20-03-2012 14:42 interiorsrevisited.com Interior designer in Wilmington DE helping people reuse, restore, or redesign what they have to make their home look and feel better inside. Interiors Revisited 1201 North Orange Street, Suite 700 #757B Wilmington, DE 19801 302-319-4603
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Interior Designer Wilmington Delaware 302-319-4603 - Video
Mandy Summers, owner of M. Gallery Interiors in Lexington, has been named the Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerces 2012 Small Business Person of the Year this month.
Summers operates an art gallery and interiors store in the Old Mill property in Lexington. A single mother of two, she also volunteers in the community and is helping design a downtown memorial.
Summers recently spoke to The State about the business award and her life:
Tell us about yourself and your work.
I am a certified interior decorator and I do consulting in peoples homes and businesses, as well as run a retail gallery where I sell decorative items for your home. I represent 20 different artists and exhibitors and carry everything from rugs and original artwork to architectural salvage pieces and jewelry. My goal as a decorator is to help my clients identify their individual style, and then assist them in selecting furnishings and accessories that will help them achieve the look and feel they desire. I have lived all over our beautiful country, as my father was a linguist in the Air Force, and have been blessed to have travelled extensively all over the world. I feel that my exposure to so many different cultures has broadened my horizons and given me a unique perspective on life. I am the proud mother of two wonderful children, and a precious rescue dog, so I am also very realistic about selecting both beautiful and practical items for your space.
Have you been surprised by the recognition youve received by winning the award?
I have been thrilled by all the positive feedback about the gallery, and incredibly flattered by the wonderful reactions to my designs and community projects. I cant tell you what it means to me when people come into the gallery and say, I just loved what you did at the American Cancer Society Dream Home or I just came from my neighbors house you worked on, when can you come to mine? There is no greater compliment than to have a client tell me they cant wait to tell their friends about the way I have transformed their home or office. The publicity from receiving (the award) has afforded me some wonderful opportunities not only have I been able to get the word out about my business; but, I have been able to share my personal story and hopefully encourage others to be passionate about giving back to the community.
You started your business in the midst of the Great Recession. What important things have you learned about yourself?
I am stubborn, determined and blessed! I believed in the concept of my gallery and fought very hard to get banks to believe in it too. I was turned down initially, but persevered and convinced First Community Bank to take a chance on me as a new business startup. The next hurdle was gutting and reworking my space. I refinished floors, painted walls, gutted countertops and replaced every light. My children, my family and my friends all worked tirelessly by my side to get the job done. It took us nearly a month and a half to do it all. It was then up to me to fill this wonderful new urban industrial gallery we had created. I began begging artists and exhibitors to let me represent them and believe in my concept of housing everyone under one roof. (I now have a waiting list.) I opened up shop and two weeks later the stock market plummeted. I kept praying, handing out business cards, attending every event I could get invited to and donated to every charity that came through my door. I volunteered to speak at schools, civic events and even retirement homes I told anyone and everyone about my gallery. I have never worked so hard or enjoyed what I do so much. All I can say is no guts, no glory! Believe in your dream, believe in yourself, work hard, give back and have faith in Gods plan for you. Im so glad I did!
Roddie Burris
Originally posted here:
Decorator, art gallery owner honored
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- You know pop culture's come a long way when Ellen's coming-out party can be, primarily, a marketing event. But Wall Street still looks like it is far from seeing the earnings potential of gay people. Because on much of the Street, still, people can be openly gay only at risk to their careers.
This is not a pretty story.
In 1994, Mark Anderson, then 32, was hired as a trading assistant for Cantor Fitzgerald, though his background wasn't that of a typical trader. He'd played on the championship UCLA Volleyball Team for four years and majored in history, but never graduated. Since college, he'd been working as an interior decorator. Anderson was looking for a change when he got a call in his West Hollywood apartment from a childhood friend, now a Cantor trader. Anderson was urged to apply for a trading assistant job and after two interviews got the gig. The payoff was potentially huge; million-dollar-a-year traders are not uncommon at Cantor. "If you're not making $500,000 a year, you're fired," says Anderson. "I thought that if I could just make it through the training, I was in." But Anderson didn't take into account the hazing that he'd have to endure. On his second day of work, a lewd picture was posted on the office bulletin board. According to a lawsuit filed with the California Superior Court on March 4, 1996, the photo depicted "a man performing oral sex on another man in front of him while simultaneously being the subject of anal intercourse from another man behind him. [Anderson]'s photograph was superimposed on the man in the middle." Underneath the picture was scrawled a note explaining that Anderson would provide "good service to our bisexual clients." His picture, he says, had been purloined from his new Cantor Fitzgerald ID card. "I tried to rip it down and I was told that if I ripped it down, I was fired," says Anderson. "Those rules were understood there." About three weeks later, while chowing down on a BLT, Anderson sensed a foreign object in his sandwich. He peeled apart the slices of sourdough bread to discover "a pink rubber vagina with hairs on it," he says.
"I don't know if they were pubic hairs or armpit hairs on it, but I threw the whole thing on the ground."
Anderson says that the crowd around him -- including the partners, traders, senior sales staff and Senior Vice President William Rice, head of sales trainees -- all broke out into laughter, and one muttered, "This might be the only time this guy eats pussy." But Anderson stuck through it all. He says he suffered through a phony resume posted in the lunchroom citing his earlier work as "a fluff guy" for the porn producer of Diesel Dicks; the recommended tonsillectomy to make room for more "leading men"; his job as a "boy Friday" for a surfboard tycoon "polishing sticks."
Anderson says he even suffered through the job after a senior partner urinated on him through the cracks of a closed toilet stall.
"Actually, the worst of it was all the spitballs and snot balls they'd shoot at me all day," he says. "It got to a point where my shirt was soaking wet, but if I got up and complained, I'd be fired." Anderson thought his only hope for deliverance was passing his Series 7 brokerage test in the fall of 1994, so he could become a full-fledged member of the trading tribe. "I thought, 'I'll get through this B.S. from these assholes, and then I'll be making the money,'" he says. "I'll suffer for a year and then move on." But as he was preparing for his test, Anderson says that on slow trading days, Rice and other partners would stand in front of him and bet thousands that Anderson would fail. Nonetheless, in December 1994, he passed. But he says the hazing continued unabated. In May of the following year he got a reprieve when he was sent to New York for some training in over-the-counter trading (the Los Angeles office only dealt with listed trades). "The New York office had a different culture," says Anderson. "It was still sick, but not quite so depraved." Anderson was put up in a spacious suite in the Hotel Pennsylvania across from Madison Square Garden. But he found that partners at Cantor's One World Trade Center office on the 104th floor had plans for his hotel room. "In the office one day, a partner introduced me to three girls from Pitt," says Anderson. "He said they were bisexual and they would be staying with me." Anderson says that various partners wined and dined the girls for the next week, taking them to New York hot spots like Tavern on the Green and having sex with them in his hotel room. During this stay, Anderson says he got a call from Rice's assistant. "She said she needed my car keys because they were repainting the garage in our office building," says Anderson. Further, he says, he was asked to stay in New York for an extra week and to meet the office at the big, biennial sales meeting of Cantor Fitzgerald in Dallas.
What followed was truly amazing, even by Cantor standards, and it was all captured on videotape.
As graphically described in an article in Los Angeles magazine, the homemade video shows Rice and senior partner Shawn Blakeslee wearing paper bags over their heads with crudely drawn cartoon faces of a black man with curly hair. "We be doin' dis and shit!" Rice says, mugging for the camera in the Cantor Fitzgerald garage. In the next shot, Rice and Blakeslee are seen driving out of garage in Anderson's silver 1978 Alfa Romeo. The next scene also takes place in the Cantor garage, where senior partner Bill Malcolm is wearing the paper "blackface" and trader Jonathan Blum is in a paper bag styled as the caricature of an Asian face. Then they pan to Anderson's car, which has received a factory paint job -- except that the car is now black and white, like a police cruiser. On the body of the car are bold antigay statements like "Poo Stabber," "Rump Ranger," "Fudge Packed Here" and "1-800 Butt Boy." As the video fades to black, Rice is seen mocking the Hispanic garage attendant who was charged with guarding Anderson's car. At the Dallas sales meeting, with virtually the entire worldwide sales staff and senior management in attendance, Los Angeles says "the tape was introduced as a new training video for desperate young brokers who could obtain business by soliciting the homosexual community of Los Angeles." As the entire room broke out in laughter, Anderson in his assigned seat was blown away.
"They made hundreds of copies of that tape," he says. "And passed them out to everyone, other traders, clients. You know how Wall Street is, everyone's seen this thing."
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'Coming Out' on Wall Street
Once a developers white-box condominium, this former carriage house was transformed by Boston Interior Designers Wilson Kelsey Design into an award-winning, French inspired Villa with European panache.
Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 15, 2012
One would imagine that a carriage house of this era would hold, at least to some degree, historic and beautiful architectural details. However, this was not the case. All of the homes architectural features - moldings, millwork, cabinetry, fireplace, etc. were designed by Wilson Kelsey Design. When the homeowners described their inclination towards French design, I referenced pictures of Versailles and used their inspiration to design scaled-back solutions that would mesh with modern living, says interior design partner John Kelsey. And because most New England stock millwork profiles are Colonial, Kelsey had to find resources who would fabricate European details.
Features within the transformed home include an authentically styled French Country kitchen with exposed brick walls, shutters, and custom cabinetry and millwork reminiscent of antique furnishings and cupboards. The client wanted the feeling of a large European country kitchen with many amenities so that the family would want to cook and spend time there. A custom built-in sofa was designed to face the new gas fireplace, and encourage lingering at the table. The owner instructed the designers to hide all the technology.Two antique chandeliers, one from Newport, RI and the other from Charleston, SC, contribute to the old world feeling that the client wanted.
The living area is a stunning French-style salon furnished with a collection of new upholstery and antiques, a newly designed but centuries old-looking cast stone fireplace, French style paneling, intricate plaster crown moldings, and an ornamental ceiling. A collection of 18th and 19th Century antiques were acquired to add warmth and character. Antique lighting, antique architectural prints, paintings, and a wall-sized antique tapestry adorn the spaces. They are quite happy here, notes Sally, They love the rich paneling and detailed moldings, complemented with Directoire and Regency furniture, gilded mirrors, Italian crystal and metal chandeliers, tapestries, and defining millwork. Here, finally, they feel at home. As a reminder of the home's ancestry, Wilson Kelsey discovered the original blueprint for the carriage house/stable, and had it digitally re-mastered and framed for display in the new kitchen dining area. It shows a carriage room, cow stalls, horse stalls, hay area, carriage washing bay, auto washing bay, harness room, and grooms room.
The renovation of this home has garnered Wilson Kelsey Design over ten regional and national design awards including The Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America New Englands 2011 award for Best Residential Interior Design and Interior Renovation. The Bulfinch Award recognizes individuals and firms who preserve and advance New Englands classical design tradition. The project appeared on the cover of New England Home magazine and is featured in the 2012 Spring issue of North Shore Magazine. Celebrated for creating elegant, yet genuinely livable homes, Sally Wilson, ASID and John Kelsey continue to garner acclamations for their design talents.
About Wilson Kelsey Design
Wilson Kelsey Design is an award-winning, Boston-based interior design firm comprised of the husband/wife team of Sally Wilson, ASID and John Kelsey. They are unique in that they bridge the gap between architect and decorator and share a strong technical background. The former producer of This Old House magazine referred to their work as heavy-duty interior design. In organizing their firm, they have divided the labor between them into the hard and the soft. John designs and details the hard interior architectural detailing, cabinet design, lighting, interior construction drawings, construction field supervision, and consultant coordination. Sally initiates and implements project concepts inclusive of interior design, furniture, decorative lighting, antiques, fabrics, and color and finish selections. Their joint skill set was imperative for this condo renovation.
WILSON KELSEY DESIGN
Phone: 978-741-4234
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Boston Interior Design Firm Wilson Kelsey Design Celebrated for Award Winning Old World-styled Villa Created from a ...
STERLING A down economy means vintage items are in, Dixon interior decorator Karla Cannon-Boyungs said Sunday afternoon.
The small-business owner was one of 25 businesses showcasing their wares at Sterlings Northland Mall over the weekend during the Sauk Valley Home and Garden Show.
I wanted to create awareness about the services I have, Boyungs said. Theres not a lot of interior designers in the area.
She took over what is now Karlas Custom Interiors 6 years ago. Besides decorating, she also sells products such as fabrics and window treatments.
Although the housing market hasnt rebounded, there has been a trend in people upgrading the homes they already own, putting a new roof on or installing new cabinets.
The other trend right now is vintage items, Boyungs said. Its common in times of recession, when people dont have as much money to spend on stuff, they take old pieces and they redo that.
Ryan Wille of Morrison sees people responding in a different way: investing in patio furniture.
If you have a patio that your friends and your family enjoy coming to, instead of going out for dinner or seeing a movie, it really pays for itself in the long run, he said.
Wille is the lawn care division manager at Sisson Lawn and Landscape.
Regardless, Wille said, the good weather has gotten people ready to move back outdoors.
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Dixon decorator says vintage items in
Joseph is a successful investment adviser who occasionally works from his home office. His wife, Nicole, also works on her own household projects in the same space. The two of them were tripping over each other in a main-floor study that was crammed with files, papers and general chaos.
Joseph, whose clients sometimes visit him in the home office, wanted a strong, masculine room, but Nicole envisioned more of a lighter, feminine feel. My challenge was to design an office that would allow both of them to get down to business.
First, I took stock of the space.
With a high ceiling, lots of light from five tall windows and a beautiful hardwood floor, I could immediately see that this room had a lot of potential. But the popcorn ceiling had to go easier said than done, because it had been painted with an oil paint, making it impossible to scrape off. The only solution was to cover it with fresh drywall, which was an unexpected blow to our project budget. But it was certainly worth the time, effort and money.
After we added some gorgeous moldings, recessed pot lighting and fresh white paint, you'd never know that a dated old popcorn ceiling lurked beneath that polished new exterior.
We topped off Joseph's old desk with a new white quartz work surface, and placed it in the center of the room, facing the doorway. To accommodate storage needs, I designed custom-built-in cabinetry to run down one entire wall, with another file cabinet positioned behind Joseph's desk.
In addition to holding the printer, books and other occasional pieces, the full wall of cabinetry also incorporates a long, built-in work surface for Nicole. Here, she has room to spread out family photos, household accounts and various other projects. A custom-designed pin board runs the length of her work space, and the cabinets surrounding her desk provide ample storage space. An elegant and feminine white chair adds that extra touch to make this space all her own.
To invoke a masculine influence, I introduced leather pieces. We kept Joseph's original desk chair and leather blotter, plus my plan called for a tufted leather sofa. At least, that's what it was originally supposed to be. But, because of the extra work on the ceiling, we had to make budget cuts elsewhere and the leather got the chop. Instead, we sourced out a polyvinyl fabric that, I must admit, I was totally prepared to dislike. But, when the sofa arrived, I was shocked. It looked good! I have never ordered a vinyl couch in my more-than-20-year career. But this sofa certainly proves that you can never say never
Since Joseph's desk is the focal point of this room, we positioned a new chandelier directly above it, to provide lighting for his work surface, but also to add a touch of understated elegance. Two black chairs for clients are placed prominently in front of the desk. We mounted a TV on the wall for presentations (and the odd hockey game) and behind Joseph's desk antique mirrored doors conceal a pin board.
One of the most unusual touches in this room is the black-and-white bookshelf wallpaper. It actually looks like library shelves, and it immediately adds a touch of knowledge and authenticity to the office.
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Home office that means business
STERLING A down economy means vintage items are in, Dixon interior decorator Karla Cannon-Boyungs said Sunday afternoon.
The small-business owner was one of 25 businesses showcasing their wares at Sterlings Northland Mall over the weekend during the Sauk Valley Home and Garden Show.
I wanted to create awareness about the services I have, Boyungs said. Theres not a lot of interior designers in the area.
She took over what is now Karlas Custom Interiors 6 years ago. Besides decorating, she also sells products such as fabrics and window treatments.
Although the housing market hasnt rebounded, there has been a trend in people upgrading the homes they already own, putting a new roof on or installing new cabinets.
The other trend right now is vintage items, Boyungs said. Its common in times of recession, when people dont have as much money to spend on stuff, they take old pieces and they redo that.
Ryan Wille of Morrison sees people responding in a different way: investing in patio furniture.
If you have a patio that your friends and your family enjoy coming to, instead of going out for dinner or seeing a movie, it really pays for itself in the long run, he said.
Wille is the lawn care division manager at Sisson Lawn and Landscape.
Regardless, Wille said, the good weather has gotten people ready to move back outdoors.
See the article here:
Dixon decorator says vintage items in for Sauk Valley Home and Garden Show
Introducing House Proud in Belmont. Interior Decorator Sue Morris, known as "The Design Coach," specializes in working with budget-minded clients. Morris, who has lived in Belmont with her family for 16 years, is a former textbook editor who returned to school in 2002, taking courses over a few years toward a Certificate in Decorative Arts.
The Design Coach was born during those years, as friends and friends-of-friends started asking Morris for help with their decorating dilemmas. She works in an informal but organized way as a consultant for clients who are looking for anything from a few paint colors to whole-house updates.
Visit wickedlocal.com/Belmont/blogs/houseproudinbelmont to learn more.
How did you get interested in decorating?
I think my interest in decorating started when I was very young and would create houses for my Barbies out of cardboard boxes! I spent a lot of time decorating those houses. Much later, when my husband and I bought out first house, I found that I really loved the decorating process. I truly enjoyed going to the paint store or the fabric store to pick out colors or fabrics. To me, drawing a floor plan is a good time. As I talked to other people, I realized that not everyone enjoyed the process... in fact, many of them found it painful.
What do you love most about decorating?
I love seeing how something as simple (and inexpensive) as a gallon of paint or a new light fixture can really transform a room. Since I have a home office, I spend a lot of time in my house, and I know how important it is to feel comfortable in your own home, and part of that is knowing that your home looks the way you want it to. That doesn't necessarily mean it looks like a home in a decorating magazine, but your home should reflect your taste and what feels comfortable to you. I love helping people realize that goal.
Was there a project you worked on that you are most proud of?
If so, what was it and why are you proud of it? My favorite project to date was actually my own home -- our summer cottage in RI. We practically rebuilt the whole house two years ago so I had to choose finishes -- from paint colors to light fixtures, tile, counters, and so on -- from a distance and often very quickly. I chose about 30 light fixtures over the course of one weekend. It was nerve wracking at times, and as with all construction projects, it went on much longer than we anticpated, but it was also very gratifying. Decorating a beach house is so fun because you tend to use a more whimsical approach and often choose materials and fixtures that you might not consider using in a full-time house. Our house ended up being featured in Builder and Architect magazine a year ago.
Why did you want to have a community blog?
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Introducing Wicked Local Belmont's newest community blogger
In the mood to give your home a new season update without having to re-mortgage? Sydney's leading interior gurus share their hot tips on how to inject some order and give your abode an overhaul easily and on the cheap.
SIBELLA COURT, Interior Stylist and author http://www.thesocietyinc.com.au
Freshen up:
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A lick of paint on the walls or on a much-loved piece of furniture instantly gives new life. People always see painting as a big job, but an old paint shirt and ten minutes is all you need - washing, sanding and priming is not in my vocab. It's fun searching for the new season colour and, as they say, change is as a good as a holiday.
Out with the old:
If decorating isn't satisfying your desires, restyling your home - or even just a room - might be the dramatic change you need. It's not about renovating the bricks and mortar but changing the furniture arrangement, art placement and colour palette. Let go of the old and don't be restricted by what's 'normal' - think about interesting vistas, create a 3-D space and have a sense of humour.
SHAYNNA BLAZE, Interior designerwww.shaynnablaze.com
Hang those pictures:
Creating a gallery wall is the perfect way to add interest and have everything in one place but it's easy to make it look cluttered. Choose a theme of some description to ensure it looks stylish and keeps the focus on the pictures. Going for frames in the same colour but choosing different shapes gives uniformity - or if you prefer a mixture of different shades and finishes go for frames that are all the same shape.
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Home makeovers on the cheap
Posted at 6:02 pm March 08, 2012
Tags: Entrepreneurship, Handicrafts
By Nikka Garriga
MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA Within a year of being an interior decorator, Madonna Liza Cruz thought about doing handcrafted accessories out of her fascination for pieces made of beads.
I was really into beadwork until eventually, I realized it didnt give that much room for me to create more unique designs, Donna says.
She then started researching about other materials, which led her to discover polymer clay, a kneadable material that hardens its form when exposed to high heat.
It was through this that Donna also stumbled upon workshops on making crafts out of polymer clay offered by Angeli Sobrepea, who is famously referred to as the The Beadlady.
With P5,000 as start-up capital plus everything she learned after attending a beginners course, Donna came up with Crazy Notions accessories combining beads, clay and other materials.
Her designs would vary from mini-cupcakes to flowers and other cutesy stuff as she herself describes her creations.
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Pinoy art inspires this entrepreneur’s handmade accessories