My Building Lobby is Complete!

The furnishings I had custom made for my building lobby are installed and I think they look beautiful! Everyone in the building has commented favorably and I love that I can put my cards out there. Since this is right outside my studio door, I felt I should have a presence. The furniture piece below was placed there first by my landlord........

Well, I had to get involved! I didn't want my clients to think I had done that. (Sorry if I'm offending my landlord! I love it here! :))

My carpenter built the console to my specifications, then my faux finisher did a lovely job finishing it for me. The lamp is from Aidan Gray and the mirror, custom as well. It reflects the light from the window directly across the lobby.

This is definitely more "Aston Design Studio".

Sketches

There has been some discussion lately by designers about the preference of sketching or hand drawing vs. CAD drawing. As a designer, one of the best ways to show a client your ideas is to provide drawings. We are taught in school and many of us use drawings as a way to think through a design and develop concepts. These days, both methods are taught, but the age of the interior designer has a little something to do with their preference. :) We didn't have CAD when I went to school! I enjoy sketching up my projects and will lay color down as well to help a client visualize their space. It's usually part of the schematic design phase of the process. I do have a younger assistant who prefers CAD, which is undeniably the best method for handling revisions. However, in this day and age of all things computer generated, I find my clients really appreciate my hand drawings. Sort of like a hand written thank you note vs. an e-mail sent from your phone, it's just more personal. I thought I'd share some of the drawings that I've done on various, unrelated projects.

Some drawings are done in elevation, some as a floor plan, others are a perspective sketch.

Elevation of a girl's bedroom showing a new window seat and shade.

Perspective sketch of a living room to show architectural features and tile layout.

In this sketch for a kitchen remodel, new finishes and a new pantry door were highlighted.

This elevation sketch shows how the color on the wall, hood, backsplash, and counter will blend together to break up the wall of white cabinets.

The master bath above is being remodeled now. I can't wait to see it finished! The tub is absolutely beautiful!

This furniture layout visually shows how the color is balanced around the room.

A drawing like this shows how all the elements and details work together to make a certain visual statement.

I like to label up my drawings with notes, so that my clients can refer back to them and remember what I tell them at the presentation.

Drawing is one of my favorite things to do as a designer. I prefer it to shopping!

Pink Peonies

Pink peonies........for my sweet, strong sister who is a breast cancer survivor!