Another Question: In-Home Design Offices

We're still at the beach & I've been going to bed & waking up earlier & ealier. Today it was around 5 something when I actually gave up on trying to go back to sleep & decided to turn on the computer and I ended up going to one of my favorite places, The Skirted Roundtable to listen to 3 of my favorite bloggers. Well, I was so surprised when a favorite design icon, Vicente Wolf was the interviewee!!! (haha LOTS of "favorites!") You've got to go check it out here.

Anyway, I was just so impressed with Vicente's confidence (okay, I think I'd be really confident if I were him too! ;) & willingness to share his experience with other designers. As a lot of us know, this industry can be really competitive, which is why I think so many of us like-minded designers have begun to blog. Blogworld is a place where we can come and connect with other professionals who want to share knowledge & experience with each other. We like it when good things happen to other designers & we support each other & help each other become better. Anyway, Vincente seems to share in this philosophy and if you check out his blog, http://vicentewolfblog.com/ you'll see just how generous he is with his experience & design practices. (SO much valuable information!! image below from Vicente Wolf Home)

One of the things Vicente brought up at The Skirted Roundtable was that when you first meet a potential client you BOTH have to want to work together. It's not just, "Oh please pick me!!"... it has just as much to do with you wanting to take on the client as it does with them wanting to hire you. I think the confidence to make this clearer to potential clients comes with experience & also with reputation. It's important to have a balance of power when client & designer first meet so you're on equal playing ground & respect one another.

Another aspect that plays into this balance of power is having the first meeting (and possibly other meetings) with clients in your office, not their homes... even if your office is in your home. (It MUST be completely professional dedicated space & he said you need to show that you're serious about your work & the office must convey this.) Currently, I meet with clients only at their homes, but as my house is nearing completion, I've been considering having them come to my office at home. (There's a conference table & also a seating area but below is my old office without all of that... will be showing pics of my new one soon- promise!!)

So my question is, what if your house is really just a "normal" house? A modest home in a modest neighborhood... Not a big beautiful showhouse in an affluent neighborhood? Do you still invite the client for the first meeting at your home office? (I'm sure many of us use our homes to showcase some of our best work and people usually walk in & love it, but what about potential clients??) If they have a huge, expensive home, will they be turned off by your "normal" albeit beautifully-done modest house??? (image below of random house, not mine)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Designers, what do you do? Non-designers, how do you think you'd feel as a potential client? Would potential clients be turned off by a "normal" house?

*** Let me also say that I will most likely never have an out of home office... I (obviously) work at crazy times and need everything right when I need it and also, it's just an expense I wouldn't want to take on at this point... Add in kids & needing the flexibility of an in-home office.. and well, there you have it.***

Would love to hear your thoughts!!!

xoxo,

lauren

House Guest Etiquette and the "Big Question"

What started me thinking about this is the Big Question: What to do with the bed before I leave my host's home?

Sometimes I strip the sheets & sort of remake it with the bedspread, and other times, I remake it (usually when the host says "Please don't do anything!") and there have even been times (Oh mother-in-law how I love you!!!- forgive me!!) that we've left the bed sort of messily thrown together but definitely not made (gasp!!) imagew below of my mother-in-law's guest room:

So, just browsing around online to see what I could find about house guest etiquette, I found the following tips to be the most common:

(Before I list them all here, let me just say that in our house there are some people who visit who we don't even consider guests- more like "non-guests"-- they've earned "mi casa es su casa" and they're the ones who don't need to knock- you know parents, siblings, best-friend neighbors, people who you're so close with that it would seem crazy to do some of these formalities with --- hee hee oh they get the royal treatment... we even let them help load the dishwasher ;) ;)) Ok, here we go:

1) Bring a hostess gift--- Especially if you haven't seen your friend for a while and/ or it's a special occasion or you're a first-time visitor... (but I must say that as a host, this is something I would never expect either, only that it's a nice surprise when it does happen.)

2) Help Out-- for example, ask to help with food prep, dishes, etc.

3) If you have kids, keep them under control-- I'd say this really goes for leaving the house at all (not just being a guest) but I thought I'd include it here anyway. Also know that people who aren't around kids a lot or don't have kids are sometimes more anxious about kids in the house than another parent with their own crazy kids. (Many exceptions to this of course, but I have realized how much more relaxed I am myself now when other kids are tearing through my house, compared to when I didn't have a kid... I guess it's like pain tolerance?? ;) ... Make sure to wake up with your children-- unless you're with grandparents, in which they usually relish having the kids when you're sleeping. (we hope!!) (image below from an abc show- not mine, I swear!!)

4) Keep your space tidy-- One of the articles I read mentioned that if you're in a space that's used by other family members, then you should keep your door ajar so they have access to it (for example, home office)... Obviously you don't want people walking into a catastrophic mess. It's nice to make the bed everyday & keep a handle on your clothes. (image below from In Style Home)

5) Keep the bathroom super-neat-- (I've been using the word "super" a lot lately because my 2-year old says food is "super hot" and it's now in my head.) Hang your towels neatly, keep your toiletries under control, close the lid on the commode after each use and if there's a squeegee, use it.

6) Be grateful-- this is pretty standard... It's nice to leave a little thank you note when you leave or send one when you get home.

7) And from here, I found "Don't eat everything in sight." -- ah oops. hahahahah I KNOW I am guilty of this one!!! oh boy... (My in-laws get us this AMAZING prosciutto & salami & olives when we go there or when they visit, and I literally even eat it at breakfast time... the amount of consumption is incredible. And when my best friends & I visit each other, our purpose seems to be eating... But I guess this falls under the "non-guest" clause... I'm a non-guest when I'm there, right??)

8) In general, be easy & flexible.

9) AND.... On the Bed-making question I found this from here: "MOST IMPORTANTLY: Leave the space ready for the next guest. The day you leave, strip the bed, place all soiled linens and towels neatly in pillow cases, and set the cases near the laundry facilities. Re-cover the bed with the bedspread so it will look fresh until the next guest arrives. Finally, check the space to be sure you haven’t left any personal items behind."

So, that's the answer to my big question... BUT I have to say, that as a HOST, I really like my guests to feel pampered & not do work. (Even non-guests!) I feel a twinge of guilt when they're working on the bed or trying to launder their linens/ towels. I just want them to relax & not worry about what they're leaving behind. If I ever see guests doing this or even making the bed, I tell them not to... so guests who get away with it in my house, have to do it before I see them trying ;)

That being said, I still do it when I'm at others' homes... (Again, usually being told by the host not to worry about it.) So will this always be one of those things that hosts and guests push each other on?? What do you think? What to you do as a guest? As a host? Is there any way we can set out a world-wide standard and just all agree on it??? Make a blog-world pact on how to do it & then spread it around ?!!!!) ;)

What do you think?? xoxo,

lauren

If I could, I would... Gordon Beall

If I could have Gordon Beall photograph my work, I would in a heartbeat!! (I would flip out actually!!!!) And It's Friday and I finally decided to join the Hooked on Houses Blog Party because I'm hooked on Gordon Beall!!! All of the images below of from Gordon Beall Photography and I apologize for not listing all of the designers whose work is shown, but wanted to focus on the photography:


As some of you know, I've had a lot of projects this year (including the new house) that are wrapping up & I'm looking to get them photographed. If I could afford any photographer on this planet, it would be Gordon Beall.

He did all of the photography for Darryl Carter's The New Traditional and since then I've noticed his work for some of my other favorite designers, including Stephen Knollenberg and Sue Burgess.

Of course the rooms themselves are AMAZING, but Gordon Beall captures them in a way that's just perfect to me.

Out of my league, yes, I know, but a girl can dream, right??

Every picture evokes a mood, a feeling... It's never just about the room but more about how it would actually feel to be standing in that room, enjoying it, appreciating it.

OK, going through all of these images, I just decided to send a query in on the Gordon Beall website about pricing... I figured, it doesn't hurt to ask, right??

I had to explain that my work is in more "normal" homes than what he usually does. (I'll get there one day- ahhh!!! ;)

How beautiful are these photos & spaces?!!!!

I would love to have a room like this at home:

There's such a simpl, beautiful feeling about the spaces...

This one feels a bit nostaligic:

Again, perfect simplicity:

Love this shot:

I'm sure a lot of you recognize this one:

I love this photo below because of the little boy reading... What are your thoughts on having people in the finished rooms?

Oh wow:

LOVE seeing dogs in interior photography. When I used to photograph my work, I would stalk my puppy, Ashby, around the house and put her where I wanted her... :)

Remember this one?:

And who can forget these windows?

So, what are you hooked on this Friday? Have any thoughts/ tips/ words of wisdom for me on hiring a professional photographer?

xoxo,

lauren

My Husband is THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!

He found the Obi Cocktail table!!!!!!!!! He went to the end of the internet & back & found it!!!!! Here: https://www.ncfurnitureoverstock.com/default.asp

I'd really given up after hearing that Bernhardt was out & he didn't. I was reading a book on the deck and he came out & gave me the news!!!!!!!!!!!! ok, so excited, had to share. Thanks so much for all the suggestions. Can't wait to show you pics of this room when it's done!!!

THANK YOU DAV!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo,

lauren

S.O.S!!!!! Pen Shell Coffee Table!!! HELP!!!!

So I hate it when this happens but a coffee table I just specified for a design for a client was discontinued!!!! It's a Martha Stewart for Bernhardt piece (the "Obi Cocktail table") and is inlaid with young pen shells. Has anyone seen anything similar for a possible substitute?? Here it is below:

Ahhhhhh I just LOVE IT and this makes me so sad!!!! Not looking forward to breaking this to my very excited clients :( (I haven't even started searching yet- I thought I'd start with you all since you've saved me many times before!!!) Below is a close-up of the matching console so you get the idea.

If anyone has any idea/ thoughts, please let me know!!!! Thanks!!!

xoxo,

lauren

Tiny Spa - Before & After

I wanted to share with you a small guest bathroom of a client's.

It started out as a really typical bathroom, as you can see from the before pics below. (There's her sweet dog, Sasha.) Below, she had a standard tub/ shower and builder grade tile, vanity, etc.

The vanity was tucked in between 2 walls (below) and we stole a closet from the guest bedroom. (Remember this one?) so we could have more space for the shower... It felt cramped & awkward when I first saw it.

My client is a pilates instructor with an in-home studio and wanted a "spa..." a place where she could relax & recharge- and a place her guests would love to use... Something special. (My "after pics" are unfortunately not that great--- it's really hard to photograph a small room with no natural light. ) But here's the new vanity area now:

I LOVE the faucet (Pottery Barn!) and the mirror is made of out shaved and bent wood.

Here's a view of the whole vanity (with Porter, her other dog, in the shot ;)

The shower is exactly what my client wanted: a "spa" shower out of tumbled travertine with multiple heads and she even can load in essential oils for the steam shower function.

There are so many water sprays and she's loving it!!

A nice spot to enjoy the steam:

I used a mini Moravian star from Circa Lighting to with the same oil rubbed bronze finish as the rest of the fixtures...

And it's so relaxing & pretty at night....

Well, that's it for now- she's got her spa and now I want one too!!! It really was so much fun to create such a luxurious little space in a normal home. When we're redoing our bathrooms, we often forget about these small luxuries, but they really can be SO doable!!! This client really helped me "think outside of the box" on what could be done in such a typical space. Hope you enjoyed!!!

xoxo,

lauren