What Will Make a Difference in Your Interior?

I have been inside a lot of homes recently; early fall is house-tour season here in MSP. A few I visited were spectacular (bravo!), some were nicely done, and most were perfectly fine. Those that caught my attention typically had good bones, quality hardware, better finishes, and a unique point of view. The unfortunate reality is that most projects require value-engineering. Deciding how and where to uplevel makes the difference between the “perfectly fine” homes and those we remember.

Behind the Design

The photos below are behind-the-scenes shots of our cover star, the primary bedroom of our H&Co. Greenwich Village project. What decisions made a difference in this project? 1) Drenching the walls and ceiling in a similar hue/tone to minimize the impact of the bulkheads. 2) Installing custom cabinetry at the perimeter so we could eliminate furniture. Architecturally, this room has a lot going on, so it was necessary to reduce clutter and quiet the envelope. 3) Finding the vintage, hand-painted, silk folding screen and mounting it behind the bed. What an impact!

Clockwise from upper left: (1) a better view of the cabinetry and the terrace; (2) a detail of the vanity mirror; (3) a hidden door on the bed wall leads to the bath; (4) my all-time favorite flower/plant, aka “monkey balls” found their way into the corner of the cover photo.

3 Details Worth the Investment

There are three details that I consider mandatory in a custom home. Keep an eye out for these the next time you visit, what is considered, a custom / luxury / high-end home. It should have these details, full stop.

1. LUTRON DESIGNER STYLE LIGHTING CONTROLS

The lightswitch controls at right are ganged in a screwless, satin finish plate with dimmable capabilities. Worth it.

2. CUSTOM VENT COVERS

The decorative vent cover at right has a design motif specific to the home’s vernacular, and again, no screws are visible. Worth it.

3. STONE COUNTERS

The real marble at right has veining with layered, nuanced hues and movement that is natural in its unpredictability. Worth it.

How to Prioritize Like a Type-A

Want to know a secret? Type-A’s are not born, we’re made. My love of systems and spreadsheets developed at a young age as a way to manage overwhelm. That turned out to be fortuitous since – as an interior designer – I’m responsible for overseeing, tracking, and implementing thousands of details. From problems come opportunities! I now have a multitude of procedures, and templates in my arsenal. Some are elaborate in their construction (20-column matrices, anyone?), but others are really simple – just habits really. This is one of those little tricks.

Daily Prioritizing Process

// Every morning I do a “brain dump”. I pull these to-do’s from my week’s priority list (on another page) and add anything else that comes to mind.

// To combat the paralyzing issue of priority, I do a quick run-through of the list and number each task with a #1 (must do today), a #2 (important, but not critical), or a #3 (can roll over to tomorrow, but let’s not forget about it). Suddenly, it’s no longer a laundry list of action items; I’ve essentially broken it into thirds and the first third is the only portion that needs my attention right now.

// To clarify further, I will circle one (or two) #1 tasks if they are screaming for priority.

As you can see there is other coding that develops as the day goes on: checkmarks, X’s, arrows, and strikethrough’s. I will explain those details, and the other blocks of my DAP (daily action planner) for another day.

Footnote: The use of cursive is not accidental. This practice is going the way of the Dodo bird, but I will tell you nothing gets thoughts out of your head and into actionable tasks faster. I rediscovered this skill when I started my own firm and #cantlivewithout it.

Asked and Answered | our new Instagram Q+A feature

We have started a new, regular feature on Instagram called Asked and Answered. I will answer interior design questions in a weekly IG post from readers/viewers who (1) follow us on Instagram, (2) sign-up for our newsletter, and (3) DM their inquiry. More details are available on IG: click the image at right and look for the 10/30 carousel post with “High Expectations?” in the first photo. Send in your questions!