AbbeyK — On Interior Design

Happy New Year

Hi Everyone,

Today is the Jewish New Year.

I wish you all a very sweet and happy New Year filled with love, good health, joy.

 

AbbeyK

The Business of Design is Not Only about Design

What do different designers bring to the table? Some do one look. Some are experts in antiques, some prefer to do themes. Me, I am about color, pattern and texture. That's the decorating part. I also work hard on the business side of it.

In the business these days there is a lot of talk about the economy, the housing market and its effect our work with clients. There's some nervousness in the air. I have talked to many people who have been in the business for a long time and they mention that some designers come and go. But the lasting ones have good business skills.

I write a lot about fixing the problems because it is such a big part of the job.

A lot my clients have had a problem with products for their home in the past and couldn’t get someone to fix it. For example, if you buy your blinds from a big box store, it’s very difficult to get help if something goes wrong: a blind is too narrow or it comes in the wrong color. Try just getting someone on the phone!

Part of the value of working with a designer is that if there are problems with products or other aspects of a project, I make the phone call to take care of the problem. Recently my contractor told me that the wrong sink was delivered and the toilet shipped without screws for the tank. Apparently the distributor loaded the wrong sink on the truck. We're not sure what happened with the toilet but it doesn't matter much...My guess is someone opened the box looking for parts...All it took was one call and they will be available next day. So no delay to the schedule.

If you haven't done a large project you might not be aware how much can go wrong. And how much needs fixing. And that’s why we work with certain vendors — because we can rely on them to help take care of things. Sometimes that means not working with the least expensive option because it's about relationships. Is it really worth it to save $5 to buy on the Internet? I don't think so.

So Tired of Red Dining Rooms -- Go Blue

New England is not just home to clam chowder. It's also the home to the red dining room. If you live here, you may indeed have one.

I understand the desire for bold and drama in a dining room but that does have to = red. Come on people! I am so-so-so-so tired of red dining rooms.

For a bit of a change, even in a center entrance colonial (and a nice one at that), we decided to go blue.

We jazzed it up one step further. To highlight the gold rim on the china we painted the back of the built-in cabinet with gold paint. Check it out with the light turned on. Oooh, sparkly.

 

   

Before and After Family Room

A while back, I worked with a lovely client whose house had the basics, but needed some pulling together. Throughout the house she needed a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

Some new upholstered chairs, rugs for the living room and dining room, window treatments, pillows, built-ins in the master, and new offices. We had a good time working together and the last items just installed.

Here are the before and afters for the family room. We kept the sofas, side tables, coffee tables and lamps. They were comfortable, the scale worked, and they were in good shape. The chairs were a bit small, so we added a pair of new chairs, window treatments, and pillows. The basics were all there, but it needed a little something to make it more welcoming. We kept the deep teal-ish/forest green in the sofa and then added gold in the chairs for balance. An accent of the light blue adds interest and pulls it all together.

We repeated those colors in the pillows and drapes. By the way, teal gold and blue repeat in the other rooms as well, in different proportions and shades.

The dining room rug just delivered so once I stop by to see how it came out, I'll post before and afters of the living room and dining room, too.

 

   

Top Design, Bomb Shelter Episode

Finally caught last weeks episode of Bravo's Top Design. The one where the contestants team up to design a bomb shelter.

The question: was it the bomb?

So what do I think? A few thoughts.

Judges. What works so well on Project Runway is that the judges are both expert, and likable. How can you NOT love Heidi Klum and Michael Kors? I want to hang with them. They know their stuff and they are likable. Even when they are being brutal. Nina Garcia is perhaps the least effusive but she has a quiet elegance about her. And she doesn't wear silly hats. Now really!

The judges of Top Design are not so likable or real. It seems like they are trying to hard. I guess Tod Oldham is taking on the Tim Gunn role. But he's neither as brutally honest nor as lovable as he dispenses advice such as: edit or looks like a dorm room. He's a good addition to the show but he needs to find his voice. I love Tim Gunn for his sage wisdom. But I don't love any of the judges on Top Design.

In the real world of interior design, it's just not possible to design a good room in such a short amount of time. There are too many considerations for lifestyle, taste and availability of products. So as an insider, a run through Pier One like that is just crazy talk. (Are they an advertiser?)

Maybe fashion designers feel the same way about all the gluing and pinning in the "finished" garments on Project Runway. On that show I can look the other way. It's entertainment. But Top Design? Not loving it. I think I'll keep watching until I am sure.

The one thing I took away from the show to point out to my readers is that the designers did a good job of considering the ceiling. I recall a fabric treatment, reflective wall paper, and contrasting paint. So if a room in your home calls for it, why not do something fun?

What are your thoughts about Top Design? Do you like the judges? Do you like the show? The contestants? Would love to hear what you have to say.

What Client's Think About Designers

Terry posted recently about design shows and then shot me an email about her blog.

She has a great post from her blog, Reeder Redecoration, about working with a designer, from the other side, but I'd say she hits the nail on the head and if you've ever wondered what the process is like, by all means check out her blog. Seems like the project is long finishedm but no bother, it's on

Bet you didn't realize about this feature of working with a designer. Fighting in front of a designer. It happens all the time. (PS. I am **so** used to it, I don't pay much mind to it. I usually just make a joke. Hey I'm in a relationship too, so I get it. Then we just move on. After all, we have a job to do.)

Getting into a fight in front of the designer. It's bound to happen. Rummaging around your house, tracking clutter and wasted space is personal. Sure a doctor's exam is personal. But the doctor doesn't come to your house and go through your junky stuff. So when the wife says, "you told me you threw that stuff out three years ago." tensions rise.

Taste is always an issue. The mere mention of "purple" can trigger fists and tears.Then there is the budget fight. More spending is always better, and always worse.

She also has a funny piece about being sold on an animal print rug.  Check it out and thanks, Terry, for your note/comment.

This Chair is Fabulous

I've been seeing this chair everywhere. And I love it.

Look around. You'll see it in magazines in elegant, high-end homes, in country homes, in beach homes. So versatile, it really can go in any direction...Imagine it with a pattern, a stripe, or a defined motif of some kind.

Plus, that wood detail is great.

Design Shows

What's your opinion of the reality TV Design Shows?

My absolute favorite show on TV is Project Runway. I also really like Top Chef. The judges are great, the personalities of the contestants interesting and I get into the challenges.

Top Design on Bravo just started up and I did watch the first episode. It's better than last year's. (I had to stop watching that.) So the retooling seems to have improved it, but do you think it is as good as Bravo's other shows?

Maybe I am just too much of an insider. Each time I watch the design shows, all I can think of is this: this is just TV. The tasks do not have much to do with the business or the work/creativity of being a professional interior designer. First of all, we do not perform labor. We don't build things, or install items, for that matter. Paint? Sew? Put in crown molding? Are you kidding me? Even though I happen to know how to sew and paint (but not use a miter saw), these are not tasks that designers perform. We are not contractors. Truth is, I know very few designers who even know how to paint, sew, or build. And it's not a good test of whether a person is a good designer.

And then there's the business part of it. Besides being a bad use of my time,  I don't have the insurance to perform labor. Do you know how much workman's comp costs in Massachusetts ?!!! Oh that just makes me crazy. My insurance agent made me promise to never install anything that would go over someone's head, like a window treatment rod. "What if it fell and hit aunt Sally on the head?" was his response when I asked why.

The time constraints seem arbitrary to me on the design shows. Good design is a slow process. You can make a meal in a few hours, you can sew a skirt, but you cannot design a room. Maybe a professional chef/clothing designer would disagree....

Will I keep watching? Will you keep watching? Am I just too much of an insider to enjoy it? Only time will tell.

So what do you think?

Two Colors in a Hallway? I don't think so.

Unless you have very wide hallways and very modern space and for some reason it makes sense to do so, please don't paint two sides of the hallway different colors. If your house is a normal house, I don't think it works.

Today I was in a client's new condo that he just purchased. Great space. Great location. But the previous owner had painted one side of the hallway red and the other a neutral tone.

Great for a Mexican restaurant, but in a Victorian converted condo? I don't think so. It's jumpy. So that red will be going. Actually most of the colors in the home will be going. There's too much gold and olive and we need to lighten it up. The transformation will be fun to see. Cannot wait.