Doing what I do best….on a budget.

 

Knoll Platner table - modern yet always a classic

I have just returned from a design project in Chicago.  It was whirlwind and exhausting but the project turned out incredibly well.  My clients are LA based but have a second home in a high rise in Chicago.  They love letting me to do what I do best and have two other

properties that I have created for them.  The relationship with clients is easy – I usually know right away what their style is – and they know my work.  I never give them a force fed design that I would want to live in but instead connect with what they love and apply my taste to how it is implemented.

This particular property had incredible city views and views of the lake.  They loved modern  and mid-century modern and wanted to create an urban feel.  I was able to create most of the space in my LA office before I flew out to the property.  It helped to have photos and floor plans so that I could see the area, light, views, and plan furniture and finish.

What I do best is I key into what their style is, find the unexpected and present them with options.  I splurge in some areas and save money in others.  No matter how wealthy or successful a client is, they appreciate that the end result is the look not an overwhelming cost.  They also appreciate that I throw in the unexpected and not let everything get “homogenous” or “matchy”.  Those extra details and appointments provide that higher

Jonathan Adler chair added the right pop of color, West Elm sofa.

level of style that people know they like but aren’t sure how to achieve it.Money  saved can then be spent on a fabulous chair, artwork, light fixture, custom tile or rug.  The internet is such an incredible resource for shopping out exactly what you want and sending it out to the project site.  It also helps to know the industry products that are offered and give clients something they haven’t yet seen.  For instance, Maya Romanoff custom glass bauble bead tiles (18×18) will go on the vanity wall of the powder room – to add some luxe.  They are pricey but we chose this instead of changing out fixtures (which were fine) and adding wallpaper.

Then, I made a rug out of FLOR rug tiles in a dramatic graphic pattern a that brings your eye down the hallway and to vintage posters and art.  The console in the foyer is West Elm (very well priced) but the mirror is completely unusual – clean lines with a cut out in the center with a mirror ledge – and cost considerably more.  I also found a few terrific resources in Chicago (Chicago is fabulous for design and the design center is a testimony to it) before I landed in the city.  One of them was Urban Source.  They had incredibly tasteful and unexpected window treatments, fabrics and wall papers.  We placed orders for wallpapers and window treatments.  We also scoured the galleries for local artist’s work and found items that were perfect for the clients taste.  There are higher end galleries, medium priced and conservatively priced art galleries throughout the city that have a tremendous variety of art to chose from.

Design is about balance.  Balancing the space, textures, surfaces and treatments.  It also is about balancing a budget and not spending for the sake of spending.

I was there a total of five days and pretty much got the major things in place.Items (window treatments and some other pieces) are on order and will be arriving soon but here are a few picks that show the project.

Chicago Skyline

The economy had made this a requirement but I have always designed this way and my clients have always liked that I refinish and reupholster something off of ebay for a song and then find them a gem they just can’t say no to.