Why hire an Interior Designer, Four FAQ'S

 

A good interior designer brings

their professional knowledge, education and experience to the table. 

Design is not just about making something pretty, it's about function and making it work. 

It's so exciting to know that spring is here and with that comes the longer days of sunshine.  Sometimes that sunshine exposes concerns and new issues that seem to pop up in our homes from year to year.  If that happens to be your case and you are considering making some changes or it just happens to be that time, then you will appreciate learning how

Hiring an interior designer will help you save time and money and get the look and feel that is right for YOUR lifestyle

 Why Hire an Interior Designer

                                                                             Four FAQ'S

How will you help me save time?

People tend to spin their wheels running around town or spending endless hours on the computer looking for just the right piece.  Many have a very hard time making decisions and feel overwhelmed by the design process or simply want something done but don't have the time.

I bring to the table creative ways to solve problems and build my business around resources that offer solutions and save you time.

I think it's going to cost me more, are you sure you'll save me money?

Have you ever made any of the following mistakes?
*Overbuying to get just the right piece?
*Falling in love with a piece of furniture you see in a catalog, online or in a store and think it's the perfect piece only to have it delivered and it's the wrong size or color?  

*Have you ever had your room painted and realized after you paid the painter that you hated the color.

My job is to save you money by avoiding costly mistakes.    

Thinking about remodeling or re-freshening a room?  I have the resources to guide you in the right direction so that the job is done once and it's done right! 

I'm afraid your going to want to do what you envision and not listen to my concerns.. 

I take pride in getting to know my clients and their family, involving them in the decision making process. Your home reflects who you are and how you like to live.  My job is to create a home for YOU, one that is functional and reflects your aesthetic and lifestyle and one that you will absolutely LOVE!

"You take the time to get to know your clients and figure out who your client is, and what they want so you can help them. You listened to me." Melissa Arroyo

"You've taken our lack of vision and taken us to a place where we are very comfortable. You are upfront with your clients in order to realize what works for them and when it doesn't work, you offer choices to meet their needs." Rick & Dorothy Menze
 

How do you charge? 

Because no two projects are alike and your project is unique to your needs, I evaluate the scope of work for each client to determine how I can best help you. Once I determine your needs, I prepare a proposal and from there we decide how it's best to move forward. 

Think about how much you would like to invest in your project and I will work with you to stay within your budget.

Join me in celebrating 12 years of business, for every referral that becomes a client you will receive a complimentary one-hour consultation.

"Thank you for your referrals, they are our greatest compliment"

Sneak Peek into HGTV's Dream House

 

I was lucky enough to be in Kiawah, SC for the opening weekend of HGTV's Dream House and I am thrilled to give you a sneak peek into some of my favorite rooms in the house.

 

 

It's no surprise that my favorite rooms in the house was the kitchen, open to the living space, simple yet elegant.

One of my favorite features in the contemporary kitchen was the back splash; clear, glass panels installed over white walls.  They made the kitchen sparkle, reflecting light and making it look 

Oh so Clean!
The cabinets are sleek, by Siematic and offering a purist kitchen design.  Although they don't scream "beachy,"  they complement the aesthetics of the house beautifully.

 

 

The kitchen/dining area opened up into the living space.  A  green soothing color, Hearts of Palm, by Sherwin Williams was used in the kitchen and accented in the great room.  a lovely view of the

 

I love the way the high ceilings were highlighted by the large hanging gate above the fireplace.  Because the room is large and open, two coffee tables were used side by side.  Most of the furniture and accessories in the room were furnished by Ethan Allen

  

Another wonderful feature in the great room were the windows, made by Gayko.

The casement windows open both as tilt and turn with a beautiful view of the marsh.

 

 The lap pool looked delightful!

 

 I apologize in advance for the poor lighting in some of my photographs, they do not do the room justice.  The master bedroom was lovely, very serene in khaki and sea-foam colors again with a beautiful marsh view. 

                     

The Display case in the master suite was actually one of my favorite pieces of furniture in the house.  It too cam from Ethan Allen

 Master Bath

 Upstairs Loft 

I loved the architectural features used in the ceiling that could be seen from downstairs.

 

 

View of the downstairs from the upstairs loft

 

HGTV's website  actually has a beautiful picture of the loft.

The combination of blue and white upholstery with a punch of color in the art work, made the room fun and relaxing.

The upstairs bath room was a delight.

 I loved the mirror!

Saving the best for last, my favorite room in the house was the downstairs Play room.  I know I said it was the kitchen but then I had not seen the downstairs yet.

The play room

Yes, it's inside the garage.  But what a cool garage.

 Of course, no play room is complete without a TV and a ping pong table.

While Charlotte was experiencing a blizzard, Kiawah Island was delightful.  I took lots of pictures of all of the rooms, so if there is something in particular you would like to see, contact me and I'm happy to share.  Otherwise, if your in need of a little vacation, Kiawah is the place to go and don't miss HGTV's Dream House

How will Pantone's color of the year affect me?

Image courtesy of Pantone

I always get excited when Pantone announces their color of the year and this year's color is a favorite of many,  Emerald Green.  Green, a majical color that speaks to balance and harmony.

Pantone is considered to be the design authority on color.  Pantone searches throughout the world for clues that give them insight into what colors are gaining traction.  They look at the world scene, most recently at the green movement and the preservation of the universe.  They also look to the trends in commercial furniture, residential interiors, textiles, lighting, and housewares to name a few.  All of these factors and more go into selecting the color of the year

While Tangerine Tango  filled us with much needed energy in 2012, Emerald green brings us insight.

The real important question for us is:  How will the color of the year affect me?

If it is a color you love and it fits in or complements your current pallet in your home, use it.  Add a pop of emerald green here and there, whether it's using an accessory or painting an accent wall.  We are going to be seeing emerald everywhere, and if you love and can't see it in your home  incorporate it into your wardrobe.

Because fashion is a major player in the color industry, we will see the color everywhere.

Photos courtesy of Etsy and Pinterest

 From the runways

 

 To our Homes

Skyla Freeman's 425 square foot studio apartment in Washington D. C. features the Pantone 2013 color of the year. The crisp white accents pop against the office walls. (Katherine Frey - THE WASHINGTON POST) caption

To the Beauty Industry

                                             And even to our kitchens

Le Creuset Fennel Green Mixed Pots and Pans

Can you see Emerald in your home?

If you would like to and don't know how to add that POP of color, I am happy to help!

Santa's Temptation is raising money for the Symphony Guild of Charlotte

If you LOVE Chocolate, You'll LOVE Santa's Tempatation!


The Symphony Guild of Charlotte is once again hosting their annual 'Festival of Trees".  A wonderful fundraiser for the Symphony and a great opportunity for the public to bid on sensational trees.

I am once again participating  and looking forward to tantalizing your taste buds and inspire you to bid.

Three feet of chocolate
Yes, a tree made of chocolate ornaments

Santa's Temptation

A chocoholics delight


Thanks you to Davidson Chocolate Factory for working with me on this spectacular edible tree, every ornament is a chocolate delight I'm sure you'll enjoy.

From a 6" chocolate star

To  musical instruments

To musical instruments 

 

To truffles and reindeer"s

Surprise someone on your list today and help the  Symphony Guild of Charlotte
with their Festival of Trees

Festive centerpiece delights

WOW your guest with this easy to make centerpiece for your thanksgiving table. 

 I saw this darling centerpiece in Better Homes & Garden and thought, it's perfect!

Better Homes & Garden

They called them "Tabletop 'Mumkins'", now that's cute.

Mum's the word when dressing up a pumpkin. To make these bright orbs, cut a lid and remove the seeds and the pulp. Using a nail, make holes just large enough for the flower stems to fit through and insert the flowers.  Now you know they're not going to last too long, but they sure will make a statement

Another option is to get a great container, one you might have sitting around, add an oasis ball soaked in water and gradually cover it with fresh mums.  Set it in the container and mist it periodically.  This should last you through the holiday weekend.

Colours of Fall

 

                                  Colours of Fall

I am always amazed at the beauty of nature as Fall takes over the trees.  As I went out for my morning jog I couldn't help but wander in amazement at the beauty around me.  The more I thought about it the more intrigued in my own thoughts I became with how we express our love of fall colors within our lives regardless of the seasons.

 

 

 

 One of the trends forecast for the fall 2012 in showtime magazine features the colors we all  have come to recognize as earth tones.  These are the colors we are now surrounded by in nature.   Colors such as espresso tinged with red-orange, toasty browns and neutral creams.  The look is organic.

  

                                        

The living space below shows a beautiful balance using different shades of persimmon.  The lighter color on the ceiling is punctuated by the bolder color.   The stronger shade  is carried  throughout the room as seen on the drapes and table creating a sense of balance.  That same color is seen sprinkled throughout bringing all of the elements in the room together.

Veranda Magazin

 The sitting room below also incorporates the earth tones but in pastel colors.  Balance in the use of color is seen as the peach color is picked up from the table skirt and used throughout the room.

Veranda Magazine

 Toasty browns used as accents, soft pumpkin and neutral creams all work beautifully to present a dining room that speaks of  warm earth tones and reminiscent of the colors we see this time of year.

Veranda Magazine

 From Emerson et Cie, this beautiful room is a perfect example of nature in its glory during fall.   The olive greens, chestnut browns tinged with a bit of espresso and orange-reds highlighted by a touch of gold is exactly what we see outside.

Emerson et Cie as seen in Veranda Magazine

It's amazing how nature plays such an important roll in interiors.  If these are the colors  you like to surround yourself with and can't seem to quite pull it together, I am happy to help you

Loving Jonathan Adler's new collection for Kravet

A few post ago, I wrote about the joys of my job.  Here I go again loving my job and all that comes with it.  Another one of the perks to being an interior designer is the opportunity to preview fabric lines.   I recently saw Jonathan Adler's new collection for Kravet and of course fell in love with it.

What about it caused me to fall in love?  I'll show you

First of all it was the COLORS, fresh and crisp. From the vibrant colors to the muted tones. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                      Velvets and cut velvets, geometric, abstract & contemporary linear patterns

Second:
The PATTERNS, a collection of patterns that work nicely together from the chevron to the pots, the small repeats to the stripes and circles.  I can see combining several of these patterns in one room

                      Limitless Chevron with Distored, available in all of the colorways 

          

       

                 Solids with Wabash                                               The collection                                    


Third:
The TRIMS, vibrant and mimicking the fabrics all complementing one another.

Finally, the PRICE POINTS.  They are wonderful!

I have a client in mind whom I think will love this combination of colors and patterns.  I'm thinking... upholster a chair and ottoman in the tweed, the distorted pattern on an upholstered bench, the stripes on pillow shams over a solid coverlet and drapes out of the linen pots.  I'll need to add the trim somewhere, it's going to be spectacular.

Jonathan Adler's collection reflects "his colorful approach to design with linen and velvet featuring bright colors, modernist forms, bold graphic patterns and embroidery".

What do you think about the collection? I'd love to know, send me a message and share your thoughts.


Thank you,  Brunschwig and Fils for sharing Jonathan Adlers for Kravet