Easy to be green

Posted on May 11, 2012 by The Reflective Designer

Last week I attended a great workshop on sustainable design in kitchens and baths. As a designer with membership in ASID, I am required to take credit bearing courses so that I may be current in the latest trends and developments. That’s a great thing not only because of the knowledge attained but it gets you out and about visiting new showrooms and meeting other designers in the trade.

This workshop was hosted by Kohler and held at New England Kitchen and Bath at their W. Yarmouth showroom. Who needs an excuse to visit the Cape but if you do, I certainly had a good one.

Since the focus of my work is residential, I was especially interested in learning about the requirements of the home regarding bath and shower design. Different preferences between men and women and fixtures which address those needs…all the while focusing on the latest in conservation and efficiency…it was fascinating and will help me to specify products which will better serve the needs of my clients.

New England Kitchen and Bath has many showrooms throughout the state and it was good to know that my clients are always welcome there and will receive expert service from the design staff on board. The N. Attleboro showroom houses the $6K commode from Japan which does everything except whistle Dixie, …well it does have a sound system so it might do that too. You’ve got to see it to believe it!

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There is no shame

Posted on April 28, 2012 by The Reflective Designer

Seriously now, admit it. You have been obsessed with HGTV, watching all the design shows. You have a nice selection of mis-matched, mis-appropriated, or too large (too small) furniture. You have a well versed selection of paint cans in your basement. It’s time to fess up and ask for help. No, not from your mother, sister, best friend, someone-who-knows-someone-with-an-eye…none of those people. I am talking about asking for qualified help from a professional.

There is no shame in this, in fact it is a wise person who recognizes their weaknesses and confronts them. I discovered this myself when struggling with the appearance of my showroom. There was a large running wall to the left in the showroom which housed my fabric sample books hung on pegboard. “Oh, how I hate the way that this looks!” Every day when I’d walk in I’d say the same thing to myself.

Before my enlightenment

What had I done about this in the two years I’ve had the showroom? Nada. It wasn’t until I was having a stream of consciousness conversation with my installer Wayne that I began to see that I had a blockage and it was only until I opened myself to the possibilities of help, that it became resolved.

Really, it was so simple. I told Wayne that I loved the idea of cubbies in which to house my fabric sample books. I said, “it will cost me a small fortune to have these made and it will upset my showroom for a week.” Simple, Wayne said, ” I know a source for those. I will dis-assemble the pegboard, you can paint the wall behind them, and then we can set the cubbies up in place”. Voila! A plan, and without Wayne’s help I could not have physically pulled it off. Here are the results of our efforts (mostly Wayne’s).

improved fabric wall display

An organized and attractive fabric book collection

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Partnering for a better world

Posted on April 27, 2012 by The Reflective Designer

I am so excited about the new direction Stow Decorating Center is about to embark upon. As a design firm, we have always catered to the end user, the residential client. Now we have become ASID Industry Partners and as such, we are creating an additional focus towards serving a broader range of clientele through established design professionals. We will be serving the design community at large by offering them turn-key solutions for their needs. No longer will designers have to travel into Boston for furniture, fabrics, workroom services, carpeting, area rugs, etc.. They can shop in complete comfort and convenience, use our showroom as their own, and have us do all the detail work.

In addition, we will be offering convenient ways for design professionals to obtain their continuing education unit credits (CEU’s). by hosting regular, scheduled events throughout the year at our showroom. We all have to keep up to date and CEU’s are how it’s done.

Talk about walking the walk! We are immersed in design 24/7. We love what we do, it is not a job, it is a vocation. Stay tuned for more!

Posted in Celebration, Customer service, Design, Draperies, Furniture, Hardwood flooring, Industry Parners-ASID, Soft treatments, Uncategorized, Window Treatment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Beware the “Custom” drapery

Posted on April 17, 2012 by The Reflective Designer

We all know what custom draperies are right? The drapery person comes to your house, measures your windows, helps you to choose fabric and then comes back to install your custom draperies.

That is what happens during the process of creating custom draperies but one thing was left out, that is the quality of the workmanship. Many, many, many, window treatment people are out there in the marketplace with great prices. They come to your house and take measurements, they show you fabrics but they have a reduced selection. Finally when they deliver the goods:

1)  there may not be a lining
2)  the header/side seams/hems may not be double turned
3)  the bottom hem will be less than 6″
4)  the header may not have buckram inside for strength
5) monofilament plastic thread may have been used instead of color matched cotton/poly
thread
6)  they may be mounted on sub-standard hardware

This is what we call in the trade “Made to Measure” but what many mistakenly call “Custom”. Made to Measure draperies lack the detail and quality of a Custom piece. They live in the netherworld between ready made off-the-shelf and true custom. Their prices are substantially less for a reason, because the quality is substantially less. It’s simple, in the home decorating business like in other businesses, things cost what they cost.

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Say What You Mean…

Posted on April 17, 2012 by The Reflective Designer

There’s a huge advertising campaign running currently for one of the large window covering vendors promoting their new “custom drapes” product line. Arggggg! I can still hear Mr. Vincent’s voice (my professor from design school)…he would always say, “drapes is what they do, draperies is what they are“.

I am a stickler for proper language, just ask my kids. I was always on them about using the proper words in order to communicate accurately. My design students at RISD are treated the same…I give them a list of vocabulary. This is not only to communicate properly but also to let other trade members know that they are professional. Oh yes, you didn’t know? There is a secret code (actually there are several) in the design trade and one of them is the proper use of terminology. If I as a designer, contacted a drapery workroom and asked them for a “topper” or some “drapes”, they would know that I was a wannabe and not a practicing professional. I would be shown the door promptly.

So what’s my point? Well, would you buy window fashions from a purveyor who didn’t know enough to call them by the proper name?

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Go on, make my day

Posted on April 13, 2012 by The Reflective Designer
One of my clients called me first thing this morning to tell me that my furniture delivery people had just left her home. She said that she absolutely loves the sofa, chairs, and rug I supplied her with and that she cannot stop looking at it all. Oh, yes, there was wallpaper installed a little over a week ago too. I told her that she just made my day…indeed. It doesn’t get any better than this. :-)
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A rose by any other name…

Posted on April 13, 2012 by The Reflective Designer

People often ask me what I do for a living, especially when they see my van. My answer always is, “I’m an interior designer”. Now I am very proud of what I do but every time I utter the phrase, my lips just curl up a little at the ends…it’s the word “designer” that makes me cringe. It started back in the 80′s with “designer jeans”. At the time, the phrase had meaning, designer jeans were better made, the cut was flattering, the detailing was interesting. Since then we have been bombarded with not only designer everything, but gourmet popcorn, gourmet this and gourmet that. Heirloom seeds, heirloom quality, blah, blah, blah. All of it has ceased to mean anything. So I have been on a quest to find an adequate replacement for the word “designer”.

Looking at Roget’s Thesaurus I came up with many words that addressed the creative aspect; architect, author, costumier. But then there were others more lofty; brain, deity (my personal favorite), founder, sire. Then there were others more mundane; originator, planner, builder, organizer.

At that point I realized just how complex the field of interior design truly is. We are not people who walk around with purple feathers in our hats and our heads in the clouds. We brainstorm, conceive, create, organize, delegate, build, and present.

So I suppose that when somebody asks me what I do, I should give them my 30 second elevator speech…I brainstorm, conceive, create, organize, delegate, build, and present fabulous ideas for ideal living.

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Da Bump

Posted on October 30, 2011 by The Reflective Designer

Yesterday I visited a client who asked me to provide them with draperies. One of their main concerns was energy efficiency.  Of late I have heard many requests for window treatments, hard and soft, which will help consumers cut their heating bills. Yikes, with heating oil being around $3.50 per gallon, it is no surprise. Count me in as one of those looking to save money.

Many of my clients are not aware of the options available to the drapery professional. When it comes to insulating draperies, my clients think about that nasty rubberized lining or about quilted treatments. What I don’t like about the “insulating” rubber lining is its hand…it just does not fall into graceful folds and really does ruin the look of a quality fabric.

Let’s take a page from the British and use a specialized type of lining which has traditionally graced their homes. I’m talking about a lining known as “English bump”. Because many homes in Great Britain did not have central heating, draperies were depended upon to insulate interior spaces. A flannel lining is placed in between the face fabric and the rear sateen lining, this is called “bump”. It comes in many weights and insulates while maintaining the integrity of the face fabric. It lends a very sumptuous hand to the draperies, bringing dimension and fullness. Of course as a designer I am very much about the look so I am just crazy about the upscale feeling this can lend for a modest cost.

I will be actively advocating for the addition of bump linings for designs where I feel it is appropriate.  It is these little touches we bring to the table that set your custom goods apart from the rest.

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Work hard, play hard

Posted on June 25, 2011 by The Reflective Designer

We’ve just returned from a four day intensive at Hunter Douglas corporate in Colorado. So much to know about being a better dealer and business person and how to serve our customers in the best way possible. Sun up to sundown, and post dinner…our days were consumed with discussion.

Meeting other dealers from across the country was great. We got to share ideas and inspire each other. One evening, we managed to steal a little time for ourselves and relax in the second story outdoor hot tub. Facing west towards the flatiron mountains, watching the sun set behind the distant snow covered Rockies….ahhhh, it doesn’t get any better than that!

Well we hit the ground running after the red eye flight back to Boston. Landing at 5 am and splashing some cold water on our faces, it was back to the showroom…returning with enhanced enthusiasm for the work we love.

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Fresh Paint 2011

Posted on March 31, 2011 by The Reflective Designer

I want get a bit personal here and share this exciting news with all our blog readers…I just found out yesterday that I’ve been selected to participate in the Copley Society’s Fresh Paint event. Some of you may know my background in the fine arts as a painter…I’ve been a Copley Society artist member for many years. It’s the oldest organized art group in America and Fresh Paint is it’s largest fundraiser. April 17th is the event, come to Boston, see the artists painting en plein aire and bid on the works you love. – Beverly

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