Interior Design - A Designers Tool Bag

Every interior professional has their own set of trade tools and today I thought I'd do a fun post and show you some of the things I use on a daily basis - hope you enjoy!

Big Work Surface

My desk, while big, never seems large enough. Although I consider myself to be an extremely organized and tidy individual, my desk never seems to convey this. Once I'm into a project - it completely takes over my work surface - it's no wonder I'm always losing my phone beneath the piles of papers, samples and books!

Coffee

To stay and to go! Especially needed when budgeting and trying to stay on top of the daily paperwork that unfortunately goes along with what I do - I much prefer the creative side. 

View

A good view is essential to inspiration - this is mine daily (Toronto looking South/East) from my desk and on the road too!

Computer

My trusty Apple computers have been my business partners since I began designing (a long time ago). Today it's my 27" iMac - great for multitasking on screen. When I'm on the go, my iPad fills in. 

Paper

Notebooks filled with project notes and inspiration are always in my hand, no matter where I am. Projects are kept in files - white of course, and in office on clipboards hanging on the wall for easy access by anyone to quickly jump in and take over. 

Music

I just couldn't possibly work without music in the background - selection changes daily depending on my mood. Lately there's been a mixture of Daughtry, Ricky Martin and Kenny Chesney - I know, eclectic right?

Writing Instruments

Pens, markers and highlighters are constantly strewn across my desk - as most of you know, the G-Tec is my absolute favourite pen - there's nothing like it in my opinion. For quick/rough sketches and drawings I reach for a .3 or .5 black ink marker - highlighters are used in my notes as reminders.

 

CAD Tools

Floor Plans and Elevation Drawings are completed mostly with CAD tools. I love it because its an add on to Adobe Illustrator which I've been using since school (about 20 years). Makes dimensioning and scaling a breeze with the added drawing features of Illustrator.

Number Tools

A measuring tape is always at my side when planning, sourcing and on site. Stanley tends to be my favourite but I have a few 'prettier' ones that I use from time to time. A calculator is always useful for budgeting and converting.

Reference Materials

I'm a major book lover. I have dozens of books - on design mainly - I never tire of looking at them and am always eager to get my hands on the latest one. And I can very often be found at my local library researching and signing out more. (Love that I can manage holds and requests on-line these days.)

Photographic Equipment

My large Canon is great for capturing finished rooms and finished custom furniture. My smaller Canon is handy to have in my purse to snap a photo of something I'm sourcing. And my iPhone is used when I want to send a snap of something that could be perfect for a project to an assistant or client for quick approval. Also always handy to capture inspiration and the canvas being worked on.

Phone

Ahhh ... my iPhone. Don't get me started on this - there is no better phone - I'll stop here. Keeps me connected in every way and backing up to my iMac and iPad is a breeze thanks to iCloud!

Glasses

What can I say, I need them daily.

Markers

They make my CAD drawings come to life and help to pull a colour concept together - I'm a fan of Prismacolor - guess it's due to the fact that it's what I was trained with.

 Templates

I have a template for everything - it's the compulsive organizer in me. My budget template keeps things on budget and ensures nothing gets forgotten when procuring.

  

Swatches

Fabric swatches and  paint chips help to pull a colour scheme together and create the direction and mood for a space. I get lost in paint chips and even more so in fabric samples. Right now I'm loving all the traditional patterns done in modern and contemporary ways. And as for paint colours - any grey with a mauve undertone is working for me.

Bag and File Case

I spend a big part of my week on the road meeting with suppliers, sourcing and seeing clients. And there is a lot I need with me - so, my oversized leather bag is big enough to throw everything into and chic enough to not look like a 'work bag'. My travel file case is always in my truck - it's the template thing again.

Flowers

And last but not least, something pretty. There is nothing better than getting to your desk to start a day with some pretty flowers next to you. Always makes me smile!

So, I hope you enjoyed my post on my daily tools - there are more, but these are the most used ones!

Happy decorating everyone!

Lenore

PS - We're posting daily decorating tips on our facebook page - Like it to receive them daily!

Highgate - Interior Design Closing Day! - Part One

Hi All!
I'm always asked what it's like to finish a room for a client and how we do it ... so, I decided to blog about it with visuals - it's not a glamorous day, but certainly rewarding in the end. There are a number of photos I want to share with you for this post, so I've decided to break it up into two entries. This one will feature the rooms before photos (provided by the client pre consultation) as well as the start of the closing day photos.

First off ... the before photos ...

Closing days are always bustling with activity - from installations, to deliveries, to set up, it's definitely hectic. It involves packing my truck and assistant's car with all the accessories and props. Draperies and hardware are also packed with us because drapery installation is usually one of the first things done on this day - and we don't want to be waiting for them to be delivered.

Props and accessories area ... yes, it's messy - always best to close when the client isn't home - this can be scary for some!

Drapery hardware goes up...

Drapes hung and rug in place...

Some furniture delivered and set up...

Starting to come together...

Now that all of the large pieces are delivered and in place, my assistant and I get to work on organizing all of the elements and placing accessories and props for the client's reveal.

Want to see the finished space? Check back soon for part two of this post which will feature all the afters and details.

Happy decorating!

Lenore

Highgate - Before and After

As part of some of the new things I have planned for the blog this year, I'll be taking you along on some of the room before and after journeys - we'll show you pics of where we started, the closing day steps and of course the final shots!

People are always asking me 'How do you do it?" ... Well, closing days are always hectic, full of surprises and long. But the end result is always worth it!

Tomorrow we'll take you on a visual tour of how this project went from "before" to 'after'!

Don't forget to subscribe (to the right) to get automatic updates and follow me on twitter where I take you through my days and current projects.

Happy Decorating!
Lenore 

A Pillow Story - Wellington Project

Designing pillows for a client project is one of my favourite things to do. I love gathering fabrics and tying an entire scheme together. These accent pieces are what usually brings a room to completion ... you know that room you've been fawning over in that magazine? Well, I'm willing to bet that it includes these accents as a wrap up to the whole room!

When I'm creating a pillow story, I take into account all of the upholstered components in a room - a bed, a sofa, a chair ... and add coloured and patterned fabrics that relate to and enhance them. These pieces usually add the punch of colour needed in a more neutral scheme. Most people tend to shy away from large elements of colour so it's a great way to add colour without a huge commitment.

Accent pillows often get forgotten in the designing process - it's crucial to any well designed scheme. Yes, these jewels may seem expensive - but, when designed by a professional, you'll get pillows that have longevity built in by creating two schemes - a front and a back colour/pattern. This way you can change up the look of your room just by flipping over your pillows. Want a glam look - add sparkly button accents to the front and go simpler on the back so that when your glam mood is over, you can go back to a classic look.

Here's where we started ...

Here's what it turned into!

And here's a sneak peek of how they looked in the finished space ... we'll be posting snaps from this project in the next couple of days!

Visit again soon to see more photos from this project!

Happy Decorating!

Lenore

Signs!

Hi everyone!
We just finished another fun project for a wonderful young family! We'll post pics very soon - it turned out so great - everyone is pleased! I think it's my new favourite room - I say that about all of my projects - I can't keep changing my own decor, but at least I get to live them vicariously through my clients.

In the coming weeks we'll post a bunch of before and after photos from a few jobs we've completed throughout the city - by the way, look for our new signs ... it's always so strange to pull up to a clients home and see me there.

Will post snaps soon - promise.

Happy Decorating!

Lenore

Sneek Peek - Colour Story

One of the things I love to do is create a colour story for clients with fabric and any other materials that may be used throughout a space like wallpaper and paint.

One of my current clients wants an elegant, but soft pallet - she's not afraid of light upholstered pieces (love that!) and wants pops of colour mainly in accents - I can see the final space!

Here's where we're at so far ... a bit more sourcing needed, but I think we're on the right track! Remember - always start with too much and pare back from there!

Happy Decorating!
Lenore

Lots on the go!

It's been quite the week so far. Lots on the go - including babysitting current jobs and creating schemes for new clients. We're also revamping our newsletter and hope to have that out to everyone by the end of the month.

We've got a few new concepts that we are putting together and we'll post scheme photos soon for you to see. As well, we just installed some draperies - which turned out beautifully and links everything in the room together.

In the meantime, I think I'd better get things cleaned up in the studio!

Happy Decorating!
Lenore