There are presents to wrap as Christmas approaches, but here is another kind of wrapping up – from completing projects to taking inventory – the end of the year is busy and everyone is anxious to get things wrapped up!!
Parties are scheduled and scenes are set.
Lovely party last night! Thank you Anne and Ken!!!
Company is coming and the final kitchen drawer was just finished, walls are painted, custom iron rods were just installed, the tree is up and all is decked for Christmas. The draperies are being finished and should be installed before the big day! Will they be finished before the guests arrive?
The new store is open! (Watch for more on this soon!) The front window is in festive mode with a Christmas tree and mannequins sporting the newest fashions. The last minute details are installed on the magnificent wrap desk, the POS (Point of Sale – not to be confused with what they might be calling it during the glitch) computer cash register system is on the fritz and hours of remote consultation puts everyone on edge.
The custom designed and crafted tables are finished – although we missed the Thanksgiving deadline – a ski trip that weekend made that a forgivable situation. Delivery to Boulder dodging snow storms was a success and the tables exceeded expectations!
Two entirely different tables custom designed and fabricated, delivered and installed!
Other projects proceed as chair cushions are being finished, cabinet pulls are on order, the rug pad is due any day, the construction drawings for the commercial kitchen are underway, the solar shades are in and working nicely on the designated remotes, the walls need to be patched and painted – hopefully this week, the landscape plans are being priced, the sign package for the exterior of the building are also being priced and the plumbing fixtures aren’t here and might not be in time, the counter tops are still to be fabricated, the plumbing needs to arrive and be installed…and those last few items are for my own house!
If anyone thinks that the designers’ projects go more smoothly or finish on time and go off without a hitch – think again. Murphy’s Law isn’t prejudiced. My own indecision, delivery of the wrong sinks, budget modifications and time delays related to design details being painstakingly executed all contributed to my project not being cleared up before Christmas. Through no fault of my wonderful contractors, so many other things are in play. Designing projects is like conducting orchestras – well, to the extent that there are many players who must perform when expected without flaws – and that is not the nature of most projects. Unlike an orchestra performing a piece, having practiced for hours, days, months, years…projects are never identical and practice cannot make perfect. The variables are many and the permutations and possibilities for glitches seem endless! Perhaps it’s more like juggling rather than conducting!!!
So as we wrap-up the year and hope that everyone’s projects are providing comfort, enhanced function, fun and even profitability, we thank all of our clients and contractors who participate in the process. We are thankful for each of you – our clients and we are equally thankful for all those artists and craftspeople on our team who make our dreams come true.
Designing is like cooking – I guess cooking is a form of design. Yes, it certainly is. Whether it is graphic design, fashion design, architecture, musical composition, poetry, landscape or interior design – artists of all media – the art of creating, designing, composing, it is all about the right ingredients in the right amount to balance the scene. Proportion.
Even though I will be focusing on interior design, the”scene” could be the sheet music, the canvas, the poet’s screen or paper…the “scene” is the window that frames/encompasses the finished product. To compare these artistic endeavors, to the art of cooking, is so obvious to me.
Everyone must cook something. Whether it is merely heating up beanie weenies, with a sliced dill pickle tossed in, chased with a gin on the rocks, it is a composition that must result in a tasty scene – for someone. Having said that, we must also note that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The more successful compositions appeal to a greater number of aficionados.
To cook, one must combine the right ingredients, in the right proportions, to combine to result in the best finished product. When I design, as with cooking, it is often “create as you go”…it is important to add an element and taste…re-think…evaluate…
Assembling ingredients and considering the balance of them in the finished product.
At a glance, the significant distinctions between cooking and interior design is that in cooking, the finished product might be gorgeous, but taste terrible. Interior design is all visual – on the surface…or so you might think…until you evaluate function. A beautiful cake needs to taste as good as it looks. An interior must function as well as it looks. Both are dependent on the subliminal factors that result in a truly successful finish product.
Successful is also in the eye of the beholder…25+ years ago my mother and I went shopping for a leather sofa. She, at 5′ 3″, was a bit on the “vertically challenged” side of the ergonomic spectrum. Therefore, actually sitting in the contenders was important so that her feet comfortably rested on the floor and her back against the back – no propping up with throw pillows to make the fit. So we searched and sat and searched and sat until one day, like Goldilocks, we found one that was “just right.”
A few weeks later, having waited anxiously for this perfect sofa to arrive, Mom excitedly called me and said “they’re delivering my sofa today!” I told her I would be by after work to see it. But before I could finish my day and see this long-awaited focal piece, she called again exclaiming “It’s the wrong sofa!” To which I replied “hang on – I’ll be right there.”
Sure enough, I watched her as she sat on her beautiful new leather sofa and looked like Lily Tomlin doing Edith Ann! Her legs shot straight out and even with a scoot forward, her feet dangled in mid-air. We knew something was wrong. It looked like the right sofa, but we didn’t have the intended dimensions of what we ordered. So all we could do was go back to the showroom and hope the sofa that we thought we had ordered was still on the floor and go from there…
With great relief, we found the showroom model…Mom crossed the room and took a seat. A very comfortable seat. Everything fit just right. So what was with the sofa that was delivered earlier today? As it turned out, it was the right sofa, only hers was brand new. The one on the floor had been sat upon for months and by a thousand fannies…the answer was simple prompted by a simple question. Would they exchange the brand new cushion filling for the broken down stuffing that was in the floor model? And with that – voila! Her new sofa was modified to be the perfect fit – old, broken-down cushions and all!!!!! She still sits comfortably on that sofa today. Function. The outside looked great – the ingredients were a bit off. Ingredients make the difference.
I used this example with a client recently when she had a chair reupholstered. Per her request, the stuffing was not changed – but the upholsterer thought that the collapsed appearance was not good and would reflect a lack of attention on his part. So he plumped and made more firm the stuffing inside his new, tighter envelopes. She was not pleased and thought all was lost. I assured her that it was an easy fix and asked that it be redone. He is in the process of modifying the fill to accomplish the comfort she remembers. The chair looks great – but the ingredients/details are not creating the function that would make it a truly successful design.
As a designer, we often (especially in bidding environments) are faced with “or equal” substitutions to our design selections. The specifications have to be within a certain tolerance, but the results can radically change the complexion, success, look and effectiveness of the design. Imagine how this could affect a recipe? Well,sometimes great new recipes come from unintentional substitutions….take these cookies I baked last weekend.
Barbara Bush’s popular Cowboy Cookies – unplanned, I had a wild hair to bake cookies. I can count on one hand how often that has happened in the last 20 years!! So having had these fabulous cookies recently (thanks Feath), I rummaged through the pantry for the ingredients. Well, I had wholewheat flour, not all purpose, I had a few butterscotch morsels and a few more white chocolate chips. I had no chocolate chips nor coconut. I had steel cut oats not rolled oats. Too lazy to run to the store, I thought that the worst that could happen was that my cookies would be terrible and I would have wasted the ingredients and a couple hours of time…However, I am pleased to report that they are wonderful and resulted in a new oatmeal cookie worth sharing. Substitutions can work, but the harmony of ingredients is the key.
Another issue that can challenge a good design is when there are too many chefs in the kitchen. The ingredients can become imbalanced and substitutions can be made that alter if not spoil the intended results. In some projects, the”lead” shifts. The contractor, subs, and owner can all insert changes that alter the design. This usually occurs without regard for the design as a whole. Each person has their field of vision, their focus of expertise or special interest. Sweet, salty, acidic…each has its place – balance. A disregard for any of the ingredients, poor substitutions or imbalanced quantities – will alter the results.
Yin and Yang – the balance of our known universe – is all at the root of the balance of good design. Balance and the relationships of scale (which are also forms of balance). Rough/Smooth, Shiny/Dull, Dark/Light, Soft/Hard are all ingredients of good design. The balance of these are the equation of successful solutions. And this doesn’t even include the magic of color its balance and compliments.
Many people are good cooks. They have an innate sense of what works. Many people have an innate sense of good design. They often take it for granted. They might not be able to articulate it – but they can create it, they know it when they see it and they employ the rules of balance whether they realize it or not. In both of these cases, theses innately talented people often need reinforcement or encouragement – validation – affirmation.
From dinner guests to friends coming over to see the new furniture arrangement, talented cooks and decorators can get the job done – as with all professional chefs and designers – with the support and contribution of the talents around them.
Are you drawn to pet adoption events? Do you wander over when you find the dog adoption people parked, out in the open, along the side of the road, in the corner of a parking lot or even at the pet stores themselves? I don’t. I avoid them like the plague. I know that given just one sweet look or mournful expression or happy eager wag, I would have a problem.
I rescued my Rockford about 30 years ago. He had been kept chained to a tree in a backyard with a choke collar that he had very much outgrown.
I absolutely cannot allow myself to be tempted knowing that my resistance would be weak and my resolve would be challenged. I don’t need a dog at this time in my busy, crazy life. However, I would certainly go that route, if I were in the market.
Little Mini was passed from house to house until the fit was just right!
We all know that adopting a pet – dog or cat…or other…is such a wonderful gift – to them and to the lucky new owner! And I feel the same way about furniture and home decor. Yes, I see a direct correlation between “thrifting” and pet adoption. Funny?
Whether it is a early start on the garage sale circuit (not my bag, but very worthwhile) or estate sales (also not my thing as I get too emotional, about the family not wanting the treasures) or scouting consignment shops and thrift stores (less emotional because the context of the pieces are not so personal) it’s all about treasure hunting. It’s a growing trend for sure!
But like pet adoption, I see salvaging a previously owned piece, over buying new, just like giving a fresh start to a neglected, even forgotten, treasure. And, as you know, they say “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” and I so believe that statement! That same phrase could be said about your newly adopted pooch! Your new “treasure.” As well as that fabulous hand carved chair – your new treasure!
Bring it home, get it cleaned up, play with it around the house and get it some new clothes – oh – am I talking about the new four legged family member or that awesome new chair??!! Interesting similarities are shared by the adopted pet and the adopted furniture find!
All dressed up and ready for a party!!!!
From Victorian through mid-century modern, reupholstering gives a fresh new outfit to that fabulous piece that has been left sporting a shabby suit.
Threadbare but still fabulous – what a great save!
See beyond the existing condition – “You can’t tell a book by its cover.” And you will see beyond the surface focusing on the lines, bones and details.
This Winged Victory of a sofa was ripe for re-purposing!
New suit and shoes and this was a great save!!!!!
Discovering great pieces is soulful. Eclecticism is interesting. Balance is better achieved when you have a mix of interesting things. Buying all new is not as creative and can result in a monotonous look that is immediately dated. You’ll know what year THAT room ensemble was created!!!!! Furthermore, re-purposing, recycling, up-cycling trends provides an opportunity to employ the talents of the local upholsterers and refinishers – support local talent!
To a void that pitfall – be brave and seek your pieces. Assemble them with care and embrace unique things. If you love them – make them part of your world. Find potential and then enhance it. Context enhances. Mix new with old and give new life to old pieces. It will be a satisfying and rewarding experience.
What you see in a thrift shop is one thing – seeing beyond it to a new context that celebrates it and features it with other things you love is the personal magic that makes YOUR interior uniquely yours.
This tired but handsome piece came to us in need of a face lift!
Multiple fabrics add pizzazz! Find just the right fabrics and you have a custom masterpiece! And the lumbar pillow for this one is still on it’s way, for a third pattern providing even more interest!!!!!
Give new life to old pieces and it will be a rewarding experience. Then go out an adopt a dog!
Finishing touches are always the beast to tame at the end of the hunt. Yes, you’ve hunted, you’ve searched, you’ve gathered, you’ve assembled and stood back and observed your work. What’s needed? What’s missing? When is it finished?
Just the word finish sets up a mental block for many. It’s like decisions period. Once you make a decision, you’ve lost your choices. Losing choices can be a dilemma in itself! So, from Pinterest to HGTV and the internet at your fingertips the choices and options are endless, but what do YOU want to do, to call it “done? It’s all in the details…
Schumacher offers details right down to the trim on the draperies! This bold key design makes all the difference!
And inasmuch as you can’t seem to GET it done, you WANT it done – just can’t seem to get there from here. How do you decide what you need to add for those incomplete finishing touches – to be FINISHED? Know though, that to have the feeling that it is finished is a good thing. Yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t change it – sooner or later!
We interior designers have jobs because our clients need to do things, change things, finish things. It seems that with all the options presented on TV and the internet, people are jumping in with inspired ideas, making decisions, buying things and doing things – then coming to a screeching halt! “HELP!” is the cry when everything seems to be too much – or not enough – or too uncertain and overwhelming – or not just right.
As if your own self-imposed frustrations and pressures are not enough, your partner rants…”Just finish it – will you? Be DONE with it!!!” Not everyone loves a DIY project. Most people don’t even like the disruption of a professional team coming in and tackling the job. Alas, “you have to break an egg to make an omelet,” some wise person once said.
Whether you’re changing paint colors for the third time in a month or tossing throw pillows around the room, to no satisfactory avail, there’s something missing…something is not quite right…it’s not there yet.
Have you removed everything from the walls and lined them up waiting for inspiration as to how and where they should be placed and grouped – maybe re-framed?
What about a mirror to add depth? Is it an installed mirror – the illusion of space without calling attention to the mirror itself or should I hang a framed mirror that makes the statement in its entirety? Do I lean it against the wall or is that a trendy affectation?
Uttermost is one of our favorite sources!
Studied nonchalance is an art form. How to achieve that intentionally unpretentiously naturally relaxed look is a challenge. Just writing about it here is an effort in describing that which is supposed to be effortless!!!!
Perhaps it is a monotony of height. Do you need a tall piece among other lower elements in the room? Maybe a tree in the corner is the answer or a statue of some vertical art statement, to add interest and height. Perhaps you might consider hanging something, from the ceiling – a mobile or origami bird or even a light fixture, to draw the eye up from the otherwise low furniture pieces.
Robert Allen presents perfect fabrics for colorful pillow accents…and there’s that tall plant for height!
Speaking of light fixtures…how does your almost finished, but not quite there yet, room look at night? Are there dark pockets and corners that would benefit from some concealed up-lights – indirect lighting can be quite effective and enhance a spooky, dismal space.
LOVE this before & after! Check out John Cullen Lighting for some great ideas and inspiration!! https://www.johncullenlighting.com/
Spooky is the season and, with the holidays approaching, the need to get things finished before guests arrive or you leave to visit… or just the hectic nature of the baking, gift-buying and wrapping, shipping and other communications aspects of the season are upon you – pressure you to want to get things finished!
Brunschwig and Fils by Kravet offers an amazing collection of prints – mix and match!!!
Have you consulted with a friend? Do they rise to the invitation of critiquing your present state of affairs and offer design ideas that further serve to confuse you? Better yet, ask two friends and get two different options for finishing your space and then what? Pick one and the other’s feelings are hurt that you didn’t take their advice – even if they are not aware that your decisions moving forward were offered by another friend.
From the rug (thank you Company C for your “Colorful Living!” to the table accessories and all the things, pieces, fabrics, details in-between – finishing touches FINISH the job!!!
A designer is a problem solver, a tie-breaker, a marriage counselor, a creative who extracts your needs and – evaluating all options – offers the best solutions to get your job finished!
I’m currently working on an urban loft apartment. The criteria with which I was presented, upon our first meeting, consisted of three items: One – to enclose an open bedroom to provide privacy, Two – to provide alternate access to the shared master bathroom. (There is also a powder room, but the shower and tub were only accessible through the master bedroom), Three – because it is a relatively small footprint with voluminous tall ceilings, he was hoping to create a small second tier for additional square-footage. I understood these items to be his intended “improvements.”
While on-site, at the first meeting, it was (and is always) impossible to limit the observations to only those isolated areas of concern without seeing all else that is occurring around the space. Therefore, I consider the extra comments that I offered for minor changes to be “enhancements.” These are things that have not had or do not have priority in the eyes of the client and might have even gone unnoticed forever. Items such as adding a wing wall at the front entry to screen view from the door through the kitchen, concealing a new tall closet of matching cabinetry directly behind the wall to add storage to the kitchen, add a clerestory window and bookcase with cabinets to the new wall between the master bedroom and living area for borrowed light and additional storage!
Occasionally these offerings are met with a shrug, hmmm or a “maybe” and not really considered to be of great value, but more often than not they are greeted with exclamations like ‘Oh, I never would have thought of that.” “What a cool idea!” “I would love to have that.” And it is with this enthusiasm that my client responded.
So when considering remodeling or identifying the primary improvements needed, begin with the priorities then layer design details of additional enhancements and you will create a master plan that can be executed over time in phases in a preferred or practical order of priority.
1. Begin with your list to improve the function and enjoyment of your environment.
2.Prioritize the list and guesstimate costs to establish a starting conversation regarding budget.
3. In addition to cost – consider pairing like-kinds of things together such as adding or removing a wall which involves framing, sheetrock, texture, paint – it might be cost-effective to do all items related to these trades even if they are not the same priority.
4. The distinction between improving and enhancing is a fine line because improving does enhance, however I consider improving more practical and enhancing with embellishments that are less critical, but make further improvements and enhance the quality of the space. Such as crown molding, improved base trim, unobtrusively installed mirrors, windows, updated hardware, etc… https://bit.ly/2HCYrU
5. Storage is always welcome. Look for opportunities to add cabinets, vertical spaces to maximize your footprint, second-tier countertops, raise cabinet heights even furniture to provide additional storage. https://bit.ly/2GZglUa
6. Passing daylight through to interior spaces is more common in offices than in residences, yet for the same reasons of “borrowing” light in commercial spaces, skylights, vertical slivers of glass, transoms and clerestories are valuable assets when it comes to bringing daylight into pockets of darkness. https://bit.ly/2HCddKU
7.Evaluate your existing lighting. Adding dimmable ambient light to rooms to supplement existing down-lights such as pendants in kitchens, translucent lamps shades on table and floor lamps, even well-concealed under-cabinet lights will add control and mood enhancements. Spot light wall art and sculptural pieces, illuminate corners with up-lights (up through trees, behind chairs), and consider changing to LED lamping (bulbs) for longer-life, cost -effectiveness and a full range of colors!
This up-light filters through the plant from behind the chair casting interesting shadows and illuminating an otherwise dark corner.
8. When considering new flooring know your needs as there are so many options for soft under-foot, freeze-proof to carry outside, ease of maintenance, durability, non-slip, and of course the many aesthetic preferences.
This interlocking vinyl floor has remarkable graining look, color and texture and provides soft “give” underfoot. These new luxury vinyls defy our early perceptions of faux finishes.
9. Stacking laundry machines have provided terrific opportunities for added space in laundry rooms, more cabinets, counter space, laundry sinks, craft areas and more! https://bit.ly/2HpkKih
10.Opening walls enlarges spaces – even a peek-through, but also create the interest of depth and layering of dimension, color and light. https://bit.ly/2GZrMLj
A client and I had a discussion the other day about “custom” design. What is custom and why do you care? As we regarded her newly reupholstered furniture that had been delivered and placed in the living room, we began remarking about the “custom” nature of it all. A specifically designed audio/visual cabinet is currently being “custom” fabricated to add to this scene. Unique pieces of furniture with specifically selected fabrics to create an exclusive, personal scene. This “custom” collection/combination of existing pieces, recent “finds,” new pieces and designer fabrics doesn’t occur anywhere else on the planet. How personal can you get?
Here’s a peek…the beginning of the assembly of this “custom” scene. Crisp Scalamandre stripe on a fabulous find, paired with a rich navy and cream hounds tooth woven…rugs, lamps, pillows all still to come…
Creating a custom scene is like composing music or a painting. It is an art-form of balance. Balancing scale, color, texture, form…the many nuances…details….is the art of it all.
With all of the options on-line and in furniture stores, how do you begin to compose your scene? Where do you start? What do you keep and what do you replace? Why might you want to engage an interior designer?
Perhaps you need assistance getting started. A professional interior designer can help. So can several talented friends – but there is never only one way to do anything (too many chefs) and the right guidance can simplify the process and make the decisions much easier.
Too many chefs?
You need someone you trust, with whom to consult on the many design decisions. From floor finishes to ceiling treatments, window coverings to upholstery, furniture pieces and placement to decorative and functional accessories, lighting to audio/visual – a professional designer has the tools, colleagues and experience to assist you to realize your “custom” scene.
However, if you don’t have the desire or the patience with the creative process, you need not participate – you can go on an extended vacay while all is designed and completed. Voila! Or, you can expeditiously go on-line and buy what you like and hope it works well together and that it fits, that it wears well and results in the scene you want and need to bring you comfort and joy. Or not.
The same is true for commercial interiors. The scene should be an exclusive, custom design that reflects the unique culture, qualities, values, mission and brand, enhances productivity and satisfies the needs of the owner/occupants.
An accounting firm merged two existing, well-established firms. Old and new, grounded and progressive – the remodeled “custom” interior represents their newly defined culture.
A designer interviews the client in order to extract their desires. These many impressions of the desired design are often tough to identify and articulate by the client perhaps, but those illusive concepts, ideas, and desires are exactly what the designer gathers to cull the options, offer ideas and compose the “custom” scene.
For more on this, please visit a previous blog on the Creative Process https://patriciandesign.com/the-creative-process-of-interior-design/ and Custom Design Details https://patriciandesign.com/4680-2/and Custom Collection https://patriciandesign.com/2017/02/
Merriam Webster defines to disrupt: to interrupt the normal course or unity…So think about it when you take on your DIY projects…like reupholstering a chair. Pick or find the chair, take a course, cut away at the fabric, pull out the staples, rip it down to the bones, (poor chair – you’ve really interfered with its unity), then put it back together. Voila!
To do something as seemingly simple as repaint, you will need to remove things from the walls and move things away from the walls, drape furniture, mask elements like molding, ceilings or other adjacent surfaces that will not be painted – or at least not with the same color. All of that is quite a disruption.
Expand that disruption when you remodel – open a wall, replace cabinets, change flooring – each on their own sounds simple, but be prepared for disruption. Your normal course of unity will be in disarray, displacement – maybe even chaos.
However, I often reference the phrase “You have to break an egg to make an omelet” right? That sums it up. To make something wonderful, you are going to have to interrupt the normal course of unity – hence break the unity of that beautifully in-tact orb of an egg.
So do not fear disruption – go ahead – disrupt your life a bit, to effect change, that will achieve refreshing results! It is THE hardest part of the Creative Process (see pattisays April 29, 2017). https://patriciandesign.com/the-creative-process-of-interior-design/
We LOVE custom challenges. When you have the right team, with the right talent – anything is possible. Part is luck the other is cultivation, but in my case – most was luck!!! They/we didn’t need cultivation – it was a perfect fit from the start! Thank you!
Your team is your strength – whatever your profession. Think about it. From aerobatics to orchestra conductor – those who count on others to make them look good – with or despite their efforts – the end result is what counts. – right?
I, and most people, LOVE before and after photos – it’s fun, it’s instantly comparative, it satisfies our desire to achieve that which we can’t have…except in a facsimile thereof. It’s proof and validation that we can have it – a version of “it.”
We often miss opportunities of taking the before shot – rearranging a room is a prime example – because it happens on the spur of the moment and happens within minutes – the results are startling and instantly proving of “better” design.
We often replace existing with new. New something…whether re-upholstery or new cabinets, no job too small – the results change lives. Of course, entire remodels are the bomb!
Respect any existing thing. Evaluate it for its merits. Consider its history and construction. Fragile or invincible – the history is of value. AND its replacement cost.
Then go about making it a better versions of its original self. Paint it, refinish it, cut it, re-cover it…NOTE – anything with genuine historic value must NOT be changed – must not be modified in any way in order to preserve its original condition and relative value. Here, we are talking about tired pieces that do not have any other historic value. Just time to refresh. Know the difference.
Photos to follow are from one project that is currently underway. Re-upholstery – who said you have to do it all with the same fabric? From blah to brilliant, the before versus after is awesome!
Other times it is about replacing for a better piece. Better for changing aesthetics, better or different function. Here we had existing dressers that served their purpose for several years. They did not go with the other furniture that the owners had collected over the years and the style of the home in a broader sense. It was time to replace them, and finding the right pieces was a challenge. Size and style were the two specific features and therefore a custom design/build was in order. The plain espresso stained veneer pieces were replaced with hand-crafted pieces using hardwood solids and fine veneers of character-filled knotty alder, custom trim details and hand rubbed glazing over many layers of stain and finish resulted in two exquisite pieces to complement their interior. Handsome, heavy solid pulls added to the rich, warm and substantial feel of these exceptional pieces. Note – this was built by one person in a small one-room shop. It is not a multi-employee assembly-line woodworking company. Thank you Enrique, for once again making my dreams come true!!
This was delivery day – media and wire management are still underway – but this was the instant removal of one and replacement with the new! I love the “happy dancer knot!” Like other designs in nature, granite geology, wood…so much beauty in the hidden details – wonderful! Take notice!
As designers, we solve problems, make improvements and assist with the ideas and the means by which to accomplish the mission. Custom fabrication is a unique way to create your signature design. The permutations are endless and an effective designer will make recommendations exclusively for you.
Designing is great fun. But the key to completing the circle that starts with an idea in response to a need (or not) is having that design come to fruition. I am grateful for having a great team of detailed design fabricators who make my dreams come true. And they spoil me. I think many designers will say the same thing. What starts on a cocktail napkin, torn piece of flimsy trace off a roll, a sheet of graph paper or more formally, working drawings, takes shape with the collaboration of designer and fabricators who are not just fabricators, but invaluable contributors to the finished products’ construction and design details. These are the seamstresses, upholsterers, carpenters, iron-workers and all manner of construction trades who bring these creations to fruition!
Several years ago we had a client who was daring in her desire to have a super modern loft. Her history of traditional furnishings and up-bringing was well in place in Washington state, but this opportunity to have a second home, an urban loft, made way for her exercising the juices that offered a new alternative lifestyle and a new “look.”
One of the many key pieces in this fabulous space turned out to be the cornerstone of a new custom collection that we fondly call PATRICIAN DESIGN’S “Hammered Home.”
As I planned the pieces for this fun and hip urban interior, I designed painted pieces, modern tonsus, a Nelson inspired coffee table, red and raw steel glass-topped dining table base, a new take on a drop-leaf desk and colorful mixed media end-table/chests all custom fabricated by my team, but I wanted something more, something that gave rich, detail and dimension, interest and art and this new line of custom furniture was born. The first piece, a nightstand/end table for a dual-purposed guest room/study combined clean-lined wood with steel. So with a quick sketch of the dimensions and form, my desire to have metal legs suspending it off the floor, metal accents but not severe – I thought, hammered?
The wood tone was to be a more milk chocolate than mahogany but tight-grained and true medium brown. The floors were an existing light engineered material and this brown contrasted nicely.
The next opportunity to introduce this combo theme of our “Hammered Home” design came with a young family’s need for a media armoire in the “family” room. Several years ago when “espresso” hit the design scene for the new trend for modern furniture, everyone from Target to Pottery Barn to Robb & Stuckey filled their inventory with the dark coffee bean wood finish. As a designer, I recognized the value of the trend and wanted to accept it, but take it a step further for these very smart and successful, yuppy clients.
In previous blogs, I have clearly stated that all trends are not created equal. some are passing fancies of color combinations that soon become dated or design elements that don’t leave a significant mark to pass the test of time. But the dark chocolate/coffee color enriched that which had so often been blond, light woods and cherry/cinnamon tones of recent popularity and contributed a valid alternate stain theme for wood furniture. The media armoire for a young family’s “family” room, was clean-lined and new. The bling was industrial enough not to be glitzy, but just enough silver-grey metallic to contrast against the dark wood.
The next version of this “Hammered Home” collection came in front of a stacked sandstone wall of bone white, creamy cream, a hint of gold and a tinge of iron rust. We picked the darker rust tone to contrast against the otherwise soft light stone wall colors – the rusty hue suggested a cinnamon colored alder – stain magic! This pair of low profile media cabinets housed all the components and an incredible bundle of wires streaming into the back of the cabinet from all points of the house – and it’s called wi-fi? Really? Due to the color scheme, we decided that a copper metal panel would really meld with the cinnamon-stain of the alder. So we took it a step further to enhance the copper, knock it down a bit and highlight the texture with a blackened rub that nestles into the hollows and allows the bas relief to shine. It is a warm, rich, dimensional textural wonderfulness.
So when a very fun client called last fall wanting a surprise for his wife – nightstands perhaps? I laughed because my husband often says that he’s getting me storm windows for a Valentine’s Day gift…funny – every girl’s dream!! But nightstands are at least in the realm of dreamland!!! So knowing the room and its existing color scheme, I decided upon a satin black with the same hammered blackened copper panels. The combination of the black and blackened copper was sensational. The style was more transitional than the previous clean-lined pieces – but it goes to show that this hammered metal design theme can transcend the styles…
We LOVE working with this client as he knows that he either has an idea (a new nightstand) that we can create or he calls and asks – what can we create for the next event? Whether birthday, anniversary, Christmas, or Valentine’s Day – we have provided locally hand-loomed textiles wraps, wild embroidery throws, magnificent oil paintings, locally hand-crafted jewelry and more! How fun for him to know that each present is custom and unique, supports local artists and will be a treasure forever. Plus he doesn’t have to shop!!!!!
So we delivered our surprise cabinet last week on Valentine’s Tuesday, I stopped at a quickie store and bought some simple heart stickers – not much larger than a postage stamp, I stuck one in the drawer and one on the shelf of the lower cabinet and thought that whenever she opened this cabinet she will remember that it was her Valentine’s surprise!!! We had a key, took the cabinet to their bedroom, removed the old nightstand, replaced it with the new one…Voila! She came home to a really neat surprise!!! And might there be a matching one in the works?? We can’t say.
Custom fun – support local artists and make your dreams come true!!!!!
