WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

This Cary Interior Designer has not been in Cary much over the past couple of months. What have I been doing? Check out this beautiful view of Alta Plaza Park in San Francisco! My son moved into an unfurnished apartment and I was lucky enough to be the designated designer! The amazing thing about this apartment is that it is right in the middle of all the beautiful hills and typical San Francisco cityscape, but when you look out the window, this beautiful park is what you see. If you step out on the balcony, you can see all the SF scenes; but from inside you see the peace of the park.

So I have been designing a bachelor pad for a twenty-something. (I also visited my other bachelor client in San Francisco. We are working on his apartment too, but it's a radically different aesthetic. Stay tuned for more on that project later, and visit his completed Bathroom Remodel post in this blog: July 2010).

So where do you begin when you are designing an apartment from scratch? We began with my son's art: a Mondrian that we ordered after our visit to MOMA in NYC 2 years ago.

Here is a pared down view of the process:  (Click on individual images to enlarge)

FIRST VISION BOARD: After discussing with my son what type of sofa he wanted, and what type of entertainment center, I did the first "vision board". That enables us to get a feel for the possibilities. I imported pictures from Pottery Barn for the sofa and coffee table, and I found a cool table at Pier One that complemented the Mondrian, since we had determined that the dining area would be the best location for it. We had discussed the art for the wall over the sofa, and decided on using my son's photographs from Europe, NYC and New Zealand. And the entertainment center I imported from my software program.

FLOOR PLAN: The next step was to properly scale all these items into the floor plan. I did many, many different floorplans, studies and vision boards of possible furniture for all these parts of the space. I emailed links to my son and together we reasoned out what would work best, what appealed to him most, and what fit the budget. I am only showing a few of the images here...

NEXT VISION BOARD: This board shows some changes: We shopped around and found a really cool table that is similar to the Pier One piece in the first concept board, but this table was less stark, both in color and form (slightly rounded, whereas Pier One was totally angular). We found a chair at the same store that was comfortable and affordable. We purchased an entertainment center from Ikea that looked just as I had imagined from my software. We had arrived at blue as the right color for the rug after looking at several possibilities, so I colored in a blue shape. And I found a coffee table that I thought my son would like from CB2. So I imported all these changes and we kept on working from this revised basis.

NEXT ROUND OF VISIONS: For this group of vision boards, I sent my son several actual rug choices. We looked at rugs from Crate and Barrel, West Elm, CB2, as well as several choices from my designer arsenal. In the end, we chose one of my rugs from the San Francisco Design Center - a Capel rug in Denim Blue. I imported it into the vision board, and we are waiting for it to arrive.

ELEVATION: This elevation shows the Pottery Barn sofa with chaise that we have on order. My new software is so cool that I can scale everything exactly, down to the fraction of the inch. So I did a design layout for my son's photos, showing the exact sizes of his frames, and how far apart they all are to be hung. I hung them all before I left SF. We are just waiting for the sofa now! To the right of the sofa, we opted for a small simple table from Walmart to hold the Ikea lamp. We were running out of money! To the right of the table/lamp are the beginning of the kitchen cabinets and the microwave.

This project lent itself very well to virtual design - long distance communication by email and phone.  (I didn't have to go to San Francisco - I just wanted to!!)

The examples of vision boards and floor plan are a good illustration of working on a design as a package.  I can either work by the hour, or on a package basis.  Sometimes all you need is an idea of where to begin - where to place your furniture, what sizes to buy.  For others, like my son, you need to know what the possibilities are, where to find them, and how to integrate them. For more information on how we might work on your project, give me a call, and we can talk about it.

I'm back doing interior design in Cary now, and the things we've ordered have started to arrive, so stay tuned for final pictures later on!

HOLIDAY DECORATING...HERE COME THE CATALOGS!!

A few weeks ago I got my first holiday catalog: Frontgate.





And last week, Target arrived. This week it is Restoration Hardware. Don’t pitch your catalogs! They are valuable resources. Here’s how you can use the catalogs to help you plan your holiday décor.

Want to have a beautifully decorated home for the holidays?
Use what you have!


The good news is that anyone can create a beautiful, AFFORDABLE holiday ambiance in their home. The key is PROPER PLANNING, and here’s my outline for how to do it. But be sure you have enough time to read this post, because it is very detailed!

First, begin collecting ideas in a file. This is fun, and the easiest part! Home catalogs, like Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel, clothing catalogs, food catalogs, you name it – every vendor will have some holiday ideas to showcase their products. Tear out pages of ideas that you like.

Look for things that use popular holiday elements like ornaments, candles, Christmas cards, and greenery, as well as more unusual ideas. Collect as many as you like, but when the time comes to choose ideas from your file, zero in on a few. It really is true that “Less is more.”

Second, identify the Project. (This is your Interior Designer talking. =) Identifying the spaces you want to feature will help focus your efforts, and eliminate scattering your time/energy/money on unnecessary areas. You don’t need to cover every square inch. A few lavish effects are more appealing than masses of tiny touches.

Inspect each room for a focal point as the starting place for the decoration. Most people like to concentrate on a special welcome in their entry, and make a warm statement in the dining room, family room, kitchen, and powder room. A foyer, for instance, frequently has a small table, a wall mirror, or a bench. Any of these are nice places to start. Other examples of focus areas for decoration are the dining table, and the fireplace mantel. You will find the catalogs are a great guideline here.

To complete the second step in the planning process, it is a good idea to list the areas that you want to showcase. This keeps you organized, and helps you avoid the temptation to buy every cute thing you see in the stores!

Third, inventory existing items. This is the most critical detail in keeping the project cost-effective. Almost every home already has something that can be used as a backdrop or prop for a holiday theme. Here are some examples:

· Greenery. Seasonal greenery always sets the tone for a warm, inviting atmosphere, and the most affordable greenery can usually be found in your own backyard! Evergreen shrubbery can be used indoors on a mantel, massed in a large vase, or tied to a chandelier with festive ribbons. Look for pine boughs, crabapple branches, holly, pyracanthas, and other red berries. Accent with natural pine cones or dress it up with inexpensive, colorful glass balls. Use ideas from your file to help you create an artistic arrangement.
Tip: Planning your greenery early enables you to postpone the fall pruning of these evergreens and berries so you have more material to work with in December.
· Containers. These can be beautifully transformed at holiday time:
-a crystal bowl,
-a cake stand,
-a three-tiered plate stand,
-tall cylinder vases.
These pieces have year-round appeal, and it’s worth shopping around at sales to get them, because you will use them for other occasions too.

Many exquisite ways can be found to dress these up for the Holidays. Some are simple and effortless, such as arranging apples and cinnamon sticks in the container. Others are more original and require extra effort, but are worth the trouble. Sugared fruit is an example that was featured in a magazine a few years ago. Pale green grapes, green apples, and pears, dipped in egg white and rolled in granulated sugar, are stunning displayed on a three-tiered plate stand, and they keep for several weeks. With planning (here is your Interior Designer again!), such a project can be turned into a family activity. Even the smallest fingers can help in this team effort, rolling the grapes in the sugar. Another beautiful effect is achieved with “glittered” pinecones stacked on a cake stand. There are countless ways to bring the festive feel of the holidays into your home without encountering great expense.

· Christmas or Hanukkah greeting cards. These are wonderful ingredients found in virtually every home during the holidays. These colorful expressions of the season are frequently used to create a focal point. Some possibilities are:
-They can be cheerfully strung across ribbons in the breakfast room window or on the fireplace mantel.
-Craft stores and home improvement centers often feature simple projects you can make yourself to showcase the cards.
-Catalogs like Pottery Barn often feature creative card trees which you can purchase.
-An idea I have used in my home is to start a tradition with the most beautiful cards. Each year I choose the most special ones to frame. With planning, you can shop the sales for frames that match your home’s décor. Creating a family collection of holiday greetings can be a special tradition that everyone enjoys year after year.

IMPORTANCE OF TIMING
Timing is a crucial factor to consider in your three steps of planning. Planning is best accomplished well in advance of the holiday season. One of the most common pitfalls in keeping your project affordable is the tendency to wait until the last minute. Often, people don’t feel like thinking about Christmas until late fall. However, an early analysis of your project leaves more time to research specific solutions and to find the necessary materials during routine shopping trips.

TIPS from a Designer
· Last year, I found the best prices for decorations at Michael’s. They were all reduced by 40-70%.
· Sam’s Club always has a great selection of wired ribbon. You get a huge roll – bigger than most craft stores, for under $7.
· Sam’s Club also has fresh 25 ft. pine/cedar garlands for about $13. That’s twice as much garland as Lowe’s for the same price. But with Sam’s, you have to act early, since they do run out of things.
· Dollar Store has lots of things, and yes they are all $1. However, you have to read the fine print. Sometimes the quantity of what you are getting prices out to be the same per unit as other stores like Target. With Dollar Store, some things are a really good buy and others are not. Wear your glasses to check the quality!
· Many designers are willing to help you organize your project for a small hourly fee. If you have already done my steps for planning the project, it shouldn’t take a lot of time for a designer to set you on the right track to completion.
· Or – if your budget allows for it – get the designer to do the whole thing!! Call me and ask!

Enjoy Your Project!