Is there a right way to decorate a room? Talk to me about proportion, color, scale, etc.
Is there a right way to decorate a room? Talk to me about proportion, color, scale, etc.
Last week we revealed to you one of the trade secrets that interior designers use when coming up with inspiration and products for one of their projects: design centers. Design centers are located in major cities all across the world and many of them have services for non-trade professionals (like you and I). Touring these showrooms gives you many ideas and allows you to see different options available for all rooms of your home.
If you are lucky enough to live in the New York City area, there are three different design centers: the Decoration & Design Building, the New York Design Center and the Architects and Designers Building. Combined together, these centers have over 160 showrooms. A showroom is just like any other open-to-the-public “home” store you would see but it specifically carries only one manufacturer's product line(s). Think stores with only flooring or stores with only lights or stores with a variety of fabrics. Of course there are also showrooms that have entire rooms of furnishings and decor too.
It's always bustling at the New York Design Center.
]]>
There are many design resources in the professional designer’s handbook. These resources may seem clandestine or out of reach to the regular, non-design-professional person but actually there are many that are accessible to anyone, if you know where to look. One such resource is the design buildings located in many major cities across the world. In Manhattan, there are three major design centers or buildings: the Decoration & Design Building, the New York Design Center and the Architects and Designers Building. All three of these buildings are open to the public as well as provide shopping and in-house design services to anyone who would like to use them.
Now, designers are not too keen on you knowing this and to be honest some of the showrooms in these buildings aren’t either. Why? Well, perhaps it is because they feel the value of their service is compromised if there isn’t some exclusivity about the business. Or perhaps they don’t feel regular, non-design-professionals aren’t qualified to know what to buy or how much to buy and need some guidance in the process in order to make it easier. Whatever the reason some designers have, there is a sentiment shared among the design centers in NYC that welcomes anyone who wishes to walk through the doors and browse and/or shop in the showrooms.
Today we are profiling the Decoration & Design Building located in midtown Manhattan (diagonally across from the Bloomingdales flagship store). It has 18 floors filled with 120 showrooms like Kravet, Holland & Sherry, Fortuny , Ralph Lauren, Jerry Pair, Noblis, Dakota Jackson, the Silver Peacock, Niedermaier, Pierre Frey, Schumacher, Gracie, Andrew Martin, Christopher Hyland and Artistic Frame (many of whom we have featured before on this blog). The quality and selection are outstanding and it is a challenge to leave the building without tons of inspiration and a wish list a mile long!
Welcome to the Decoration & Design Building!
]]>
“Memories,
Like the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were.”
Barbra Streisand “Way We Were" lyrics
The way my house looked when I moved in five years ago. A lot has changed since then.
If you have been following me on my social media channels, you would know there is a change a coming in the Jones household. Our time in the Northeast is rapidly coming to a close and we shall be moving on to the West Coast; California to be exact. My feelings run the gamut of excited to nervous to sad.
You see, I started writing this blog with Mae because I wanted to share with you my journey in decorating this house, the first home that I owned. This old house, whose 100th birthday is a mere four years away, has taught me so many lessons and has been a fortress in this thing called life. We moved in a blistery, cold February and learned to appreciate our doorman we had left behind in NYC almost immediately. From snow shoveling to learning how to make your boiler work, our first year was filled with the mysteries of homeownership that you only can experience (and appreciate) when you own your own home.
Welcome to our first DESIGN 101 Q&A answered by none other than our talented friend and designer, Tyler Wisler. Our “Design 101” column is where we ask our favorite designers, architects, stylists, builders, artists and more all the burning questions you have. Since our blog is focused on “where design meets reality,” we have a lot of you who are curious about the how's and why's of the design business but not enough time to find it out on your own. So we are going to help you in your journey and answer your list of questions too!
It's done! It's done! And it didn't take a millenium to complete! I am, of course, referring to my little pantry project. In case you don't recall, Hurricane Sandy + Jill Vegas' School of Speed Decorating class = pantry project. When I last left you, having cleaned, organized, planned and shopped, all I had left to do was wait for my packages to come rolling in and have everything installed. Taking my own advice, I did obtain the help of a professional so as not to repeat my mistakes of the past.
But to really understand the scope of my problem, I have to start with where I began. Here is an annotated depiction of my "before" pantry:
And here is the pencil-sketched plan I drew up, complete with measurements, placements and product details:
It’s hard to keep a good talent down. And when one is named to House Beautiful’s Next Wave Designer list, well let’s just say true talent is undeniable. Last spring when we attended the Princeton Designer Showhouse, one of our favorite rooms was designed by Michael Herold. The bold stripes, exciting color choices and glamorous pieces in a very traditional space spoke to us. Not a month later, we ran into Michael at our yearly Blogfest conference where he was on a panel moderated by House Beautiful’s Newell Turner. His talent was being lauded once again and now Michael has taken his design from the studio to showroom.
Opening in November 2012 in Lambertville, NJ, Michael Herold Home Collection is a showroom, studio and offices all in one location; just call it Michael's very own design center. After having tremendous growth in the past year, Michael and his team felt it was time to show off his antiques and vintage pieces in a space that allows him to display all of his finds in interesting vignettes and actual room settings.
One of the major reasons we started this blog was to tackle the endless list of questions we had about interior design and decor. We took it upon ourselves to find a way to learn more about the how’s and why’s of home design by going to classes, talking with experts and reading as much as we possibly could. After being inundated with information from the industry over the past two years, we have found the answers to many of our personal questions but there is still so much more! 
This is why we have are starting our “Design 101” column. We are asking our favorite designers, architects, stylists, builders, artists and more all the burning questions you have. Since our blog is focused on “where design meets reality,” we have a lot of you who are curious about the how's and why's of the design business but not enough time to find it out on your own. So we are going to help you in your journey and answer your list of questions too!
Starting this month, we will bring you the answers to questions like this:
- Do you have to design the whole house at once?
- Do designers up charge significantly?
- Can you go into trade showrooms or do you need a designer with you?
- What are realistic timelines for ordering fabrics, drawing up construction plans, ordering furniture, etc.
- What is the right sized _____ (width of a chandelier, height of a lamp, size of an end table, etc.)?
- What are different fee structures for designers?
- How to work with an in-store designer?
- How do you budget for redo’ing a room? What are the major factors for each room?
- It’s most cost efficient to buy for yourself through a flash sale site than through a designer or store. So why do designers discourage this?
- What is the “design” process once you meet with a designer? How do they come up with those boards and what should I do to help the process?
- How do interior designers get certified? Where can I find a reputable designer?
- I’m all about DIY. Does that turn off a designer?
- Is there a right way to decorate a room? Talk to me about proportion, color, scale.
Do you have a question you’d like for us to ask? Then email, tweet, Facebook us or just leave it in the comments below. We’ll get you an answer and it will be everything you wanted to know (and more)!
If you follow us on social media (Facebook & Twitter) you saw us get pretty excited recently about our inclusion in a fantastic round-up in Traditional Home’s online magazine. Our good friend and design blogger, Tamara Matthews-Stephenson of Nest by Tamara, contacted us a while back and asked our where is our go-to spot for great design finds.
