PROJECTING THE RIGHT IMAGE
Whether you're running for public office, applying for a job, hosting a party, dating or designing your home, it's important to project the right image, especially when it comes to your personal style. If Barbara Walters interviewed you for the story of your life, what kind of sofa would you be? Tight leather? Big, soft and comfy? Modern, sleek and stiff? If I walk into a clients home, for example, and they explain they want "modern" but the home owners drive a twenty year old Volvo wagon, wear Birkenstock sandals, and burn incense while humming a James Taylor song, chances are their interpretation of "modern" is very different from mine. For clarity the question I often ask is, "how do you want to feel when you walk into the space? How do you want your guests to feel?" The answer, typically, is very different. Allow me to introduce you to the Housewife of Manhattan I started working with early last year, we'll call her Client X. Client X invited me to her uppper east side apartment last summer to help transform her sons bedroom from a sweat sock-stench of a boy den into a hip, trendy, comfortable pad for her young lad. Now she's called me back again to attack the rest of the Tuscan-styled space (picture the Olive Garden meets Las Vegas nightmare hotel). She recently hosted a large gathering of work associates who were shocked that the faux-painted ceilings, gold wallpaper and sponge painted bathrooms didn't match with her simple, chic personal style. Feeling embarrassed and overwhelmed, Client X called this country boy to help her out. I told her we'd start at the beginning...her entry. How would Client X start her interview with Barbra Wawa? She'd say she loves the outdoors, loves gardening (keep in mind she lives in an apartment in cement city) and is a happy, free-loving spirit. So, instead of hanging an Andy Warhol portrait of Client X in her foyer, I took a photo of bamboo, traced it onto a piece of clear plastic paper, placed it on an old school projector (great idea of you want to stencil a large object on a wall, etc.) and projected it onto a large canvas. After tracing the image, I painted the bamboo various colors and hung it in her simple, chic entry...she walked in and screamed, "I've been Bamboozled!"
FACE LIFT:
Speaking of images, I was tired of my blog colors so decided to give it a bit of a lift. I mean, this will make 745 entries with the same green background! Because I want to keep this fresh, exciting and new...and give you a reason to come back, I'm planning on changing the look as often as possible (think of it as an online magazine). We'll see how it goes. Hope you like it!
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK:3 Hours
COST: Paint by benjamin moore from the pottery barn collection: $45/gallon
STRESS LEVEL: Projecting a cool image in the bedroom: LOW
