Sunday, July 18, 2010

Design Me A Room... In Anything But Beige!


I recently visited a local Gilbert furniture store to survey the mid-year wares and found, as I always do, that Arizona still falls quite behind in the times when it comes to current fashion and furnishings. As a designer who enjoys the benefit of seeing the vast and consistently new contributions to the ever- changing world of design and decor, I often wonder why Arizonan's are allowed such a limited view. In speaking to one of the saleswomen in the store, we smiled as we recalled designing country style rooms in actual colors like blues and corals and greens. She said she longed for clients that "allow" her to press such thoughts for their homes. She is from the mid-west and her friend who stood idly by and commented every so often was from San Francisco, where beiges and browns are a taboo. So who created the rule that interior design in Arizona must be done in all 3,000 shades of tan? And why has every designer, good or bad conformed to this sad and colorless world of blah neutrals with small "pops of color"?

It seems that Arizona furniture stores have created their own "catch 22". Homeowners look to furniture stores to provide inspiration into "what's in style" for home interiors. Most homeowners are visual people- they understand what they see and the stores are stocked full of wall to wall upholstered pieces in taupes, browns, tans and creams. The buyer, not having much of a choice in way of color, selects their furnishings by the best style they see on the floor. The store owner researches the best selling pieces and buys more, never taking the chance of displaying anything other than what their customers will buy. After all, why deviate from a "sure thing"? And so the cycle continues on and on for years, displaying the same basic styles, changing a throw pillow here, a coffee table there, but never introducing a new innovative thought until forced.

Two seasons ago, The Las Vegas World Market introduced gray color schemes into the color palettes of homes across the country. The World Market is a three building mega design center that hosts a week long event showcasing all of the newest trends, colors and styles in fabrics, furnishings and decor to be sold by manufacturers across the world. Designers, furniture store owners and vendors from all over attend and bring back with them the excitement of all that is new and fresh and should be shared with their clients. And yet, in Arizona, it seems as though many of us get stifled by the purchasing power of the few large stores who just don't believe that their customers would be interested in such a concept as a plum colored sofa or using brown as the exception and not the rule. Last season The Market introduced bold and subtle shades of orange, yellow and lime, along with great new purples and yet I am sad to report they are virtually no where to be found in a showroom near you; I order them by catalog.

So, as designers it is up to us to educate the consumer about all of the many options they have for interior design. We can infuse life into the rooms of our client's homes and bring them something new and stimulating to be proud of showing off to visitors and friends. We can help to modernize the ideas of what our clients buy, which might force furniture stores to take notice that there are more paint colors than Dunn Edwards Baked Potato and drama is not only created by a dark chocolate accent wall! In the coming posts I will show you furnishings, decor and ways to design your home...in anything but beige!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

I'm Back, New Name- New ME!

So, I know it's been a while, but as you can see... I've been busy! My longtime love and I finally tied the knot after nearly thirteen years of unwed bliss. Always in fashion and ahead of trend, I wore a silver gown and Jay wore a sexy ascot. We shared our day with our closest friends and all the family that could actually make it. There were so many snags in our day, I could write a book. Even a last minute venue change prevented some of my most cherished guests from attending. Nevertheless, the union was beautiful and now life continues with me as Mrs. Dunbar.

Planning a wedding from head to toe and trying to run a design firm at the same time is impossible. Many avenues of my business had to suffer, as they could not get my full attention. My blogs were two of the most neglected parts of my world. It was hard not sharing my experiences with you, it's my therapy! Now, trying to get back to business has proven to be a challenge and a half. It's funny how some clients can disappear at will, living their life on their terms, yet can become unaccepting when you have chosen to finally take some time off- even to do something as important as GET MARRIED! It doesn't happen very often that a client cares nothing about you and views you as merely the labor that puts their (whole entire home) together. There are many clients that actually understand that, in addition to their designer, I am also a mother of four gorgeous children, a wife, a businesswoman, a creative. I have family, and friends. I like dancing and movies, culture and fine dining. There are so many months that go by consisting solely of planning, designing, meeting, researching and the highlight of those months are the few hours you get to network with others at some stuffy function hosted by a vendor serving small bites of food in decorative glassware. There are times when the life of a designer is either all or nothing at all. Well, I am trying to change that!

My new approach to life is "GRAB IT"! If you want it, take it! If you're good at it, prove it! Sadly enough, if nobody knows, it doesn't seem to count. I design gorgeous and unique interiors and I WILL change the way Arizona sees interior design! Neutral, Tuscan boredom... you're going down!