Welcome back!
Well this week was another one for the books! After a nice long weekend from Memorial Day, coming back to the office didn’t really feel like going back to work! This week was full of Client meetings and trips to the city. I got to go downtown (and back to the Mart….yippeee! Luckily for us, the tea-na coladas are still in season!) twice this week
After a week of observing and product researching, I got to hang with my good ole friend AutoCAD on Tuesday and Thursday! I have experience in the program, yet I found that I was a bit rusty. But don’t you worry …Lisa and Melinda came to the rescue! Once I got the hang of things again, Lisa and Melinda taught me some new techniques to create elevations! Snaps for their patience with me! I couldn’t even imagine trying to draw these guys without modern technology! I bow down to you folk who did this by hand (insert bow down motion here).
Today was quite an exciting day! Lisa and I took the second trip to the city this week. I got to meet Ovi, the hand dandy, trusty custom furniture man! Lisa and I got to take a sneak peek at some custom cabinetry for a Client and even peek at some other projects!
Our next stop was to Penthouse in chi city. WHAT A PLACE THIS IS! I’m so lucky to be able to help with this project…and not to mention enjoy the view when I visit 😉 I discovered part of my job is lugging heavy bags filled with 50lbs of tile around..getting my workout!
Currently, the apartment is in critical Interior Design condition. Hand painted murals line the walls and ceilings that have, hummingbirds and long grasses. Yes, I did say hummingbirds. But thanks to Lisa’s amazing taste and skills, the place will be looking so art deco chic in no time! We presented the bath designs and left them taped to the walls so the Clients could review again later. Lisa, Maria and I had some fun picking out nicknames for the two bathrooms to help keep things organized and fun during the process. The names in the running were The Birdcage, the jungle, and Versace. Comment below which two you think won, and then tune in next week for the reveal of the two winners!
This week’s Top 5 Discoveries are:
1). NEVER rely on other people for notes or to have all the information. In other words, TRUST NO ONE EXCEPT YOURSELF! Always be sure to take notes on everything you go over in meetings or when shopping for furniture, tile, paint, etc. This way you always know what was decided and in case something goes wrong with the vendor, you always have the correct items!
2). I learned that when giving elevations of tile patterns label and color coordinate EVERYTHING! No matter what line of field you are in, if you’re giving instructions to someone always pretend you’re talking to a 5 year old. This way it’ll eliminate any gray areas.
3). I learned that tight back couches and cushion couches do have a considerable difference in the depth of a couch!
4). You can get creative with ways to design certain things. It’s ok to step out of the box and design something totally custom! Take storage for a jewelry box for example. Sick of storing your jewelry in a box and finding your necklaces all knotted up? Try hanging them on pull-out panels that are on tracks! Lisa was having an issue w/this for a Client – I proposed my idea and it was presented and approved yesterday by the Client!
5). When custom making furniture, wood items that are rounded or have a bunch of curves are way more pricey than square or straight edged pieces. But both look beautiful if done by the best!
TIP OF THE WEEK: Thinking of adding some wainscoting to your walls? Well here’s a neat and INEXPENSIVE trick: paint the walls and have your construction worker place wood details on the walls to mimic real wood paneled wainscoting. Only you will know the truth!
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