Aren't Fridays great? I got to spend this day doing what I love the most. Handling client installs, figuring out problems and negotiating with truck drivers to please please drop one more load before they head back to North Carolina.
Doesn't sound like much fun? To me it is heaven. Without great work, creative clients and challenges, I would still be drowsy and sleeping. Instead, I am engaged in a fabulous day of pleasing most of my clients and getting permission to move on to the next phase.
But ahhhh. Friday is the best. The end of a crazy week. The pause in the weekend that says, it is all ahead of us. Friday nights have always given me so much joy. My kids are always excited to start the weekend. My twelve year old is in rapture just thinking about her fabulous weekend. My son who is his first year of college openly told me that the party was starting. I just warned him not to drive and to be sensible. I trust them, and I trust myself to engage in fun but not too much. To let go but not forget that Saturday morning still has to be productive.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Spousal Abuse and Interior Design
I have intervened in my share of domestic disturbances brought on by a textile decision for dining chairs. I have had husbands and wives actually bring up embarrassing details not worthy of my ears, and I have had to leave the room. Drama, emotion and decisions about details in your home are everyday occurrances to a residential interior designer. It is the one thing that takes me back to my decision when graduating from Kendall that my focus would be contract design. It was then. Now, things and I have changed.
I take the time to listen to the husband and why he does not like choice A for dining chair upholstery. Not that I am a pychologist, and not that I would say anything to sway anyone's ultimate decision. But I do say the idea behind every selection. Some decisions are family land mines. Some decisions go to personal power struggles or absent spouses, and torture that ensues once they do finally get home. I understand all that.
Bloodshed has never been in front of me. I know that there are some heated arguments about keeping grandmas curio cabinet in the dining room (wrong scale, wrong finish, and three handles are missing). Or the reuse of ten dining chairs from mother in law, that perhaps she just wanted to get rid of?
I don't mean to step in and solve marital problems... but I can add levity and that is what I usually do. Defuse the situation. Make a small joke. Get everyone to lighten up a little. But some fights just never die.
I take the time to listen to the husband and why he does not like choice A for dining chair upholstery. Not that I am a pychologist, and not that I would say anything to sway anyone's ultimate decision. But I do say the idea behind every selection. Some decisions are family land mines. Some decisions go to personal power struggles or absent spouses, and torture that ensues once they do finally get home. I understand all that.
Bloodshed has never been in front of me. I know that there are some heated arguments about keeping grandmas curio cabinet in the dining room (wrong scale, wrong finish, and three handles are missing). Or the reuse of ten dining chairs from mother in law, that perhaps she just wanted to get rid of?
I don't mean to step in and solve marital problems... but I can add levity and that is what I usually do. Defuse the situation. Make a small joke. Get everyone to lighten up a little. But some fights just never die.
Recycling and Interior Design
Okay, I admit it. Thursdays are always my favorite days in New Albany. It is the day that all of my sorted, piled and organized recycling gets thrown into one huge bin on the Rumpke truck. I know, I know... Columbus does not separate their recycling. But I came from a community in Michigan that is so dogmatic about separating their recyclables, that if ONE thing in 8 bins is in the wrong category, they leave it all. With a HUGE embarrassing note. It does not take many of those to make you pretty into it. And beyond that, you can go to recycling centers to take everything else that they do not pick up, from car batteries, to green wine bottles. (lots of trips, let me tell you)
In a design practice there is alot to recycle. From plasic wrappers on samples, to paper paper paper, to ink cartridges, we challenge ourselves everyday to be good keepers of this planet. My youngest son is in Environmental Science, and his constant reminders of how I am recycling wrong, and how my sort could be better, and how one contaminent makes my eight bins utterly land fill fodder, gets my heart pounding and makes me almost want to drive back to Michigan on Thursdays so that I know that each kind of plastic goes in the right bin, and each piece of aluminum foil gets processed with the cans. There is just so much certainty in having it go in the right slot and you know it and your little corner of the planet is just okay. I have my doubts as my bins all get dumped by Rumpke. Not that they won't try. But it is my stuff. I feel responsible for getting it right.
In a design practice there is alot to recycle. From plasic wrappers on samples, to paper paper paper, to ink cartridges, we challenge ourselves everyday to be good keepers of this planet. My youngest son is in Environmental Science, and his constant reminders of how I am recycling wrong, and how my sort could be better, and how one contaminent makes my eight bins utterly land fill fodder, gets my heart pounding and makes me almost want to drive back to Michigan on Thursdays so that I know that each kind of plastic goes in the right bin, and each piece of aluminum foil gets processed with the cans. There is just so much certainty in having it go in the right slot and you know it and your little corner of the planet is just okay. I have my doubts as my bins all get dumped by Rumpke. Not that they won't try. But it is my stuff. I feel responsible for getting it right.
Winter Doldrums? Not here.
I am getting this low energy vibe from everyone around me. What gives? So it is the midwest in the dead of winter, and robins, worms and spring rains are a couple of months away. I get that. But winter is such a great rejuvenation time for all of us. Take it from the bears. They sleep and wake up, a bit dazzed, but absolutely refreshed. We need to be like that. Sleep, bake cookies, play solitare, but get up early, move your buns in a good workout, and eat well. We are fueling for spring, and we have alot to do.
This is a huge busy time for interior designers. We all have projects that have been cut loose since the holidays and everyone is anticipating spring. (it takes about 8 weeks of anticipation, easily, to deal with delivery dates, shipping and receipt.) My clients are excited to have their homes ready for spring. We are planning a few outdoor rooms to test our creativity. We are planning a spring influence on the inside as well. Ready to throw open those doors and let the spring air in as soon as it arrives.
We are ignoring snow here. It does not last. I would much rather focus on buds on trees, flowers popping up in flower beds, and birds returning. Ahhh. I can picture all of this. I need the manufacturing time anyway, so I am willing to wait.
This is a huge busy time for interior designers. We all have projects that have been cut loose since the holidays and everyone is anticipating spring. (it takes about 8 weeks of anticipation, easily, to deal with delivery dates, shipping and receipt.) My clients are excited to have their homes ready for spring. We are planning a few outdoor rooms to test our creativity. We are planning a spring influence on the inside as well. Ready to throw open those doors and let the spring air in as soon as it arrives.
We are ignoring snow here. It does not last. I would much rather focus on buds on trees, flowers popping up in flower beds, and birds returning. Ahhh. I can picture all of this. I need the manufacturing time anyway, so I am willing to wait.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
You Have to Live Somewhere
When emailing a client of mine in Michigan today we were discussing a cottage that he owns in a laked area south of Lansing. He was talking about the redo that they just went through. He focused on the gorgeous back patio / outdoor kitchen addition, and how they are so far over spent to value on the property that they will never recoup their funds. I laughed inside. We all tend to do this. A house or any kind of property has always been the largest part of our wealth, our portfolio and that has all changed. Now we live somewhere because we want too. Now we redo a house or change a house to live in it, not sell it. It's value may never really exceed any of it, but we do have to live somewhere.
I read an article today about divorcing couples fighting over who gets the house, because neither of them want it. A huge change from five years ago. It is now a liability, like credit card debt, or student loans. But we have to live somewhere.
It has been suggested that we should all be leasing, not owning in today's market. It probably is true. We all should be saving our money and not wasting it on living where we want and how we want. But we do have to live somewhere.
I tend to invest in houses. I do it for the pure joy of living in them. Not with an eye for resale or profit. I have always been that way. I cannot add up all the profit that I have made on the dozen or so of houses that I have owned, but I know it was there. It helped me buy the next larger one, and the next and so on. Now that seems a little trite as times have changed.
I love owning a home so that I can paint rooms strange colors, and do faux treatments that a buyer may not like, but the years that I live there are spent in happy enjoyment of it. It all seems worth it some how.
I read an article today about divorcing couples fighting over who gets the house, because neither of them want it. A huge change from five years ago. It is now a liability, like credit card debt, or student loans. But we have to live somewhere.
It has been suggested that we should all be leasing, not owning in today's market. It probably is true. We all should be saving our money and not wasting it on living where we want and how we want. But we do have to live somewhere.
I tend to invest in houses. I do it for the pure joy of living in them. Not with an eye for resale or profit. I have always been that way. I cannot add up all the profit that I have made on the dozen or so of houses that I have owned, but I know it was there. It helped me buy the next larger one, and the next and so on. Now that seems a little trite as times have changed.
I love owning a home so that I can paint rooms strange colors, and do faux treatments that a buyer may not like, but the years that I live there are spent in happy enjoyment of it. It all seems worth it some how.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
I Keep Forgetting that it is Winter
Stepping outside today in the winter white was this little cruel joke that yes, it is January in Ohio. I keep forgetting. My life is so warm and precious that the cold just does not fit.
Christy Collection Inc. is enjoying tremendous growth and success. The winter continues to blow outside, but inside the studio we are creating interiors that reflect the peace, and calm that our clients so deserve and need with their hectic lives.
I was reminded today by gusts of wind. Gorgeous white on everything. But most of all by the day just demanding that we slow down a little and respect the fury of weather that we encountered. It is lovely to have the change of seasons and the bluster and then the calm.
I appreciate the mental ticking of the clock reminding me to enjoy it all. Wind, snow, and tough driving weather. Summer will be here before we know it. Winter is the one that wraps us up and holds her to her chest. Breathes a wake up call into our faces and says. Cherish all that you have, all that you aspire to be. Warm weather and the highs of your life can be fleeting. Winter is good for all of us.
Christy Collection Inc. is enjoying tremendous growth and success. The winter continues to blow outside, but inside the studio we are creating interiors that reflect the peace, and calm that our clients so deserve and need with their hectic lives.
I was reminded today by gusts of wind. Gorgeous white on everything. But most of all by the day just demanding that we slow down a little and respect the fury of weather that we encountered. It is lovely to have the change of seasons and the bluster and then the calm.
I appreciate the mental ticking of the clock reminding me to enjoy it all. Wind, snow, and tough driving weather. Summer will be here before we know it. Winter is the one that wraps us up and holds her to her chest. Breathes a wake up call into our faces and says. Cherish all that you have, all that you aspire to be. Warm weather and the highs of your life can be fleeting. Winter is good for all of us.
Monday, January 25, 2010
This is Our 65th Anniversary
Okay, not 65 years, but our 65th post. That is something to celebrate.
I have encouraged every one of my friends and clients to blog. It is a new way to communicate that is beyond words, or emails. It is a moment in time in your life to take stock of how you are making a difference, how you are telling your clients how you are doing that, and rambling just enough that it is conversational. And sometimes it is just funny. How do you express frustration without being a madman? How do you express joy without being giddy? How do you thank your clients without sounding sappy, or tedious?
I have a strange approach. My goal is to work on an idea for ten minutes. If I don't have the internal resources to talk about something and spend only ten minutes on it, I have no business writing about it. Of course that comes from years of experience and many many examples of situations in our industry that just need to be told. It is a fun experience, and probably bores more than it dazzles. I will continue to do this, and enjoy it myself, until I hear a groundswell of comments that says.... stop, please stop.
So please comment if something hits you, or angers you, or pleases you. My goal is to inspire just enough that people want a part of this in their lives. Christy Collection Inc. has had amazing success in the Midwest market and has spread it's wings in great ways in the past few years. I am proud of what we are doing, but always want to grow and change to be better.
So if you have a way to make that happen, I am thankful.
I have encouraged every one of my friends and clients to blog. It is a new way to communicate that is beyond words, or emails. It is a moment in time in your life to take stock of how you are making a difference, how you are telling your clients how you are doing that, and rambling just enough that it is conversational. And sometimes it is just funny. How do you express frustration without being a madman? How do you express joy without being giddy? How do you thank your clients without sounding sappy, or tedious?
I have a strange approach. My goal is to work on an idea for ten minutes. If I don't have the internal resources to talk about something and spend only ten minutes on it, I have no business writing about it. Of course that comes from years of experience and many many examples of situations in our industry that just need to be told. It is a fun experience, and probably bores more than it dazzles. I will continue to do this, and enjoy it myself, until I hear a groundswell of comments that says.... stop, please stop.
So please comment if something hits you, or angers you, or pleases you. My goal is to inspire just enough that people want a part of this in their lives. Christy Collection Inc. has had amazing success in the Midwest market and has spread it's wings in great ways in the past few years. I am proud of what we are doing, but always want to grow and change to be better.
So if you have a way to make that happen, I am thankful.
Life Becomes Art
Creating art where we live or work is the best part of what I do. Art can be the arrangement of a grouping of related art pieces. It can also be paint colors that change an environment to embrace existing pieces, architectural detail, or create drama just by their relationship to other elements.
I have had a blessed life of creation and creativity. I have been fortunate to be in an industry that changes daily and creation is the basis for it. I get to play while I work. I get to imagine the possibilities of daily expression and whimsey. If I get a very creative crazy moment, I use it to do something that is for a client that enjoys that edge. If it is beyond that, it becomes my writing, my studio project that stays with me. I want to be continually creating new approaches to old problems. (it is the sign of a truly creative mind) I focus on giving more to my work with every project that I tackle. I focus on seeing a view outside the envelope that usually holds it. I aim to please beyond normal expectations and dazzle with newness and fresh eyes. If a project is just a simple redo of something that exists or a small change, that too can be creative and new. Doing the same ole thing day after day is just not what interior design is all about.
I have had a blessed life of creation and creativity. I have been fortunate to be in an industry that changes daily and creation is the basis for it. I get to play while I work. I get to imagine the possibilities of daily expression and whimsey. If I get a very creative crazy moment, I use it to do something that is for a client that enjoys that edge. If it is beyond that, it becomes my writing, my studio project that stays with me. I want to be continually creating new approaches to old problems. (it is the sign of a truly creative mind) I focus on giving more to my work with every project that I tackle. I focus on seeing a view outside the envelope that usually holds it. I aim to please beyond normal expectations and dazzle with newness and fresh eyes. If a project is just a simple redo of something that exists or a small change, that too can be creative and new. Doing the same ole thing day after day is just not what interior design is all about.
Staging the View
It is often discussed how to stage an installation for the client to have maximum impact.
My first preference is to have the client not present as the project comes together. It is best if they are doing a favorite activity, engaged elsewhere, with the intention of coming into the space when completion is done, art is hung, accessories are in place and all packaging is removed. This is not always possible for a multitude of reasons. Often there are straggler pieces that just take longer to produce or acquire. International shipping often hampers this process. As does custom work. With the best laid scheduling and the most meticulous attention to detail, we still have delays in our work. As the trucks roll in to the site, and the details are pulled together, the client should see it first when everything is in it's place. This is optimum. Real life is something altogether different.
I have had installers of special items demand hours and hours for install (fussy draperies, custom cut rods for those draperies, the mounting or hanging of large supported items like large mirrors, art, or sculpture that is mounted or set on very high ledges or bridges) When the installer just needs more time, and the client needs to be in the space, I attempt to insulate the client from the business of install, because it is the most stressful time on a project. Even when all issues are addressed. Even when all attachments, supports and hardware are discussed, acquired and planned for, things go wrong, and improvising takes place.
I have some very very busy clients. When security is an issue and access to some spaces is not possible without security personnel or the client themselves, it poses an interesting problem. First: They don't have the impact of walking into the space and having it complete. They see the unloading, the uncrating, the unpacking and the placement adjustments.
Second: They don't feel the magic of the creation of the space.
Third: They are bothered by details that are coming together long before there are problems or issues, and get involved in things that really don't matter in the big picture. (where did the recycling get stacked in the truck, how much bubble wrap was on that textile piece that is undamaged, and in perfect condition. Who carried what into the space and with what assistance.) Part of the magic and not things that matter.
Fourth: They don't typically need to see details that are not complete. It is not necessary and can cause stress.
I love having the delivery personnel, installers, and support team have a space to work without sweating the client reaction within the project. I love having the support team have a wide enough berth that they can actually give suggestions about minutia that others don't care about. I always feel as if I can learn from these folks. They are the masters of knowing just how things should be attached, shipped, protected from an unforseen situation. They deal with rainy, windy, or snowy days. They make sure that nothing gets damaged during the process. Their input to me is invaluable. I cherish their interaction on a job site and ask for it. Learning is a huge part of what I do for the client.
As clients in larger markets are put up at the Four Seasons while thier project is installed, I will just deal with a suggestion of a quiet dinner out at a favorite restaurant, or a cocktail at a favorite place. Then the drama of coming in to a space that is complete, their expression executed by the masters, is just all the more fun.
My first preference is to have the client not present as the project comes together. It is best if they are doing a favorite activity, engaged elsewhere, with the intention of coming into the space when completion is done, art is hung, accessories are in place and all packaging is removed. This is not always possible for a multitude of reasons. Often there are straggler pieces that just take longer to produce or acquire. International shipping often hampers this process. As does custom work. With the best laid scheduling and the most meticulous attention to detail, we still have delays in our work. As the trucks roll in to the site, and the details are pulled together, the client should see it first when everything is in it's place. This is optimum. Real life is something altogether different.
I have had installers of special items demand hours and hours for install (fussy draperies, custom cut rods for those draperies, the mounting or hanging of large supported items like large mirrors, art, or sculpture that is mounted or set on very high ledges or bridges) When the installer just needs more time, and the client needs to be in the space, I attempt to insulate the client from the business of install, because it is the most stressful time on a project. Even when all issues are addressed. Even when all attachments, supports and hardware are discussed, acquired and planned for, things go wrong, and improvising takes place.
I have some very very busy clients. When security is an issue and access to some spaces is not possible without security personnel or the client themselves, it poses an interesting problem. First: They don't have the impact of walking into the space and having it complete. They see the unloading, the uncrating, the unpacking and the placement adjustments.
Second: They don't feel the magic of the creation of the space.
Third: They are bothered by details that are coming together long before there are problems or issues, and get involved in things that really don't matter in the big picture. (where did the recycling get stacked in the truck, how much bubble wrap was on that textile piece that is undamaged, and in perfect condition. Who carried what into the space and with what assistance.) Part of the magic and not things that matter.
Fourth: They don't typically need to see details that are not complete. It is not necessary and can cause stress.
I love having the delivery personnel, installers, and support team have a space to work without sweating the client reaction within the project. I love having the support team have a wide enough berth that they can actually give suggestions about minutia that others don't care about. I always feel as if I can learn from these folks. They are the masters of knowing just how things should be attached, shipped, protected from an unforseen situation. They deal with rainy, windy, or snowy days. They make sure that nothing gets damaged during the process. Their input to me is invaluable. I cherish their interaction on a job site and ask for it. Learning is a huge part of what I do for the client.
As clients in larger markets are put up at the Four Seasons while thier project is installed, I will just deal with a suggestion of a quiet dinner out at a favorite restaurant, or a cocktail at a favorite place. Then the drama of coming in to a space that is complete, their expression executed by the masters, is just all the more fun.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Followers and Social Networking
I have never had so much fun - as what I have following certain blogs. It is a great way to learn about something that you love, follow someone that you love, or just dabble in topics that interest you.
I find myself pontificating too much and I back up, start over and realize that talking by yourself does that. I am begging for interaction from my followers. Please let me know what topics interest you. I am yearning for feedback.
Business in Columbus Ohio in the design world is just rolling along. Usually in January it is slow and tedious waiting for the snow to go away and spring to bring a sense of waking up again. Not this year. In addition to the ongoing residential work that I am doing, I am now doing work on a hospital project and a church. Both are labors of love. My old loves returning to roost within my design subconscious. I love making a difference for all kinds of healing, and these two projects address that part of my design muse. I am really having fun with this. Reaching large groups of people and helping to express something much larger than my design expertise, and beyond my talents, but embracing the expression of others. Heaven.
I find myself pontificating too much and I back up, start over and realize that talking by yourself does that. I am begging for interaction from my followers. Please let me know what topics interest you. I am yearning for feedback.
Business in Columbus Ohio in the design world is just rolling along. Usually in January it is slow and tedious waiting for the snow to go away and spring to bring a sense of waking up again. Not this year. In addition to the ongoing residential work that I am doing, I am now doing work on a hospital project and a church. Both are labors of love. My old loves returning to roost within my design subconscious. I love making a difference for all kinds of healing, and these two projects address that part of my design muse. I am really having fun with this. Reaching large groups of people and helping to express something much larger than my design expertise, and beyond my talents, but embracing the expression of others. Heaven.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Honored Client
Taking care of a client to make them a long term part of your practice and your life sounds very
easy. It really is if approached with all the things we learned in kindergarten. Honesty, integrity, sincere concern, politeness, consideration, and a talent beyond limits.
The biggest compliment that I receive from a client is the referral to a friend or family member. It happens often, and I am always in awe of the trust and confidence that our relationship has fostered. I am eternally grateful for this gift.
I recently had lunch with a peer in this little berg of Columbus. She is a talented designer and a kindred spirit. We both enjoy quality in life, family focus and tender times with friends. She was talking about design in Columbus and talked about design being handled as a "business". I understand from her comments that it is unusual here to have the actual business of design recognized that way. We have a long way to go, then. I think the way to do that is with the characteristics mentioned above.
The financial part of business is usually where designers are left in the dust. Paying their bills on time, taking care of their sub contractors and following through with paperwork and filing of taxes, and paying of taxes can sabotage even the most creative mind. You really do need to take care of all of it to be a success in the truest sense of the word. That is the thing that separates the dabbling self proclaimed designer type, from the real educated, respected and long term professional in our field. I am proud to be a new rising tide in Columbus Ohio, and will take this very seriously, as I always have in Michigan. I am pleased to be here.
easy. It really is if approached with all the things we learned in kindergarten. Honesty, integrity, sincere concern, politeness, consideration, and a talent beyond limits.
The biggest compliment that I receive from a client is the referral to a friend or family member. It happens often, and I am always in awe of the trust and confidence that our relationship has fostered. I am eternally grateful for this gift.
I recently had lunch with a peer in this little berg of Columbus. She is a talented designer and a kindred spirit. We both enjoy quality in life, family focus and tender times with friends. She was talking about design in Columbus and talked about design being handled as a "business". I understand from her comments that it is unusual here to have the actual business of design recognized that way. We have a long way to go, then. I think the way to do that is with the characteristics mentioned above.
The financial part of business is usually where designers are left in the dust. Paying their bills on time, taking care of their sub contractors and following through with paperwork and filing of taxes, and paying of taxes can sabotage even the most creative mind. You really do need to take care of all of it to be a success in the truest sense of the word. That is the thing that separates the dabbling self proclaimed designer type, from the real educated, respected and long term professional in our field. I am proud to be a new rising tide in Columbus Ohio, and will take this very seriously, as I always have in Michigan. I am pleased to be here.
International Design Sourcing
Having multi level relationships and connections in multiple foreign countries is a blessing and a curse. When there is a toxic jewelry recall from Wal Mart/Claires/and the Disney Store the phone does get a little busy. But the reality is that the everyday involvement with international sourcing is rewarding, challenging and life changing. My friends are all over the world. Their perspective is always different and enlightening. Their everyday challenges make me grateful for my little piece of heaven here in central Ohio.
I source many items for clients. From flooring, furniture, and artefacts, to printing, upholstery and custom cushions, pillows and other soft goods. I have designed lines of sinks, furniture, handicrafts, lighting, sculpture and outdoor freestanding buildings. I am currently involved in intellectual property work with logos from Universities, another great accomplishment of knowledge that enhances my life and my work.
I am thrilled to be connected to Asia and it's markets, it's industrious people and it's natural resources. The world keeps getting smaller for me, and my experience base just keeps growing in the international arena.
I source many items for clients. From flooring, furniture, and artefacts, to printing, upholstery and custom cushions, pillows and other soft goods. I have designed lines of sinks, furniture, handicrafts, lighting, sculpture and outdoor freestanding buildings. I am currently involved in intellectual property work with logos from Universities, another great accomplishment of knowledge that enhances my life and my work.
I am thrilled to be connected to Asia and it's markets, it's industrious people and it's natural resources. The world keeps getting smaller for me, and my experience base just keeps growing in the international arena.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A Soft Winter's Night
Some clients are just a dream come true.
I have been fortunate in my little corner of this universe to experience some of the
nicest clients that become my dear friends. You can always tell how successful a project
is by how much time I WANT to spend with my client. When we start hanging out, or
traveling together, you know that the muse is clearly directed and we are creating lovely
interiors together.
I can go way back in my repetoire and remember so many great times with clients.
When the installation is going so smoothly that the 12 year old scotch comes out of the
bottom desk drawer. Or sitting in an auditorium in Southern China with our kids in tow and "Hotel California" comes on the speakers and we all sing at the top of our lungs. And then let the
kids go clubbing in Beijing by themselves while we ate a really really great dinner and truly let
go of any fears that we thought we had.
My life has been blessed with so much goodness, so much joy and the best is yet to come. This is a year of many firsts already, and we are just getting started.
Thanks for hanging in there and designing together through thick and thin, and lots of love.
I have been fortunate in my little corner of this universe to experience some of the
nicest clients that become my dear friends. You can always tell how successful a project
is by how much time I WANT to spend with my client. When we start hanging out, or
traveling together, you know that the muse is clearly directed and we are creating lovely
interiors together.
I can go way back in my repetoire and remember so many great times with clients.
When the installation is going so smoothly that the 12 year old scotch comes out of the
bottom desk drawer. Or sitting in an auditorium in Southern China with our kids in tow and "Hotel California" comes on the speakers and we all sing at the top of our lungs. And then let the
kids go clubbing in Beijing by themselves while we ate a really really great dinner and truly let
go of any fears that we thought we had.
My life has been blessed with so much goodness, so much joy and the best is yet to come. This is a year of many firsts already, and we are just getting started.
Thanks for hanging in there and designing together through thick and thin, and lots of love.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Cold Where it is Usually Warm
I kind of think it is good for them. A little Four Seasons Therapy for the masses.
I know the oranges are in danger, and the tropical animals in the zoo are all cuddled up.
But it is lovely to think about the whole world baking chocolate chip cookies and dozing in front of
a fire with a really good book. Therapy for the world just after a new decade began.
I just got a FB email from a friend that says it is warmer in Antartica than in Houston! Now that is a thought. I wonder how a cold snap like this affects design. We know how it affects the birth rate, but what about design?
More warm pallettes. No turquoise or aqua schemes. More wood, less white. More wood, wool sculpted carpeting and less granite floors. More radiant heat and less worries about outdoor rooms. I am enjoying a day of organization. Designing working spaces always does that to me. Offices, pantries, kitchens, and childrens play zones. I love to sock in and make a difference when the weather outside is frightful. Or here is a thought: Warm summer days will be here in less than 100 days. And until then, the cold will abate, and our anticipation of spring will grow and grow. Back to lime green, sprouting plants, and patio designs.
I never ever get discouraged when it is cold outside. The Michigan early years prepared me for anything by approaching it with snow pants, and boots, and then polar fleece and Uggs. We can take anything and make the most of it if we all have the right attitudes, and stay in the sun.
I know the oranges are in danger, and the tropical animals in the zoo are all cuddled up.
But it is lovely to think about the whole world baking chocolate chip cookies and dozing in front of
a fire with a really good book. Therapy for the world just after a new decade began.
I just got a FB email from a friend that says it is warmer in Antartica than in Houston! Now that is a thought. I wonder how a cold snap like this affects design. We know how it affects the birth rate, but what about design?
More warm pallettes. No turquoise or aqua schemes. More wood, less white. More wood, wool sculpted carpeting and less granite floors. More radiant heat and less worries about outdoor rooms. I am enjoying a day of organization. Designing working spaces always does that to me. Offices, pantries, kitchens, and childrens play zones. I love to sock in and make a difference when the weather outside is frightful. Or here is a thought: Warm summer days will be here in less than 100 days. And until then, the cold will abate, and our anticipation of spring will grow and grow. Back to lime green, sprouting plants, and patio designs.
I never ever get discouraged when it is cold outside. The Michigan early years prepared me for anything by approaching it with snow pants, and boots, and then polar fleece and Uggs. We can take anything and make the most of it if we all have the right attitudes, and stay in the sun.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Social Lives Working and Breathing the Cold
I am dreaming of a white January. Snow days, and apple pies. I still have my youngest son successfully home from his first semester in Environmental Science at Green Mountain College in Vermont. He is snoozing (that is not so surprising) and the crock pot is creating dinner. My clients are all reasonably happy with holiday delays and schedules for January, February and March.
I really enjoyed the snowfalls of yesterday. The continuous Columbus white that never really made the roads all that bad, but sure made the day beautiful. I love the plows pushing the snow into piles in every parking lot. Not the 15foot piles in Michigan, and no I don't miss that at all. It does seem to slow people down a bit here, which is nice after the holidays. It makes the tires noisier, and the dog walking more amazing.
Pulling together a beautiful color scheme of toasts, tans, and coppers. Drawing an addition on a farm house that is going to be extremely family friendly. Specifying furniture for a total house redo for a darling couple with little tiny kids.
Life just keeps getting better.
I really enjoyed the snowfalls of yesterday. The continuous Columbus white that never really made the roads all that bad, but sure made the day beautiful. I love the plows pushing the snow into piles in every parking lot. Not the 15foot piles in Michigan, and no I don't miss that at all. It does seem to slow people down a bit here, which is nice after the holidays. It makes the tires noisier, and the dog walking more amazing.
Pulling together a beautiful color scheme of toasts, tans, and coppers. Drawing an addition on a farm house that is going to be extremely family friendly. Specifying furniture for a total house redo for a darling couple with little tiny kids.
Life just keeps getting better.
Snow, Plows, Icey Roads and Plans for the Weekend
This is the time of year when January and February calendars come out looking, digging, and creating a desperate search for FUN things to do amid the sorting, packing and decluttering from the holiday season.
I love to fill my jammed client calendar with social dates, plays, ballets, music, foreign films, and quirky mid Ohio festivals. Lets just muddle through January and February and look forward to spring, shall we? Must be the Michigan girl coming out in me. We nested during those two months. We cleaned and sorted. We baked more, crock potted more, and played board games with our children. Now of course, living my resolutions for this new decade, I am reading like a maniac. Loving my new found world again of mystery, involved characters, and imagined endings to supposedly dead heroes.
I am making the most of any free time this winter. Seems like I have an exciting life taking off again, and I want to savor all of this ramp up time with true gusto. My life has been such a wonder. Such a happy accident around each hairpin turn. I am truly the luckiest person you will ever meet. So my calendar fills, my life keeps blossoming and I am truly grateful for all of the wonderful experiences left for me.
I am going to digress for a moment, because this fact deserves it. I saw all of my children over the holidays. Does not sound like a big deal to all of you normal American families. (I know you are out there) With the trauma of late for the little corner of the universe that I called mine, it is a BIG DEAL. My children were in my arms, smiling, enjoying a moment, or a meal, or a laugh with Grandma Mix. My children were happy to be together. My children were just being themselves and growing and changing and enjoying life. I am so individually proud of each one of them. I am so dazzled by their passion. I am so enamored of their accomplishments. I am so shocked by their independence, strength and their boldness. (why would those traits shock me?) Because I worried about them and savored every positive thing I could glean from this for the last ten years, and it all came to pass. My kids are amazing. Successful, determined and doing it all on their own terms. I am so lucky. To have these five souls in my life for this time together is a total miracle.
Back to icey roads and plans for the weekend. It is amazing how simple life becomes when those that you love are strong, directed and doing it all. It give me a little bit of freedom to maybe enjoy the fruits of my labors, and relish the success that my life has enjoyed. I am now going to go back out to weather the storm for another meeting. (us Michiganders do not mind driving in the snow at all) And as I drive, in between prayers for drivers sliding and grimacing at the wheel, I will think of all of you out there that make my life such a miracle. Thanks for sharing your life with me. The intersection is divine.
I love to fill my jammed client calendar with social dates, plays, ballets, music, foreign films, and quirky mid Ohio festivals. Lets just muddle through January and February and look forward to spring, shall we? Must be the Michigan girl coming out in me. We nested during those two months. We cleaned and sorted. We baked more, crock potted more, and played board games with our children. Now of course, living my resolutions for this new decade, I am reading like a maniac. Loving my new found world again of mystery, involved characters, and imagined endings to supposedly dead heroes.
I am making the most of any free time this winter. Seems like I have an exciting life taking off again, and I want to savor all of this ramp up time with true gusto. My life has been such a wonder. Such a happy accident around each hairpin turn. I am truly the luckiest person you will ever meet. So my calendar fills, my life keeps blossoming and I am truly grateful for all of the wonderful experiences left for me.
I am going to digress for a moment, because this fact deserves it. I saw all of my children over the holidays. Does not sound like a big deal to all of you normal American families. (I know you are out there) With the trauma of late for the little corner of the universe that I called mine, it is a BIG DEAL. My children were in my arms, smiling, enjoying a moment, or a meal, or a laugh with Grandma Mix. My children were happy to be together. My children were just being themselves and growing and changing and enjoying life. I am so individually proud of each one of them. I am so dazzled by their passion. I am so enamored of their accomplishments. I am so shocked by their independence, strength and their boldness. (why would those traits shock me?) Because I worried about them and savored every positive thing I could glean from this for the last ten years, and it all came to pass. My kids are amazing. Successful, determined and doing it all on their own terms. I am so lucky. To have these five souls in my life for this time together is a total miracle.
Back to icey roads and plans for the weekend. It is amazing how simple life becomes when those that you love are strong, directed and doing it all. It give me a little bit of freedom to maybe enjoy the fruits of my labors, and relish the success that my life has enjoyed. I am now going to go back out to weather the storm for another meeting. (us Michiganders do not mind driving in the snow at all) And as I drive, in between prayers for drivers sliding and grimacing at the wheel, I will think of all of you out there that make my life such a miracle. Thanks for sharing your life with me. The intersection is divine.
Design in a New Decade
Design changes very quickly, but the beginning of a new decade gives me pause and a reason to believe.
I am the positive one. The one that sees stars in the night, fun puddles on a rainy day, beautiful flakes during a snow storm, and independent strong children from sassiness and disrespect. Design is all about being positive and delivering a message with a positive attitude and the creativity of a positive life. I have always chosen to communicate through color, texture, balance and always being a bit left of center. This keeps the design muse in me alive through it all. And life is really what we are talking here.
As the last decade came to a close, there were so many negative references to war, terrorism, poverty, and decline. Instead, I want to share with you my perspective on the last decade and my favorite subject. Design.
The last decade was so much fun, I hardly know where to begin. We saw the end of endless pastel color schemes, stylized interiors for the sake of stylizing, and matchey matchey friendliness. We started to see clients open up beyond retail displays and stretch thier wings to see that YOUR life deserves to be expressed. We are not cut out of a mould of corporate design catalogs, but created from the inspiration of our past, present and future dreams. The most fun of any project in residential is the part where we visualize what will be. When I see it, speak it and visualize it some more, most clients come along to a point. They join in, and add small touches and their lives fitting in. Then we are on a never ending quest to create it with them in it, living, growing, breathing and evolving.
Another thing that design let go of was following a trendy designer down a road of ruin living their life, not ours. I just saw a silly video clip about a woman that followed all of Oprahs advice in the last year and had very iffey results. If you allow a television persona to dress you, make purchasing decisions, and alos lead your sex life, then I guess this was the experiment for you.
One of my grandest compliments from a client lately was when they said "You get us!"
Wow. That was worth waiting a decade for. Not that I have not heard equally lovely comments about design choices, but that one kind of hit home for me. When that happens, I have not only done my job, but executed it, delivered it, and finished within time frame and budget. That is a big deal to us over achiever types. And to us over achiever design types. The icing on the cake just landed at the beginning of an exciting decade of triumph, joy and sheer excitement.
I am the positive one. The one that sees stars in the night, fun puddles on a rainy day, beautiful flakes during a snow storm, and independent strong children from sassiness and disrespect. Design is all about being positive and delivering a message with a positive attitude and the creativity of a positive life. I have always chosen to communicate through color, texture, balance and always being a bit left of center. This keeps the design muse in me alive through it all. And life is really what we are talking here.
As the last decade came to a close, there were so many negative references to war, terrorism, poverty, and decline. Instead, I want to share with you my perspective on the last decade and my favorite subject. Design.
The last decade was so much fun, I hardly know where to begin. We saw the end of endless pastel color schemes, stylized interiors for the sake of stylizing, and matchey matchey friendliness. We started to see clients open up beyond retail displays and stretch thier wings to see that YOUR life deserves to be expressed. We are not cut out of a mould of corporate design catalogs, but created from the inspiration of our past, present and future dreams. The most fun of any project in residential is the part where we visualize what will be. When I see it, speak it and visualize it some more, most clients come along to a point. They join in, and add small touches and their lives fitting in. Then we are on a never ending quest to create it with them in it, living, growing, breathing and evolving.
Another thing that design let go of was following a trendy designer down a road of ruin living their life, not ours. I just saw a silly video clip about a woman that followed all of Oprahs advice in the last year and had very iffey results. If you allow a television persona to dress you, make purchasing decisions, and alos lead your sex life, then I guess this was the experiment for you.
One of my grandest compliments from a client lately was when they said "You get us!"
Wow. That was worth waiting a decade for. Not that I have not heard equally lovely comments about design choices, but that one kind of hit home for me. When that happens, I have not only done my job, but executed it, delivered it, and finished within time frame and budget. That is a big deal to us over achiever types. And to us over achiever design types. The icing on the cake just landed at the beginning of an exciting decade of triumph, joy and sheer excitement.
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