Newlyweds, New Life, Shared Space

This week I had the pleasure and fun of working with a couple that are tying the knot in two weeks and just closed escrow on their first major purchase together- their new home! They called on me to help them plan their next space, but, being on a newlywed budget, were hoping to start the process of their potential remodel slowly!

One of the hottest trends for my company is the introduction of our D-I-Y Design Consultation. With this $350.00 consult I spend up to three hours in a client's home learning about them and how they use their space, assisting them with design questions and dilemmas, educating them about the proper ways to use scale, furnishings, layout, colors, fabrics, window, wall and floor ideas and decor. For those who hope to take a more active role in their remodel or those just getting started, this has become a great way to save money on the potential costly mistakes made when homeowners go it alone. For Nicole and Andrew, who needed to focus their money on their wedding, this was the perfect way to help them understand how to tackle "the meeting of the things!" You know... her things meeting his things and trying to blend them in their brand new space. For couples embarking on their first home together, this is the most common dilemma to address and often ends up in an argument about what should stay and what should go.

Since Nicole and Andrew were closing on their home a few days after our first phone consult, I asked them to both take pictures of their current living spaces. We discussed their likes, dislikes and things they hoped to keep and incorporate in their new adjoined space. This is the best first step and should be done WAY in advance of your move. Most couples "just do it" and then get a mish mash of clutter and chaos with two styles of decor that are completely different and often tacky together.

We then met together at their new space and began with the most important room of the home- the family room. (Aha, I bet you thought I was going to say the kitchen? Totally different perspective here). When planning a new interior room by room, I begin with the place that is most visited by your guests. Yes, kitchens are often the "hub" of the home, but you usually have to pass through the family room to get there and you don't often have new friends or visitors in your kitchen. When starting with your family room and then working outward, eliminating the rooms that guests will focus on most upon entry to your home, it takes away a lot of the "new home stress" and allows you to later plan the rooms that are more intimate and private, like your master suite.

Nicole is more of a Pottery Barn, easy living girl. She likes a combination of transitional, plush and comfy  furnishings and soft, lighter colors. Andrew prefers sleek, contemporary pieces but likes dark, masculine shades (of course). One would think there is not common ground to two styles that are such polar opposites, but that's what I'm there for.
Since Pottery Barn is Nicole's favorite haunt, I began there. This is her sofa- the Charleston...
It has a loose pillow back with rolled arms and a slip-covered body. It's soft and delicate and very, very beige. She has a few colored throw pillows on it for (my least favorite designer catch phrase...((wait for it))).... pops of color. Andrew has a sofa he bought at a contemporary furniture store in Seattle. It has a low back and chunky boxed arms. It's more structured and a medium charcoal gray color- very industrial feeling and not the most comfortable in the world, but he seems to sit in the same spot A LOT, because there is a massive dip on the right side of the seat cushion.

From room to room, their looks were distinctly night and day, except for the bedroom, where they both liked the same calming and simple mission style slat bed and plain side tables. Their aim was to focus on the family room, living room (which is not the same), kitchen and powder room (which was easy for them since they bought my new E-book ((shameless, but true plug))). Now, back to a few tricks they learned in their family room...

To create a good compromise between her love of plush sofas and his love of all things structured and sleek, I suggested they still purchase at Pottery Barn, but go for the PB Comfort Square Grand. For the color, I suggested Twill Seagrass. It's a great median between her soft color palette and his manly grays.
 This sofa has a loose cushion back but more structured arm in a box style and short tapered legs, making it a more modern transitional piece, but still comfortable. For a coffee table, I suggested this wooden Rhys table with apothecary style bottom drawers.
Again, it's sort of sleek but also warm wood, so it's a great mix, but to get a more industrial feel, I suggested these end tables to compliment the look.
Note: Your coffee table and end tables do not have to match, they just need to coordinate in a manner that is pleasing to the eye and doesn't throw off the balance of good scale in the room.

For paint colors for this room, I went with warm neutrals that were a combination of gray and green. They are soft, but also gender-less so they appeal to both of them. Here are a few examples that can work.


For an accent rug, I am loving this selection from www.homedecorators.com.
It has subdued gray green tones and a modern twist on branches that can appeal to both his and her style. Once the basics are done, selecting wall art and decor is easy. One of the largest problems that couples face is editing because they are use to having too many decorations or, in Andrew's case, adding, because he had too little. When adding decor, there really is no "less is more or more is better" routine. It depends on the individual space, the wall it's on and the quality and scale of the pieces you are incorporating. For some reason homeowners are under the impression that they must line every available area with decor? While you don't want bald spaces appearing in your home, you can pair down to less, more high quality pieces to showcase, rather than multiples of stuff everywhere!

After giving them a list of places to shop, selecting color schemes, a change in flooring, helping them measure and understand the "why" behind a lot of what us designers do when planning a room, Nicole and Andrew were set free to explore taking on their new home. I'm excited to see what they do and look forward to the pictures. Congratulations to Nicole and Andrew S. of Chandler, AZ on your new life together and your new stylish space! If you need a bit of designer help to create your perfect space, contact me for your D-I-Y Design Consultation. Live outside of AZ? I have a plan for your too!
 

Countertop Resurfacing? Don't even go there!

I am all for being frugal where you can on your home remodel. What I will never promote, however, are do-it-yourself projects that will devalue your home, and the home stores are FILLED with them. Today I have to go into one of the newest and worst ideas I have ever seen for your kitchen- Countertop Resurfacing…

I can’t say enough to discourage you from ever using such a product, but I’m going to do my best! Que feo! Rust- Oleum has some fantastic products. I use their spray paints all the time for various projects around my home, but this product is just WRONG! My strongest advice when you are ready to replace your laminate countertop- is to actually REPLACE your laminate countertop. Consider where you live and the materials that other homeowners in your surrounding neighborhood are using for their home. If you are not going to upgrade to a more luxurious material such as granite or quartz, I can tell you that Formica, Pionite, Wilsonart and a few other laminate manufacturers have come up with a slew of amazing laminates that resemble granites and slates and fantastic stones. Many have textures or scratch resistant coatings and are very affordable. I will most definitely do a post on one of my favorites by Formica soon. For now let’s get back to this horrible idea of resurfacing your countertops.

Have you ever seen a garage with a coated floor? They look pretty neat. The floor has a nice polish, thick coating of paint with a sealer and can contain flecks in the mix to give it some pizzazz. Would you ever put that on your countertop? That’s exactly what you are doing if you use this kit. Yes, it’s appealing to think you can do it yourself and save a ton of money. This kit can range from $140.00-$200.00, but a post-form laminate countertop can cost you around the same price and a custom laminate countertop- brand new- is not much more than that. The look that this kit offers is more similar to the older style laminates of the early 90′s or the older solid surface countertops that had small or medium sized speckles throughout. It looks NOTHING like a granite or stone, like it attempts to represent. The result of the work you will do with this kit will never look even close to the overdone flecking they show on the box and even that does not look spectacular. Furthermore, if you ruin this project or don’t quite like the look when you’re done, you’ve wasted time and effort and will still need to replace it in the future. This project falls under my “Measure Twice, Cut Once Philosophy”. A skilled craftman will measure twice to avoid a mistake. I use this quote all the time to inform homeowners that proper preparation avoids costly mistakes. Usually, when I say proper preparation, I mean hire a professional. It is great when you can do it yourself and some projects qualify for this, but specialized trades have come into existence for a reason. If everyone could do it, everyone would open up a business doing it. Things that require skill should be done by their trade professionals. Countertops fall under that category almost as much as refinishing your own kitchen cabinets (oh, don’t even get me started on that non-sense! That will be another post!).

Resurfacing is a process that offers a questionable time period of wear and tear. The look is not desirable so it is not an improvement and therefore it decreases the value of your kitchen. If you were to sell your home, this would deter buyers who would consider this an item that must be replaced, a cheap fix for the most important room of the home. Please, don't even go there! You will be disappointed and pay twice as much for something you could have done right the first time. I hope this post will help you make an informed decision on this product. Hopefully, with enough complaints, dislike or lack of sales, the big box stores will take such a bad product off the shelves!

Forzastone- The Newest Name in Luxury Bathroom Design

Travertine is one of the most luxuriant and most popular surfaces for bathroom remodels in the last decade, but it has not been without it's flaws. Being natural stone, to try and get it to look like this picture was a labor intensive and highly expensive feat. Slabs of any stone are extremely heavy, therefore costly to purchase and install, requiring several men just to lift and put your stone in place. Then there's the typical, lighter but not so less intensive method of application- travertine tile. While beautiful and offered in thousands of styles, patterns and colors ranging from lower cost and lower quality Mexican travertine to the costlier Turkish variety, owners of this beauty had the horrors of natural stone maintenance to contend with. Travertine is an extremely porous stone, with random veining and pitting allowing bacteria to fester in any moist environment. Tiled showers also have grout lines which, even when sealed, change color from dirt, mildew and age. 

Forzastone offers a beautiful, affordable solution to homeowners who seek the luxury of travertine, with the ease of maintenance available in a standard shower surround. Forzastone is a lightweight, natural travertine or marble panel that installs with NO grout and in less than a day. It comes in six varieties of travertine and two different marbles, offering you endless looks when combined with a decorative tile border, like the shown here with a marble mosaic.

Forzastone is comprised of many layers, blending the highest quality natural stone with the best in technology to bring you luxury for your bathroom that boasts a LIFETIME WARRANTY. The stone itself is a sealed 5mm slab mounted on a reinforced metal alloy, which is then mounted on a 4mm reinforced plastic ply laminate, which is mounted on another reinforced metal alloy. Cleaning and maintenance are a breeze because each panel is pre-sealed and 100% waterproof, and I have to say it again... NO GROUT! 

Forzastone cannot be purchased by homeowners, as it must be installed by a certified installer, ensuring proper installation of the product and no void of your warranty. As a designer, I'm having fun creating unique bathrooms with interesting combinations of Forzastone and porcelains, glasses and other natural products on decks, counters and walls. For more information on this phenomenal new product and their range of colors, please check out their website at www.forzastone.com. Clients in the Phoenix- metro area interested in this product for their homes, I'd love to work with you to create a luxurious lav with  old world appeal or cutting edge modern looks. Please reach me at 480-227-1832 or www.fashionhouseinteriors.net and let's begin your journey into maintenance-free world of Forzastone. To all of my friends in the trade interested in using Forzastone in your own projects, please contact Jay Dunbar of J&M Custom Millwork & Remodeling. He's a certified installer who has done several installations throughout the valley. He's fast, professional and will make working with your clients on their bathroom a joy! He can be reached at 480-206-9183 or at his website at www.jmcustommillwork.com. 

Avoid Costly Design Mistakes With A D-I-Y Consultation

YUCK! SAVE MY UGLY ROOM!

In this time of economic uncertainty homeowners have become "crafty" in attempting to handle their own home remodels. They're hitting the big box stores in record numbers to bombard the paint department with their stabs in the dark at the right color for their walls, trolling discount furniture stores for the "perfect" pieces to create their dream room and stalking every liquidation center gathering decor to complete their look. Then they bring it all home, paint the walls, stuff all of their furnishings in there and top off their room with their carefully scouted finds, only to live with it for a week and find out it all doesn't quite work together. That shade of tan looks peach, the sofa is far too large for the walls they sit against and you have to walk around half of the room to get to the next. Something seems to be missing and you don't know what. But you've now spent so much money that you don't want to admit to yourself or anyone else that you probably shouldn't have done this on your own. Your husband tells you he loves it even though he finds the sofas uncomfortable and the kids are already ruining the finish on the coffee table and your household cleaners have made it worse. 

This economy has brought out the worst in those who have vowed to help you. HGTV and DIY have told you that you can save thousands by taking on your own remodel. You can re-purpose finds at tag sales with scrap fabric and for a few hundred bucks you can get mosaic tile that you can just slap on top of your 4" granite backsplash and it's an instant makeover! Then discount furniture stores like Ashleys and Razmataz  tell you that you can get that "Old World" look with overstuffed furnishings in rich looking fabrics that will make your room look like you spent a million bucks,but you really have no idea of the fabric codes and what they mean, the wear of them, the build of that sofa- is it sinuous costruction? 8- way hand tied? Is it corner blocked or screwed and glued? Is it pet friendly? Does it fade when steam cleaned? Does it even fit where you are putting it? Just because the wall is 8' wide and the sofa is 6' DOES NOT mean perfect fit. How deep is it? What style is it? How do you eclectically marry your style and your husbands? Do you see where this is all going?

You might have good taste but it takes far more to put together a fully functional, livable space. Interior design is not decoration, it's a skill fused with artistic interpretation of the innermost desires of a homeowner brought out through a designer's creativity. It is VERY easy to misinterpret the undertone of a paint color, to misread the scale of that sofa you love in the store. Then you have these "designers" in the stores who work on commission, have never seen your room and more than likely are not designers at all- trying to make the most off of your sale and recommending pieces for your home that they will never have to live with because it's your space. HOMEOWNERS- There's a reason that we designers exist! But I can also appreciate that not everyone can afford what we do. I don't believe that you should simply have to go it alone. All homeowners deserve to live in a beautiful, well functioning space! Therefore, I have created a solution to your problem...

Call Fashion House Interior Design Co, LLC for a D-I-Y Consultation. How does it work?

1. Prepare- Gather your thoughts, color ideas, pictures, magazine clippings and any notes on what you 

    might want in your room.

2. Schedule Your Consultation- We will meet for up to two hours, review your ideas and pics, get to 

    know you, your family and how you live within your space. We will then discuss colors, styles, 

    furniture ideas, flooring, walls, windows, lights and everything in between to create the perfect  

    space.  You can take as many notes and professional expertise from me as you can use to plan the 

    best space. These tools will help you make the right decisions when shopping on your own and 

    prevent costly mistakes.

3. Do It Yourself- Go out and shop for the items to create that dream room on your own with the 

   confidence necessary and the basic knowledge you need to accomplish your goals. 

The cost of this process is $300.00. The value is worth thousands!

A D-I-Y Consultation is assistance that you need to master the basics of design, but it is not meant to replace the expertise and extreme creativity that comes when hiring an interior designer to do your job from start to finish. It is meant to be a starting point for those who insist on going it alone. For more thorough assistance, drawings, layouts, project managing of sub-contractors, skilled labor and the many professional facets involved with creating your dream space you will need to hire a designer. 

How To Use Blue In A Space- A Tale Of Two Blues

Having lived in Arizona for seven years, I have come to learn that blue is not a well used color for interiors here. I always find it funny that most residents of AZ relocated here from another state, many from the East and Mid- West, where blue is a normal, sometimes even dominating color in the world of design. Yet, we move here and become accustomed to tans and rusts of the Sedona skyline and quickly toss away the colors schemes of our past. But what about those of you who just truly love blue? Why can't you use it within your space? Well, you can! Let me show you two ways to create a luxurious interior using the color blue- (and NO, I don't mean the pale blue and brown we used a few years ago when everything could work with brown.)

With gray continuing to be the neutral of choice in room design, we're seeing a serious increase of blue making it's way into the color palettes of new glass tile, carpets, and accessories everywhere. It can be as tranquil as a baby blue or as regal and elegant as a cobalt or royal blue. Blue can also easily transform into a masculine or feminine neutral space- appealing to a couple looking for a design compromise. Take a look at the mood board above. On the left notice that we've gone more towards using blue in a neutral setting. When combined with paler shades of gray as a base, you can use a deep blue sofa as your crowning  piece in a room and then use a combination of gray, frosty white and even light blue as accent layers. In this application, let that blue sofa stand alone  (as the only blue furniture) and use chromes, nickels, mirrored pieces and lesser blue accents, like perhaps this ceramic stool, to tie the look together.


The right hand side uses blue entirely as an accent to punch up the room. By starting with a pale gray sofa and then adding the deep, exciting blue accents, we've now given this decor electricity. This look makes a blue accent chair a must have! Accent chairs are like a great pair of red shoes with a black dress. They are your unexpected delight to complete your look! Years down the road, when opting to change your look, a good quality sofa in this neutral color can remain and you simply re-upholster or replace your accent chair to achieve your next trend. Use wooden tables and quirky bold accessories like a blue budha head (one of my faves) or these fun foo dogs to complete the look.


You simply don't have to be scared of blue in your home. Even in the smallest doses, it can bring a little life into an otherwise standard space.

What Comes First: The Furniture or The Paint?

It's the age old question that homeowners have most difficulty with- what comes first, furniture or paint? And you'll find many different thoughts behind your logic- like, if I am just doing a tan on the walls I can do that first because then anything I pick for furnishings will match because it's a neutral...WRONG! I realize that seems logical in theory, but if you understand base colors, you'll realize that all colors have tints, tones or shades in thousands of levels that alter the "true" color, resulting in some sort of undertone. Let me explain...

Not so long ago I had a repeat client ask me to assist them with designing their new home. I had selected every wall color in their previous 5,300 square foot home to perfection and their happiness. When it was time to sell, the house sold swiftly with people fighting over the home because of the paint colors throughout. Even without the furniture, which they took with them, the house spoke to potential buyers. I was proud of that, and having done such a fine job, you would think they had total faith in my color consultations. 

This time they wanted to get away from the neutrals and go into "a color" as the husband put it--- grays. (lol, another neutral) They were excited and we went in search of the perfect sofa. With fan deck in had, at the store I selected coordinating shades of gray for the walls and, as the living room leads openly to the kitchen and then hall, chose similar grays in tints of that same color. (A tint is achieved by adding white to a color). In the store, not only did they love the sofa- which was a charcoal gray with a bluish undertone, but they understood and loved the wall colors as well.

Then came the problem- the painter painted the walls and for six weeks, while they awaited the sofas' arrival, they agonized over the blue in the wall color and how much they hate blue! BUT THEY LOVED IT ALL TOGETHER AS A WHOLE and when the wall color and the upholstery is together they do not look so blue. It just so happened that standing alone they were able to see the undertone. I begged for their patience because I knew they would love the end result but it's hard to get over a preconceived notion that you dislike something, especially a color. (I'll tell you the end result of this story in part 2).

Tan can have any variety of undertones. A shade of tan ( adding black to a color) can have a yellow undertone, while some tones of tan (adding gray to a color) might have an orange undertone. Sometimes a tan can have a pink or peach undertone, while other times it can appear to be a khaki (with a green undertone). A tan is never really just a light brown. This is where the strong eye of an interior designer comes into play. I can't tell you how many times a potential client spent hundreds, if not thousands on having their home painted and the colors simply did not match their furnishings because they painted first and bought later.

It is always easiest to select your paint colors based on your furnishings and then coordinate your window treatments, artwork and accessories with the combination of what you have selected. Paints can be altered in shade, tint or tone to achieve a match to a fabric, but despite the hundreds of upholstery choices you have for a "custom" sofa, you can't simply create a fabric to match the exact undertones of a wall color. Not only that, but purchasing your furniture first might open you up to accent and wall colors that you might not have ever considered. It's amazing what colors you can pull out of a good print and throw on your walls to produce stunning results and a great big AHHH when your friends come through the door!

How To Add Pantone's Color of The Year 'Honeysuckle' Into My Decor?

For us designers, it's like the Oscars! We impatiently await with ears, eyes and mouths open in anticipation to hear the announcement of Pantone's colors for the coming year. They are the Holy Grail of our world. All textile companies rush to design new upholstery fabrics in the top trending colors, which are then snatched up by the best furniture manufacturers who use them to create desirable pieces of furniture which us designers then clammer to place in the houses of our most trendy homeowners. And while that's a mouthful, without these vital cues, many homeowners would never move forward, still owning a puffy black leather sofa and hunter green and mauve cushions with white washed cabinets in our kitchens. (if you still have any of these, please call me immediately!)

Although Pantone's Color Of The Year is appealing to most women, some men might be hesitant of just how to incorporate Honeysuckle into their homes in a way that doesn't make their room into a girly girl space. Honeysuckle has actually been a trending color for several years. A derivative of the corals, rusts and fushias we have been seeing peeps of throughout the last few years of design, it has finally made it's way to the forefront as THE in color for all things in the home. I was shocked to see that my husband- the ultimate man's man, said he liked the honeysuckle chandelier in this picture to finish this spaces decor, above the other two. I have to agree, but I still selected three to show the versatility you have when playing with this or any new color trend that you want to add to your space.

Color trends are more than just the latest fad in design, they are the inspirations for the future of the home industry as a whole. And while there are some radical colors that enter into the mix from time to time, for the most part the new colors are an indication of where colors will stay for a small extended period of time. I say this because so many homeowners do not dare to follow the trends for fear that they will become outdated the very next year. It is the job of your designer to make sure that the pieces you add into your home's current decor will stay current for years. This is done by carefully incorporating just the right accents pieces and base colors into a space, allowing these new color trends to highlight the room and not takeover it. In five to seven years (when most homeowners update their main room's decor) the items selected (if done right) should easily either fall into your decor's background or be easily replaced by the next color scheme that appeals to you.

If you notice the mood board here, you'll see that the basis for this room's decor is the gray and cream color scheme. Gray has been a trending color for the last four years and continues to be popular in all things fashion and home design. It shows no signs of leaving yet. The pieces here, from the sofa to the accent chairs and accessories work well together, but can also be separated and broken up into other rooms. So can the honeysuckle pieces shown in the space.

Accent pillows are all the rage and you can never go wrong by tossing a few in the newest trend into the mix. For anywhere from $10.00 at a discount store, to $40 at a home department store or even as much as $200 in a high quality furniture store, they are still cheap enough to cover or discard after five years or so!

Lighting options in a trending color are another great way to infuse your decor with what's in the now. If you love the style of a chandelier or lamp, down the road you can always have the base refinished, add or swap out the shades or have other things done to alter the appearance of the piece to accommodate the newest style.

The best way to add a jolt of adrenaline into a lack-luster room is to add a single accent chair with a print in the trending color. Again, consult a designer in order to get this right. It takes more than just matching the print's colors to your existing decor in the room. Attention to detail, size, shape and scale of the piece are vital when attempting to incorporate a new member into your furniture family! When done right, however, your room becomes a WOW when it was once an ugh!

Need help with any of these design ideas??? Consider hiring a great design firm- 480.227.1832

New Year- Time to Give Your Business New Style!

So you have a business and it's surviving the times. Your office is office-like, your waiting room is...well, Ok- it's waiting for a change. The truth is, you spent the minimum, opened your business and it's been doing well, so you have reason to be happy! But, now that you are taking a look around, you realize that some updates can be done- AND THEY SHOULD. Nothing says thriving business like the persona that you are a WELL THRIVING BUSINESS. Business is all about establishing trust. A customer has to trust you in order to give you their money, and in this slowly upward- bound economy, trusting that you will be there in 6 months from now, is a major part of that. A well-done interior shows a potential customer that, not only are you here, but you are present in the moment with your updated space, you have invested in your company and they will want to invest in you as well!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS- The most important, AND I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH- the most important (had to say it again, lol) space in your company, whether it be a salon, a restaurant, a night club, a medical center, an office- is the space right behind that front door. It's the first thing they see when they enter your company for the first time. This is the room that says "I care about my customers" by making this space appealing to look at. Your wall color should be attractive and welcoming. It should also help to establish your BRAND, and this is one of the most important things that I do for a company when working with their design. Your company's interior should either directly reflect your branding (i.e. color, fonts, logos) or indirectly (through mood or theme of the the product or service you offer). Furnishings in the waiting room should be fresh and current! If you still have that puffy leather couch in your front entry- that says I've been around since the nineties and haven't changed a bit- that's not a good thing, when there have been such innovations since two decades ago! Even more than that, customers nowadays expect more from the companies they patron, they want creativity. Don't just think outside the box, but outside the hemisphere. That's where a good interior designer (like me) comes in with exciting, UNIQUE details that make your company stand out from the average. Companies need to be noticed to be successful. And don't just think that painting your entryway and waiting room a nice tan and adding neutral accents will get the job done. Nothing says snooze-fest more than neutral. Even neutral needs a punch of bonafide, kick-butt color!

INVEST LARGELY IN ONE MAJOR DETAIL- The obvious granite countertop at the reception desk is...well, obvious and not all that creative. There are SO many products out here for wall treatments, appliques, veneers, furnishings. A grand entrance, whether a contemporary space or a Tuscan villa feel, needs texture and drama and the newest products out there offer that for you, if you take advantage of them. I can't count how many new, super-hot, unique products I have that have been gathering dust because of a lack of a good place to put them or a good client to use them on. Take this waiting room wall, for instance. Yes, it's a typical 4" x 4" honed and tumbled travertine tile, but we used in a more modern way- with a butt-joint (no grout and laid together with no spaces) configuration. Then I took a fresh new serpentine glass tile in complimentary colors, that lifts off the wall in a waving pattern, to give the wall 3-D interest. The result was amazing and didn't cost my client an arm and a leg. By taking an expensive product- the glass tile, and using it intermittently throughout, the overall result was not expensive and gave the client a unique atmosphere and conversation piece while customer's await their service.

CREATIVE ORGANIZATION- This is where custom pieces usually come into play, especially in very small or massively large spaces. They both need to hide the excess or storage or even just paperwork. Sure metal file cabinets are suitable in a back room, but if your file cabinets are in areas where clients can see them, the old standby simply doesn't do your company justice. Neither does mismatch office furniture. Nothing says pieced together more than three different tones of wood laminate desk sets. Putting enough effort into coordinating your office furnishings, even in an eclectic, but professional manner, will go a long way with the perception of your customers. And in the end, isn't it ALL about perception? If customers perceive your business to be successful, you will be.

Customers drive our success or failure by making the decision to use our product or services. Make it an easy choice by putting your best foot forward for them. Get your business interior fresh for 2011 and upgrade your customer's perception of your company. Even if you just change to a vibrant new color scheme, it can go a long way to impress those who hold your bottom line in their hands!

2011- Whoo Whoo!

SOOOOOO.... what can I say about the start of this new year, other than Thank the Lord above that we have seen the end of 2010. It was, for my business, the worst year of the recession. We went through a major restructure, a deep recession, followed by a huge depression, then just as we were getting back on track- got screwed over by a client and learned a major lesson. So many homeowners worry about contractors, and with good reason. There are so many designers, contractors and businesses in general that are out to get your money and might not have the skill to back up the cost that you will pay in the end. What people, even I, never think- is that someone can have a high quality of work done and then operate a gorgeous, high-end establishment built on the merits of a company who designed and fabricated their entire persona and then not finish paying for their work. Coming from the east coast, gaining compensation from dodgy clients is far easier than it is here in AZ, but I more believe in KARMA than any justice the law will bring.

I have replaced my mind's space with all sorts of positive thoughts for this new year. Business is on the brink of full out recovery and the quality of clients in reemerging. I love what I do SO much and am happy to work with clients who truly appreciate the art and skill involved in my world. I don't just make spaces, I design lives, I create futures, increased profits and comfortable environments. I welcome all who are willing to take that journey with me. I have created awesome rooms, homes and businesses in the process, along with some life-long friends! Together, onward we move to 2011- Whoo Whoo!