peeking: what's in process?

One of the most common questions I'm asked is: "How involved are you in the design process and installation?"...

The process and installation is the real reward of being a designer! The best part of any project is always the "reveal" after everything is installed and arranged. I try to make this a really dramatic moment (like on TV!), but sometimes the project is really large and takes quite a while to complete- so all the steps you don't see on TV are actually revealed in phases in your home. This makes the "surprise moment" a little diluted, but still always a joy!

The "process" is where the creativity, and sometimes craftiness and/or labor is involved. I operate differently than most traditional interior designers or decorators because I work on a freelance, "a la carte" basis. I don't have a large staff, and I like to install everything I possibly can myself- so I'm likely to be the one hammering, hanging and assembling in your home. I also don't sell furnishings, and I work all across the board- from million dollar plus projects to projects that might have much smaller budgets than the typical client of a designer.

I've found that budget limitations can really push my creativity to new heights. Anyone who knows me knows I cannot stand being told "no". When I get a vision for a room or project in my mind, that's IT. This means when the budget says "no" to me, I do anything and everything to circumvent, adapt, or overcome! (For some reason, this usually means a lot of spray painting will be involved.)

I think this stems from when I was in college and I wasn't able to afford some of the furnishings that I really wanted. (Champagne taste, Coors budget) I would end up mocking, making, replicating or creating what I wanted. Sometimes I ended up with something neater than the "real" version- sometimes I ended up with a bad, bad replica. Either way, the process was always fun and I loved figuring it all out and just making it happen!

Below is an example of a "make it happen" project that's in process. This client didn't really have super-tight budget constraints, but she didn't want to go custom and high end on everything, either. I got really involved in personalizing this room and making it "just so". (More spray painting!)





This is for a little girl's room that I am hoping to complete this week. It's a rich chocolate brown room accented with many shades of pink and some fresh vintage touches. This room is above the garage and is very large, so I created a few different "areas" within it... I'll be sure to post the finished space for you to see- I'm very excited about it!

Below is a hint of a great project I've got in the works for a couple who loves warm colors, masculine decor and softball! These are the custom fabric/rug/upholstery sets I chose for two of the rooms. In the first set, I picked the thin pinstriped fabric for the sofa because I thought it looked like a vintage softball uniform... I'm subliminal like that. (ha!)

The other set has some retro style mixed with warm accents to create a nice, unexpected mix. This is all going into a really neat little house that is getting a complete makeover. The carpet has been ripped up and the floors have been stained and scored, and all of the rooms have been repainted in rich new colors. Everything else is on order for this project- so it's in the "infant phase" right now.

I'll bring yall along with photos as everything progresses!