite found objects to use in interior spaces as art are fragments of clothing with special embroidery, or attachements to them. I first began collecting clothing fragments when I met some members of the Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand. They are persecuted in Burma and cross over into Chiang Mai for opportunities to raise their children in peace. As their lives change, they tear off cuffs from shirts, and collars from jackets. These textiles are heavily embroidered with cotton thread in tiny patterns that are more geometric than most textiles that I collect. I carried these fragments wrapped in tissue paper in my luggage. I would visit my framer and "float " the textiles on dull black matte board, with black wooden frames. The textiles would oftentimes be stitched on to the board to keep them in place. Sometimes three cuffs would be displayed in a row, if the embroidery or base cloth relate to one another. With silver buttons, bugles and hand made ornamentation, these textiles are wonderful to look at framed.
I also collected many garment fragments in Cambodia and China. Both have many "tribes" of people that are disappearing, and their familes are more than willing to sell off pieces of their old clothing. The tribal way of life is being challenged by factory jobs, loss of farming communes, and lack of interest in rural life. The manufacturing in both of these countries has increased so dramatically, that the "old way of life" is not only easily disposed of, but mostly forgotten. The small "local" markets in many areas of these countries are full of textiles that I gathered gladly and transported back to my framers in Michigan, now Ohio. The textiles make lovely art pieces when framed in the way I described. It is art, and it is nice to be involved in perserving.
Summer Salute
On such a warm and special day, I wanted to take a moment to salute the passing summer and give her a rich send off. I enjoyed the 70+ degrees today. Found an excuse to sit in the convertible with the top down and read a new arrived book for an hour. That is rare for me. I just simply decided to slow down, relish the feeling of being warm and sunny, and have a good read in the middle of my afternoon. Hugely indulgent for me.
This summer was one of great professional accomplishments for me. I enjoyed the company of so many amazing clients, accomplishing interiors that suited their lifestyles, met their budget and challenged them to see an expanded view. I got to know more areas of Columbus. The city just keeps opening up to me (being a Michigan transplant is not always easy on this Wolverine)
and offering me more and more experiences that are not taken for granted.
Recently I had the pleasure to work with an extremely giving family. They focus on giving back, and doing it in very personal ways. They teach their children that with privledge comes a tremendous responsibility. These kids have been working in holiday soup kitchens since they could toddle. It is the way that the kids appreciate their holiday celebration with a humble understanding of the rest of Columbus. Their home has been a wonder for me. I challenged myself to add to their lives. My part in their home is growing, and I am actually seeing the fruits of my labor and involvement change the patterns of how they use their spaces. More cuddle spaces. More light and morning time to reflect and direct the day for busy professionals. More cozy family spaces for coming together and sharing the days events with each other. It is so much fun to actually see the interaction get better and better supported by the right furniture and the right placement for how they live. We accomplished alot of these changes this summer. We worked inside and outside. And now as the warm days are waning and the days are getting shorter, it is interesting to watch the lighting in their home change. It is getting more inside oriented and intimate. That transition is nice for the time of the season. I always get hugs from their children as I arrive at their home. They are loving people and the home shows this.
I appreciate the chance to make a difference.
This summer was one of great professional accomplishments for me. I enjoyed the company of so many amazing clients, accomplishing interiors that suited their lifestyles, met their budget and challenged them to see an expanded view. I got to know more areas of Columbus. The city just keeps opening up to me (being a Michigan transplant is not always easy on this Wolverine)
and offering me more and more experiences that are not taken for granted.
Recently I had the pleasure to work with an extremely giving family. They focus on giving back, and doing it in very personal ways. They teach their children that with privledge comes a tremendous responsibility. These kids have been working in holiday soup kitchens since they could toddle. It is the way that the kids appreciate their holiday celebration with a humble understanding of the rest of Columbus. Their home has been a wonder for me. I challenged myself to add to their lives. My part in their home is growing, and I am actually seeing the fruits of my labor and involvement change the patterns of how they use their spaces. More cuddle spaces. More light and morning time to reflect and direct the day for busy professionals. More cozy family spaces for coming together and sharing the days events with each other. It is so much fun to actually see the interaction get better and better supported by the right furniture and the right placement for how they live. We accomplished alot of these changes this summer. We worked inside and outside. And now as the warm days are waning and the days are getting shorter, it is interesting to watch the lighting in their home change. It is getting more inside oriented and intimate. That transition is nice for the time of the season. I always get hugs from their children as I arrive at their home. They are loving people and the home shows this.
I appreciate the chance to make a difference.
Traditional with a Twist
Defining what traditional is for most of my clients is an interesting feat. I have very few clients that follow Jamestown or Williamsburg when looking for inspiration for an interior space. (Although I have had two in my career.) It is more common to have a base of traditional pieces to spring from, with a departure or two (or many more) to bring spaces to a place of personal expression.
Recently a favorite couple that are enjoying the hunting and gathering of completing their new home defined their brand of traditional as "arts & crafts meets contemporary punch". I liked it. And it is really true. When choosing substantial pieces (especially case pieces ) for this client we are straight on - Arts & Crafts. When choosing color, texture, finishes and accents, we have a surprising touch of whimsey that has really made this new home an expression of their self confidence and of their well lived lives.
It all started when I was pouring over photographs of past homes that they have owned. I saw a life collection, of not just art, furniture and accessories, but of smiling family and friends sharing the photos. I decided that what was making all of these people be so comfortable in their surroundings was letting the "life" that this couple have lived shine through in every room. Every room shone with celebrations, yoga practices, feasts, and just hanging around on comfortable furnishings that had no sharp edges or angles. The people had no sharp edges either. They were comfy and silly and not taking anything too seriously.
As our interiors have come together, I am reminded over and over that the success of the spaces rests solely on the adaptation of their lives to these spaces, and the transport of the smiling faces to new surroundings with no interuption of it. That is a huge accomplishment and one that I am extremely proud of.
Recently a favorite couple that are enjoying the hunting and gathering of completing their new home defined their brand of traditional as "arts & crafts meets contemporary punch". I liked it. And it is really true. When choosing substantial pieces (especially case pieces ) for this client we are straight on - Arts & Crafts. When choosing color, texture, finishes and accents, we have a surprising touch of whimsey that has really made this new home an expression of their self confidence and of their well lived lives.
It all started when I was pouring over photographs of past homes that they have owned. I saw a life collection, of not just art, furniture and accessories, but of smiling family and friends sharing the photos. I decided that what was making all of these people be so comfortable in their surroundings was letting the "life" that this couple have lived shine through in every room. Every room shone with celebrations, yoga practices, feasts, and just hanging around on comfortable furnishings that had no sharp edges or angles. The people had no sharp edges either. They were comfy and silly and not taking anything too seriously.
As our interiors have come together, I am reminded over and over that the success of the spaces rests solely on the adaptation of their lives to these spaces, and the transport of the smiling faces to new surroundings with no interuption of it. That is a huge accomplishment and one that I am extremely proud of.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Well Composed
We have talked about the value of a nurturing space to sleep. We have talked about making it zen for your life. I wanted to share with you what makes my sleep space in my life ZEN for me.
In the midst of life trauma, sometimes memories are the surest soothing that we can seek. Photos and mementos of our life can overwhelm a house. (think Grandma) When treated as art and displayed is artful ways, they can define a life lived well. I have large studio portraits that are truly art of all of my children. They are framed in cherry and depict a time of my life that I will never forget. They do not make me sad, they help me to keep perspective on change, growth and love in my life. I have airbrushed all the family portraits that included my ex and he is gently removed. When he stared down at me, I felt uneasy and sad as if he was in the room, reminding me that it was different. With him removed, I just remember the children that day, posing, complaining, and being silly all during the photo shoots. They DO define me. They knew me when I was stern, working hard, striving for excellence in our robust family, taking time to fix everything that was broken, sleeping little, loving constantly, and never ever giving up on anything.
Today the photos tell me to take it a little easier. Stop and listen when my children speak. Give them time to express how they are, feel and perceive me. Not focus on creating a life, but living a life.
I also have a huge cabinet with glass shelves set at about 5" apart that display all of their little clay, sand, yarn and shell art. I have a shelf for each child that depicts their personality, their bold use of materials, or their unbridled imagination. Some of the pieces are broken, or in a stage of falling apart. Some of them have their names scrawled on them in a 6 year olds hand. Some of them are undistinguishable, as to what they are, or were. But all of them are priceless. If you burned down my house, those little clay figures are what I would save. They are beyond darling. They are my kids. Someday, if they insist, I will give them to them. But until then, I will look at them last before I sleep, and thank my angels and my God for the moments in my life that they have given me to enjoy all the little things. All the beings that grow, change and become themselves with just a sliver of input from me.
Isn't this world just amazing.
In the midst of life trauma, sometimes memories are the surest soothing that we can seek. Photos and mementos of our life can overwhelm a house. (think Grandma) When treated as art and displayed is artful ways, they can define a life lived well. I have large studio portraits that are truly art of all of my children. They are framed in cherry and depict a time of my life that I will never forget. They do not make me sad, they help me to keep perspective on change, growth and love in my life. I have airbrushed all the family portraits that included my ex and he is gently removed. When he stared down at me, I felt uneasy and sad as if he was in the room, reminding me that it was different. With him removed, I just remember the children that day, posing, complaining, and being silly all during the photo shoots. They DO define me. They knew me when I was stern, working hard, striving for excellence in our robust family, taking time to fix everything that was broken, sleeping little, loving constantly, and never ever giving up on anything.
Today the photos tell me to take it a little easier. Stop and listen when my children speak. Give them time to express how they are, feel and perceive me. Not focus on creating a life, but living a life.
I also have a huge cabinet with glass shelves set at about 5" apart that display all of their little clay, sand, yarn and shell art. I have a shelf for each child that depicts their personality, their bold use of materials, or their unbridled imagination. Some of the pieces are broken, or in a stage of falling apart. Some of them have their names scrawled on them in a 6 year olds hand. Some of them are undistinguishable, as to what they are, or were. But all of them are priceless. If you burned down my house, those little clay figures are what I would save. They are beyond darling. They are my kids. Someday, if they insist, I will give them to them. But until then, I will look at them last before I sleep, and thank my angels and my God for the moments in my life that they have given me to enjoy all the little things. All the beings that grow, change and become themselves with just a sliver of input from me.
Isn't this world just amazing.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are
Wow. The visual images in this film have me wanting to go home and do rooms in woven straw, raffia and small sticks.
I loved the film. From an interiors perspective:
The house that Max lives in is simple. The Mom has obviously gone through a tough divorce, and had a difficult time not losing her spirit along with her life. Max is acting out, tearing up the house and trying to survive his emotional baggage along with the rest of the family. His older sister does not protect him from her friends brutality. His mother is wooing a new lover while he longs to just be home.
He escapes to a new land, by sea, in his homemade toothpick boat. He makes new friends, and brings his status as "king" and problem solver to their world. He soon finds that it is just like his world. Full of the same problems, betrayals, and security of just one love. He longs for his mother and to return to her undenied care for him.
He crosses the sea again, to find that the love is now gone, and his sad mother is there just waiting for her loved son to return.
His adventures are full of rich visuals. His world escapes outside of a 1960's house, with siding, a vacant yard, and lonely world. He builds his own world of ice, or twigs. He learns to survive in it, no matter what everyone else does. Isn't that just about all we can teach our children?
I loved the film. From an interiors perspective:
The house that Max lives in is simple. The Mom has obviously gone through a tough divorce, and had a difficult time not losing her spirit along with her life. Max is acting out, tearing up the house and trying to survive his emotional baggage along with the rest of the family. His older sister does not protect him from her friends brutality. His mother is wooing a new lover while he longs to just be home.
He escapes to a new land, by sea, in his homemade toothpick boat. He makes new friends, and brings his status as "king" and problem solver to their world. He soon finds that it is just like his world. Full of the same problems, betrayals, and security of just one love. He longs for his mother and to return to her undenied care for him.
He crosses the sea again, to find that the love is now gone, and his sad mother is there just waiting for her loved son to return.
His adventures are full of rich visuals. His world escapes outside of a 1960's house, with siding, a vacant yard, and lonely world. He builds his own world of ice, or twigs. He learns to survive in it, no matter what everyone else does. Isn't that just about all we can teach our children?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Shopping the International Markets as a Designer
The most enjoyable part of my job is traveling the world looking for unusual one of a kind pieces of art, architectural fragments, furniture, and other curiosities that I turn into something else.
I have done this for many years, and find the hunt, negotiation, and transport of these items to be not only challenging, but alot of fun. The most interesting story was when I was lead to a find of very old Chinese artefacts in the city of Hunan. My liasion had only heard of this area of China and had never been there himself. We rented a car and driver, and made the two hour drive to the countryside with no real expectations. We found a series of small shacks that were very old and built in a circle. In the center, a dirt assembly, parking lot, workshop emerged. It was really common ground where different collectors worked communally on the pieces in their own shacks. Each shack was full to the roof timbers with furniture, pieces of buildings, doors, ceramics, glass, and a flurry of people working. The story was that this was where pieces were brought from the country and restored or repaired for sale to some of the nicer shops in Guangzhou. To me, it was absolute paradise.
My stores were always ready for new great pieces, and this was an amazing find. I never minded seeing older pieces before they were restored or repaired, so that the work could be coordinated and directed to the taste of my loyal customers back in the midwest. My liasion and I spent a whole day (until darkness and insufficient lighting made us stop) sorting through each shack and negotiating for the items that I needed to send back to my little operation in Michigan. Each piece not only needed to be purchased, but decisions had to be made how I would use it, whether it needed to be put on a post and base for display, like sculpture, or hung on a wall as decoration, or simply sat on a floor or shelf. This was a big deal with the pieces that we found, as some of them were very large, very heavy, or extremely broken.
The first important decision that had to be made was who would be doing the restoration. Not every little shack/shop had their own people and since we did not know their talents, instead with limited time we focused on communicating to the seller of the item that we would handle the repair or restoration ourselves, and we took extensive notes about what we would do to each piece. I always carried a bound book for each trip where I kept detailed notes about each piece that I bought, the age, origination, and condition, so this was not a big deal to add to the information. Each page was a separate vendor with a business card stapled to the corner and the translation of the card in English below.
That was a fateful shipment from Southern China. The pieces were some of the most exquisite that I found in all of my travels there. And they were the oldest. Which became a very big problem. The Chinese Government does not allow any true antiques to leave the country without permission from their Department of Antiquities. All pieces imported needed a red seal (looked like a wax stamp but was actually red liquid plastic stamped) to be able to be loaded in a container. These were way beyond that. It was explained to me as they lanquished in Southern China while the Government decided what could leave and what must stay, that these pieces were significant and that would add alot more time to the process.
One year later the pieces made it through the channels and were loaded into a container. The fact that most of them were building fragments, old signs, and sculpture made the process much more difficult. We ended up receiving about 2/3 of what we paid for that day. I was thrilled.
When the container arrived and finally made it to the stores, we had people waiting for select pieces. It was a huge feeding frenzy, and most were sold within 48 hours of reaching the store.
I was fortunate enough to keep one piece from that load. She is a Female Chinese Goddess, almost life size that sits in my entry foyer today. She is over 200 years old, and was never restored, because of her age and value. She has weathered some huge storms with me, and will never be sold because of this. We are kind of in this together at this point. Like my youngest daughter, also a survivor of Chinese rule, we are joined at the hip, forever.
I have done this for many years, and find the hunt, negotiation, and transport of these items to be not only challenging, but alot of fun. The most interesting story was when I was lead to a find of very old Chinese artefacts in the city of Hunan. My liasion had only heard of this area of China and had never been there himself. We rented a car and driver, and made the two hour drive to the countryside with no real expectations. We found a series of small shacks that were very old and built in a circle. In the center, a dirt assembly, parking lot, workshop emerged. It was really common ground where different collectors worked communally on the pieces in their own shacks. Each shack was full to the roof timbers with furniture, pieces of buildings, doors, ceramics, glass, and a flurry of people working. The story was that this was where pieces were brought from the country and restored or repaired for sale to some of the nicer shops in Guangzhou. To me, it was absolute paradise.
My stores were always ready for new great pieces, and this was an amazing find. I never minded seeing older pieces before they were restored or repaired, so that the work could be coordinated and directed to the taste of my loyal customers back in the midwest. My liasion and I spent a whole day (until darkness and insufficient lighting made us stop) sorting through each shack and negotiating for the items that I needed to send back to my little operation in Michigan. Each piece not only needed to be purchased, but decisions had to be made how I would use it, whether it needed to be put on a post and base for display, like sculpture, or hung on a wall as decoration, or simply sat on a floor or shelf. This was a big deal with the pieces that we found, as some of them were very large, very heavy, or extremely broken.
The first important decision that had to be made was who would be doing the restoration. Not every little shack/shop had their own people and since we did not know their talents, instead with limited time we focused on communicating to the seller of the item that we would handle the repair or restoration ourselves, and we took extensive notes about what we would do to each piece. I always carried a bound book for each trip where I kept detailed notes about each piece that I bought, the age, origination, and condition, so this was not a big deal to add to the information. Each page was a separate vendor with a business card stapled to the corner and the translation of the card in English below.
That was a fateful shipment from Southern China. The pieces were some of the most exquisite that I found in all of my travels there. And they were the oldest. Which became a very big problem. The Chinese Government does not allow any true antiques to leave the country without permission from their Department of Antiquities. All pieces imported needed a red seal (looked like a wax stamp but was actually red liquid plastic stamped) to be able to be loaded in a container. These were way beyond that. It was explained to me as they lanquished in Southern China while the Government decided what could leave and what must stay, that these pieces were significant and that would add alot more time to the process.
One year later the pieces made it through the channels and were loaded into a container. The fact that most of them were building fragments, old signs, and sculpture made the process much more difficult. We ended up receiving about 2/3 of what we paid for that day. I was thrilled.
When the container arrived and finally made it to the stores, we had people waiting for select pieces. It was a huge feeding frenzy, and most were sold within 48 hours of reaching the store.
I was fortunate enough to keep one piece from that load. She is a Female Chinese Goddess, almost life size that sits in my entry foyer today. She is over 200 years old, and was never restored, because of her age and value. She has weathered some huge storms with me, and will never be sold because of this. We are kind of in this together at this point. Like my youngest daughter, also a survivor of Chinese rule, we are joined at the hip, forever.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Dessau and the Bauhaus School
Our family visited Dessau Germany in 1996. We were traveling throughout Germany and my manic preoccupation with Bauhaus and it's roots being in Germany lead our travels through many parts of Germany that my young family only tolerated at my direction. The Dessau school (or Institute of Design) was a museum of Bauhaus artifacts left when the Nazis drove out the school in 1933. (many of it's masters ironically traveled to Chicago and changed the city forever - Mies Vander Rohe was probably the most famous one. He blossomed in America and embraced a city of steel and glass and left his mark.) I was mesmerized with the simplistic layout, clean lines of pottery, glass, metal work, textiles, furniture and the buildings of the Bauhaus School in Dessau themselves. Buildings were simply not built that way in 1923 when the first concept of Bauhaus style was developed from De Stijl publications and Russian Constructivism at their starting points.
Bauhaus originated from Walter Gropius and his architectural firm when they displayed Bauhaus products at the International Architecture Exhibition in 1923. Walter was fixated on functional, dynamic architecture, which developed standardized - type housing designs. They were the precursors of apartment buildings and used the building blocks concept of fitting together spaces into interior design that functioned in conjunction with one another. The "Stijl" influence of horizontal - vertical, two dimensionality, squares and cubes to fit together to support one another was new to the world. The press covered it wildly. The whole world was intrigued with the idea that "modern" products were the future. The Bauhaus School claimed modernity and new thinking. The Masters of Bauhaus fought fervently among their ranks. The ideas were new and not everyone agreed with each other.
The dream of a "rural estate " predisposed the Dessau School. To develope an opportunity to build structures and experiment with use of space, formal and technical solutions, and give the whole group of members better living conditions, offer the students Bauhaus based solutions to how they would learn and hands on solutions to explore the products that they developed was a Walter Gropius dream come true. 20 detached houses on a hillside, 50 one family terraced houses on a plateau, and 40 student housing dormitory rooms were planned around a space at the middle of the estate to create a campus planned totally from nothing. All structures were built with the idea that success could bring a second story for growth. Gropius designed a "large scale bulding set" which could be combined in various ways, and based on a set of six components. There was no formal architectural department of study at the school. So the Bauhaus Masters worked together to attend to the details. Marcel Breuer (from the joinery workshop), Georg Muche (a painter) and Farkas Molnar worked to build a design with the six components. Muche would go on to design and build a large apartment complex in the USA. Marcel Breuer worked on a similar project in Germany.
When you visit the school, the political turmoil that plagued the Masters is evident. The Nazis despised the forward thinking of the group. It was labeled subversive and more and more controls were put in place. Any government funding was continually challenged. The Education Reform Movement closed down many comparealbe institutions and the Masters knew that it would not be long before their fate would be sealed.
For a school of it's type to only enjoy ten years of existence, and to make such a dramatic effect on the world is pretty amazing. The textiles, metal work and glass that was developed during that time is still employed today in various design detailing created by Knoll, Architex, Thonet, Herman Miller and many others. The work that continued by Eliel Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Mies VanDerRohe, Harry Bertoia, Marcel Breuer, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Lyonel Feininger, and Oskar Schlemmer proved to the world that the Nazis were right. This group of Masters was forward thinking, subversive in accepting the status quo and would change the world. Walking through the rooms of the Bauhaus Dessau was a thrill for me and my young family. The impressions of the prizms of light, the sound of the hollow corridors and the touch of the linen, flax, and cotton textiles will be with me forever.
Bauhaus originated from Walter Gropius and his architectural firm when they displayed Bauhaus products at the International Architecture Exhibition in 1923. Walter was fixated on functional, dynamic architecture, which developed standardized - type housing designs. They were the precursors of apartment buildings and used the building blocks concept of fitting together spaces into interior design that functioned in conjunction with one another. The "Stijl" influence of horizontal - vertical, two dimensionality, squares and cubes to fit together to support one another was new to the world. The press covered it wildly. The whole world was intrigued with the idea that "modern" products were the future. The Bauhaus School claimed modernity and new thinking. The Masters of Bauhaus fought fervently among their ranks. The ideas were new and not everyone agreed with each other.
The dream of a "rural estate " predisposed the Dessau School. To develope an opportunity to build structures and experiment with use of space, formal and technical solutions, and give the whole group of members better living conditions, offer the students Bauhaus based solutions to how they would learn and hands on solutions to explore the products that they developed was a Walter Gropius dream come true. 20 detached houses on a hillside, 50 one family terraced houses on a plateau, and 40 student housing dormitory rooms were planned around a space at the middle of the estate to create a campus planned totally from nothing. All structures were built with the idea that success could bring a second story for growth. Gropius designed a "large scale bulding set" which could be combined in various ways, and based on a set of six components. There was no formal architectural department of study at the school. So the Bauhaus Masters worked together to attend to the details. Marcel Breuer (from the joinery workshop), Georg Muche (a painter) and Farkas Molnar worked to build a design with the six components. Muche would go on to design and build a large apartment complex in the USA. Marcel Breuer worked on a similar project in Germany.
When you visit the school, the political turmoil that plagued the Masters is evident. The Nazis despised the forward thinking of the group. It was labeled subversive and more and more controls were put in place. Any government funding was continually challenged. The Education Reform Movement closed down many comparealbe institutions and the Masters knew that it would not be long before their fate would be sealed.
For a school of it's type to only enjoy ten years of existence, and to make such a dramatic effect on the world is pretty amazing. The textiles, metal work and glass that was developed during that time is still employed today in various design detailing created by Knoll, Architex, Thonet, Herman Miller and many others. The work that continued by Eliel Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Mies VanDerRohe, Harry Bertoia, Marcel Breuer, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Lyonel Feininger, and Oskar Schlemmer proved to the world that the Nazis were right. This group of Masters was forward thinking, subversive in accepting the status quo and would change the world. Walking through the rooms of the Bauhaus Dessau was a thrill for me and my young family. The impressions of the prizms of light, the sound of the hollow corridors and the touch of the linen, flax, and cotton textiles will be with me forever.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Bali Style
Sensual, vibrant, startling and exuberant ornateness characterizes the easily recognized forms of Bali. Forms that speak a visual language of a people who adore drama, nature and beauty but above all refuse to take life too seriously. Drama is an underlying force, within fabric designs, wood and stone carvings, architecture, performing arts, paintings and expressed in music.
A mild mannered people who live in harmony with nature is a paradox when examining the design elements of their arts. Most of the Balinese people lead simple, rural lives yet their arts are voluptuously grand. Balinese people live in homes with very little comfort, yet when attending religious ceremonies they dress in gold brocade and fabrics that are intricately printed with delicate design detailing.
Everyday dress for men and women is the traditional sarong. A simple rayon printed fabric that is fashioned to drape at the waist is totally in concert with the manner of ease and elegant beauty that Bali represents. Traditionally women were bare breasted, but today a simple cotton or rayon blouse, away from the skin is worn. Older women on the island of Bali still go bare breasted.
Housing is simple, yet artistic. The main pavilion is the living space for the family. We would think of it as a family room and living room as one. Typically influenced by Western style a separate dining area is usually set up. This main pavilion will have extremely high ceilings with open walls. All construction is of coconut wood, and woven thatch. Teak detailing, carving and wood work is merely decorative. The thatch and coconut wood columns offer the structure for the style of Architecture found most commonly in Bali. Seating is large, overstuffed on teak frames. Sofas are grouped into large conversation groupings that are dressed in natural woven cottons made locally. Woven cloth, batiked into bright accents is typically hung high at the ceiling and dresses a space from above. Sometimes waving in the breeze of a ceiling fan or trade winds, depending on location of the structure. Lighting is at the personal space. Floor lamps have bamboo bases, and cotton woven shades. Area rugs are fluffy natural wool, and soft to bare feet. Barefeet are everywhere. Textures are made for bare skin. Soft, supple and snuggly for late afternoon naps and cuddling. Art is found in carvings, old painted carving surfaces and decorative panels built into the architectural structures.
Sleeping rooms are separate wings with shuttered walls, or closeable window walls. These rooms are typically airconditioned for Westerners building in Bali. All beds are draped with bed curtains. Lumunous billowing linen or cotton gauze textiles allow breezes but keep out any insects and offer a privacy factor while sleeping that is intimate and romantic. Tied back during the day with cotton cords and large cotton tassles. Beds are high on platforms of teak. Open beneath with large white cotton duvets and large piles of white pillows. Sink into bedding that offers comfort, closeness and fast sleep. Beds are usually laced with orchids by invisible staff that scents everything with natural flowers and floral essences. Tea is presented at bedtime infused with floral buds and leaves. Sleep is honored on the island.
Bathing spaces are located off the sleeping rooms offering a luxurious approach to bathing that is uncomparable elsewhere. The use of natural stone slabs to form bathtubs, outdoor showers, tile floors glazed to a cool shiny finish, and waterfalls that go from outside to inside and begin a peaceful indulgence in the bathing spaces. Toilets are typically alcoved or separate spaces, with walls covered in grass woven cloth and shined tile floors. Showers are typically made for two and multiple shower heads give choices of rain or spray, and are typically built into walls that are covered in flowers or plantings. The luxury of taking a flower petal bath in a tropical environment is not compareable to any kind of luxury that I have experienced. There is something about coming back to a bath that has been prepared for you after a long day of shopping in hot markets and carrying handmade treasures back to the sleep
space. Slipping into a sarong and woven bamboo sandals and preparing for dinner is extremely laid back Bali Style.
Water, sun, sand, cool cotton sheets, cool tile floors, teak platforms inside and outside, and plunge pools welcome you to an archipelo of islands that are known as Islands of the Gods.
A mild mannered people who live in harmony with nature is a paradox when examining the design elements of their arts. Most of the Balinese people lead simple, rural lives yet their arts are voluptuously grand. Balinese people live in homes with very little comfort, yet when attending religious ceremonies they dress in gold brocade and fabrics that are intricately printed with delicate design detailing.
Everyday dress for men and women is the traditional sarong. A simple rayon printed fabric that is fashioned to drape at the waist is totally in concert with the manner of ease and elegant beauty that Bali represents. Traditionally women were bare breasted, but today a simple cotton or rayon blouse, away from the skin is worn. Older women on the island of Bali still go bare breasted.
Housing is simple, yet artistic. The main pavilion is the living space for the family. We would think of it as a family room and living room as one. Typically influenced by Western style a separate dining area is usually set up. This main pavilion will have extremely high ceilings with open walls. All construction is of coconut wood, and woven thatch. Teak detailing, carving and wood work is merely decorative. The thatch and coconut wood columns offer the structure for the style of Architecture found most commonly in Bali. Seating is large, overstuffed on teak frames. Sofas are grouped into large conversation groupings that are dressed in natural woven cottons made locally. Woven cloth, batiked into bright accents is typically hung high at the ceiling and dresses a space from above. Sometimes waving in the breeze of a ceiling fan or trade winds, depending on location of the structure. Lighting is at the personal space. Floor lamps have bamboo bases, and cotton woven shades. Area rugs are fluffy natural wool, and soft to bare feet. Barefeet are everywhere. Textures are made for bare skin. Soft, supple and snuggly for late afternoon naps and cuddling. Art is found in carvings, old painted carving surfaces and decorative panels built into the architectural structures.
Sleeping rooms are separate wings with shuttered walls, or closeable window walls. These rooms are typically airconditioned for Westerners building in Bali. All beds are draped with bed curtains. Lumunous billowing linen or cotton gauze textiles allow breezes but keep out any insects and offer a privacy factor while sleeping that is intimate and romantic. Tied back during the day with cotton cords and large cotton tassles. Beds are high on platforms of teak. Open beneath with large white cotton duvets and large piles of white pillows. Sink into bedding that offers comfort, closeness and fast sleep. Beds are usually laced with orchids by invisible staff that scents everything with natural flowers and floral essences. Tea is presented at bedtime infused with floral buds and leaves. Sleep is honored on the island.
Bathing spaces are located off the sleeping rooms offering a luxurious approach to bathing that is uncomparable elsewhere. The use of natural stone slabs to form bathtubs, outdoor showers, tile floors glazed to a cool shiny finish, and waterfalls that go from outside to inside and begin a peaceful indulgence in the bathing spaces. Toilets are typically alcoved or separate spaces, with walls covered in grass woven cloth and shined tile floors. Showers are typically made for two and multiple shower heads give choices of rain or spray, and are typically built into walls that are covered in flowers or plantings. The luxury of taking a flower petal bath in a tropical environment is not compareable to any kind of luxury that I have experienced. There is something about coming back to a bath that has been prepared for you after a long day of shopping in hot markets and carrying handmade treasures back to the sleep
space. Slipping into a sarong and woven bamboo sandals and preparing for dinner is extremely laid back Bali Style.
Water, sun, sand, cool cotton sheets, cool tile floors, teak platforms inside and outside, and plunge pools welcome you to an archipelo of islands that are known as Islands of the Gods.
Modern Warm, Not Modern Cold
It is always a distinct pleasure to meet genius in a field of work. It is even better when you get to create and play along side of them. I recently have had the pleasure of doing just that with a developer/builder/real estate tycoon of epic proportions. He has been developing liveable spaces in the Short North Area of Columbus for more years than I can fathom. He has done this slowly with patience, care and dilligence.
Recently Richard Bruggeman embarked on a trio of condos that rivaled neighbors with concrete block, and urban genius. When I first met Richard, introduced by a long time pal from HS days at Worthington HS, namely his darling wife Tina, I instantly saw his kindness and gentle nature. What happened next was the sweet surprise. His insight and spirit of three living spaces that soar above the neighbors and create space from the clouds, borrow sun from the treetops, and open an inside world to all the beauty that an urban area is allowed to see, surprised my design eyes. I have been fortunate enough to work along side Richard to hone this creation into liveable spaces of gorgeous wood, industrial metal, and uninterrupted light. As the design details pull together, and the long time work men focus on their own craft, the rest of us get to see this expression of warm modern, not cold modern pull together.
I feel that my role has been so miniscule. It is almost like I was given a pallette to play on that was such brilliance and creation that I was allowed to shine, and dance to a drum that pulled me along, and nudged me to enjoy the beat. The hickory floors, doors, and built ins are varied and playful within the space. The hardware is natural, and the lighting plays along. The interior quiet spaces present a calm comparison to the active light living spaces. The loft of hickory, rhythmic play of windows, black steel railing and circular steel venting never becomes cold or unreachable. The warmth of sun on wood pulls you in. The kitchen is soft and playful enjoying its' stone versus wood combination and begging us to enjoy all the abundance of a large meal with friends and gather around it.
The condos become homes blended with the natural elements pulled from adjoining spaces. The reach to the sky is perfect. Soaring above noise or activity, the spaces are restful and yet totally energetic at the same time. True urban living with a quiet tone and celebration of the individuality of a neighborhood full of action and verve.
I cannot help but smile at the decisions that evolve. A concrete wall spills water for a fountain built of stone, natural metal and splasing water. Outside art bring color to a private patio framed in climbing soft color tones. Not a large space, but huge in ideas, interaction with the living spaces that spill onto it. A sensitivity of scale that works inside and out.
So as the luckiest designer on this planet plays a little rhyme of color, scale, texture, and home,
the client smiles and honors her with the greatest compliment of all. "It is coming together, isn't it?" She floats away.
Recently Richard Bruggeman embarked on a trio of condos that rivaled neighbors with concrete block, and urban genius. When I first met Richard, introduced by a long time pal from HS days at Worthington HS, namely his darling wife Tina, I instantly saw his kindness and gentle nature. What happened next was the sweet surprise. His insight and spirit of three living spaces that soar above the neighbors and create space from the clouds, borrow sun from the treetops, and open an inside world to all the beauty that an urban area is allowed to see, surprised my design eyes. I have been fortunate enough to work along side Richard to hone this creation into liveable spaces of gorgeous wood, industrial metal, and uninterrupted light. As the design details pull together, and the long time work men focus on their own craft, the rest of us get to see this expression of warm modern, not cold modern pull together.
I feel that my role has been so miniscule. It is almost like I was given a pallette to play on that was such brilliance and creation that I was allowed to shine, and dance to a drum that pulled me along, and nudged me to enjoy the beat. The hickory floors, doors, and built ins are varied and playful within the space. The hardware is natural, and the lighting plays along. The interior quiet spaces present a calm comparison to the active light living spaces. The loft of hickory, rhythmic play of windows, black steel railing and circular steel venting never becomes cold or unreachable. The warmth of sun on wood pulls you in. The kitchen is soft and playful enjoying its' stone versus wood combination and begging us to enjoy all the abundance of a large meal with friends and gather around it.
The condos become homes blended with the natural elements pulled from adjoining spaces. The reach to the sky is perfect. Soaring above noise or activity, the spaces are restful and yet totally energetic at the same time. True urban living with a quiet tone and celebration of the individuality of a neighborhood full of action and verve.
I cannot help but smile at the decisions that evolve. A concrete wall spills water for a fountain built of stone, natural metal and splasing water. Outside art bring color to a private patio framed in climbing soft color tones. Not a large space, but huge in ideas, interaction with the living spaces that spill onto it. A sensitivity of scale that works inside and out.
So as the luckiest designer on this planet plays a little rhyme of color, scale, texture, and home,
the client smiles and honors her with the greatest compliment of all. "It is coming together, isn't it?" She floats away.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Good Life
I know this is the last topic that you want a designer to talk about. Stick with color, balance, scale and selection, right? Well I get alot of questions about how to balance living in a space and spending money on expensive pieces that will actually be worth passing down to your children when it is your turn to live abroad, or in that high rise in New York City to watch Broadway plays as you stop working as hard.
The inexpensive furniture that has flooded the market does not lend itself to being moved many times, much less refinished, and passed on to future generations. We have become a "throwaway generation" of non fixable appliances, "art" that is not really art, accessories made of some kind of paste formed into shapes and painted to look like something that we should recognize from some ancient dig somewhere. We all see these pieces of faux something in the
TJ Max's, the World Markets, and the Pier One Imports that surround us outside the mall.
It is fun to see what can be done in China, Pakistan, or the Phillipines with this paste, molds,
and paint. It is not fun to see what happens to these items if they get bumped, dropped, or somehow disturbed in our active homes. Or heaven forbid, if we try to wash them in a dishwasher, use a cleaning product on them, or pack them away with bubble wrap that ends up adhering to the paint while stored and makes some kind of indistinguishable mess.
I think that our quest to do everything inexpensively is our own failing. We think that there must be a way to get that designer look without enlisting the help of our own senses, much less the help of a true designer that has access to the real deal, at wholesale prices. I always think of it as a step in the design process. An educated client is the best client. One who just plain "gets it", is so much more fun to work with.
So now in this time of great real estate deals, we have finally purchased a house that has areas that really need to be coordinated, old owners taste that needs to be eradicated, and a pallette of space that is fun to imagine as our own. So now enters the designer with a studio full of great products (purchased at wholesale), area rugs that are antique, custom made, or just plain hard to get your hands on without the right connections, furniture that works and is worth purchasing, lighting that brightens and serves a purpose, accessories that not only complete, but are worth owning, art that appreciates in value, and custom made draperies, bedding, and accents that pull all of it together. We are starting to glimpse The Good Life, right from our own windows looking out on the rest of the world.
It is not just our trappings that make it an intoxicating goal. It is the feeling of coming home to something that fits our lifestyle. Storage for our stuff (and that of our children, our pets, and our hobbies), room to stretch out, lighting that solves problems, and lights our way. I believe that The Good Life happens to be more about the people that we fill that real estate find with, rather than the color of its walls. But isn't it lovely when the whole interior just kind of honors the people that we pull together to be a part of our world.
The Good Life can be high contrast, low lighting, architectural detailing, a home on the edge of the sea, or a cabin nestled in the trees. But one thing it must do, is cherish those that fill it with love, care, and being together. To do this we begin by thinking of them while we make choices and fundamental decisions lead to comfort, ease of maintenance, and long term life.
The inexpensive furniture that has flooded the market does not lend itself to being moved many times, much less refinished, and passed on to future generations. We have become a "throwaway generation" of non fixable appliances, "art" that is not really art, accessories made of some kind of paste formed into shapes and painted to look like something that we should recognize from some ancient dig somewhere. We all see these pieces of faux something in the
TJ Max's, the World Markets, and the Pier One Imports that surround us outside the mall.
It is fun to see what can be done in China, Pakistan, or the Phillipines with this paste, molds,
and paint. It is not fun to see what happens to these items if they get bumped, dropped, or somehow disturbed in our active homes. Or heaven forbid, if we try to wash them in a dishwasher, use a cleaning product on them, or pack them away with bubble wrap that ends up adhering to the paint while stored and makes some kind of indistinguishable mess.
I think that our quest to do everything inexpensively is our own failing. We think that there must be a way to get that designer look without enlisting the help of our own senses, much less the help of a true designer that has access to the real deal, at wholesale prices. I always think of it as a step in the design process. An educated client is the best client. One who just plain "gets it", is so much more fun to work with.
So now in this time of great real estate deals, we have finally purchased a house that has areas that really need to be coordinated, old owners taste that needs to be eradicated, and a pallette of space that is fun to imagine as our own. So now enters the designer with a studio full of great products (purchased at wholesale), area rugs that are antique, custom made, or just plain hard to get your hands on without the right connections, furniture that works and is worth purchasing, lighting that brightens and serves a purpose, accessories that not only complete, but are worth owning, art that appreciates in value, and custom made draperies, bedding, and accents that pull all of it together. We are starting to glimpse The Good Life, right from our own windows looking out on the rest of the world.
It is not just our trappings that make it an intoxicating goal. It is the feeling of coming home to something that fits our lifestyle. Storage for our stuff (and that of our children, our pets, and our hobbies), room to stretch out, lighting that solves problems, and lights our way. I believe that The Good Life happens to be more about the people that we fill that real estate find with, rather than the color of its walls. But isn't it lovely when the whole interior just kind of honors the people that we pull together to be a part of our world.
The Good Life can be high contrast, low lighting, architectural detailing, a home on the edge of the sea, or a cabin nestled in the trees. But one thing it must do, is cherish those that fill it with love, care, and being together. To do this we begin by thinking of them while we make choices and fundamental decisions lead to comfort, ease of maintenance, and long term life.
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