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Having an on-point play-caller is essential for modern NFL success, and in 2020's uncertain landscape, experience here will be critical. Here is how the league's 32 teams' play-callers stand at the outset of training camp.

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One of the fastest-rising football coaches in the profession's history, Brady was a low-level Saints assistant as recently as 2018. He spent last season not as LSU's top offensive voice but as the Tigers' wideouts coach and passing-game coordinator. That passing game having produced a stupefying result -- Joe Burrow's 60-TD time-capsule season -- moved him into an NFL offensive coordinator role at age 30. While Sean McVay beat him to the OC ranks, age-wise, Brady's coordinator debut with the Panthers will generate greater attention because of what happened at LSU.

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An overlooked headline before the pandemic hit: Bill O'Brien ceding play-calling responsibilities to his 33-year-old offensive coordinator. On O'Brien's staff since his Houston arrival in 2014, Kelly has risen from the quality control level to tight ends coach to OC. Kelly ascended to this role with a franchise quarterback in place, but he will be tasked with helping Deshaun Watson keep progressing without the services of DeAndre Hopkins -- whom O'Brien traded for a less-than-expected return -- in only his second year in his current position.

Kareem Elgazzar, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The Bengals lost A.J. Green at training camp's outset and had an abysmal offensive line protecting Andy Dalton, giving their new head coach a bad first set of cards. Cincinnati's offense regressed considerably from 2018. But the Bengals took a gamble on Taylor. In 2019's "I worked with Sean McVay" hiring period, the Bengals hired the Rams' QBs coach and someone who was the team's assistant wideouts coach as recently as 2017. In Taylor's two seasons as a full-time play-caller, his Cincinnati Bearcats scored Division I-FBS' sixth-fewest points (2016) and the 2019 Bengals ranked 30th in scoring.

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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Also dealt a bad hand in Year 1, with Cam Newton's preseason injury defining Carolina's season, Turner has a second chance in Washington. This will be his first full season calling plays; he succeeded his father, Norv Turner, when the Panthers fired Ron Rivera in December. The Panthers went 0-4 in Scott Turner's four games calling the shots, scoring 16 total points in their final two contests. For a Washington team that may have the NFL's worst set of weapons , and a QB (Dwayne Haskins) coming off a brutal rookie year, their 37-year-old play-caller faces an uphill battle.

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Joining Turner in entering his first full season as an NFL offensive coordinator, Steichen has an interesting task ahead. The 35-year-old assistant must pivot from the offense Philip Rivers ran for years to one more conducive to Tyrod Taylor's dual-threat skill set while also training prototypical prospect Justin Herbert -- and do this in a limited time because of COVID-19. Steichen replaced Mike McCoy last season but could not coax a turnaround from Rivers, who had his worst season since 2012. At least, the Bolts retooled up front -- though, bizarrely not at left tackle -- after deploying sieve O-lines for years.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

This is a low-key pressure-packed spot for Leftwich , whose first two years involved overseeing a last-place offense (the 2018 Cardinals) and the Jameis Winston rollercoaster that produced the league's first 30-INT season since 1988. For all the talk about the Tom Brady-Bruce Arians partnership, Leftwich will call the Buccaneers' plays. Brady has been accustomed to Josh McDaniels' system; now, a coach three years younger than he will run the show. And the Bucs going from one primetime game to five (and likely six via flex) with Brady and Rob Gronkowski will create a different work environment.

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Entering his third season as the Bills' offensive coordinator, Daboll is the point man behind Josh Allen's development. But the Bills have not ranked higher than 23rd in scoring during Daboll's stay, this coming despite the team's top-tier pass defense aiding the cause. Allen made big strides under Daboll last season but remains an erratic passer. Daboll's previous OC go-rounds did not end well. He was a one-and-done with the Chiefs and Dolphins, with the 2012 Kansas City offense ranking last despite employing Jamaal Charles, and the 2009-10 Browns finishing 29th and 31st.

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It is too early to deem Fichtner a below-average coordinator. He did lead the 2018 Steelers to a sixth-place offensive DVOA finish, with James Conner making the Pro Bowl after Le'Veon Bell's no-show. But the 2019 offense showing little post-Antonio Brown in Ben Roethlisberger's six healthy quarters and it crashing to last place in DVOA in the ensuing 14 games -- featuring mostly anemic Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges starts -- leave the longtime Steelers assistant with much to prove.

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Russell Wilson is a surefire Hall of Famer. In his two years with Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator, the Seahawks have ranked second and third in rushing attempts. The son of one of the most run-oriented coaches in modern NFL history (Marty Schottenheimer), Brian has been the OC for two Seattle playoff teams. That counts for something; so do his two top-six yardage seasons with the Mark Sanchez Jets (2009-10). But the Seahawks consistently give off the vibe of being held back offensively. Schottenheimer is a key reason "Let Russ Cook" is a thing.

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Gase's Peyton Manning-created grace period is over. While Gase was the offensive coordinator for the highest-scoring offense in NFL history -- Manning's virtuoso 2013 showing -- he has not delivered on his own. Ex-Gase Dolphins cogs Ryan Tannehill, DeVante Parker and Kenyan Drake progressed when playing for other coaches, and Sam Darnold is falling behind most of his 2018 first-round QB peers. The Dolphins never ranked higher than 24th in total yardage under Gase, and Le'Veon Bell -- though not exactly a Gase-approved free agent target -- was borderline replacement level last season..

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Putting a head coach this low after his team went 13-3 may be crazy, but the Packers plummeted from their Mike McCarthy- Joe Philbin 2018 season rankings in DVOA and scoring. Aaron Rodgers was healthy for the first time since 2016, but the future first-ballot Hall of Famer ranked 20th in QBR. In LaFleur's lone season as Titans OC, Tennessee regressed in both scoring and offensive DVOA. The Packers did not do the ex-Sean McVay lieutenant any favors this offseason, and the team entered camp again limited at wide receiver and tight end.

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Despite the Cowboys hiring offense-oriented head coach Mike McCarthy, they kept Moore as offensive coordinator. That was probably a good decision, though the Cowboys' offense struggled in big spots last season. The Cowboys rocketed from 24th in offensive DVOA in Scott Linehan's final season to second under Moore, who unleashed Dak Prescott in a season that surely changed his contract talks. While the Cowboys went 0-5 against 10-win teams last season, their offense produced a 4,900-yard passer, two 1,100-yard receivers and still allowed for 1,777 Ezekiel Elliott scrimmage yards.

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Koetter has enjoyed flashes of production, overseeing a David Garrard Pro Bowl berth in his NFL OC debut with the 2007 Jaguars and guiding the No. 1-seeded Falcons to a 17-0 lead over the 49ers in the 2012 NFC championship game. But in 14 years as a head coach or coordinator, Koetter has orchestrated only two top-10 scoring offenses. That is a rather large sample size. Still, the Falcons, who rehired Koetter in 2019, are counting on the former Buccaneers, Boise State and Arizona State head coach to salvage the remainder of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones' primes.

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With the Cardinals going 5-10-1 last season, this may be premature. But the longtime Texas Tech coach's arrival vaulted the Cards from DVOA's last-ranked offense to No. 13, doing so despite Arizona housing another shaky offensive line. Kingsbury elevated Kyler Murray to Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim and immediately put midseason acquisition Kenyan Drake, who was going to waste in Miami, in position to stand out. Kingsbury incorporating DeAndre Hopkins into his Air Raid offense will be a critical NFL storyline, with the Cards bringing sleeper appeal.

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A skeleton-crew Eagles offense somehow bested the Cowboys when it mattered most last season, but Garrett has a history as a quality play-caller. The new Giants offensive coordinator has not been a team's primary play-caller in years, holding a CEO-type role during Scott Linehan and Kellen Moore's OC tenures. But Garrett was a hot coaching prospect in the late 2000s, helping Tony Romo go from undrafted free agent to high-end passer. Even when Romo missed 10 games in 2010, Dallas ranked seventh in scoring. They ranked fifth in scoring in 2013 and '14. A Giants-Garrett fit may be slightly more interesting than it sounds.

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The Vikings passed over Stefanski to hire John DeFilippo as offensive coordinator in 2018. That backfired, but Stefanski had Minnesota back as a top-10 DVOA offense with Kirk Cousins and Co. thriving in a run-based, zone-blocking attack last season. Hired in 2019, Gary Kubiak surely helped Minnesota's cause. But the Vikings won 10 games largely without Adam Thielen, booking Stefanski the Cleveland job. The new Browns head coach has not committed to calling plays, but it would be logical. Alex Van Pelt, Cleveland's new OC, has not been a coordinator since 2009.

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Twice an unsuccessful head coach, Denver's play-caller ranks here because of one of the best OC efforts this century. The Vikings paid $84 million for Kirk Cousins, but their offense was somehow better when Case Keenum was making $2M in 2017. After Sam Bradford's injury, Shurmur guided Keenum to the No. 1 quarterback DVOA finish in a 13-3 season. In New York, Daniel Jones fumbled a lot . But in just 12 starts, the scrutinized passer finished with the fourth-most TD passes ever by a rookie (24). Shurmur's experience will be critical for a Broncos team depending on second-round QB Drew Lock.

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The Jaguars could do much worse for an offensive coordinator than the younger of the play-calling Grudens. Gruden quickly helped the Bengals transition from Carson Palmer to Andy Dalton, piloting the team to top-10 offenses behind the scrutinized quarterback in 2012 and '13. Washington's offenses peaked during Sean McVay's OC stay, but Gruden had the 2018 team in first place with Alex Smith and little else offensively and beat the No. 6 DVOA defense (Jacksonville) with journeyman deluxe Josh Johnson at QB. Gruden's acumen will make it harder for the Jaguars to tank for Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields.

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Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Dolphins lured the 68-year-old offensive guru back to the sidelines. Their new OC will reunite with Ryan Fitzpatrick in a third AFC East city. Gailey coached Fitz with the Bills in the early 2010s and helped him set a Jets record with a stunning 31 TD passes in 2015. Gailey did not work as a head coach but has boosted the likes of John Elway, Kordell Stewart and Fitzpatrick. Gailey also oversaw the immediate post-Dan Marino Dolphins stretch, in which they made back-to-back playoff brackets with Jay Fiedler at the controls. Brian Flores giving Gailey the responsibility of grooming Tua Tagovailoa shows immense trust.

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The last of the second-year play-callers, Smith played the lead role in turning Ryan Tannehill's career around. Matt LaFleur's successor as Titans offensive coordinator upgraded the unit. Smith unshackled Derrick Henry and changed Tannehill's first-round bust narrative. Tannehill's 9.6 yards per attempt ranks eighth all time for a single season, and the Titans leapt from 22nd in offensive DVOA under LaFleur to sixth last season. Barring a major Titans letdown, the 38-year-old ex-tight ends coach is bound for the 2021 coaching carousel.

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Nagy only enters Year 3 as a full-time NFL play-caller, and the 2019 Bears disappointed. But the 2018 Coach of the Year turned near-certain draft bust Mitchell Trubisky into a competent passer that was a makeable field goal away from the divisional playoffs. Considering his 2019 regression, Trubisky's 24-TD/12-INT 2018 season -- without an A-list skill-position crew -- reflects well on Nagy's game-day chops. So does Alex Smith's age-33 breakout in 2017, when Nagy called Chiefs plays during most of a season in which their game-manager QB led the NFL in adjusted yards per attempt.

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The perennial soundbite provider has not had much to work with -- thanks, in large part, to his personnel moves -- since rejoining the Raiders. But the Super Bowl-winning coach proved plenty with the franchise in his first go-round and has quietly helped Derek Carr. The passer Gruden seems intent on replacing finished 2019 10th in QBR -- despite the Antonio Brown tornado decimating Oakland's offense. Gruden may tread water, however, until he replaces Carr. And the reputation he built before his "Monday Night Football" years stands to take a hit soon if the Raiders cannot resurface as a threat.

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The man behind the most scrutinized play call in Super Bowl history , Bevell nonetheless built the then-cutting-edge ground attack that revitalized Marshawn Lynch and turned Russell Wilson into a star. The Seahawks were a top-six scoring team from 2012-16, with Bevell also there when Wilson turned into one of the game's best passers after the Super Bowl slates. He was Vikings OC for Brett Favre's 2009 throwback year as well. Matthew Stafford was having one of his best seasons before a back injury intervened; he finished the year sixth in QBR. The Lions have issues, but Bevell has proven useful.

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Kubiak's system is no longer new or especially exciting, but former Texans and Broncos head coach has popped up at successful moments for certain franchises. Joe Flacco's only productive season following the Ravens' 2012 Super Bowl win came under Kubiak in 2014, and it should not be viewed as a coincidence the Vikings rebounded last season -- running a zone-blocking scheme Kubiak enjoyed success with in Houston and under Mike Shanahan in Denver -- after the Super Bowl-winning coach's arrival as an offensive assistant. Kubiak will call plays for a fourth team this season.

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Although Doug Pederson calls plays in Philadelphia, Reich held an integral role in one of the most impressive Super Bowl runs in NFL history. The Eagles changing their offense for Nick Foles late in 2017, and the alterations being enough to beat three playoff foes, represents a crowning coaching achievement. Reich being the Colts' Josh McDaniels backup plan, and then guiding Andrew Luck to a career season despite a 2017 hiatus, stabilized the franchise. Even the Jacoby Brissett-led 2019 squad would have had a winning record were it not for Adam Vinatieri's rapid decline. There is a lot to like about the Reich-era Colts.

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The Ravens asked a lot of their first-year offensive coordinator last season. Roman delivered a masterpiece, unveiling a new offense a year after the Ravens' previous Lamar Jackson-centered midseason scheme change. Few NFL breakouts rival Jackson's MVP surge in 2019. Baltimore's franchise-best 14-2 season doubled as a rebirth for Roman, whom the Bills fired early during his second season as their OC. With Roman also playing a key role in the 49ers' Colin Kaepernick scheme transformation, when he was their OC under Jim Harbaugh, he seems destined for a head-coaching job soon.

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Pederson presided over Carson Wentz's would-be MVP breakout season, then orchestrated a stunningly effective Wentz-to-Nick Foles transition and called the game that made Foles a Philadelphia legend (and the play that gave both a statue ). A tour de force 2017 season cemented the former Andy Reid disciple as an upper-crust play-caller. While the Eagles have been less consistent since, their 2019 team managing to overtake a more talented Cowboys team -- while missing its top three wide receivers -- further illustrated the Super Bowl champion coach's impact.

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We will learn more about McDaniels' value to the Patriots this season, his first away from Tom Brady since 2011. But with Brady morphing from a clutch game manager to arguably the greatest quarterback ever under McDaniels, Bill Belichick's right-hand man should not be doubted too much. McDaniels may have destroyed bridges in Denver and Indianapolis, but the polarizing coach has helped the Patriots assemble a uniquely malleable offense that has consistently caught teams off-guard in big spots. This makes McDaniels and Cam Newton a must-see attraction.

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McVay turning the Rams from 2016's worst offense (by a mile) to 2017's No. 1 scoring attack is one of this era's finest coaching achievements. McVay transformed Jared Goff from potential megabust into a Pro Bowl and NFC champion quarterback. Ascending to Washington's OC job at age 27, McVay was behind Kirk Cousins' record-setting work as well. While Rams GM Les Snead has not done his coach any favors with some of the contracts he authorized, McVay has changed the franchise's trajectory and the viability of the Los Angeles market. So, the NFL essentially owes him a debt of gratitude.

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One of the best head-coaching hires in modern NFL history, Payton changed the course of football in New Orleans. The former offensive coordinator, who debuted during the Giants' 2000 NFC championship season, has entrenched the Saints as the NFL's highest-floor offense. They have not ranked outside the top 10 in yardage since Payton's 2006 arrival. Payton played an integral part in Drew Brees growing from inconsistent Charger to the NFL's all-time passing kingpin. And Payton's work with Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill, when the Saints went 5-0 sans-Brees last year, further burnished his Hall of Fame credentials.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Washington has employed some serious coaching talent. Washington's OC before McVay, Shanahan helped his father construct the Robert Griffin III offense. That was maybe Shanahan's third-best coaching achievement. The Falcons have not been the same since his 2017 exit, dropping from the eighth-best scoring offense ever to a middling attack. The current 49ers boss formed a Super Bowl offense (seventh in DVOA) around Jimmy Garoppolo and has displayed nearly unmatched chops at scripting modern game plans. If Shanahan wants it, he can likely surpass Bill Walsh as the 49ers' longest-tenured coach.

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Reid changed the fortunes of multiple franchises, installing the Eagles as a perennial contender and topping that work in a Canton-cementing Chiefs second act. Reid has done a masterful job tailoring his offense to his talent, with his late-2010s incorporation of college concepts igniting Alex Smith in 2017 and changing the NFL landscape when Patrick Mahomes debuted a year later. Mahomes has undoubtedly helped, but Reid did the same for the superstar QB. The NFL's seventh-winningest coach, Reid led the Eagles to five NFC title games -- three with unremarkable wideouts -- and turned the Chiefs from a 2-14 team into a playoff staple.

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Ranking the offensive play-callers from every NFL team - Yardbarker

Fireball 5, Mile 8

The unofficial map of the unofficial Albuquerque Trail.

Rhinestone Graveyard, Mile 15

In the optimistic spirit of early 2020remember optimism?we continued planning in the hope the orders and closures would be short-lived. Before-times preparation for an off-grid trip like this involved stocking up on instant meals, comparing foods for the ideal ratio of calories and weight. But we were now doing this right when real or imagined food shortages loomed and panic buying had taken hold. We discovered marvels like "dried butter" just to find them suddenly sold out, already gone into someone's garage not to be heard from until the estate sale. Freeze-dried scrambled eggs were out of the question. We counted ourselves lucky to get six bags of the apparently unloved Coconut Beef Curry. It was a major victory to score 3 poundsthe only size still availableof dried cheese powder from someplace in Ohio.

Finally we had everything we would need, and we were ready to go. But of course, the closures continued and then expanded. It had become a guilty pleasure to just walk through our own neighborhood.

Slumber Party at the Lizard Castle, Mile 27

So we decided to blaze our own trail, and do those 150 miles walking across Albuquerque. We just moved here a couple years ago and there were still parts of the city we hadn't really explored. Parts of the map still uncharted, with imagined sea monsters sketched in those incognitas instead of knowledge. We would do this, it was decided, in small bits, early before the sun got much above the Sandias and my partner had to be home for her first Zoom meeting of the day. In the spirit of the Arizona Trail, which has names for the various segments of the trail, we gave our Albuquerque Trail a name for each day's passage, based on the most interesting or weirdest thing we saw: a huge stack of couches in a backyard, discarded popcorn balls outside a big house covered in gecko artwork, a sapling amid small rocks painted with messages like "We miss you Louis!" or a jacuzzi abandoned in the creosote. We started in the northeast, zigzagged east-west, and moved gradually southward. We mostly traveled major roads like Montgomery, Comanche, and Lomas, and used Tramway and Unser to move south. The trail descended to cross the Rio Grande, traversed I-25, and rose to meet the foothills many times.

Couch Mountain, Mile 65

Usually I spend a lot of time hiking in open spaces and natural areas. One of the pleasures is tracking the seasons and the subtleties of a changing landscape, like the ripening of tunas or unfurling of the swirls that presage fruits on mountain mahogany bushes. There are seasonal visitors toonighthawks, tarantulas and the next generation of cotton-tails. But when you're on a concrete sidewalk following an asphalt road, walking next to cinderblock and chain-link, there's not a lot to look at. Yards offer a reprieve from urban monotony and opportunities for critique: overdue weeding, exuberant yard art, ill-constructed additions. After a few dozen miles, though, I began to realize the city has surprises and seasons too.

Having lived in the desert most of my life, I've learned to venture outside on the margins of the day, and often encounter remnants of the night's activity. A pile of blue jay feathers, moist scat in the center of the trail, or even just the last of the cool evening air gathered in arroyos. Once in the Sandias it was a freshly gnawed deer hoof (just the hoof was left). In the city this took the form of a collection of empty Fireball 5 bottles, a lost shoe or hastily erected barriers to corral protesters. In the wilderness you avoid rattlers and prickly pear; in the city it's discarded needles and broken glass.

Six-Donut Ofrenda, Mile 73

We happened upon many small mysteries that begged a backstory: a hamster-sized grave in a park with a bejeweled popsicle-stick tombstone, a careful curbside arrangement of six chocolate mini-donuts and two bottles of Yakult, a precarious Jenga-like pile of couches towering next to a house, or (my favorite) names scratched in fresh concrete: "Duane + Joy" and then, 3 feet farther down the sidewalk, "Bob + Joy."

The Twins Are Due This Summer, Mile 90

We kept walking, toward the mountains, the river, or the volcanoes. Early on we found ourselves walking by a large building complex where police cars blocked the entry. The name seemed vaguely familiar. Finally we realized the route had taken us past a retirement home with one of Albuquerque's first and worst outbreaks. As the pandemic continued, pharmaceutical-grade masks joined the usual urban detritus, Amazon boxes overflowed recycling bins. We passed closed schools and closed businesses. Signs saying, "Closed Due to COVID," "Classes Cancelled," "Nurses Are Heroes!" and one in marker on cardboard thanking delivery drivers for bringing so many packages for an expectant parent. Then came windows painted to say, "Open for take-out!" and "Teachers Are Heroes." After that the boarded-up windows ready for night-time protests. Later the Going Out of Business signs and the increasingly common For Rent placards. On sidewalks across the city, children seemed less worried than the rest of us, proclaiming, "We got this!" in smudgy pastel letters with rainbows.

Suburban Homesick Blues, Mile 104

On this walk I got to know the different areas of the city, the posh terraced homes perched in the east foothills, the busy, dense neighborhoods of the center, the farmy spreads peppered with livestock near the river and the vast walled-off housing developments fringing the city on the west. I became a backseat urban planner, mentally reworking neighborhoods I walked through and renaming subdivisions and streets, mostly those that I guess were some developer's attempt at lyricism or local color: Crimson Glory, Copper Wind or Cornmaiden Lane.

Have You Seen Mango?, Mile 139

Now that we're all so distanced from each other, everyday life has come to resemble the remote and isolated experience I had wanted for a vacation. This new trail brought me, instead of faraway wilderness, through strangers's neighborhoods and communities, past their struggles and fears. My walks through Albuquerque felt like a vicarious view into what my fellow Burquenos were up to, shared lives and connections that still hold firm from a distance of six feet.

Xanthe Miller

The rest is here:
150 miles across Albuquerque in the time of Corona - Weekly Alibi

Interior designer Shawna Percival may not be able to visit every clients home to measure the floor space in need of a rug or the kitchen wall where floating shelves are planned but that doesnt mean she cant provide a solution.

The founder of Styleberry Creative Interiors began offering virtual interior design consulting this spring and now has a six-week waiting list of clients who want help to refresh their living room, redesign the kitchen where theyre suddenly cooking each night or transform their master bathroom.

Meeting with clients via video chat had long been something Percival resisted. The hands-on aspect of interior design was what made her fall in love with the field and she couldnt see losing that. But then COVID-19 hit and Percivals firm lost a significant amount of its revenue due to canceled projects. We had to pivot to figure out how we would stay afloat, she says, adding that they also continue to offer their typical full-service design services for those who desire that.

She added a virtual room design service as well as a less-involved virtual design strategy session to her array of services and says theyve connected with a whole new client base. I realized theres a whole group of people who are looking to work with a designer but may want to take on some of the project themselves, Percival says. We created a system to give them the recipe and the confidence to pull together our design on their own.

In the virtual room design service, Percival and her team treat it like a regular project, except for that they may never meet their client in-person or set foot in the space. They chat over Zoom calls, have their client send over the exact measurements of their rooms, shelving and other spaces and then she and her three-person team send full renderings, measurements, a shopping list and technical drawings for the client to implement. Before the project ever begins, they also have clients fill out an extensive questionnaire about their goals, style preferences and other design dreams.

The virtual service is performed at a flat fee and is more affordable than a full-service project because the client is charged with ordering many of the new furnishing or dcor items.For those who just want help styling a shelf or adding a gallery wall to their living room, Percival offers virtual strategy sessionssomething many outside of San Antonio have taken her up on.

In recent months, Percival also has given clients the option of scheduling their last meeting at the local KBK to the Trade showroom so they can sit on couches or chairs and touch different fabrics before making their final decisions.If a project requires construction, Percival says the drawings and measurements they provide can guide a contractor to implement their exact vision.

If youre going to be at home, she says, it should be a place you love. People are home, theyre learning what they do and dont like about their house and theyre ready to change, Percival says.

1. Have a Plan

When you know what your end goal is, you wont buy anything that you dont need. Whether your plan is a mood board you create or a detailed drawing a professional delivers, its a necessary first step for creating shopping lists. Interior designer Shawna Percivalsays often people pick up accessories based on what they like at the store, which means theyre not taking into account the rooms full aesthetic or the size that a lamp, vase, rug or frame should be based on the space it will live in. People misunderstand how important scale is and usually go too small, she says.

2. Invest in the Places Where You Sit and Sleep

Since most people have kids or pets, Percival says materials matter and she typically advises clients to invest in the places where they spend the most timecouches, chairs and beds. A couch may be beautiful but if its not comfortable, you wont love it. If pieces are well made and upholstered with performance fabric, theyll not only offer comfort but also last longer.

3. Get Creative in Accessories

Percival says shes found some ofher greatest shelf dcor items at estate sales but that she also loves places like Target and Homegoods. When it comes to styling shelves,she encourages people to search #shelfie on Instagram for inspiration. Its the way you put things together that creates the magic, she says. Its not the actual thing. On couches and beds, Percival likes to take a high/low approach, investing in a few pillows with designs or fabrics she loves and then layering them in front of solid colored, budget-friendly pillows.

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Design Your Home Virtually With Styleberry Creative Interiors - San Antonio Magazine

A degree in psychology isnt required to practice interior design. But it can help.

Tracee Murphy, CEO and principal designer of Sarasota-based interior design firm Trade Mark Interiors, pursued a career in design after first earning a psychology degree. It wasnt until I was out of college and had myown place that I started to find it and fall in love with it, Murphy says. I began to do my house, my neighbors house and neighbors cousins house. It just naturally evolved.

Murphy went back to school to earn an interior design degree when she had two young children and a part-time job. After about five years of working in interior design, she realized her degree in psychology was coming in handy whileshe worked closely with clients, in dealing with conflict between spouses and navigating differing opinions on projects.

Courtesy. The majority of Trade Marks work comes from doing additional projects for existing clients or from clients referring neighbors, friends and family.

This year, her firm marks 20 years in business.Murphy started Trade Mark Interiors in Pennsylvania and moved the firm to Sarasota 14 years ago. Her firm works on residential and commercial projects, with about 60%residential and 40% commercial. Whilenot disclosing specificrevenue figures,Murphy says the company did more than $1 million in 2019 revenue and is on track to grow 25% in 2020.

And despite the pandemic, the firm isnt slowing down. It has big projects in progress, and Trade Mark is getting calls from companies that want help downsizing their offices.

The majority of Trade Marks work comes from doing additional projects for existing clients or from clients referring neighbors, friends and family. For instance, the company did a couples bathroom renovation, and when they moved, Trade Mark designed their new home. When the husband moved offices, the firm designed a new corporate office for him. Its a very close relationship when youre designing with someone, Murphy says. Youre talking about, How do you live? How do you and your husband use your bathroom?

With project cycles that can last a year or two, bonds naturally form. Were friends with a lot of our clients, she says. Were included in a lot of their celebrations and functions. Its definitely an ongoing relationship.

Murphy, who has three employees, says a team approach also helpsset the firm apart. With an office manager and three designers, projects have the benefit of multiple perspectives. Its not, you take this job, and I take that job, she says. We collectively work on every project. I think that makes a big difference.

The multidesigner concept often helps the firm secure work. When talking to clients and securing new clients, its come up over and over again, Murphy says. They knew nothing would fall through the cracks, timelines would be met, and they felt excited about three designers eyes.

We collectively work on every project. I think that makes a big difference. Tracee Murphy, Trade Mark Interiors

Another key aspect of bringing new clients on board is an education process. I know enough to educate my clients at the beginning of the project,s so they understand our value, what we do, and they understand the difference between us and bargain shopping on the internet, Murphy says. Ive also done this long enough to understand the red flags of people who may not understand that. I learned the value of saying no.We dont just take any job. We qualify our clients as much as they qualify us.

During the pandemic, while some companies plummeted, Trade Marks business has spiked. We are extremely busy, Murphy says. Were getting a lot of phone calls for renovations, new construction and all different-sized projects. Part of that, she thinks, is because people are spending more time at home and deciding its time to make upgrades. The largest residential project the firm has started since the pandemic is a 9,000-square-foot whole house renovation.

The firm has kept projects moving during the pandemic by harnessing a resource called Material Bank that gathers vendor samples, from wallpaper to fabric to flooring. Instead of running around to 25 showrooms, the firm can have samples shipped to them. Its a resource we used 15% to 25% of the time prior to COVID-19, Murphy says. Since April, we started using Material Bank 80% to 90% of the time. It enabled us to keep our new construction projects moving along without missing a beat.

On the commercial side, Trade Mark received several inquiries lately from companies moving into smaller offices because employees are working from home. They need Trade Marks help to bring their brand into a new space and make it functional.

Despite a busy pandemic period, Murphy is still focused on the companys future. She wants Trade Mark to remain a boutique design firm, but shed like to have a full residential division and commercial division. The goal is to have a duplicate team of what we have now, she says. Were going to keep trucking along and following the plan.

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Interior design firm grows through relationship-based strategies - Business Observer

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