Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Before, During and After Designing

      Writing a blog takes a lot of time.  A LOT of time!  The best blogs take the authors hours, perhaps even an entire day, to write.  At Margery Wedderburn Interiors we LOVE to write in our blog, but we are currently super busy with our amazing design clients, so time is limited.  For that reason I want to take you with us on a journey as we work directly on design projects. 

Before, During and After ...


We are going to start a new series called, "Before, During and After" and we will ask for your input.  We will show you photos of a project we are just starting to work on, and then you will journey with us as we work with the client and make decisions about a project.  We will even have you vote for what you think might work.  Sounds like fun, right?  Let's get started!!

Our first client has a condo in the Washington, DC area.  She is a fun, energetic person who wants things done "yesterday."  With her own individual drive, she tends to make decisions quickly and precisely...we love this in a client!


This is her Master Bedroom.  We will call her "Jeanette" to keep her privacy.  Jeanette has a limited budget, which is fine and perfectly normal, especially in this economy.  Margery Wedderburn Interiors (MWI) is happy to work with all types of clients with big and small budgets.   At MWI we believe that every person has the ability to create and enjoy a beautiful home, whether they work directly with an interior designer or do it themselves. 



Jeanette needs more storage...LOTS more storage.  So we are going to give her exactly that in this MBR, and make the room even cosier and more user-friendly.  She's very excited!!

 In the past Jeanette's taste has been all over the place...she's done French Country, then went for an Asian contemporary style, and now she's back to her original love of the French Country style with happy, fresh colors such as light yellow, lime, various hues of blue and tones of red.  She is so much fun!!  Nothing like designing for someone we love with good taste!!


So...what would you do here in this room for Jeanette?? 

We are going to add built-ins along the entire headboard wall.  This will give her an enormous aount of storage space for all of her seasonal bedding, seasonal clothing, etc.  She will have this very comfie niche in which to relax in the evenings while watching TV.  Here is a preliminary (VERY preliminary) sketch of what we are going to do:

Isn't this fun??  Built-ins on either side of the bed...the bed will be ensconced in this little cozy niche with the wall sconces above .  The built-ins will hide everything she is wanting to hide in this room.  

Do you have any suggestions you would like to add?  Please let me know and I will share them with our readers.

Stay tuned...I am going to Home Depot today to meet with the Kraftmaid expert there.  We are doing Kraftmaid as opposed to custom built-ins to save her money. 

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Escada...Window Into Future Interior Design

Oh, For the Love of Escada!



About 9 years ago I went shopping with my mom to Saks Fifth Avenue and discovered the latest spring fashions from Escada.  Naturally, I fell in love with that season's styles...(the same personal story every season for me...can't get enough of Escada! ).

But the color combinations that year were breathtaking, hanging there on those hangers with those sumptuous fabrics.  Most noted were the color combinations of light blue with light brown, and then light brown with pink.  Woweee.

I immediately went to our Washington Design Center to find similar color combos in fabrics.  There were none, nada, zero.  When I inquired about these color combinations I was met with a few stares and squiggly noses.  Not sure if they questioned my taste or personally disagreed with those colors.  I could only find the single solid blues or browns or pinks and had to combine several fabrics myself for a space I was designing.

Nowadays there are hundresd of fabrics with these two color combinations, and you will even see the spectrum has broadened to include every hue and combination possible.

The thing is that the interior design industry follows fashion, but it's about 3 years behind.  SO!  If you want to know what is coming down the pike, just study Escada or some of the other haute couteur fashion houses.  If you are about to drop a bundle on your home softgoods, this is not a bad idea.  Then you can be assured that you will want to keep your new, fresh, beautiful home design for about 10 years!! 

Here are some inspirations from the new Escada Spring Collection, 2012.



Brown is the new Black...This has been true now for about, what...8 years??  And still we are seeing the brown in fashion.  It's really hot in the interior design world right now too.   




This year we are seeing a lot of this combination in fashion, but it is a few years old...you will see it carried over this year in Designer Showhouses across the country, butnotsomuch in homes yet!!


Love love this color combination...the purples are huge right now in fashion and in wall paint and accessories.  It's still very tough to find the purple and lavendar tones in rugs, however.  Rugs and carpets are always about 5 years behind the fashion industry.  This makes sense...think about it...carpet is made on a huge loom, where the threads and yarns are pre-dyed and placed on that huge loom...That part alone takes hours.  Those carpet companies are NOT going to mess with fashion color trends that may not translate to interior design.


More...do you want this green in your home?  Kind of fresh when combined with other colors, right?


 My favorites here...look at these splendid colors, and the combinations are yummy.  This will DEFINITELY translate into the interior design world in another year or two.  Can't wait.  You will already see it a bit...but just wait.





 Last but not least, the quiet combination of the neutrals, but set off in a new fresh way.  This will remind you of the 70's but it's only a quiet nod.

So for your homework assignment, if you are about to embark on an interior design project of your own, get online and study these fashion houses.  Then make your own intelligent choices from the fabric houses or stores near your home, and you will be pleased for years to come!

 Margery