If I had a dollar for every time a client cringed when I tossed out an idea I'd be a millionaire! Hmm, now there's a tag line, huh? While I probably won't be adding that to my business cards any time soon, convincing a client to relax and trust me is often one of my most challenging tasks. However, I can honestly say in the twelve years I've worked as an Interior Designer I have never, ever had a complaint after the final picture was hung. I recently popped in to visit with someone I worked with on a kitchen renovation five years ago and was happy to see they had not changed one thing, a true testament (I'm assuming) to the end result. The homeowner, while lovely, gave me such a hard time during the process, I thought If I could bottle that stress and sell it as a diet plan, I'd be the richest man on the planet (I lost twenty pounds while working with her...now that I think of it, I should work with her again to get fit and trim for summer!). In our initial meeting she wore a vibrantly-colored outfit and gave me a tour of her home, decorated in rich hues from her world travels. When I asked her to describe the prefect kitchen, I was somewhat shocked by the reply; "nothing but white. White walls, white cabinets, white countertops." When I pitched soft green cabinets, darker floors, blue accents and creamy walls with white molding and a chandelier I thought she was going to call the authorities on me. Then she surprised me when one day she just relaxed and let me do what I do...oh, did I mention the number one adjective? To make her cramped Manhattan kitchen feel like a country home. I think I did that. So, my friends, the take-away today is to stretch outside your comfort zone sometimes because you might just be pleasantly surprised by the finished product!
FORCING SPRING:
If you live in the northeast like we do, you know it's been one heckuvah winter and spring doesn't seem like it's in a hurry to get here. So, I'm FORCING Spring, something I do every year. Here's how I fill our house with color and fresh flowers without spending a dime: I head out to our yard (and sometimes our neighbors) and clip forsythia branches, magnolia and other limbs that haven't yet bloomed. I place them in vases with water and wait for them to spring forward...I did this routine last week before heading to Michigan and returned to a happy home filled with bright, spring-like flowers....now if the outside would just catch up, we'd be in great shape!
