Starting a firm is full of important choices, but choosing the right people to join your new team is particularly crucial to success. We asked five designersVictoria Amegno, Brian Brown, Lisa Kahn, Ariel Okin and Vicky Seranywhat positions they hired for first.

Vicky SeranyCourtesy of Vicky Serany

Balancing actThe first employee of my studio was a young designer who had strengths that balanced my weaknesses. I came from a strong construction background, and the young designer had solid experience with furnishings and window treatments. It can be somewhat intimidating, but hiring to balance my weaknesses has always proved to be successful. Vicky Serany, Southern Studio Interior Design, Cary, North Carolina

Ariel OkinCourtesy of Ariel Okin

Know your strengths[My first hires were] a design assistant to help with technical aspects like AutoCAD and a CPA to help with our bookkeeping. I learned early that you should outsource the things that you aren't great atfor me, that was CAD and bookkeeping. It really allowed me to focus more on bringing in new business and the creative side, which ultimately allowed me to grow the business faster. Ariel Okin, Ariel Okin Interiors, New York

Victoria AmegnoCourtesy of Victoria Amegno

Picture perfectBeing part of a highly visual and artistic industry, it was critical that the firms aesthetic and work are represented in the utmost professional manner. As a result, a great percentage of my start-up costs went toward professional photography and a website. Im thrilled to have made this investment, and cannot wait to debut a new website this winter. The next role [Ill be investing in] is an accountant, which is just as vital for the firms success. Im in the final stages of the interview process to fill this role and am excited to have the right person join my team. Victoria Amegno, Victoria Lambert Interiors, Minneapolis-St. Paul

Brian BrownCourtesy of Brian Brown

Fill the GapsBeing a big-picture kind of person (with a touch of ADHD), focusing on the finishing details for drawings was a huge challengea detail-oriented task that, for some reason, seemed to take me a lifetime. With that in mind, I sought out to hire my opposite. I know every job posting says, Looking for someone detail-orientedwell, I meant it! I continue to hire to other areas that I may be weak in, or even areas that other parts of my team may be weak in. I know what our strengths are and where we excel. Looking at what isnt working informs what I look for in a new hire. Brian Brown, Brian Brown Studio, San Diego

Lisa KahnCourtesy of Lisa Kahn

Teamwork makes the dream workI hired a design assistant and a part-time bookkeeper as my first employees. I wanted to be sure we had the handling of money in orderboth ours and the clientsand the bookkeeper provided that confidence. I also knew there would be too many details to coordinate in both design and purchasing for me to handle on my own, and though the design assistant needed training, they were able to plug into what I needed fairly easily. These were smart hires because they allowed me the freedom to do some marketing and overall business management right from the start. Instead of starting with a slow crawl, we shot out of the gate and ended up landing one of the largest projects in the area after being open only three months. I attribute that to assembling an effective team as I opened my doors. Lisa Kahn, Lisa Kahn Designs, Naples, Florida

Homepage photo: A project by Ariel Okin | Photo: Seth Caplan

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Who was your first hire? - Business of Home

Something we need more than ever right now.

If you imagine all-American style, its not exactly far-fetched to conjure up an image of Mark Sikes clad in leather loafers lounging in his blue-and-white living room, but thats purely surface level. Diving a little deeper, what does all-American style really entail? I think true all-American design is really a mix of everything. Thats kind of how we define American style is a little bit of Asian, a little bit of English, a little bit of French, a little bit of neoclassical.

It takes a seasoned eye to understand how to mesh all those seemingly unlike aesthetics into one, to pull out the aspects of each that will harmonize in someones home. Enter Sikes, a connoisseur of injecting traditional spaces with a magical dose of modernity that carries them effortlessly into 2020. Thankfully, hes packaged his thought processes up and served it to the public.

Sikes second book,More Beautiful: All-American Decoration, which launches September first, is a continuation of the story embodied in his first book (pre-order a signed copyhere by 8/31, and you can virtually join his Beautiful Book Party). To say his first interiors book was a success would be a bit of an understatement, as it was not only a NYT bestseller, but the top-selling Rizzoli interiors book of all time. The book explores the power of beauty and the effect it can have on us. [Beauty] is so subjective, but its really powerful. It can change your mood, it can alter your spirits, it can lift you, it can sustain you.

Theres a lot of conversation in the book about personal spaces. Making things your own and being surrounded by the things you love is what really makes it a home. This sentiment is more powerful now than ever as the country as a collective has never spent more time within the confines of our own spaces. We chatted with Sikes about ways to make your home look lived in and inviting by layering in texture, color, different influences, and so much more.

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Other than blue and white, are there any new color pairings that youre excited about at the moment? Anything that pairs well with those two shades?

From a branding and marketing perspective, were known for blue and white. Of course, in our work we use most colors, but blue and white do go with everything. Im really obsessed right now with chocolate brown with bluechocolate brown with blue and really pretty caramels. I think it comes from the sense of people wanting to be comfortable in their space and wanting spaces to feel inviting. That just seems like a really comfortable palette.

When youre mixing prints, do you have any rules of which pair well together?

Well, I always like to pick what I call a hero fabric for each room, which is more of a dominant fabric. That would mean maybe it has multiple colors or it has a larger scale. Then, I dont know if my formula is the right formula, but I always like to mix a couple solids. I like to add a geometric, whether it be a check or stripe. I like to add a smaller-scale print that works with the larger print. Its important to get a mix of things with a lighter background and a darker background. I just think it provides balance. I definitely love to throw vintage or antique textiles in the mix because I always think that gives the room a little bit more of a lived-in, worn-in, more layered feeling.

When you are balancing colors with neutrals, do you have any sort of ratio you like to use to balance the two?

It really does depend on the project and what type of house it is. There are definitely homes that call for a lot more color like traditional architecture. But then there are also places that call for things to be really neutralized. It could be a beach house in Malibu or a Mediterranean in Montecito. The house itself dictates a lot about the ratio of color.

Does that approach differ when you have a larger space versus a smaller space?

What I like to do in a smaller space is keep things more minimal. I love to take one fabric and just use it on everything. I think thats a really amazing trick for a smaller space because its very stylish and very easy on the eye. Obviously, in a larger space you can do more layers of fabric because you have a lot more pillows and you have a lot more pieces of furniture. I do think, depending on the space size, your formula might be a little bit different.

I know you like to add texture in your spaces. What are easy ways to do that, and what materials do you like to use?

Natural-fiber rugs, abaca, sisal are always great for adding texture. I think layers are textural, like throws and pillows and things like that. We do a lot of custom lampshades now, which I also think is a really great way to add texture and dimension to space. Actual texture, pieces of rattan or wicker is always a nice textural add. Leather is also a nice textural add. A grass cloth, sea grass wallpaper, those pieces with literal texture are always nice.

You do a lot of modern and traditional contrast. How do you balance that, and what are your favorite elements to throw into the mix?

Well, I do think thats just a recipe for a really well-designed room, having a mix of things. A mix of old, a mix of new, a mix of clean, simple, minimal modern things with traditional things. It makes rooms feel like theyve been there a long time. I think modern abstract art is really lovely with more traditional furnishings in interiors. I also think cleaner-line coffee tables or side tables are also a nice minimal, modern mix, or like a really great modern light. I think those are really easy things to add into a traditional interior to give it a little bid of an edge.

I know you also make a lot of cultural historic references in your designs. What locations do you love to pull interiors from?

Well, I love the past in general, so Im always drawn to and use inspirational pictures from the past to inspire new work. Whether its the beautiful interiors Horst photographed for Vogue many years ago, or legendary designers like Lorenzo Mongiardino, Billy Baldwin, or Mark Hampton. I just think the past is so informative on real style. Homes were much more stylish than they are today. There are some particular homes or people that Im always drawn to the way they live, whether it was Lee Radziwill. I think there are also these fashion designers that had the most style and the most beautiful homes, [e.g.,] Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Givenchy. I think that their homes were so evolved and such reflections of their style.

Then theres icons like Bunny Mellon, who spent her whole life curating an amazing collection, but not necessarily a collection of treasures. She really had her own style. She loved baskets and she loved shaker chairs. It wasnt about the cost of things to her. She would have an amazing Rothko sitting next to a fifty-dollar shaker chair. Thats just real style, when you know who you are, you know what you love. That is what Im drawn to personally.

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When youre working with all these contrasting elements, how do you maintain consistency, especially when youre working with a larger house?

I do firmly believe that if you have a bunch of things you really love, you can put them in a room and they somehow work just because theres this personal connection to them. I definitely think its about mixing things according to the scale and their texture and the contrast of light and dark, so I do think its a little bit of a science project in some way. I know now what works and what doesnt.

What are your tricks for making spaces appear larger than they actually are?

I think keeping it super minimal. Maybe one fabric on everything, one color on everything. I do think smaller spaces always look better if theres a lot more, I dont want to use the word storage, but if theres more cabinetry to disguise or house small, excess things versus having lots of little things sitting everywhere. In a smaller space, less stuff makes it feel bigger.

What do you think makes a home/apartment look layered and lived in, not like you just moved in?

Personal things, lots of books, magazines, flowers, plants. I think organic things as well as personal things are what make a home feel personal or lived in.

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Interior Designer Mark Sikes on Adding Depth to Your Space and the Power of Beauty - Coveteur

I was reading Michael Smiths chronicle of designing the Obama White House, feeling serene, marinating in a luxurious world of wine-colored swatches and embossed mohair velvet and carpet border details desperately in need of tweaking.

Suddenly, I was confronted with violence.

Beneath a black-and-white picture of Jacqueline Kennedy looking at the blueprints for her White House plan, Mr. Smith reveals that Mrs. Kennedy may have fired her decorator, Sister Parish, because of an incident with Caroline.

Mrs. Parish later admitted to learning that the first lady had been told that she had kicked young Caroline a rumor the decorator didnt exactly confirm or deny, Mr. Smith writes in Designing History, which traces White House style from its first residents, John and Abigail Adams, to the Obamas.

I emailed Caroline Kennedy to see if that story could possibly be true.

I would believe everything Michael Smith says, she wrote back mischievously, adding, That early trauma has clearly affected me deeply.

I Zoomed with Mr. Smith, on vacation in Marthas Vineyard, who noted that he happened to be very Kennedy attired, sporting a nautical look of shorts and a Herms navy blue sweater over a J. Crew shirt.

When Mr. Smith came to Washington, wanting to conjure the glamour of the Kennedys as another young family moved into the White House, what struck him?

Its like a white-water river rafting trip of history, he said about his eight-year makeover of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. You walk into every room and you know, this is the room that Eartha Kitt challenged Lady Bird Johnson about Vietnam or this is the room that President Roosevelt addressed the nation in wartime or this is the room where Betty Ford discoed with Tony Orlando. The history of the White House is so extraordinarily dense, that to be conscious of it all the time was kind of amazing.

And the Obamas were making history every day, as the first Black occupants of a house built with the labor of enslaved people.

In her foreword to the book, Michelle Obama says that Mr. Smith understood the stakes. The pressure on any first family is enormous, she writes. The pressure on the first Black one would be even greater.

The first time he was at the White House and saw President Barack Obama landing in Marine One, Mr. Smith said, it was the most surreal, because youre in this essentially, 18th-century-esque building, looking out the window and it was like Mars Attacks. Only later, did I realize that all my newly made cushions for the Truman Balcony were littered all over the lawn.

Did he see any ghosts?

I would call Nancy Reagan and I would have all these long, long conversations, Mr. Smith said. I remember asking her about the ghosts and she thought I was insane. He said that there were so many residents of the White House through the ages with grudges and unfinished business, that if all those poltergeists lingered, it would get very crowded.

Youd have to have a four-year term, he said, or maybe if youre a good ghost, youd get to come back for eight.

The history obsessive, as he calls himself, read anything he could find about past restorations, including letters from first ladies ranging from Mary Todd Lincoln to his favorite inspiration, Mrs. Kennedy.

Mr. Smith, 56, grew up in Newport Beach, Calif., with a mother who was a watercolor artist and a father who was in the import-export business. As a child he would read about various countries and periods modern Japan or the Russian Revolution and then eat food and style his room to match.

When I got immersed in Japanese architecture, I asked my parents if I could put my mattress on the floor like a futon, he said.

He looks like a California native, with a mop of beachy blond hair and a sun-kissed complexion. He is inspired by movies and says he started his White House job thinking of Dave and The American President.

The decorator, who lives and works primarily in Los Angeles, is a favorite of celebrities and moguls, with clients including Cindy Crawford, Steven Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes and Rupert Murdoch, and in places ranging from Chicago and Palm Beach to Las Vegas.

Tailoring the White House to a new family is more hazardous work. Furniture can fall apart if you move it or you can discover that the carpet youre planning on using in the West Wing was made in China.

And since it is such a cherished landmark, the criticism will flow. You do know youre going to get trashed, Mr. Smith said. You get people who say you ruined it or other people would say its too fancy or people who said it wasnt grand enough.

His scheme for the Obama White House was to make the aura younger and fresher with more inclusive art.

Mr. Smiths Oval Office evoked his West Coast aesthetic. A New York Times story by Penelope Green about the 2010 unveiling of the cappuccino-colored Oval Office redo replacing the Belle Watling brightness of the Clinton Oval was headlined The Audacity of Taupe. I teased in a column at the time that the most powerful place on earth was so swathed in earth tones, you would have thought Al Gore got elected. (Then again, he did.)

Sally Quinn, the Washington writer, described the transformation of the Oval this way: Bushs room says, Lets have a glass of sherry while we sign the treaty. Obamas room says, This is serious. We dont have time to waste. Double espresso, anyone?

That line appeals to Mr. Smith, who says, That was very much the idea, right? He was in the office all the time. And I think that I wanted it to be as peaceful and comfortable as it could be, given the lofty proportions of the room and the intense camera ready lighting.

Mr. Obama did not care for the Chinese export plates with the presidential seal that had long been displayed on the bookshelves of the Oval Office. Im not really a plate kind of guy, he once explained it to a rear admiral. (I am with him there.)

Aware of Mr. Obamas fascination with technology he particularly loved Science Day, when kids brought their projects to the White House Mr. Smith replaced the plates with patent models from the Smithsonian: Samuel Morses telegraph, John A. Peers gear-cutting machine and Henry Williamss steamboat paddle wheel.

When the Obamas moved in, there was a lot of sensitivity about spending too much with the country teetering on financial collapse. Mr. Smith writes that he donated his services to the White House and the Obamas paid for the majority of their new furnishings in the residence out of the presidents book royalties. Mr. Smith lent the Obamas some objects; other donors provided furniture, and the Obamas chose items from the White House collection and borrowed paintings from museums.

There are, of course, strict parameters. The Secret Service nixed a 10-foot-high abstract Clyfford Still painting, PH-115, that Mr. Smith jokes would have required a cherry picker to lift in, because their security perimeters were too tight on Inauguration Day, as he was rushing to prepare the house. Also, he said, youre not going to dream up some supermodern, space-age version of the White House, although he did revolutionize the lighting by augmenting the chandeliers with discreet LED lighting with dimmers.

I mean, youre kind of building a ship in a bottle, right? he said. It has to be part of a continuation, but you also have to make it personal, but its also short-term. So, its a very odd situation. He has compared the job to being Miss America, an honor but transient. You know that the next occupants are going to wipe out some of your hard work.

Mr. Smith grew close to the Obamas as he feathered their temporary nest. His spectacular pad in Rancho Mirage a Mayan glass and stucco palazzo in the desert with a Thunderbird-shaped pool, channeling the smells and spirit of Joan Didions The White Album is a favorite R & R spot of the Obamas.

He notes that, felicitously, the Obamas view from that house is the same one that John F. Kennedy had when he stayed at the home of Bing Crosby, which was a couple streets away.

Mr. Smiths partner is James Costos, a former H.B.O. executive who got to know the Obamas and raised money for the re-election campaign. Mr. Obama made Mr. Costos his ambassador to Spain in 2013 and Mr. Smith immediately redesigned the residence in Madrid, primarily with his own money. The decorator wanted American guests to be in hyper-European rooms, not unlike the fun sets for Lucille Balls European travels in I Love Lucy.

Mr. Smith and Mr. Costos were on board with Joe Biden early and eagerly, while others in Hollywood shopped around, and are raising money for him. Weve known Joe for a long time and we like him, Mr. Smith said.

Not many years before, if a president was hosted by an openly gay couple, it would have been a huge press story, he said about the Obamas crashing at his house in California. And by the time the Obamas stayed with us, it never occurred to anyone that it was news.

He said the secret to not being too nervous when the president stays with you is not to look down.

You consciously look out, he said. Because if you look down, you realize theyve closed the street and towed all the cars away and theres a 50-car motorcade with ambulances.

And, of course, you cant be upset when Secret Service agents rearrange the furniture. Theyd come and do this sweep of the house, and they would move every pillow and open every curtain and do the search. And I would have to be like, you know, Could you just put the pillow back where it was?

In redoing the White House, Mr. Smith echoed the spirit of Mrs. Obamas high-low fashion sense, mixing priceless antiques with Pottery Barn candle holders, Crate & Barrel decorative cushions and a couple Walmart chests of drawers.

He added comfy couches that their dogs could jump on and decorated the daughters bedrooms festively, mixing their Hannah Montana posters with Rauschenberg lithographs.

Mrs. Obama requested alarm clocks when she realized the girls had cleverly figured out how to ask for wake-up calls from the White House operator.

Far from wanting to kick the little ones Sister Parish-style, Mr. Smith writes, I will always have a soft spot for Sasha and her incredibly savvy, pragmatic view she slept in just half of her bed after realizing it would then take half as long to make it in the morning. And she was only 7 years old.

His choice of a Shaker wooden bowl filled with apples for the coffee table in the Oval showed that he understood what he calls the Obama mind-set: distilled utility with an appreciation of the classical.

Hes incredibly, infinitely more poised than almost anyone I know, Mr. Smith says.

He only tangled twice with Mr. Obama on White House design. He wasnt keen on a canopy bed, but Mr. Smith loves canopy beds a retreat within a retreat so the president deferred, saying, If Michelle wants it, then we can have it.

A tiger-maple four-poster was adapted to king size, covered in a down mattress cover and fitted with cotton sateen sheets. I prefer linens with a satin finish and a light sheen to them; they feel so cool when you slide into bed, writes Mr. Smith, who admits to being enormously focused on his clients beds. He told me, I felt an almost patriotic duty to make sure we had a president whos slept, right?

At Mr. Obamas request, they moved the Whistler, Nocturne, from his side of the bed to the mantel where he had a better view of it.

It was integral to my entire narrative of them moving into this historic building that we create a romantic, private space for them to be alone as a couple, Mr. Smith writes.

And, he told me, hes always mindful how his clients move through space. If you get up at 3 in the morning to eat chocolate ice cream or answer the red phone I want to make sure that the path from your bed to where youre going is clear, that youre not going to fall down a flight of stairs.

(The house Mr. Smith is renting in Los Angeles, once owned by Tyrone Power, was famously the scene of such an accident, when David Nivens wife fell down the stairs and died, after they played a party game, Sardines, in the dark.)

The other moment that left Mr. Obama exasperated was the debate about the barn red drapes that Mr. Smith wanted for the Oval.

I think he described me as strident about it, which is just funny, the decorator said. Hes a convener, right? I think Valerie Jarrett thought they should be white. And somebody else thought they should be blue. Committee is always a sand trap. And I was really determined that they should be red because there was this heroic aspect. The Washington portrait, the Lincoln portrait, both have a piece of red fabric in the background. I just think its a very impassioned backdrop, and very classical. The iconography of his background should not be dulled down. He should be portrayed as a person who had deep conviction.

Mr. Smith, who can be relentless in creating what he calls flattering portraiture to frame peoples lives, won the day.

Donald Trump, of course, wanted his backdrop to be gold, so he pulled Bill Clintons gold curtains out of storage and replaced the red ones. Mr. Trump also had no interest in Mr. Obamas embroidered rug with the Teddy Roosevelt quote The Welfare of Each of Us is Dependent Fundamentally Upon the Welfare of All of Us. He again went for the gold, recycling Ronald Reagans gold sunburst rug.

The Trumps made other changes, including switching to separate bedrooms and having two additional TVs installed in the presidents bedroom.

In Politico, Peter York wrote that President Trumps aesthetic described by his biographer Tim OBrien as Louis XIV on acid would fit right in to Mr. Yorks book Dictator Style, with its brassy, gaudy theme of success, wealth and winning.

Although Mr. Trump called David Axelrod, the Obama strategist, when President Barack Obama was in office, and offered to build a ballroom in the White House (but didnt mention paying for it), he hasnt built one for himself.

Mr. Trump, who was reported to have told some golf partners that that White House is a real dump after he moved in (he denies it), likes to do some of his own designing. He added a lot more flags and eagles with talons.

He selected his own gray damask Oval Office wallpaper a Trump staffer dismissively told a reporter that the Obama striped wallpaper was too stained to keep and seems to be doing some revenge decorating.

In July, CNN reported that the official portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were yanked from the grand foyer of the White House and replaced with portraits of Teddy Roosevelt and William McKinley.

Clinton and Bush were relegated to the old family dining room, which is now sometimes used to store tablecloths and furniture, CNN said.

Until 2015, the old family dining room was not a room seen by the public. With funding from the nonpartisan White House Historical Association, Mrs. Obama and Mr. Smith chose colorful art and stately furniture from all eras, and added the room to the public tour of the State floor.

When Mrs. Obama unveiled it for Jenna Bush on Today the former first daughter seemed delighted with the room, reconceived in the Obamas eclectic, more modern, un-fuddy-duddy style, featuring an optimistic painting called Resurrection by Alma Thomas, a renowned African-American abstract artist who worked out of her home in D.C., blocks from the White House. She was the first Black woman whose work was in the permanent collection.

Now, CNN said, the Trump Administration has returned the room to its lesser status off the public tour, as almost a utility flex space.

I ask Mr. Smith how our time languishing in quarantine has changed design sensibilities. It has made people more hyper-aware of their homes, he said, more focused on comfortable beds and outdoor spaces.

When he talks to millennials, he finds that their tastes are simpler. Theyre interested in things that dont have too much stimuli, he said.

He writes in the book that he would have liked to get his paws on Camp David and give it a little Ralph Lauren fairy dust.

As a decorator, can you ever top yourself after the White House?

Id love to do Buckingham Palace, but Im probably not going to get to do that, he said, dryly.

Maybe you could do Harry and Meghans new $14.7 million Montecito crib, I say, comforting him. Or you could tackle the super-weird replica of the Oval Office that the Republican pollster Frank Luntz has built in his Los Angeles house.

Mr. Smith shakes his head.

As we part, he has a final plea: Make me sound thin.

[Dont you want a Confirm or Deny needlepoint throw pillow?]

Maureen Dowd: You own Frank Sinatras golf cart at the Thunderbird country club in Rancho Mirage.

Michael Smith: I own one of many Frank Sinatra golf carts. Isnt it more interesting than an orthodontists golf cart?

You dont play golf.

Yes, I just drive it fast through my neighborhood and pretend Ive gone for a jog.

You watched Air Force One on Air Force One.

Confirm. Harrison Ford is a client.

Youre single-handedly responsible for the Suzani trend.

Deny.

You love bunches of books sold by color.

Please, deny. Please.

Ceilings are a missed opportunity.

Oh my God, I thought you said feelings. I liked it better when I thought you said feelings. Ceilings have to be very subtle, but they can say volumes.

A rug tells you everything you need to know about a person.

You mean like a toupee? Or a real rug? Deny. Its like vintage clothing. A rug might be evocative of somebody elses traits, not your own.

At a White House party, you watched President Obama and Usher have a Gangnam-style dance-off.

Yes, absolutely.

Vanessa Williams sang Happy Birthday to you on an important night.

Yes, my 50th birthday in Madrid. She came to Madrid to sing Happy Birthday and she sang Save the Best for Last, which is kind of epic at the end of a party.

You serve ginger tea after every meal.

Thats a confirmation. Ginger-lemon-turmeric tea.

Tom Ford used your dining room in L.A. in a movie.

Yes, he shot the party scene from Nocturnal Animals there.

You threw Jane Fondas 80th birthday party.

Yes, true. Her son, Troy Garity, brought a D.J. who was so great, everyone, including the waiters, were dancing.

Celebrities love to take selfies in the leopard-upholstered bar of the house youre renting in L.A.

Yes, the house was built by Paul Williams, an amazing African-American architect, for Tyrone Power. And I temporarily covered the walls with leopard.

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Michael Smith, Decorator of the Obamas' White House, Has New Book - The New York Times

It was about a week ago when I first started to notice a familiar-looking furniture piece frequenting my Instagram; it appeared on my feed, my discover page, and in several stories of people that I follow. It was a simple yet undeniably chic wooden chair, distinguished by its woven-wicker back and warm honey hues. It was not a seat made to curl up and read a book in, but rather a seat to intentionally display as it unassumingly occupies space next to a napping cat on a colorful geometric rug. At first, I chalked it up to a targeted advertisement I had been looking for a new desk chair and spent most of the previous week browsing second-hand sites with similar styles. But then I began to see the chair several times a day for over a week and could no longer shake the growing feeling that what I would soon learn to be called "the caning chair" was everywhere. While caning chairs are nothing new to those with an affinity for interior design, their recent social-media takeover has been a real shock to the system for those of us less familiar with the origins of the popular mid-century-inspired seating. So, I decided to ask around in order to get a clearer picture of the chairs origins below I cover the who, what, when, where, and why of this sudden-trend surge.

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Oh Look, Its That Chair Youve Been Seeing Everywhere - Refinery29

The Rose Garden, photographed in spring 1963 while in full bloom.

Who knew that 10 crab apple trees gone AWOL could spark nationwide outrage? But such was the case on Saturday, when first lady Melania Trumps under-wraps renovation of the White Houses world-famous Rose Gardencreated for President John F. Kennedy in 1962 by the philanthropist and garden designer Rachel Bunny Lambert Mellonwas unveiled to the press, and the ethereal, pink-flowering ornamentals were nowhere to be seen. The boxwood-delineated north and south parterres of the West Wing area had also been revised: Sweeps of largely white roses trucked in, and expanses of limestone, looking raw in the bright August sunshine, framed the central lawn.

The work was carried out by Oehme, van Sweden and Associates and Perry Guillot Inc., two award-winning American firms, under the direction of the 14-member Committee for the Preservation of the White House and the three-member Committee for the Preservation of the White House Grounds, plus 10 external advisers. Thats a lot of expert cooks in the kitchen, among them the grounds committees Leslie Greene Bowman, the president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation; Richard C. Nylander, the curator emeritus of Historic New England; and Thammanoune Kannalikham, the low-profile White House interior designer.

Since the Rose Garden was revealed, social media has crackled with fury, condemnation, personal attacks, and, as always, misinformation. (More on that, anon.) This is just a sad quadrangle, former NPR executive producer Kitty Eisele said in a dispirited Tweet. NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell retweeted a photograph of the garden posted by the presidential historian Michael Beschloss and the plaint What happened to the trees? Then there was Mark Magowan, a cofounder of Vendome Press, publisher of exquisite books about interiors, gardens, and architecture, including Linda Jane Holdens The Gardens of Bunny Mellon (2018). He emailed me on Monday morning to say, I find it shocking that a committee, operating in complete secrecy, has the authority to neuter one of the most beloved public spaces in the White House complex.

Another early 1960s view of the garden shows the West Wing Colonnade in the background.

Thats an argument with which I happen to agree, though the transparency might have proven unwieldy and resulted in even more blowback. The Rose Garden team nevertheless should have anticipated the firestorm by posting the plans and their developments on the White House website, welcoming comments (good or ill), and talking about it in interviews instead of announcing the renovation just weeks before it was to start. Still, if Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram bear accurate witness, it must be said that many of President Donald J. Trumps supporters have praised the refreshed Rose Garden, calling it elegant, appropriate, and, as one tweeted, clean and classy. Guillot, a Hamptons-based talent whose clients include Aerin Lauder and Tory Burch, told me via email, The project has been the honor of my career.

The Rose Garden revision strikes me as the epitome of deluxe-hotel graciousness. Treeless beds flank the central lawn like the borders of a carpet rather than reaching for the sky like a cathedral; the 10th of an acre seems deflated, even though the attendant roses havent yet grown in and indeed might never do so. (Keep reading; youll find out why.) In addition to lending height, the crab apples, which are members of the rose family, also helped mask the West Colonnades stark white columns, white walls, and odd floating fanlights. Architecture buffs such as Eric Groft of Oehme, van Sweden are delighted to see the colonnade, designed by Benjamin Latrobe and Thomas Jefferson, so fully visible now, but the crab apples disappearing act remains perplexing. Especially so given that Oehme, van Swedens White House Rose Garden Landscape Report offered two attractive alternativesboth of which incorporated crab apples rising from the parterres as intended by Mellon, an exceptionally gifted amateur, and landscape architect Perry Wheeler, with whom she worked on the project.

Read more:
The Full Story Behind the Controversial Rose Garden Redesign - Architectural Digest

There are those who think the world of interior design is stuffy, humorless and uptightand there are those who have met Alexa Hampton. An industry veteran with countless accolades, showhouses and product lines under her belt, Hampton is well known for her design expertise and her irreverent perspective. Now shes looking to bring both to a new venue: the small screen. She is in the process of shopping a pilot for a new show, Style With Alexa Hampton, that highlights craftsmanship, design and, well, style.

I thought it would be fun to do a redux of Elsa Klensch [the host of CNNs weekly fashion and design segment from 1980 until 2001], says Hampton. Ive talked to fashion designers, craftsmen, artisansI think theres much more heartfelt respect for people who are out there making things and creating things and toiling away to make something beautiful.

The format for the show is simple. In each episode, Hampton will visit with a guest (a teaser features jewelry designer Ariana Boussard-Reifel and interior designer Markham Roberts) and go in-depth into the process and thought behind their craft. The tone is genuine but not self-serious (Hampton cites the late, great Anthony Bourdain as an influence). Expect discussions of texture, provenance and historyplus jokes.

I think its nice to know that appreciation and knowledge of design doesnt have to have a snobbish attitude. I want to have fun! says Hampton. It doesnt have to be some gross, materialistic intimidating categoryit is one of joy.

For Hampton, the show has been a long-germinating idea. The recent spate of process shows that take viewers behind the scenes of a creative profession lit the spark and convinced her to go ahead. I watch cooking shows, but I dont cookat all, she says. I dont know how to cook, but I watch these shows and Im so inspired. Some people might say, What is the point? I just ignore that.

Of course, as with everything else, COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in the works. Hampton, who was on 20 flights in the month of January alone, had been planning to weave filming into her normal hectic business travel schedule this year; now, that travel is all on pause. But the pandemic has also given the subject of home a new relevance, she saysone that will free up guests to talk more openly and honestly about why they do what they do.

Its an opportunity for us to have conversations weve been thinking about for a while, says Hampton. I think weve all been reflecting more on what we do and what it means in our communities, and I think the conversations will be better [now]. [Creatives] have been thinking, Holy shit, what does this all mean? What can I do? What am I paying to the universe? What am I doing thats good for the universe, how am I adding? Am I adding? Should I add? Its not like calling somebody in the middle of their busy universe.

Of course, theres the matter of turning whats currently a pilot into a full-blown show. In this day and age, there are myriad ways to distribute digital content. (Elsa Klensch only had cable; for Hampton, there are countless networks and streaming services to reach out tonot to mention the idea of simply uploading episodes to YouTube directly.)

Hampton says shes currently talking with sponsors, as well as shopping the pilot through connections. [Streaming services and networks] need content, and you know that they need good content, but you cant reach out to them, she says. Theres no way to just call up Netflix. Its really just talking to people and getting recommendations, trying to reach out to production companies. On the one hand, everyone wants content; on the other hand, its a closed loop. Its hard, but its fascinating.

However, even if the show does take off, Hampton has no plans to quit her day job. Its not like I thought Id retire and just do television, she quips. I just think itll be a great additionwe have the cooks and the travelogues, but its been a long time since weve had something like this. [We all] need a little pocket of joy, and I think thats of value and of service.

Homepage photo: A still from the teaser for Style | Courtesy of Alexa Hampton Inc.

Read more:
Alexa Hampton is looking for 'pockets of joy' with a new show - Business of Home

Not long after the last recession ended, Nadia Haddad and her husband, Ryan Fall, scooped up the mini-home on wheels that she calls their little cutie.

Six years later, with COVID-19 running rampant, theyre happier than ever to have their Minnesota-built 1972 Scamp RV trailer albeit with the stylish and structural updates they gave it in the meantime.

We couldnt afford a new one, Haddad recalled, so we improvised.

Paul Creager and Angela Knudson bought their 1966 Holiday Rambler camper on the cheap in 2018 to fix up as a green room for performers at the Square Lake Music & Film Festival, which they host on their property near Stillwater. With no fest this year, though, their family is getting a lot of other use out of the vintage RV.

Even just having it as a play area for our daughters to set up a little cafe in has been extra welcome this summer, Creager said.

As camper trailers rise in popularity again while the economy edges downward during the pandemic, many people are joining the wide, weird world of RV ownership by buying older trailers and remodeling them for a fraction of the cost of a new or slightly used model.

Its a trend that Family Handyman magazine picked up on and ran with for its July/August issue. The staff took three months to turn a rusty 1972 Avion Voyageur trailer into what may be the coolest little house on wheels currently parked in the Twin Cities.

Road trips, home offices

People want them for road trips now, Family Handyman Editor-in-Chief Gary Wentz noted, but they are also looking at them to use as work-from-home offices, extra space for visiting grandparents and a lot of other purposes.

Wentzs team paid $6,800 for the vintage Avion, and then spent about the same amount to fix it up with modern amenities including LED lighting, Wi-Fi, new appliances, cork flooring and even a movie projector and cellphone signal booster. A new or newish Airstream trailer with similar quality and amenities would cost five to 10 times that total amount.

The Eagan-based magazine staff originally wanted to restore the Michigan-made trailer to its original look but decided it would be easier to just update it.

You could spend months on end just trying to find the right parts, Wentz said. This way, it freed us up more, and we could get more creative.

But it still took a lot of work. Family Handymans team members spent three solid months working on the trailer and ran into plenty of roadblocks even with their know-how. Associate Editor Jay Cork spent several days trying to rebuff the aluminum exterior into a mirror-like facade, without success.

It just was not happening, said Cook, who finally settled on a durable oil-based red paint instead. And I think I like it more this way anyway. It adds more character.

You always have to expect surprises like that, Cook added, especially when youre working on unique, older trailers like this. But that can be part of the fun of it, too.

A one-woman crew

Betsy Vork-Howell of Excelsior knows about those surprises. She had to scrap plans to remodel an old Holiday Rambler when she stripped it down to find it rotted to the core.

Instead she settled on an even older Airstream, a 1959 Tradewind model that had way more solid bones, she said. She then worked her bones to the core; it took her nine years to complete the makeover, much of which she did on her own.

My ex-husband thought I was crazy to do it, but I did it, she said, crediting various vintage trailer websites and an RV repair shop she came to trust.

There is a lot of help out there, a whole community of people who love this sort of stuff, she said.

Since finishing the makeover in 2018, Vork-Howell has been crazy in love with her Tradewind. She planned to park it on land she owns in British Columbia, but with the border closed this summer, she has been instead using it for weekly trips to Duluth and taken it on longer road trips, too.

Its just huge knowing that wherever I go with it, Ill have my own comfortable place to stay at the end of the day, she said.

Not all vintage RV owners are so eager to overhaul their vehicles.

Jolynn and Dale Schuster of East Bethel ripped out the carpeting, painted, added new lighting and heavily cleaned the 1962 Shasta trailer that they inherited from a friend, but they preferred keeping its old character. They now have it parked in their backyard to host guests and enjoy themselves as sort of a clubhouse.

Its nice to have it right now just for getting out of the house, almost like taking a little mini-vacation in the backyard, Jolynn said.

The Stillwater family with the 1966 Holiday Rambler also wanted to maintain its vintage look for campy camp value.

If somebody is getting rid of seat covers with the original hideous 1960s floral designs, Ill take em, quipped Creager, who still put in a lot of work. The hardest part was probably sealing up leaks.

If anyone tells you their [old camper] doesnt leak, just wait a while. The right direction of rain or wind can change that.

A bigger expense will be upgrading his tow vehicle so his family can take the trailer on longer road trips than to the state parks theyve already hit.

Those old ones are really heavy, so you dont want to go very far unless you really have the right vehicle, he said.

The Scamp owners have no problem hauling their little cutie on long trips. They hope to do more of that now possibly to Arizona this winter since they still see air travel as too problematic during the pandemic.

Smaller is way better from a convenience standpoint, said Haddad, an interior designer and creative director for Bludot, who added new touches to brighten up the Scamps interior. Its super cozy now.

The Family Handyman team plans to use the Avion as a base for their next big project, building a cabin in the woods from scratch in budgetary phases. After that, the remade trailer will probably be sold but not without hesitations.

Wed all like to take it and use it, admitted Wentz. We have that personal connection to it now.

@ChrisRstrib

Link:
Minnesotans remodel their vintage camper trailers just in time for the pandemic - Minneapolis Star Tribune

If youre longing to escape to a time when the Peoples House was not akin to a militarized island surrounded by tall metal fencing, consider the new book about the interior design of President Barack Obamas White House, publishing September 1.

Written by Michael S. Smith, the designer that Barack and Michelle tapped for the decorating job (with help from Margaret Russell, former editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest),Designing History: The Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House takes readers room by room through Smiths overhaul of the former First Familys private residence. Michelle Obama wrote the books foreword.

Though Smith, of course, goes into detail about wallpaper and textile selections, art choices, and furniture sourcing, the book also includes a fair amount of White House history and behind-the-scenes trivia.

Here are some of the most interesting tidbits.

*Smith got the interior design gig thanks to Desire Rogers, the longtime friend of the Obamas who served as White House social secretary. A close friend and client of Smiths lived in the same Chicago apartment building as Rogers, and made the connection.

*Nancy Reagan was a confidante leading up to the redesign, spending hours on the phone with Smith, walking him through various aspects of the White House. One four-hour call took place in the middle of the night for Smith, since he was in Paris and Reagan was in Los Angeles.

*About a month before Barack Obamas inauguration, Smith got to take a trip to the fabled White House support facility where unused furnishings and decor are stored. Its location is a secretSmith writes that he intentionally never learned the address. He had big expectations. Alas, he writes that it was a disappointment: Isoon realized that nearly everything of great quality or historic value is actually already inside the White House.

*Though the real redesign wouldnt take place until after the Obamas had moved in, it was up to Smith to at least get the essentials in place on Inauguration Day, during the tight window of time that the family was out of the White House. He writes that the final thing he did that day was place a gardenia in a bowl of water on both Michelles and Baracks bedside tables. He thought the scent might help calm them, and remind them of Hawaii.

*The Obamas paid for the decoration of the family quarters themselves, using royalties from the Presidents two books. Smith tried to consolidate as many furniture shipments as possible as a cost-saving measure.

*Though the redesign included plenty of high-end and custom pieces, Smith also turned to some familiar, budget-friendly sources. He incorporated ikat print throw pillows from Crate & Barrel, candleholders from Pottery Barn, accessories from Anthropologie in Sasha and Malias rooms, and even playroom furniture from Walmart.

*Speaking of the Obama daughters: After the family settled in, Smith got a call from Michelle, asking if he could quickly send her alarm clocks for the girls. Shed discovered that theyd been requesting wakeup calls from the White House operator. The girls were also expected to make their own beds every morning. Smith writes: I will always have a soft spot for Sasha and her incredibly savvy, pragmatic viewshe slept in just half of her bed after realizing it would then take half as long to make it in the morning.

*Though Smith focused largely on overhauling the Obamas private residence, he also updated some of the White Houses public areas. One of the first additions he made to the Oval Office: the wooden American Shaker bowl on the coffee table. Smith writes that he asked the staff to keep it filled with apples: Not only were they healthy, but the bowl was beautiful, the gesture was welcoming, and there was a sense of utility to it. It reflected the Obama mindset. Indeed, the apple bowl became something of an icon of the Obama Oval.

*The Obamas were frequent guests at Smiths own house in Rancho Mirage, California. The home is in a double-gated community, near the top of a mountain, so privacy and security were no problem. Rumors even circulated that the Obamas were shopping for their own house in the area, but Smith says that was never true.

Join the conversation!

Senior Editor

Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 as a staff writer, and became a senior editor in 2014. She was previously a reporter for Legal Times and the National Law Journal. She has recently written about the decades-old slaying of a young mother in rural Virginia, and the brazen con of a local real-estate scion. Kashino lives in Northeast DC with her husband, two dogs, and two cats.

Read more here:
The Obamas Decorated with Finds from Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and Anthropologie, According to a New Book About Their White House -...

Light-hued wood tones add depth and modernity to any room. BOH rounded up six new pieces that offer a fresh take on classic wooden furniture.

The Kelmscott bench by Selamat, being used as a coffee tableCourtesy of Selamat

Selamat Kelmscott Bench

Designed in collaboration with British heritage brand Morris + Co., which was founded in 1861 by textile designer William Morris, the Kelmscott bench is named after the legendary artists idyllic country home outside of London. Featuring hand-carved teak, synthetic twisted hyacinth and brass-capped hardware, the bench has endless possibilities both indoors and out.

The Joyce chest of drawers from PinchCourtesy of Pinch

Pinch Joyce Chest of Drawers

Led by husband-and-wife team Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon, British brand Pinch focuses on creating beautifully crafted furniture and lighting with a quiet, elegant aesthetic. The Joyce chest of drawers is a modern update on a classic, with the white lacquer exterior perfectly complementing the unfinished wooden drawers.

The Heidy accent chair from Lulu and GeorgiaCourtesy of Lulu and Georgia

Lulu and Georgia Heidy Accent Chair

The fall collection from Lulu and Georgia explores a balance between organic materials and structured shapes. The Heidy accent chair is a sculptural statement piece, mixing woven seagrass with a honey-hued teak.

The Kennedy nightstand from Made GoodsCourtesy of Made Goods

Made Goods Kennedy Nightstand

The new collection from Made Goods is a reimagining of evergreen pieces. Covered in faux shagreen and framed by a raised oak veneer border, the Kennedy nightstand delivers a retro flair that still feels fresh.

STC No. 1 Kitchen from St. Charles New YorkCourtesy of St. Charles New York

St. Charles New York STC No. 1

The minimal, seamless and sleek look of the STC No. 1 kitchen comes in multiple wood finishes, but lighter hues like oak and eucalyptus give the cabinetry a modern Scandinavian feel, while the integrated hardware cuts a tailored silhouette.

The Brays bar cart from Beth Webb for ArteriorsCourtesy of Arteriors

Arteriors Brays Bar Cart

From interior designer Beth Webbs debut collection for the brand, the Brays bar cart is a lesson in mixed materialsthe undulating curves of the wood and metal combine with a suede-wrapped handle, creating a delicate contrast.

The products featured in this article have been sourced from BOHs new Collections vertical, a showcase of the latest debuts from some of the industrys leading brands.

More here:
Blonde ambition: 6 new light-hued wood pieces - Business of Home

The 50 States Project is a yearlong series of candid conversations with interior designers we admire, state by state. Today, were chatting with Charlotte, North Carolinabased Marie Cloud, who founded Indigo Pruitt Design Studio in 2017, about simplifying her process, getting clients based on her shopping cart in HomeGoods, and finding ways to give her talents away.

Youre based in Charlotte, not so far from the epicenter of the furniture industryhas that shaped your career?Im originally from Ohiothats where I did my undergrad. Ive been in the Carolinas for about eight years, and over time Ive started to see the impact of the actual location in the convenience of it. Thats probably the biggest piece of it for methat Im only a drive away. Honestly, sometimes I just ride up there and look at beautiful things. But in terms of how its affected my clientele, youd be surprised by how many people arent really aware of the goodness that were surrounded by here.

Really?So many people here are not from this areatheyre from Florida or the Northeast or somewhere out there like myself. Educating my clients is the most rewarding and fulfilling step of the initial process for me, and part of that is letting them know that we have access to so many different opportunities. I can say, Lets get out of this Pinterest mindset, or the magazine-perfect Chip and Joanna Gaines look. We have access to so muchlets play around and dream!

Do you take your clients to showrooms, or is it more about inspiring them with the product you have access to?More the second one. I dont take them into showroomsin my experience, when you give a client an array of too many options and choices, you pay for it in the long run. Its been easier for me to do research and sourcing, then come back to them and have a conversation.

When did you know you wanted to be a designer?I went to Bowling Green State University to study architecture. Toward the end of my freshman year, I went to a conference and ran into this amazing interior designershe walked into the conference with such a beautiful, gentle fierceness and a confidence in the way she presented her ideas and projects that I wanted to get to know her. She mentored me for the next few months, and when I came back my sophomore year, I changed my major to interior design.

What made that switch feel like the right move?I felt like that was always within me. At least once a month, my mom would take me to model homes inwe called them the nicer neighborhoods up the hill. We would walk around these homes just to get inspired. I know now this was her way of allowing me to see a different way of livinga different life that I wasnt privileged to have back thenso I grew up seeing and having a great appreciation for beautiful design, but not really knowing that thats a talent. It wasnt until I saw these designers in college that it dawned on me that it takes skill and a giftand it wasnt too long after that that I realized, Hey, Ive got that, toolets go.

What was your path after graduation?I had an internship with a commercial office design firm, then continued with them after graduation. From there, I jumped into property management for a multifamily area in Cleveland while I was taking my real estate exams. My goal was to get to historic homesget investment properties and make them beautifulso I wanted that [real estate] title as well.

I moved up pretty quickly through that property management program. At one point, we were doing a renovation I had initiated when the Sherwin-Williams sales rep came in to get us familiar with the brand. I was the only female [on the job site], and I was running the whole thing. Im assuming he was impressed with the way that I carried myself, because he was like, Have you ever considered working for Sherwin-Williams? And I said, No, but tell me about it. I ended up applying for their management training program for the Charlotte area, which was a city I was falling in love withI had visited a few times and wanted to make my way here. I made it through the interview process, relocated to Charlotte and worked for Sherwin-Williams for about four years.

What kind of management track were you on?Its basically a fast-track to store management, so I was brought on as an assistant manager and then quickly became the manager of a store. I requested design privileges from the very beginning, and I made it very clear that my goal was to be an interior designer. The regional manager gave me those privileges, so there would be situations where, if a residential customer came in, were having a consultation while the paint is being prepared. I spent a lot of time exploring color theory, undertones, and taking a lot of additional trainings; I also kept asking for more responsibility outside of the management role, like: How can I build up a clientele within the store? Doing well with that pretty much confirmed that this was the route I wanted to go, so I set up a way to start taking on design clients.

A pair of newlyweds tapped Cloud to help them create a stylish home together, inspired by denim blue hues.Courtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio

How did you know you were ready to launch your own firm?In that last year at Sherwin-Williams, I felt like I was in this box where I couldnt really roll up my sleeves and get my hands really dirtyI started to feel constrained by it, and I started to think, You know what, Im ready to take this leap. My schooling did a great job of showing me the business side of things as well as the beautiful aesthetics and design, so I felt [ready for it].

You might be the first person Ive ever heard say that design school prepared you for running a business, too! What did that business education piece look like when you were in school?I minored in entrepreneurshipit wasnt intentional, but it just so happened that by the time I got to my junior year, I had taken [enough] business classes that I was only two or three more classes away from earning an entrepreneurship minor. That gave me the basic principles. As far as boots on the ground experience, I dont know that theres any university thats going to give you those tools, honestly. Im still learning. But the biggest thing they did teach me is that those principles that are going to be fleshed out 10 times over in the experienceits not that Im so confident in the business side of things because of the university, its that they were very realistic about what I was running into, almost to the point that it scared me [and kept my from launching my own firm] for the first few years.

What were the things you were afraid of when you graduated?Keeping track of the numbers and staying on top of the accounting piece, and then having the conversations about those things to your clientsall the things that the typical free-spirited creative mindset clashes with. I was down for the risk-taking and throwing yourself out there, but I was very honest with myself about what my weaknesses were. I love all of this left-side stuff, but that right-side stuff was like, Ugh, Im good at this, but I really dont enjoy it.

Are you still doing all of that for your business, or have you outsourced some of that?Im still doing it all. One thing that I have just come to grips with is being very honest with myself about the things that dont necessarily come naturally to me or that I dont enjoy, and I try and tackle those firstor at least put systems and processes around them to ensure that theyre easier than what I may assume they are. Im a list person. The minute I move away from those systems, thats where I get myself in trouble. I think its important to be honest with yourself about what works for you and embrace that.

The entrywayCourtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio

A close-up in the living roomCourtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio

Left: The entryway Courtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio | Right: A close-up in the living room Courtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio

What do you wish you knew when you were starting out?Knowing the importance of educating your client early and often. [You cant] have the expectation that they know anything about what youre doing, even from a budget perspective. When they [tell you what they want to spend], theyre not trying to hide their money from you, they just have no clue what good design costs. You have to spend time having good, honest conversations about the budget. The best advice that anyone has ever given me, and that I will give anyone, is be honest and have that conversation early.

Have you changed the way that you bill over the course of having your firm? Initially I was giving random numbers based on square feet: I think this room will cost this. But I had to check myself on my timeI think thats a little bit harder to charge for, just because, how do you put a number to that? My rates have increased as I grow confidence in my worth. And the more experience you have, the more appreciation a client is going to have for you. It also goes back to educating them on what youre doingeven if its killing gas driving 30 minutes to their house, or driving two hours to High Point to visit a showroom for their project. Little things like that have to be part of the educational conversation.

What kind of systems have you put in place?Early on, one of the challenges that I had to check myself on was not allowing the client to run my business modelnot allowing them to speed up a process when I know how long its going to take. If theyre saying, Hey, I need this in two months, but you know the design process going to take three to six months, communicating that up front is a way that you can honor your systems, your processes, and its a way that you can honor your client to get a better end result. Thats the main thing that Ive stayed true to. When I started, I offered five different packages; since then, Ive tailored it down to three through trial and error and figuring out what works for me.

How has your client management style evolved?Im big on relationships. Im going to spend a lot of time with you early on, were going to get to know each other a little bit better. Right now, thats been tough, so Ive had to get creative with Zoom, which has pulled me away from feeling as though I need to spend so much time with the client upfront. If anything, it has opened up my eyes to new ways of communicating and new ways of doing things. How can we still make things happen virtually and not feel as though everything needs to be tangible? Thats been the biggest change for mebut also, Im eight months pregnant.

Congratulations!Thank you! Amid this COVID season and all the disastrous things on the news, Im also preparing to bring life into the world. Although this time has been challenging, its also been a time where Ive been diving into my business and asking myself, How am I doing this? Why am I doing it this way? I needed [to make] that commitment to my business, so I took the time away from projects to work on it and prepare for whats to come.

How did you carve out the time to do that? Ive been very intentional about the clientele and the workload that I took on. Ive had conversations with potential clients that we were planning for prior to that baby, talking about what thats going to look like in the next year. This year is going to be pretty family-focused, and Im OK with that. If COVID and this time has taught me anything, it has been to embrace and be OK with keeping my family and my health first and foremost. Ill finish up a few virtual designs, but I wont take on any more full-service design clients for the rest of this year.

I share with my clients early on that my business is not my No. 1 priority in lifemy family is first and foremost, and Im very intentional about sharing my family on my social media as well as in my bios. My clients know that if anything comes up, Im big on communicationthey wont ever have to worry about thatbut that my familys always going to take precedence over their project and everything else.

A view into the kitchenCourtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio

Has that focus on family changed the way you approach that in your work?Tightening up my hours and my availability. My evenings are my family timeor, you know, I cant be on a call with you if Im at my sons football game. So I do allow my clients to text me. Not work itemsdont send me any inspiration pictures through text, right?but casual check-ins. Hey, do you have a second, can I call you? Things like that. For one, I think its just good relationship-building. It also allows me to be able to tell them whats going on in my world instantly.

How does that family-first mindset show up in the projects you do for other families?Thats the fun part. I love those projects where you get to sit down and say, What does your day-to-day look like? How do you manage your household? Where do you drop your keys off? Having those types of conversations, and then pushing the creative envelope to allow this space to work for a family of six and still be absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. I think it helps when I share how I feel about family early on so they can connect with that. My hope is that they have a great appreciation for it.

Were you always offering virtual design services, or how has that become a bigger part of your business?It was something that I was offering in a very casual way. Early on, I had to be very intentional about charging for my time if a potential client approached me wanting to talk through a few things. I [learned to] charge for that consultation because those services could stop right then and therewhether they decide not to move forward or their budget is not ready for a full-service design, I needed to make sure I was compensated for that two- or three-hour session I was spending with them. Navigating that is what led me to thinking about virtual design: offering a smaller package just for that initial consultation and some insight. COVID has only reinforced that, OK, this really needs to be an actual offering and you need to put some structure behind it.

Are you still shopping trade resources and doing the procurement piece for those virtual clients?Ive been debating that with myself. Giving the clients the space and freedom to retail items on their own always makes me nervous, but if [our] relationship is already established, then I dont mind leaning toward that. For instance, if one of my past clients right now calls me up and says, I really need to do a refresh in our guest room, then I can source out a list for them to go grab these items from my favorite retail shops. That type of projectIve been calling them popcorn projectshave been coming up all over the place lately. Folks just want to get out of their house and they dont know what to doand then I dont have to worry about the ordering, receiving, delivering, and all that jazz.

Is that a viable business model? Is there good, sustainable revenue in that process?No, its not. Thats why I say its something that I have to pick and choose when to use it. Its nothing we actually offer, and it probably would never be a consultation I post online for the public, but for an existing client, I dont mind offering them suggestions because of the relationship we have.

An office makeover for a client creates the ideal work-from-home hub.Courtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio

How do clients find you these days? Relationships and recommendations from past clients are the biggest drivers. You know, Sally tells Jan about working with me, Jan goes home and talks to her husband, her husbands like, I dont know, and then Jan calls me and we team up and convince her husband.

There have also been times where Im grabbing a few things for my own homedecorative pieces from HomeGoods or World Marketand a lady will walk past me with my full cart and be like, Oh, my gosh, you have some amazing stuff. And Im like, This is my card, call me anytime. Thats happened several times.

And those leads in HomeGoods have turned into clients?Oh, yes, they have.

Thats incredible. How different is where you are now compared to what you dreamed for yourself when you launched your firm in 2017?I probably would not have imagined that this is where I would be. Honestly, when I kicked it off then, it was more so I had to convince myself that I should do it. I dont even know if I would have told you that I had a business in the first six months because I was so scaredI wasnt going to say it out loud, because then youre going to have an expectation of me and I need to meet that expectation!

Now, I think my focus is different. I dont feel so tied down to going down a certain type of pathnot just from a business perspective, but even from an aesthetics and design perspective. I remember being super nervous about designing things that did not have that Eurocentric look early in my careeranything that wasnt the bright, airy walls and eucalyptus and a fig tree. Not to knock that aesthetic at all, but I was genuinely terrified to put something out that did not look like that. I didnt think I would be able to move forward without downplaying the boldness and color [I gravitated toward].

That [change] has come from building up my confidencefrom taking the time to get to know myself and my worth, from building relationships with other designers and listening to stories. I cant say enough what the recent events have done for my perspective on the design community. The allyship, and having conversations that dont end in how many likes you have on social media, or how many clients are you currently working with, or even, Can you mentor me? Before, everyone wanted to be mentored and get advice, but right now, I just see this community banding together to figure out how we can move forward as a community that supports one another.

Has that changed your relationship to social media?I think the racial tension in the air and my advocacy have definitely changed social media for me over the last month or so. My conversations look different. My DMs are no longer about color theory, or making recommendations and pointing people to my websiteI mean, they are, but were also having the hard conversations that weve been avoiding for years. There are certain designers that I have absolutely adored that have reached out to say, Can you come over [to my feed] to talk about this issue? And here I am in front of all of these followers who are used to seeing this individual on this pedestal, and its me talking to them about what its like to be a Black woman in the home industry. That is the type of reconciliation that I have grown to have a greater appreciation for, and then all of the conversations that leads to afterwards.

Brass accessories warm up the elegant office space.Courtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio

When you look ahead, where do you want to be, and how do you want to get there?I want to branch off with my business so that my hands and my talents are actually contributing to the community in a way that is tangible. Because of my upbringing, but also because of the current state of things in the Black community, it has really challenged my heart over the last few months: How can I take this thing that God has gifted me with and put that back into a space that the community needs? During COVID, Ive been dreaming and journaling about what that looks likeand how I can turn that into actually bringing awareness of these issues in the Black community, not just through talking about it on social media, although Ive been very active in that regard, but also: What do we do with these hands of ours? Honestly, that is where my heart is and where I want to take this design thing. Anything else is a byproduct of thatitll be just icing on the cake, you know?

How does design fit into the conversation, and into this moment in time?I think to begin with, its just having that conversation. For example, we know that there arent as many Black designersthat there isnt enough Black and Brown representation in the home industry across the board. That is an issue. So how can we be intentional about [changing] that? We cant just assume thats just going to happen, so what are some things we can put into place so that this industry represents unity, diversity and inclusion? One thing thats come to light for me in the midst of all this on social media is there is so much talent out there, and it is insane that the exposure and the amplifying of these Black and Brown faces is not there. So thats one realm, is bringing the conversations and the issues to surface.

Theres another piece, tootheres a housing crisis, theres homelessness, and these are social issues that can use the talents and gifts of designers to come in and say, Let me show you the essence of what I feel like home is. The beauty of the design world is that were able to not only see beautiful things, were able to understand what it does to a personwere able to understand the environmental effects of design on the individual. To be able to bring those ideas to an impoverished area, or to a family that just got blessed with a home and they have no idea what to do with itwhat is the expense that the design community can take on to go in there and say, Let me make this house a home for you, because you deserve to feel the essence of what home feels like.

A shared bedroom for a clients two daughters, who asked for a big girl room filled with color that would keep them inspired.Courtesy of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio

Thats such an important, beautiful mission.I dont think that we all have all this talent just to make money off of it. Were literally supposed to give it away, and thats what I hope that we can move toward, especially amid the conversations were having right now. We have all this racial tensionbut also Black designers and white allies teaming up to have these conversations [through initiatives like the #SharetheMicNow campaign]. How cool would it be if I teamed up with a white designer and we went out to West Charlotte to design homes for the homeless community, or something like that? Do you know what types of conversations would come up between the two of us? And then were not just contributing our gifts to the community, were also having good, rich conversations on how we can lock arms and figure this thing out together.

I love that notion of taking those talents and gifts and giving them away. As you chart your path forward, how does that figure into what you want to achieve with your firm?I dont ever want my business to be something that I have to do. Its something that I get to do. It is a privilege that I actually get to do the things that Im passionate aboutnot everyone has thatso Im very intentional about not allowing the business itself to keep me boxed in. If I ever get to a place where I feel as though Im trapped in it, and Im not getting the fulfillment out of it, then its time for me to tap out on it.

How did you cultivate that? I think it takes real strength and vision to say, I see all these other people in my space doing X, Y and Z, but I do not want to give in to the pressure to chase those things, too.I dont want to get caught up in the rat race or competing. Ive been in that, and the way that it wired my brainthe way that it took me away from the essence of what Im really aboutwas exhausting. Deep down, I have to be honest with myself about whats really fulfilling for me. Thats what allows me to keep from looking left and right, you know? It allows me to commend youYoure doing amazing, thats great!but know thats not whats carved out for me. The fact that I can actually take this thing thats been profitable, and that has been such a blessing to me, and allow it to be a blessing for me and othersthat has my heart going pitter-patter. Im literally getting chills thinking about.

To learn more about Marie Cloud, visit her website or find her on Instagram.

Original post:
Why this North Carolina designer isn't shy about putting family first - Business of Home