Bold Browns & Best Practices
Initially, I wasn’t sure if this week’s post felt cohesive. But then I took a beat, and realized, it’s just a reflection of interior design itself. Designers wear a lot of hats and shift gears pretty drastically. A single day can include selecting materials, site visits, drawing floorplans in Autocad, and fleshing out schedules and budgets in Excel. So if you’re wondering what it’s like to be an interior designer, read on — and don’t get whiplash ; )
Interiors |
The Color Brown:
The current color of the moment and why we love it.
This week I mentioned on Instagram that I often have to search our Huntley & Co. photos to post an interior that ISN’T brown-centric. As you can see from the H&Co. photos here, I wasn’t kidding. It’s a wonderfully mercurial hue: it can look dramatic, classic, earthy, or modern. It makes white pop and always enriches a room. Consider incorporating this hue if you are on the fence. The three products below will help you take the leap.
All interiors above are by Huntley & Co.
L to R: “Horus” modern tile; striped wallcovering by LEMON; Los Objetos Decorativos fashionable brown-on-brown lamp
The Design Biz |
The 3 P’s:
Things a design principal should know.
Could I list all the things you need to know to manage a design firm? I’m not sure. Some insights you bring to the table, some lessons you learn along the way, and some you throw out because you need to adapt with the times. For me “the 3 P’s” are the foundation of a well-run design firm. If you keep these in focus, the rest will fall in place.
1. Principles
The most impactful job experience I had before starting Huntley & Co. was working for a firm where integrity was fundamental. Clients, vendors, and employees were all treated with respect; one plus one always equaled two; and the owners put in long hours just like we did. It became the blueprint for how I run my own firm (although perhaps with a touch more sass).
2. Planning
When you have big jobs and discerning clients, mistakes are not an option. It pays to be prepared, not only to assuage the fear of failure, but as a roadpath to knowledge. Knowing your projects inside and out gives you the oversight to avert problems and deliver your designs masterfully.
3. Process
Processes brings peace and order to a business. It’s really just the implementation of triggers and levers — When this happens, you do that. And when the next thing happens you do this. Until you have done all the things, all is in order, and you are delivering this incredible end result – successfully.
* see also: 5 Things You Should Know as Owner of a Design Firm
TH Tip |
Tabletop Styling:
Striking a balance with your “stuff”
You may have heard of the design aesthetic categories, ‘minimalist’ and ‘maximalist’ – their intentions being self-explanatory. There is also a third category that I call the ‘Goldilocks’ group. We love things, but hate clutter. To have both requires purposeful editing and an eye for the greater good.
Watch the video below to learn one of my methods for creating harmonious rooms by balancing less with more on tabletops.
* Bonus Tip: Take all of the accessories out of your room first. A clean slate will be less confusing and will open your mind to new arrangements.
|| The color swatches at the top of this post are some of my favorites browns from recent and past projects. Give them a try … but always test swatches first!
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