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A Home of My Own
As an interior designer, I have helped countless clients create the places where they live their lives - the places they call home. Through the process, they came to understand their physical and emotional needs and gained the confidence to express their own sense of style. From there, I set about finding the fabrics, furnishings, and artwork that brought their concept of home into a physical manifestation, but they were merely the props that allowed them to align with what matched their unique frequencies.
Who’s Style is it Anyway?
Welcome back, friends. I hope you all had a few relaxing months off the hamster wheel. I know I did. Bidding farewell to summer is always tough for me. It takes me until August to finally get into the groove and then, poof, the world snaps back to what seems more fast-paced and less playful.
Just when I was feeling the atrophy that comes from summer brain, a friend asked me a very interesting question, which fired me right back up again. She said she’d been thinking of a way to arrange her thoughts into words that formed just the right question to pose to me. She was finally able to distill a pretty complex question into a few simple words…”How do I find my style?”
I Need a Magic Wand
As an interior designer, one of the worst parts of my job is having to tell someone that there are some problems that just can’t be fixed, or if they can be, the costs will be sky-high. Since pulling back from my full-service design business I have concentrated solely on doing consultation work. Last month alone, I had the unfortunate job of telling three lovely homeowners that same bad news. They all said the very same thing, “I wish I would have known to call you first”.
The Proportion Principle
I’m often asked where most design mistakes are made. Many come to mind, like latching on to quickly outdated trends, forcing furnishings or a design style that is incongruous to a home’s architecture, or doing DIY when a skilled professional is required. But one of the biggest mistakes a trained design eye will catch right away is the wrong proportion.
The Game Changer
I recently read a wonderful article by Paula Wallace, who is the President and Founder of Savannah College of Art and Design. S.C.A.D. has a stellar reputation for its arts and design programs and is considered a leading school for these endeavors.
The title of the article was “How Design Makes the World (Measurably) Better”. In
it, Ms. Wallace recounts the vision she had over 4 decades ago for the dilapidated former armory in the (then) downtrodden city of Savannah. The revitalization of this building didn’t just have an immediate impact on the institution that was being birthed. The energy that was being directed into the pursuit of restoration, renovation, and rejuvenation not only impacted the buildings’ immediate surroundings, but it impacted the resurgence of life into the city of Savannah itself. As Ms. Wallace states, “Once imposing, the former armory became inviting and encouraged Savannah to see it’s best self”.