Design Services

Quite by accident, after installing an Ikea kitchen in what was then our ‘temporary” home and where budget was the main concern, we fell in love with the Ikea kitchen products….but NOT the process.

Since then we have designed and installed many beautiful and efficient Ikea kitchens for budget conscious clients. Ikea products are well made, well designed for efficiency of use and about a third to half as much as your typical Home Depot or Lowes kitchen.

Two things you DON’T want to do:

Let Ikea’s free “kitchen designers” design your kitchen. Let’s just say that you get what you pay for!

AND most definitely do not use their “professional installers”. You’ll find yourself using swear words you didn’t know you had!

De=cluttering is another area where the help of a professional is invaluable and I’m not talking about hoarding, that’s a whole different ballgame, you need a psychiatrist for that one.

I just mean the typical clutter that every household has that sometimes gets out of control. And especially when you’ve reached an age when you have inherited Great Aunt Betty’s dining table with 6 leaves, 12 chairs and a china cabinet. Yes, guilt is involved in this situation but it’s okay to let go of something you never wanted in the first place and is not your taste. And unless it’s very valuable, rarely the case, there’s always the option of donating for a tax write off and making it possible for another family who didn’t have a Great Aunt Betty to have it and enjoy it. Go ahead. Do it. GIVE IT UP. The world will be a better place and so will your home.

There is a lot to say about this subject and this isn’t the proper forum, but I would like to say this much. This is not a fad, people. This is a thousands of years old practice in the placement of furniture inside your house, and a home or business on a piece of land and how these decisions affect you and your family’s health, longevity and prosperity. I highly recommend that you look into this. This may be one of the best investments you will ever make in your home.

While being 100% heterosexual, it’s fairly obvious to anyone paying attention that I have a well-developed masculine side.

For example, as a child, my after school routine was to race home, grab all of my “baby” dolls, (I had four) change their diapers, feed them, rock them, put them down for their nap, change into my baseball uniform and rush to practice where I exceled in just about every position, but first base was my favorite because I could catch ANYTHING and I wasn’t afraid to use my body to block a runner.

The first time I was hired by a male client was to renovate and design the interior of a small ranch style house with a pool at the Polo Club in Wellington, Fla..The client, was a developer in DC, lived in Virginia and played polo avidly as a hobby. He was married, but the place in Florida was really just for him and his buddies to enjoy during polo season when he could get away from work. He hired me after seeing a West Indies style beach house I had done and loved the simple but elegant lines. It appealed to his masculine sensibilities, but had a definite romantic twist that he knew would appeal to his wife who visited occasionally.

He gave me a realistic budget, told me that he would be very happy if I came in about $1.00 under and set me free.

I asked him his goals for the house in terms of use and enjoyment and with that bit of information I got to work. This was a whole house deal including updated bathrooms and an almost new kitchen. We were able to save the well-made wood cabinets thanks to the talents of a decorative painter.

Some of the highlights of this fun creation were the 120’ long, distressed tobacco leather and tapestry sofa flanked by 4 french inspired leather club chairs. The centerpiece of this setting was a big gorgeous square, Ironwood coffee table situated so that 8 guys could put their feet up with their boots on of off and do no damage. All they wanted to do was crack some beers, order a pizza and watch the videos taken at their games that day.

But the piece de la resistance was the simple but elegant 4-poster canopy bed. How can a canopy bed be masculine? Like this..(pic) He wanted to make sure his wife visited occasionally during the season so a little romance was needed.

It worked. Shecam down the first time on Valentines day to fresh roses in a sparkling crystal vase, champagne chilling in a silver trophy won the previous year and Godiva chocolates on her pillow.

We had placed these beautiful rustic “firepots” every 6’ ft around the pool and their reflected image was flickering in the pool, we turned on the music to a romantic Pandora station that we love and headed out the door. As we were turning out of the Polo Club’s main entrance, they were pulling in, he winked at me and held up his crossed fingers. She never knew what hit her!

The best part of this experience was my own self-discovery that I love designing for men. Here are some of the differences that I observed (ladies don’t get offended!).

1. Men treat the decision to hire a designer like any business decision. Do some research, pick who you believe is the right canidate, agree on the budget and hit the green “GO” button.
2. When things don’t go as planned and you can pretty much count on at least one or two little surprises, they take it in stride and go into problem solving mode instead of “meltdown” mode.
3. They stay out of your way which saves you time and them money.
4. They’re loyal. It they love your work they’ll sing your praises to all of their friends and hire you again.
5. No Drama, unless he’s gay and married, single and gay is much more fun, they jump right in and shop with you!
6. As an independent business woman, I probably think more like a man and I don’t mind being a bitch if it fits the occasion. That’s what strong women are called when they stand their ground.
7. I don’t have to be a mind reader or a marriage counselor.