It’s funny.  I find when I don’t blog it is not because I don’t have anything to say, it’s because I have too much going on and I don’t quite know how to organize my thoughts yet.

We’ve had a busy, busy week.  And a blessed one.

Yesterday we met who we hope will work out to be our new intern.  She passed her first test.

A little background on Lauren…

She is a junior at the University of Georgia (already good in our book.  We bleed red & black up in here)  Her initial email was professional and replete with good grammar (so important!  If she does not take the time to edit an email to you then she will most likely not edit one to a client.)  She displayed eagerness and passion (this leads me to to the test part)

 

So yesterday Lisa Mowry came to scout a project of ours for a magazine (yay!!)

This is the project…

 

Look at the arrangement the homeowner created.  So pretty!

 

so blurry…but just had to show you the new panels:

I realized yesterday was Friday and a school day for Lauren, but if you are really looking to work in design and you have a chance to meet an editor, you skip class.  Any professor worth his salt would forgive that!

So instead of choosing Starbucks over coffee for our first meeting, I wanted to see how she would do meeting Lisa (and Sherry Hart, too , the homeowners, and if she had enough gusto to drive from Athens on a whim.  That energy and passion is one requirement we are looking for and the one thing they can’t teach in school.

 

Yes, when she arrived we had just begun assembling this photo wall:

 

They were arriving at 10:30…and about 9:15 we were just taking the wrapping off of the frames.  Isn’t it crazy what you can do in an hour?

 

She passed the test with flying colors.  She was on her hands and knees with out client choosing pictures with the correct proportions and taping them to the mats.

This job is not always pretty, so it is so important that someone is willing to lug stuff around from car to storage to client and back again, that you carry around a toolbox in your car and a tape measure in your purse, and sometimes screw in anchors and eye-hooks yourself because the contractor had to leave for his next job.

What ends up pretty in a magazine takes a whole lotta the unpretty to end up there.  There might be designers and decorators out there who don’t get dirty, but I have yet to meet one.  My friends who stay busy in this field are anything but prissy.  They clean up well, but most days you find them in boots, jeans and their hair yanked up in a messy ponytail.  Just a little aside for anyone wanting to work in design.  Maybe in the “big leagues” you truly don’t do any of the dirty work yourself, but it may be years and years before you get there (and do you really want to, anyway?)  Plan to spend years out there hustling with loaded, dirty cars and closets full of lamp shades.

Back to Lauren…What gave us all goosebumps is the fact that she attends the church where our client sings most Sundays.  Isn’t God efficient?

 

We could have used her talent and CAD skills the day before.  I was up at 4 hand-drawing a kitchen elevation.

I am totally aware of how imperfect it is–but still sharing with y’all.

This is so the truth:

We had a presentation of our design plans for eleven rooms later that morning.  This was our country meets traditional meets modern project:

 

We probably had about 8 million texts to one another like these:

If anyone ever watched our design process I bet they would be entertained.  One part full debate plus one part lovefest.

 

A few of our plans….

 

 

 

Some images that inspired us…

traditional lighting with a wooden trestle table

 

a moss centerpiece (is this a Lauren Liess image?)

modern, clean lines

traditional simplicity

 

soft & natural (Barbara Westbrook’s office in Jan. AH & L)

and a lot of country.

 

Our plan is combine the three looks into one beautiful, cohesive home.  It is a lot–but we dream big.

 

We were beyond pleased that the design is what they were looking for.  We had to go and celebrate…

champagne for moi and something Shirley Temple-ish for my sweet partner at Bistro VG.

 

amazing cream cheese crepes for both.

Fingers crossed that the magazine will like the home.  All you can do is your best.

Have a lovely weekend,

Julie