The other day, as I arm wrestled with my cantankerous remote control desperate to find something
not politically themed, I landed on a fashion design show that peaked my interest. The contestants, all vying for the grand prize of bits and drabs of nonsense and a few minutes of fame, were actually incredibly talented designers. The episode took the ten remaining millennials with peroxide hair and untied sneakers to a landing strip in the middle of nowhere and told them to use it as inspiration for a couture designed dress. The caveat; they had five hours to give birth to their genius. I was totally blown away by some of the designers creations, but even more shocked by some of the judges comments. One in particular zeroed in on the color of nail polish the designer had chosen for her model (ignoring the miles of glam she'd produced in less time it took this foolish judge to apply make up to her botoxed face). The polish, she thought, MADE THE OUTFIT. Frustrated by her idiocy, back to politics I went. Then I got to thinking, this C-level celebrity judge wasn't that far off...it's the details, folks, that really matter! I once designed a seven thousand square foot home from tip to toilets with everything from sofas and beds to food-stocked pantries. What was the one thing the client noticed when she walked in on the reveal day? Two adirondack chairs I positioned out near her pond (I spoke about this a few weeks ago). The placement, she thought, was brilliant. I thought she was nuts, but hey, at least she liked something! Back on my planet of reality today, I've redesigned a home for a lovely couple with an ugly budget, so I've had to be innovative in the choices I've made. One area I thought tapped into existing square footage was in the basement where a little insulation, drywall, and inexpensive tile from the Home Depot transformed the space (I'll post after shot soon). To make it feel less like a basement, I added several windows, which triggered the clients to jam on the breaks, afraid that windows would blow their budget. Instead of heading to a fancy window and door company to special order a large window, I assured them I could create the same look for less by hoping over to the Home Depot. Anderson and other companies make a wide array of windows available off the floor AND THE BIG SECRET (to some) is to place two windows next to each other to look like one large window. The size pictured above was quoted at well over $1,000.00 by my local window vendor, but at the Home Depot I picked these up for $120/each. Once installed my clients walked in and acted like I had just recreated the pyramids in their basement. While the devil is certainly in the details, paying attention to them garners a heavenly result!
