Naturally Inspired: Stop And Smell The Roses

I took a floral arrangement class at Pottery Barn where they the taught the art of creating beautiful displays in your home using florals and other natural elements. Here are a few tips on how to spice up a console table, countertop or mantel in your home.

1. Start with your staple pieces like a large vase that can used all year round. You can easily change the look of the vase each season by adding various decorative elements such as sand and candles during the summer months, flowers during the spring, or Christmas bulbs during the holiday season.

Tip 2. Do mix a variety of elements together surrounding the floral vase to create balance, texture, color and depth. Photographs are a great way to personalize your vignette. Also, it’s okay to use an even number of flowers in a vase. When using artificial flowers be sure to blend the branches to add character and adjust the height.

Tip 3: If you don’t use flowers then play around with different textures. Instead of using botanicals use objects to decorate the space.

Tip 4: Do use vases with different heights.

Tip 5: Change your look throughout the year. Find your core pieces that can be used throughout the year and change your accessories up each season. Take a glass vase and personalize it with your favorite items such as sea shells,  grass, sand, matches, fruits, etc. The key is to add texture and a pop of color.

Tip 6: Add frames and photographs to personalize the space

Tip 7: Know your space. If you have cathedral ceilings then buy tall flowers to draw the eye up towards the ceiling.

Tip 8: Lanterns can be used all year round. And they can be used inside or outside the house.

Tip 9: If you don’t have a green thumb artificial flowers are a great alternative.

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What’s Your Speciality?

“So can I get a window seat /don’t want nobody next to me /I just want a ticket outta town /a look around/and a safe touch down” ~ Window Seat by Erykah Badu

I have a bit of a problem. As an aspiring interior designer, I’m having difficulty deciding what area to specialize in.  There are two types of interior design: residential and commercial. Under those categories the career possibilities are almost endless. My problem is I have too many interests. Residential, Commercial, Set Design, Visual Merchandising and Green Design all appeal to me in some way. I can see myself being successful in each of those areas. How does one decide what direction to take their career?

Residential design was the reason I decided to become an interior designer. I wanted to design homes and make the people living in those homes feel safe, secure, comfortable and loved. Plus, it’s easy to make a name for yourself  and start your own business in residential interiors.  But I feel like that’s already been, well, done. Most designers go into residential design. Therefore, the market is highly saturated and becoming very competitive when it comes to finding a job.  In my opinion, commercial interior design is a little more challenging. You have a bigger budget, longer project schedule, and a different type of clientele and materials.  In commercial design, you have the option of going into hospitality, office, retail, institution, education, or healthcare. I prefer hospitality or retail. There’s something about walking into a restaurant or hotel and being captivated by the aesthetics. I’m the person that sits at a restaurant  and looks up at the ceiling and lighting fixtures while eating my meal. I may not remember how good the food tasted but I will remember the decor. OK, that’s a bit of a stretch but you get my point. I believe that good design always makes you come back. I would like to enhance someone’s experience at a spa or retail store with my design. My dream job would be in set design. Whenever I watch a movie or my favorite television show, I always notice the decor and layout of the set especially if the scenes take place in a house. Girlfriends was one of my favorite shows on television. I literally wanted to live in Joan’s house. The decor was warm and inviting. Watching the show made me feel like one of the girls, sitting on the couch, chatting it up. The set design drew me in. That’s powerful! Unfortunately, I live on the east coast and I do not wish to move to LA to become a set designer.  However, as an alternative to moving, I would consider visual styling for a furniture magazine or catalog. I have subscriptions to Crate and Barrel, CB2, IKEA, Design Within Reach, and other catalogs because I enjoy looking at how they display their products on the cover. LOL, yeah I know. I’m a design junkie. *lowers head in shame* A Designer’s Intervention may be in order. Finally, there’s Green Design. I already live a natural lifestyle. I’m conscious of what I put into my body and on my body. Sustainability would be a natural fit for an undercover tree hugger such as myself.  I would probably have to take a Green 101 class because there’s so much to learn in this field. And new information and products are coming out daily. To sum it up, I have too many interests and not enough lives. *sigh*. I need a mentor.

What is your speciality and why did you decide to go in that direction? Do you specialize in several areas? Did you work in one area of design and decide to try something new?

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Naturally Inspired: Go Fish!

“Deep waters, I’m drowning in/Deep waters, slowly drowning in deeper” ~ Deep Waters by Incognito

Happy Monday! I am pleased to introduce a new segment on ADSOM called Naturally Inspired. Creativity comes natural to me. I’m inspired by so many things…art, fashion, architecture, music, and people. Therefore, it’s easy for me to see beauty in just about anything. But the one place where I draw most of my inspiration from is NATURE. There is so much natural beauty in the world around us. The flowers blooming in the spring, the leaves turning in the fall, the colors in the ocean and animals.

I took a visit to the Georgia Aquarium and was in heaven. As a matter of fact, I drained my camera battery because I could not stop taking pictures. Sidenote, I heart photography. Taking pictures is one of my favorite hobbies. I was captivated by the vibrant colors found on the fish.  Each fish evoked the perfect color pallet for a room. I can see myself showing up to a client meeting with a picture of a fish on my inspiration board. LOL. What inspires you?

The jellyfish below reminded me of this chandelier.

I threw this guy in because it’s soooo cute.

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Think Outside The Box

“Summer summer summertime/time to sit back and unwind.” ~ Summertime by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff

Spring is in the air and summer is just around the corner. As temperatures start to rise, people will begin spending more and more time outdoors eating, entertaining, reading, and sipping lemonade under the shade. Therefore, outdoor living spaces should be a reflection of the style, comfort, function and aesthetics found in the inside of our  homes. Outdoor living spaces have become increasingly popular over the last few years. During the summer season, stores are filled with a variety of outdoor  furniture, bedding, lights, rugs and accessories to help homeowners bring  interior design to their home’s exterior.  Here are a few photos of what I consider to be cool outdoor cribs…follow me outside.

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Tardy For The Party

“I was born long ago/I am the chosen I’m the one/I have come to save the day/And I won’t leave until I’m done/So that’s why you’ve got to try/You got to breath and have some fun/Though I’m not paid I play this game/And I won’t stop until I’m done/But what I really want to know is/Are you gonna go my way?/And I got to got to know” ~ Are You Gonna Walk My Way, Lenny Kravitz

Last night I was perusing the Internet when I came across some surprising information. Lenny Kravitz is an interior designer. *gasp* Really? Fine a** Rock Star Lenny. Lisa Bonet’s ex-husband and Zoe’s Daddy Lenny. Apparently, I am tardy for the party because he’s been in the design game since 2005. Why am I just finding out about this?

Interior design is Lenny’s hobby when he’s not on the road being a rock star. He designed several of his homes which caught the attention of his friends and several notable magazines such as Vogue, Interior Design, and Harpers Bazaar. His passion lead to the creation of Kravitz Design, a New York based firm that specializes in commercial design. In interviews, Lenny does not hide the fact that he’s not a formally trained  interior designer. He draws up the plans and sends them to an architect for review and approval.

What fascinates me about this information is whenever my colleagues and I talk about  high-profile, successful African-American interior designers, we are always hard-pressed to name more than 10. You commonly hear about Cecil Hayes, Shelia Bridges, and Kim Myles. But Lenny Kravitz’ name never comes up. Honestly, I am not sure how I feel about Lenny as a designer.  In fact, I’m not a fan of too many crossover artists. Most are not able to do it successfully. To me Lenny Kravitz, the interior designer, is like Rihanna becoming an actress. (O__0)  Ok, that’s harsh. But after seeing pictures of Lenny’s work I am ready to run his way. I’m impressed. His style is bold yet contemporary. Not the rock star image initially imagined.   Lenny is not the first African-American celeb to crossover into interior design. Venus Williams is the CEO of V Starr, a residential and commercial firm based in Florida.  But Venus is not heavily involved in the actual design work.  She “runs” the company and hired a licensed interior designer to do the real work. Hmmm. I want the world to know that I am officially accepting applications from celebrities who want to use their fame and money to open up a design firm and hire me as the lead designer.  Nevermind. Here are a few pictures of Lenny’s design work.

”I’d love to design a hotel resort. It would be soulful elegance from top to bottom, not stiff glamour.” ~ Lenny Kravitz

Do you think Lenny has what it takes to become a successful interior designer? What other celebs are crossing over into interior design?

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Client Relations: Lessons Learned the Hard Way

“I just wanna be, I just wanna be successful. I just wanna be, I just wanna be successful” Successful by Drake

It never fails. Whenever I have a conversation with someone and mention that I’m an aspiring interior designer I get asked the infamous question that ALL designers hear throughout the course of their career: “Can you come over and help me design/decorate my house?” My response is always YES!!!  Are you kidding me? Of course I will help you. Interior design gives me LIFE. But deep down I’m really asking myself  are they serious or just pulling my chain.

Case in point.  A few years ago, I attended a birthday party with one of my besties. She introduced me to a young , single (wink), professional man who was also her co-worker. He was attractive, smart, and funny. We chatted about current events, life, mutual friends, travel, and of course….careers.  At the time, I was a first-year interior design student and aggressively sought out opportunities to gain real-world design experience by decorating my friend’s homes. After telling him I was in school for interior design he didn’t hesitate to mention that he needed my help decorating his condo. We exchanged contact information and agreed to schedule the initial client consultation in the near future. I was psyched. This was my first opportunity to showcase my skills and declare to the world…I am an INTERIOR DESIGNER, hear me roar.  On the day of the consultation,  I showed up at his house with my notepad, digital camera, client questionnaire, colorwheel, design magazines, pencils, pens, and sketch paper. He gave me a tour of the place. I was impressed. He had pretty good taste. There was artwork on the walls and every room was fully furnished. It made wonder why I was there in the first place because he obviously didn’t need my help. But that didn’t matter to me. I figured my job would be rather simple. I would rearrange the furniture (most people suck at space planning) and recommend a few minor cosmetic changes. We sat down and he told me all about his design needs, budget, space challenges, color preferences, etc. I arranged a time to come back the following week to present the design concept to him and get feedback and approval to move forward.

I spent the entire week prepping for the presentation. I researched furniture options online, collected paint and fabric samples and lined up contractors. I even drafted the space plan to scale. Not bad for a newbie. I was ready to win him over with my ideas and land the job! I was focused man (Jay-Z voice). I went all out…even dressed up as if I was meeting a “real” client* and not an acquaintance. After discussing my ideas, he showered me with praise for a job well-done and said  I had a successful career as a designer ahead me. But to my surprise, he asked if he could take some time to think things over and would get back to me within the next few days. I admit that was not exactly the response I expected to hear from him but I understood.  While packing up my pride belongings he began asking all sorts of questions like; what did I like to do for fun, where did I hang out in my spare time, what’s my schedule like during the week. Eventually, he asked me out on a date. I declined. I explained that I didn’t want to mix business with pleasure. I viewed this project as an opportunity  to build portfolio and get my name out there not get free dinner and drinks. *le sigh* Unfortunately for me, it turned out my so-called potential client never intended to do anything to his condo. He went through all that trouble just to ask me out on a date. I was flattered appalled. I was just hoodwinked, bamboozled, and led astray. Needless to say, after turning him down, I never heard from him again. I ended up doing all that work, wishing, hoping and praying for nothing, nada, zilch. *wall slide* The moral of the story is never offer to do anything, especially for a single man,  for free. My time is valuable. Hmph.

Have you experienced a similar situation? How do you handle client relations? What do you when someone asks “can you come over and design/decorate my place?

* This was not a paying job. Since I was a student he was letting me give him ideas in exchange for developing my portfolio and using him a client reference on future projects.

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What Can Be Higher Than This?

Feeling like everything going wrong/Take a step back and edit yourself/There’s a hero in you waitin’ to happen/
Make the choice to take a chance and save yourself/You gotta let go of your insecurity/Explore the passion in your possibilities/You will find love and no love can be higher than this ~ Higher Than This by Ledisi

I had to take a brief hiatus from blogging to deal with “life”.  But I’m back. Did you miss me? Yesterday, when I got back  in town, I was going through my ginormous stack of mail and came across a letter from Harrington College of Design. I opened it up and learned that it was a letter of acceptance into the interior design program. Yay, I am officially re-enrolled in school. That is one thing I can scratch off my 2010 Goals List. Enroll in school. Check. Now all I have to do is find a new job and relocate to Chicago in time for the fall semester, which begins in September. *wall slide* May the force be with me.  A few weeks ago, I was talking to my grandmother about my plans to go back to school. Like always, when we have one of our “talks” she offered words of encouragement, advice and pearls of wisdom. Unfortunately, that was the very last conversation I had with my dear sweet grandmother. A week ago she unexpectedly passed away. Even though I am heart-broken over her untimely death, I don’t have time to mope around and be sad about it. On the contrary, I have to muster up the strength and tenacity to work twice as hard to make her proud of me.  After all, my word is my bond. I can’t stop, won’t stop. So Grandma, if you’re listening, I want to let you know that I dedicate my grind to you.  May you Rest in Peace.  XOXO   “Love! Can’t nobody love me like you do/So I gotta tell the world that/You are in everything that I do”

                       

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