Over the years, Laura has worked with designers in her own home on specific projects:  a Kitchen and Bath Designer led her through the process of a kitchen renovation; another designer whose focus is window treatments and upholstery helped her accomplish that layer of the design of her home.  I am fortunate to be working with her on “pulling it all together” using original artwork and favorite accessories.

 Many of the paintings we’ll be placing are originals by Laura’s mother, Verna,  and date back many decades.  She is fortunate to have antiques from both her and her husband’s family.  We’ll be mixing antique objets d’art with modern accessories purchased at the January Market. 

 It’s a Small World After All:  Laura and I both grew up in Montgomery, AL, and our mothers, both in the medical profession, have known each other professionally for years!

“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us.” Winston Churchill

Interior design is a process. Laura has completed the first two layers of the main living areas of her home.  She and her husband have extended the gathering area off the kitchen and added a sunroom:  they have “shaped their dwelling”.  The next layer – window treatments, case pieces, and upholstered pieces have been beautifully completed.  In my first meeting with the couple, I visited each room, learned a little of the background of the furnishings and art, likes and dislikes, goals both long and short-term.  I took lots of pix – about 75! – and measurements.

Short term goals include “Finishing” the downstairs public spaces by doing some furniture rearranging, picture hanging and accessorizing.  Laura has assured me that she is open to moving any item from any room to another.  This will be great fun!

One thing that struck me right away was the way furniture was arranged in the Gathering Area leading to the Sunroom.  The furniture was lined up against the wall on either side, making the space feel more like a hallway than a cozy place to sit and have a conversation.  On my second visit, Laura and I took on the challenging arrangement and started moving furniture.  The results were outstanding, and when Laura’s husband Paul came upstairs from his office, he was amazed and pleased.  A couple days later I received an email from Laura:  “I wanted to let you know that Paul and I love our “new” gathering area, thanks to you. It is a wonderful improvement, and we deeply appreciate your time, talent, and expertise.”    My pleasure!

Upcoming short-term projects at Laura’s:  A sitting room that needs more light, a thermostat that needs to be moved (who puts a thermostat in the Dining Room?), picture and mirror hanging – this involves “fruit basket turnover” from all over the house, completion of accessorizing.  Long-term projects:  Master bedroom and bath; Basement renovation.

I’m sharing some of the unique art and collections of this couple.  Some were painted by friends; some were collected by the husband’s world travels in the military; vintage family photos are included as well.  All are great items that I am looking forward to using to make their new house a home.

The Tucker home has an interesting history – it had been a farmhouse in Lawrenceville until it was transported and plopped down in Tucker in the 70’s where the suburbs have grown up around it.  As an older home, it has limited storage, but is quite charming in its own way.  The couple plans to rent the home beginning in February.

The Decatur townhouse was built in the 70’s, has been updated and has plenty of closet space.  It was purchased partially furnished, and while most of the furniture is not the taste of the couple, some will work just fine.

So, this is where “Project Management” comes into play.  The couple wants some furniture switched from the townhouse to the farmhouse and vice versa.  In addition, some furnishings will be stored, and some will go to a relative’s home. As you can imagine, trying to sort through in your mind what is going where, and whether or not it will fit, while trying to pack a house over the holidays is quite a daunting task.

First, I called on Adrienne Simpson of Smooth Moooves for help in the complicated delivery and the move is scheduled for tomorrow, December 31st.

In the meantime, I took lots of photos of both homes, the furniture from each, as well as artwork, accessories, and collections that are favorites of the homeowners.  I measured rooms and furnishings, and plotted the information into my design software.

Sunday afternoon I met with the couple in Tucker, and was able to provide them with floorplans showing furniture arrangements for the most questionable areas.  In addition, I left them with a CD organized by photos of which furniture goes into which room.

Furniture will be tagged according to where it is going, and the homeowners can refer to the floorplans for furniture placement.  Although any move is stressful and hard work, hopefully, having a plan in hand will ease the strain!

I’m looking forward to meeting with the couple again in a week or two to hang artwork and place accessories.  They have some really interesting art from around the world, plus some collections that will need a new home.  This town house is, in a way, a new beginning for them, and they would like to go toward a more comtemporary look.  I’ll keep you posted!

 So, I gave this some thought, and decided – if I’m not going to set a nice table for major holidays, then When?  Problem is – I am tired of my “good” China of 30+ years, and wanted a new look, but didn’t want to break the bank.  So, last Saturday, my older daughter and I successfully shopped around for reasonably priced dishes and Fall décor.  This close to T’day, these items are on sale.

 The result is a beautiful Thanksgiving table with a bonus.  The dishes have gold, brown, green, red, and yellow coloring against a neutral background.  A neutral colored tablecloth and fall decor bring out the yellows and gold.  A red or green tablecloth will bring out the greens and reds in the dishes, so I’ll be able to set a beautiful table at Christmastime using the same dishes.

 I dug out candles from previous projects – different heights and colors, but all coordinating – tallest candles in the center. We found a ready-made fall-leaf swag that we situated around the candles from one end of the table to the other.  A small bunch of yellow and orange mums in glass containers placed at either end – not too tall, so they don’t interfere with conversation across the table.

The result?  Well, see for yourself.  At the moment I’m too stuffed and in need of a nap to write more.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Our next step in Seasonal Decorating is adding Halloween-themed decor to the fall decorations we have already placed around the home.

There are simple ways to make smallish decorations have more impact.  They should be displayed together in groups of odd numbers; they should have enough height to correspond to the space; and they should have something added to make them relate to each other. 

For example, on the mantel, I added height to an item by turning a bowl upside down and setting the item on top.  On the kitchen counter, we used a platter and cannister that are always there, but added fall leaves and halloween candles to make the arrangement seasonal.

Take a look!  And have a Happy Halloween!

 Mom really enjoys seasonal decorating, so we got together on a Saturday and put out all her Fall themed decor.  On Oct. 1, she’ll add Halloween decor, and on Nov. 1, out comes Thanksgiving, so it’s an ongoing, fun process.

A fun fact on using artificial stems for arrangements – Nothing in nature is perfectly straight – including flower stems and branches.  When making casual arrangements – like the one seen here – gently bend the stems outward and upward as though they are reaching for the sun.  Any berries or other added features should be bent slightly outward to add depth and detail.

In the meantime, the TV room needed an accent table and the Family room needed a buffet with a hutch that serves two purposes – one, storage, and two, placement of family photos and holiday themed decor.  Those two pieces arrived today, and Mom is so happy with them!  I haven’t seen them in place yet, but she sent photos, which I will share along with photos of some of the Fall decor.

The buffet/hutch is especially nice and I was able to find it locally at a wholesale vendor, so the price was right!  It looks as though it was meant for that spot. 

Lots of other changes going on,  so hopefully, I’ll get over there to take “After” photos of everything we’ve done.  I’ll keep you posted!

ADAC is a “To The Trade Only” facility meaning you must have certain credentials and tax licenses to enter and shop, or enter with someone who is adequately credentialed. Designers who have businesses are the main clientele. Historically, ADAC has seemed intimidating and not particularly welcoming, although they are working to change that perception. To me, the Showrooms are like separate countries, each with its own language and customs. I was able to attend a meeting of showroom managers and owners, and it reminded me of a United Nations gathering.

The link to ADAC is www.adacatlanta.com. Just for fun, scroll down to the bottom left of the home page to the search function. That will open a page of the many lines of products that are available. Rather than trying to look at everything, focus on one thing – say, a sofa. Work your way through the process and choose the style, historical period – whatever you choose – and get familiar with using the newly developed search engine.

You may think that getting into ADAC will allow you to purchase furniture at wholesale prices, i.e. inexpensively. The fact is the focus at ADAC is high-end, fine quality furniture. If you are open to purchasing quality furniture, unique accessories, antiques or artwork, ADAC is a resource that you should be familiar with.

If you choose to visit ADAC, make sure that your designer is familiar with the buildings and showrooms. It can be a little confusing on the first visit, and even overwhelming, because there is so much to see. Have a goal and try your best to stay focused! But, trust me; it won’t be easy because there are so many beautiful things to see!

I am working with a young family in Marietta who uses the space in their house in a very functional way.  The house doesn’t have a basement, so rather than have a little-used Living Room and Dining Room area; the rooms are used as a TV room and a playroom for their growing 4 year old son.  The Family Room that is attached to the kitchen, serves as the “Grown Up” side when they entertain with other parents and children.

They have asked me to redesign these two rooms – the TV room and the Family room using basically the same furniture, but making the rooms feel more welcoming and functional.  The large scale furniture is a challenge to reconfigure, but I’m having fun with it.  I have great design software that allows me to “draw” the floorplan.  It includes a Library of furniture that I can resize as needed and put in place.  With the click of a mouse, I can rearrange furniture and try different configurations.  THEN, I can take a look at the room in 3-D.  It is so cool!

One thing that struck me was the placement of the Dad’s recliner – it was not in front of the big screen TV!  It wasn’t even in the same room!  That won’t do!  So, reconfiguring the furniture to place the recliner in prime TV viewing position became a top priority for me.

The homeowner did a great job of clearing the rooms of accessories and wall art, so that we could start right away with moving furniture.  I recruited my handsome young son, Kevin, to be the heavy lifter, so we were able to accomplish a lot. 

After I left, the Mom was so excited she called her husband and had him take the afternoon off, so he could come see the changes.  He walked right in and sat down in his chair – now properly in front of the big screen – and put his feet up.

This is a work in progress.  We’ve met once more to plan the arrangement of photos and artwork.  The homeowner is purchasing new frames for some of the family photos, and her engineer husband will hang some of the items in specific places.  I sketched out a “map” for each wall.  I’m assisting her with seasonal decorating with the coming of autumn, so “After” pictures by the end of September…

The Living Room where the treatments were needed featured many unique and beautiful items from the family’s travels around the world as well as antique furnishings and family heirlooms.  One very interesting piece of art was a full-sized etching of the crypt of a European knight done by the homeowner.  I wanted the etching to continue as the focal point of the room, so the treatment design had to meet that goal.

In addition to installing the window treatments, we did a quick redesign of the furnishings and accessories for a completely pulled together, “finished” look.

So, take a look at the photos!  I’ve also included a copy of a computer image I was able to send the client, so that he could get an idea of the design beforehand.  That really helps when you can’t visualize what a design will look like.

BUT, if you need some design help, please don’t wait till October to call!  Everyone wants projects complete “for the holidays”, so workrooms get backed up, fabric gets back ordered, contractors get busy.  Avoid the stress for yourself (and for your designer!) 

One thing we are finding is that fabric vendors are not automatically restocking due to slow sales, so there are more fabrics on backorder.  This applies to fabric for window treatments and upholstery.  Allow for extra time in your planning!

Enjoy your “me” time while the kids are in school…you deserve it!