Washington Post House Calls and Chat

Good morning, friends! Just a reminder if you'd like to join in on the live chat with me and Post writers, Terri Sapienza and Jura Koncius, grab a cup of coffee (or your second or third cup!) and click here at 11 am.

I'm also grateful for having the opportunity to provide a quick design solution in today's Post House Calls for a couple in their new home. You can check out the full article here.

Let's Chat!

Join me tomorrow (Thursday) from 11am -12pm as I join Washington Post staff writers, Terri Sapienza and Jura Koncius, to answer readers' questions about interior decorating and home improvements via a live chat. Thank you to the Post for asking me to be their guest!

Dating + Design

Dorothy Draper said it best, "Decorating is Fun!" And it should be a fun process for both client and designer.

The key to a successful interior design project is finding the right match between a client and their designer (and vice versa). When meeting with a potential client, I often refer to finding an interior designer is similar to dating. It's important to find someone who "gets" you - where there is a natural chemistry and someone who is going to make the project fun! There are a lot of details, time and money that go into a project, however, I believe that the client should enjoy the process. A designer that makes you feel comfortable, allowing you to trust them is a pretty good indicator that there is a spark!

When meeting with new clients, I do my best to explain the full process of hiring an interior designer and how a room is completed from start to finish. Many of my clients have never worked with a designer before, and educating the client about how the industry works and how you, personally, run your design business is foundational to getting the relationship off on the right foot.

Of course, once you think you've "met the one," it still takes time getting to know each other and fully articulating the vision you have/or don't have for your project. As a designer, I always encourage my clients to flip through magazines and pull out pages that have jumped out at them. It may not be a complete room they've fallen in love with, but maybe it's a small element such as a mantle design or a specific chair. Interior designers, unfortunately, are not mind readers, so any feedback and information we can pull from the client helps us to efficiently and accurately design your space. In turn, my job is to listen intently and then relay back to my client what I heard them say to make sure we are on the same page. Trust me, I've had some bad hair cuts even after I've shown a picture to my hair dresser what I want, but then have walked out with a horrible cut knowing that they didn't hear a lick of what I said! Which then costs me more money to find someone else to fix it!

I recently came across a great article explaining the beauty of finding an interior designer you've fallen in love with. It can be a beautiful thing both figuratively and literally!

I Always Love a Good Makeover

I'm currently giving my website a total makeover which will include new project photos, and I can't wait to reveal it to you all! The talented Stacy Zarin-Goldberg has been running around with me shooting a few of my completed projects. Photo shoots are a lot of work, but totally worth it in the end. Here is a little sneek peek....

Birthday Week

I had a milestone birthday last week, and instead of freaking out how old I was turning, I embraced the inevitable and actually had a fantastic birthday. The Mister was so thoughtful and planned a celebration of week long events with various friends.

We started the week off with a surprise dinner with close friends at Seasonal Pantry. This little venue has to be one of the coolest spots in DC, and I felt like I was spending the evening at a hip dive in NYC. Daniel O'Brian and his partner, Ali Bagheri, established this little delicatessen gem. By day, the store is a market where you can swing by and pick up their latest canned and jarred concoctions such as seasonal soups, confit tomatoes, and oyster pot pie. Then on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, the market turns into an intimate dining spot with 12 seats. Daniel has the menus planned, so all you have to do is show up at 8 am sharp! to be served an amazing 3-4 course dinner with perfectly paired wine.

Daniel and Ali have done an amazing job with the space itself as it lends an old world feel. You feel as if you've been invited into some one's personal kitchen with the exposed brick walls, long farm table, and Daniel cooking away in the back corner to the tunes of his choice.

The Mister told me we were headed to a undisclosed dinner location - just the two of us. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in and was greeted by 10 close friends all seated around a beautiful farm table.

The rest of the week included dinner with an old friend from college, Zack, lunch at Cafe Bonaparte with dear friends and then dinner at The Tabbard Inn - one of my favorite restaurants in DC followed by drinks at the Hay Adams where I was surprised again by more friends.

So I guess you could say I ate my way through my birthday!

50 Space Saving Tricks

( Haddon Interiors)

This morning I've shared a few small-space tips with several other local designers in The Washington Post. Thanks to Post writer, Terri Sapienza, for including me.

It's true that small spaces can pack a punch! Check it out here.

My Fall Declaration....

(via J.Crew)

Just a short post-Labor Day declaration....You will see me wearing my white jeans after Labor Day. As I've been cleaning out my closet in preparation of unearthing my warmer frocks, I keep coming up with all these fall/winter outfits that include my white jeans. I personally think the whole "no white after Labor Day" rule is absurd as no color should be banned because of the seasons. I'm counting down the days until I can pull out my sweaters!