Parade of Homes

I recently completed a staging job for Windermere Condominiums in Burlington.  This two-bedroom apartment will be part of the Parade of Homes to be held the first two weekends of October.  My goal was the same as for every project that I have completed: Design a space that is cozy and comfortable, and beautiful.  The idea is for potential buyers to walk through and imagine themselves moving right in.

The following are some 'before' and 'after' photos of the apartment:

Living Room 'After'

Kitchen 'Before'

Kitchen "After"

Master Bedroom 'Before'

Master Bedroom "After"

Master Bedroom

Master Bath 'After'

Child's Bedroom 'Before'

Child's Bedroom 'After'

Dining Room 'Before'

Dining Room 'After'

My New Studio

Once I knew that I was going to embark on this new adventure of starting my own Interior Design business, I began planning my studio.  The plans had to live in my imagination for a couple of months, because I was working hard to finish school and my daughter and son-in-law were living in the space that would become the new studio while my son-in-law was finishing his masters program.  Besides that, my imagination could only be as big as my budget which was not very big, but that's okay!  I love a budget challenge!

Last April, I happened in the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in High Point where they had just received three large architect tables from a local architect who had recently sold his business.  One table had been sold already, but I snatched up one of the two remaining tables and carried it home in the back of my van.  The night before I was scheduled to present my portfolio to a panel of Interior Designers for our final exit project, I sat in my garage painting this nice table!  Somehow, painting the table helped to ease some of the nervousness of thinking about the next day's presentation.

Excited!

I had paint in my hair for about six weeks after painting inside these shelves!

This table makes a great place to lay out my fabrics and paint chips
as I plan color schemes for my projects!

I found these baskets at Target to finish the table.

Next, it was time to think about a desk.  I was browsing at one of my favorite consignment stores back in the spring where I found a nice desk chair.  It was very reasonably priced, but more importantly, it was very comfortable!  


Lastly, I rode with my middle daughter down to Ikea in Charlotte where we picked out a nice desk along with two Expedit bookcases.  Each bookcase was compactly packed into one long box and each box was very heavy.  We made the mistake of loading the heavy boxes into my van by ourselves instead of asking someone for help.  In order to load the boxes into the van, I climbed inside to pull on the box while my daughter pushed on the other end of the box from outside the van.  Somehow, my foot got hung up on the floor mat as I stepped backward with the box causing me to stumble and fall out of the van onto the parking lot!  Don't ask how it happened because I can't tell you!  All I know is that one moment I was in the van and the next moment I was laid out on the asphalt parking lot staring up at the sky!  Thankfully, I wasn't hurt too badly, just a little sore (and a lot embarrassed). 

Now that my office is finished, however, I must say that the journey has been worth it and I really like working in such a cozy little space!  The first time I sat down at my desk, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of "this is really happening"  and I felt very thankful to Jesus for helping me to get here, and for giving me the opportunity to work at a job that I really enjoy!

This is a cozy and comfortable place to work!

The Forest at Duke

I recently completed a guest apartment design for The Forest at Duke, a retirement community in Durham, NC.  The apartment is a small, yet very cozy one bedroom that required careful space planning.  The design process began with a visit to the retirement community where I gathered information by interviewing the client, and by taking photographs and making precise measurements of the space.

Space planning this small apartment was one of most crucial elements of the design.  I used AutoCAD to draw the specified furnishings into the dimensioned space, as shown below.

Space Plan for Living and Dining Area

Space Plan for Bedroom







Below, are some "Before" and "After" shots of the space:

Living Room "Before"

                                                

Living Room "After"

Entryway "Before"

Entryway "After"

                                                                                                         

Bedroom "Before"

Bedroom "After"

Another angle of the Bedroom "Before"

Bedroom "After"

Kitchen "Before"

Kitchen "After"

Bathroom "Before"

Bathroom "After"

                                                         

Furniture Market Finds

Last month, I experienced my first trip to the Furniture Market as a buyer.  The International Home Furnishings Market opened April 21st and ran for seven days, and I was there for five of those seven days!  The IHFC Exhibitor building is a 10-story, 261,000 square foot complex where furniture, accessories, art and rugs, and lighting exhibitors from around the world bring their goods to display and sell to more than 80,000 buyers.  The market, which comes to High Point every October and April, always provides a big boost for High Point's economy.

 While it was quite overwhelming trying to navigate my way around such a large facility, I had a good time trying.  For several months leading up to the Market, I assisted with the design of three showrooms.  I enjoyed the experience, but I must say that it was hard work!  I also worked as a receptionists for the opening day of the market at a mirror showroom.  For my first shopping day, I was accompanied by two of my daughters, who were a big help to me.  One daughter took notes as the retailers explained their products and how they worked with designers.  The other daughter took pictures of showroom samples.  Each day, I came home with a roller bag full of catalogs, and two sore feet!  I saw lots of beautiful furniture, lamps, art, linens, rugs, and accessories.  Below, is a small sampling of a few of my favorites. My daughters' favorite showroom was "Four Hands", whose big customers are "Restoration Hardware" and "Crate and Barrel".  Some of my personal favorites included "Currey and Company" lighting, "Legacy" linens, "Surya" rugs,  and "Pearson" upholstery, just to name a few.

Field Trip

Today, I thoroughly enjoyed a field trip with my son's class to the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center located on the campus of UNC at Chapel Hill.  Before the planetarium show, we enjoyed a very entertaining science program called "Magnificent Matter",  presented by a  young man from the college.   The program, about the different states of matter, was more like a magic show with lots of audience participation, and a great way to show how fun science can be!

The planetarium show today was called, "Earth, Moon and Sun".  I have to say I learned so much as we sat there under what felt like a real night sky hearing about how the earth, moon and stars work together and explaining some of the common misconceptions about the earth and its neighboring planets and stars.  The children were so excited to be there under that tremendous night sky.  I overheard the little girl sitting next to me whisper to her friend, "I don't want this to end!"

After the show, we strolled across the beautiful campus and settled under one of the huge oak trees to enjoy a picnic lunch.  It was a beautiful day and I especially enjoyed observing my son and his classmates as they interacted with each other.  They were all thoroughly enjoying themselves.  I was very impressed with how well behaved they were for the whole trip.  As I sat there eating my lunch, I looked around at the beautiful architecture of the buildings there on the UNC campus.  I always knew that UNC had a beautiful campus, but I don't think I ever really appreciated the architectural beauty of those buildings like I did today.  Most of the buildings I saw on the campus are fine examples of Neoclassical Revival.  These buildings, inspired by the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome, featured porticos dominating the front facade of the buildings supported by large columns in the Corinthian, Ionic, or Doric order. Many of the buildings, including the Morehead Planetarium were crowned with a large dome which is very reminiscent of ancient Roman architecture. Others were crowned with a cupola.  Here is just a small sampling of some of the buildings.

The Playmakers Theatre was completed in 1851 for use as a library.  This Greek Revival temple
is a National Historic landmark.  The fluted columns in the Corinthian order are an outstanding
feature of this building.

The South Building's facade includes a cupola and
an Ionic portico on the south side. 

The Morehead Planetarium, one of the largest planetariums
in the United States, features this 68-foot domed Star Theater.

The Old Well is a small neoclassical rotunda that was modeled
after the Temple of Love in the Garden of Versailles.  It is the most enduring
symbol of UNC.  Legend has is that students can take a drink from the
well on the first day of classes for good luck.  

Ben is standing in front of the Post Office on Franklin Street which features
a four-columned portico with a cupola on top of the building.

What a beautiful day for a picnic under the trees!

Portfolio Pics

I have spent the last several months compiling pictures, drawings, and projects that represent some of my work during the last two years of Interior Design School.  I will be graduating in just a couple of weeks, so I thought I would share some of my work here.  The following is a drafting project.  This home was drawn by hand using a T-square and a lot of patience!  This is from my first semester at RCC.