Design Confidential Sponsor Spotlight: House & Home Magazine

 

Last year, I had the joy of joining the team of wonderfully talented and creative minds at House and Home Magazine, South Louisiana's one and only design/shelter publication.

Now in our 15th year of publication, House and Home celebrates the style of South Louisiana's culture, food, arts, interiors, and destinations with dedication and conviction.  As the tides, change, so does the magazine's editorial content.  As Contributing Editor, I have seen first hand how demanding it is to consistently create interesting and fresh content for our readers.  Forgive me for using a non-word, but:  It ain't easy, y'all. 

One of the things I have been so grateful for is the receptiveness Nancy Trahan, our publisher, has for new ideas.  House and Home is her "baby", and when she asked me to come on board, she could have rightfully (and understandably) limited the amount of suggestions she was willing to consider.  Instead, she has welcomed me with open arms; and along with Melissa Oivanki, our incredible photographer, and the rest of the staff, we have made great strides giving the magazine a fresh new voice for this era in Louisiana's design community.

House & Home, June 2013

This month's issue is not only what I consider to be our best EVER, but it holds a very special place in my heart.  House and Home is one of the participating sponsors for Design Confidential, my interior design workshop coming up on July 20th (notice the ticker on the right hand side of the page, reminding you how many days you have left to register!  Which can be easily done online HERE!).  Nancy understands what it means to have a dream, a goal, and to be fully and wholly committed to seeing it through to fruition.  So when I approached her about sponsoring MY "baby", she did not hesitate to say yes.

I am thrilled to have House and Home as part of the group of sponsors for Design Confidential.  In this month's issue, you'll find a great article about the workshop on page 32 in our "Mosaic" feature.  If you're having any questions about whether or not the workshop is right for you, I think this article will clear up any lingering hesitation you might have about registering.  (The answer is "YES!  THIS IS THE WORKSHOP FOR YOU!) 

House & Home, June 2013, Mosaic

So, what are you doing on July 20th?  If you're planning to redecorate, remodel, or build anytime soon, you should be at Design Confidential:  Interior Designers' Best-Kept Secrets Revealed at The Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana!  Registration is SO easy.  Just hop on over to the event website and register using your PayPal account or credit card!

designconfidential.eventbrite.com

If you're an out-of-town guest, you're only responsible for getting yourself to The Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana!  Let them know you're a guest of Design Confidential.  The workshop will take place in one of their beautiful conference rooms, and we'll be catering a delicious lunch for you as well.  There'll be gifts, giveaways, and so much more...

I mean really, why WOULDN'T you come??

Hope to see you there!

 

Thank you to all of our sponsors:

Dixon Smith Interiors, The Design Studio, Andrea Brooks Interiors, Ann McDonald Interiors, Elle Cole & Associates, Traci Zeller Designs, McConnell-Allen Interiors, House & Home Magazine, Sherwin Williams Paints, The Foyer, MicroSeal, and Tiffany Jones Interiors

Finding Your Personal Style

Source

The design industry is a lot like the fashion industry.  We're enamored of trends, constantly waiting with baited breath to see what the next big idea will be.  And while I love an introduction of a new product, designing for my clients requires something of a balancing act. The majority of my clients aren't interested in expendable design;  rather, they prefer their homes to be a both a reflection classic style and wise investments.  They also aren't interested in tired ideas.  Walking this tightrope above "classic style" and "fresh ideas" definitely requires skill, knowledge, and years of experience to execute flawlessly. 

At Design Confidential: Interior Designers' Best-Kept Secrets Revealed on July 20th, you'll get the inside scoop on just exactly  how I manage to do this.  A major hurdle in completing any project is the process of identifying exactly what style (or styles) will express a client's personality and complement his or her lifestyle the most authentically.  I think it's something most homeowners struggle with as well.  During the workshop, you'll hear from me and other interior design experts how we consistently create interiors that aren't tied to trends or fads!

Source

And don't get me wrong - not all trends are bad.  The tipping point is knowing when a trend will work for your lifestyle and when it won't.  For example:  I LOVE all-white rooms, similar to the one pictured above.  I think they look like heaven.  I also know that if I were single, I could live in an all-white house and never worry about stains, dirt, fingerprints, etc.  But my real lifestyle just isn't conducive to an all-white interior.  I found a way to incorporate the "idea" of all-white, without committing to it and sentencing myself to a lifetime of nervousness and freaking out anytime my husband anyone sits down in my house.

My point is this:  whether you are struggling to finish a room, struggling to start a room, thinking about buying a house, or thinking about building a house...or if you live in a house...Design Confidential will give you the tools designers use to do the impossible - creating interiors that meet our clients' needs while fulfilling their wishlists.  It CAN be done...I can show you how!

Registration for the workshop is super easy.  Just hop on over to our event website and register using your credit card or PayPal account! 

designconfidential.eventbrite.com

If you're in Baton Rouge, you can register for Design Confidential at any of these locations:

Dixon Smith Interiors

1655 Lobdell Avenue

The Foyer

3655 Perkins Road

Yoglates II

3753 Perkins Road

SoHaus Interior Design 

7809 Jefferson Hwy, Suite D2

 

 I hope you'll let me show you how it's done on July  20th at The Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge!

 

 

Sponsor Spotlight: Elle Cole & Associates

There are only 46 days until I host my first-ever interior design workshop!  Plans are in full swing here, so I hope you've reserved your seat for Design Confidential: Interior Designers' Best-Kept Secrets Revealed.  If you've ever been overwhelmed by the thought of tackling your own decorating or design project, or if you love design and want to hone your skills - this is where you need to be on July 20th!  Held in the beautiful Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it is sure to be fun-filled day for all of our participants!

I am fortunate to have a network of friends in the design industry who are supportive and love to celebrate success with each other.  If you've been following the blog, you already know about my amazing guest speakers, who will be sharing their insider tips with us.  But I also have some fabulous sponsors who are just as excited as I am to make this a one-of-a-kind event, memorable and valuable to all of us.  One of these Participating Sponsors is Elle Cole, Principal and CEO of Elle Cole & Associates in Dallas, Texas.

Elle Cole, Elle Cole & Associates

Elle Cole's style combines the glamour of fashion runways with the structure of architectural elements.  Her ability to combine understated glamour, influences of bold patterns with classic lines spun with impeccable fashion sense is her signature style.  She loves to create glamorous, warm, and inviting environments that strike a balance between classic design and practicality.  This balance is why her clients are drawn to her tailored and luxurious approach to design.  Timelessness is at the core of Elle's designs.

She creates a variety of custom pieces in her projects, collaborating with her team to provide her clients with unique  and bespoke design.  She is gifted in providing high-end clientele a valuable, luxurious, and direct approach to design projects. (Source)

Elle Cole & Associates

Elle and I were instant friends.  When we met at Design Bloggers Conference in Los Angeles earlier this year, her openness and sophistication were what drew me to her.  I like to refer to her as the "dark horse"...while she seems quiet and reserved at first, there is a drive inside of her that makes her a tough businesswoman and colleague.  Elle was the first friend who contacted me upon my announcement of the workshop, asking me how she could help me make it a success.  I was floored by her generousity, and even more floored when I heard her ideas.  She definitely knows how to step it up when it comes to event planning, and her guidance has been invaluable while I've been planning for the workshop.  She doesn't know it yet, but she is stuck with me for life now!! 

Elle will be joining us in Baton Rouge for Design Confidential, and I hope you'll be there to meet her and the other wonderful design experts I have lined up for the day. 

Registration for the workshop is super easy.  Just hop on over to our event website and register using your credit card or PayPal account!

 designconfidential.eventbrite.com

If you're in Baton Rouge, you can register for Design Confidential at any of these locations:

Dixon Smith Interiors

1655 Lobdell Avenue

The Foyer

3655 Perkins Road

Yoglates II

3753 Perkins Road

SoHaus Interior Design 

7809 Jefferson Hwy, Suite D2

Design Confidential: Meet the Experts

We're  less than fifty days away from Design Confidential: Interior Designers' Best-Kept Secrets Revealed, my first-ever interior design workshop for design enthusiasts and decorating novices. Have you registered yet? I hope so!  It's going to be a fabulous day of design and learning, and all set in the beautiful Renaissance Hotel on July 20th.

So far, I've introduced you to Tina Lagasse (our "Identifying Inspiration" expert), Andrea Brooks (our "Fundamentals of Color" expert), and Becky Walker, (our "Creating a Plan" expert).  Today I want you to meet Ann McDonald, of Ann McDonald Interiors and creator of Decorate Like a Pro (our "Your Style" expert).

The final segment of Design Confidential:  Interior Designers' Best-Kept Secrets Revealed is all about creating your personal style in your home.  Your home should be a reflection of your interests, travels, and life - not a knock-off of something you saw in a mail order magazine or on a home improvement show on television.  It's easy to jump on every trend bandwagon that comes through town, but we want to show you how to free yourself from tired ideas and trends and really create something custom for the way you live! 

When considering the guest speaker who could best explain to us the truly personalized home, I knew I had to get Ann McDonald to share her design method with us.  She is passionate about creating beautiful custom interiors & exteriors. She believes that spaces can either enhance or hinder the life you are meant to live. Her desire is to create custom environments that nurture the individual. 

Ann McDonald, Principal & CEO of Ann McDonald Interiors

Trained in the Luxury Design Trenches of New York City and Los Angeles, Ann has been creating customized spaces and places for over 20 years. If you count her early forays into decorating as a child, it's been a lifetime...



Ann McDonald Interiors

Ann created Couture Chateau in the late 1980's  with a clear vision and understanding that spaces either enhance or hinder the individual in their life purpose. She seeks to equip the individual to live well at any price point so they can make their contribution to the world from a place of safety, order and beauty.  Ann has projects all over the world, many of them completely custom down to the label on the furniture (on the inside, where, as Ann says, labels should go). 

​

Ann's company slogan states: Live a custom life. There is only one you.  I have loved this ever since I first heard it.  That is what interior design is all about:  creating environments that support the people who inhabit them.  You will learn this, and so much more at our workshop!

I hope you'll register for Design Confidential today and take advantage of this opportunity to learn from Ann and the other dynamite design professionals who will be joining us on July 20th in Baton Rouge.  This is the first design workshop of its kind for my hometown, and I could not be prouder to be hosting and bringing it to you!

Visit our event website for more information and to register online today:  

designconfidential.eventbrite.com

If you're in Baton Rouge, you can register for Design Confidential at any of these locations:

Dixon Smith Interiors

1655 Lobdell Avenue

The Foyer

3655 Perkins Road

Yoglates II

3753 Perkins Road

SoHaus Interior Design 

7809 Jefferson Hwy, Suite D2

 Ann McDonald Interiors is a Premier Sponsor of Design Confidential: Interior Designers' Best-Kept Secrets Revealed

Design Dilemma: De-Mystifying Color

Have you ever been in someone's home and had a serious aversion to the color palette?   Where the whole design hinged on a particular paint color that seemed to have been selected in dim lighting?

You know what I'm talking about.  The rooms that were supposed to be a "warm neutral" but ended up in varying shades of:

Maybe it was deliberate.

-Liquid Foundation Makeup
-a melted Wendy's Frosty
-Band-Aid

Or the rooms that were supposed to be "cheerful" but are in fact any one of the following:

If you are the owner of this room, my apologies.

-Acid Rain
-Little Old Lady Chalk Yellow (the rooms in our house were this color when we bought it)
-Festering Wound

Wouldn't it be nice if everybody knew how to work with color like a designer does?  To create stunning rooms like this instead:

Tobi Fairley (tobifairley.com)

Amanda Nisbet (amandanisbetdesign.com)

Given that I deal with color on a daily basis, it almost kills me not to say something, but I restrain myself and wait for the other person to bring it up.  If they don't, I don't.  (It is the overarching theme of my life that I have a hilarious comment and no one with whom I can share it.)

On the positive side, paint is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to change the feel of a room.  On the negative side, it's also one of the hardest to get right.  Have you ever wanted to paint your trim "white" and realized there are like 50 versions of white?  The same holds true for all other colors too.

In Part 2 of Design Confidential (my first-ever design workshop created for design enthusiasts and decorating novices) we will be de-mystifying color once and for all.  There IS a proven method to understanding color, how it works with lighting, and what you can do to avoid making the common mistakes mentioned above.

Design Confidential will take place on July 20th in my hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the Renaissance Hotel.  We will be covering:  Identifying Inspiration, The Fundamentals of Color, Creating a Plan, and Finding Your Personal Style. In addition to fabulous experts and guest speakers, I have some wonderful sponsors and giveaways for workshop participants too! Registration can be completed in one easy step online by following this link to the event website:

designconfidential.eventbrite.com

If color has been a source of frustration for you, trust me - you need to be at this workshop!  You'll learn so much about using color as it relates to paint, fabrics, and finish materials in your next project.  

I'm looking forward to meeting you there!

 

Design Confidential: Meet the Experts

In case you haven't heard by now, I can barely contain my excitement for my upcoming design workshop, Design Confidential: Interior Designers' Best Kept Secrets Revealed.  It was so exciting to see the registrations rolling in over the weekend.  We're going to have a great time!

Today I'm continuing with my "Meet the Experts" series, which gives you the opportunity to learn a little about each one of the fabulously talented guest speakers who'll be joining us on July 20th for the workshop.  So far, you've met Tina Lagasse, of Dixon Smith Interiors, and Andrea Brooks, of Andrea Brooks Interiors, both of whom I admire and respect for their unique capabilities when it comes to Identifying Inspiration and Understanding the Fundamentals of Color.  (Which they will be speaking on, respectively.)

Now I want to introduce you to Becky Walker, licensed interior designer and owner of The Design Studio.

Becky Walker, The Design Studio

Becky's design philosophy has always been about offering the right solution, and not a "signature look."  She believes that too often in the design world, solutions benefit the designer, rather than the client.  Some designers create a “rubber-stamp” approach to solving design problems – going from one project to the next, placing their signature “look” in each space.

Becky considers it to be more important to focus on branding her clients’ environments, rather than branding her design firm's own corporate identity.  She is not interested in cranking out the same solution over and over again because her enlightened design method is based around each client’s individual needs.

Organizing Design Ideas & Options into a Plan of Action

It is because of Becky's expertise in guiding projects from the drawing board to the final walk-through that I have asked her to speak to us on Creating a Plan.  When I graduated from LSU Interior Design school, I went to work for Becky at The Design Studio, where I had the opportunity to work on commercial and contract residential projects, offering turn-key design solutions for some of the area’s largest developers and businesses.  The Design Studio's clients include state and federal institutions, schools, medical and corporate offices, as well as private residential projects, and I was fortunate enough to be part of them for five wonderful, educational, and productive years.

The Enclave at Town Centre, The Design Studio

So what exactly do I mean when I say "Creating a Plan"?  It is the significant difference in designing an ENTIRE room, and just painting or buying a new sofa for a room.  What I learned during my time at The Design Studio is that projects must begin with the end in mind.  Because of the nature of our projects (meaning large scale, and completed in a single installation), Becky helped me hone my ability to see the finished product before construction started, which resulted in completely cohesive and beautiful interiors.  All too often, construction is started and created with a plan, but furnishing isn't.  In my workshop, we'll show you how to design your finished product from the beginning, before you ever even buy the first can of paint or the first stick of furniture.  (I'm telling you, this one is life-changing.)  And it gets even better:  We'll be sharing our own design boards and helping you create one of your own, using the method all professionals use to kick-start design projects!

We'll be going deeper into this subject, and much more, at Design Confidential on July 20th at The Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge.  Registration is easy and quick!  Just mosey on over to the event website:

designconfidential.eventbrite.com

I hope I see you there!

The Design Studio is a Premier Sponsor of Design Confidential.

Design Dilemma: Where Do I Start?

A few weeks ago I met with clients who are preparing to renovate their home.  As we walked through the rooms, I started realizing that they kept repeating the same phrase over and over again:

"There is just so much work to do, we don't even know where to start!"

I sometimes take for granted that clients intuitively understand the design-build process, but during this appointment, I realized that the majority of people really don't know how it all starts.  Sure, there might be a check list of things that you know you want - a bigger kitchen, more natural lighting, more closet space - but aside from those things, what these clients were really saying was: "We like so many ideas, we've burdened ourselves with too many options and now we're scared to commit to one, in case it means we can't have another one!"

 

Upon further investigation, and a direct line of questioning from me, I realized that my hunch was right.  They'd been spending weeks on different websites, blogs, watching home improvement shows, touring other open houses around town, and had officially reached the saturation point. They had seen too many ideas, too many options, and too many combinations.  There comes a point in the design-build process where everything and nothing seems to be the answer.

This area of frustration was a huge factor in my decision to create a design workshop for the design novice.  Although my clients might not have realized that they were over-doing it, I picked up on their irritation within ten minutes of our consultation.  As we thumbed through the folder of magazine tear-outs, looked through the Houzz idea book, and sorted through thousands - literally - of Pinterest images, it became even clearer to me that there was no focus.  Any and all ideas were welcome.  Any and all colors were welcome.  Any and all styles were welcome.  And I understand that.  When you like everything, how can you say "no" to anything?

The first part of Design Confidential will address this very issue.  With so many places to pull ideas from, how in the world can anyone be expected to know when they've landed on The Big Idea?  It might surprise some of you that inspiration rarely comes in the form of a picture of another room for most designers.  Like many of you, I am an admirer and fan of beautifully designed spaces, and I have 4000+ pins on Pinterest where I've collected them.  But when I start a project, that is not the place I look to for inspiration.

 

Inspiration is something much deeper than just finding ideas.  Being inspired means being dazzled by something;  having a moment where you experience motivation because you've found a source of information that answers a need in your life.  Simply copying a room you've seen doesn't mean you've been inspired.  It means you've copied the results of someone else's inspiration.

In truth, designers find inspiration everywhere.  Literally.  Your world is full and running over with inspiration that will spark the creative ideas that lead to beautiful rooms. In Part I of Design Confidential, I will share with you some of my most unusual moments of inspiration, as well as some of the more applicable and accessible sources for my ideas.  They rarely (if ever) involve a mail-order catalog or home-improvement show.  These moments of inspiration are more likely to strike when I'm not looking for them.  I want to show you how to train your eye so that the next time a source of inspiration finds you, you'll be prepared to take note!

 

Ultimately, I scheduled a lunch with my clients so that I could get to know them a little better.  After years of knowing each other on a professional level, I realized I needed to dig deeper to find out what really inspires them.  That's where we're going to find the answer to their over-saturated frustration.

If you're struggling with finding a starting point for your home, join us on July 20th for Design Confidential at the Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge.  Registration is super-easy - just visit our event website at

designconfidential.eventbrite.com

I hope I'll see you there!

Taking Chances and Creating Change

Since I introduced the idea for my design workshop a couple of weeks ago, I've had a lot of time to worry think about how it might turn out.  Obviously, I'm hoping for a packed house, with excited and enthusiastic participants, eager to learn about the professional designer's perspective.  But there are definitely moments where I freak out   panic  wonder if anyone will show up at all.  Sure, people have registered, but when the day comes, will I actually get to meet them in person and share my excitement with them?  Time will tell.

The reason I'm able to keep moving forward, as if the workshop will be a huge success, is because I have learned so much in the last year about how to boldly plan for success.  When I first founded SoHaus Interior Design, I thought I knew what my plan would be.  I had it all worked out in my mind:  take it slow, little by little, be flexible, work my way up, and eventually become......What.  I had no idea.  Successful?  How, exactly?  Famous?  Nah, not really my thing.  Respected?  Yes, definitely.  A household name?  Maybe.  The problem was that I had no idea where I was actually trying to go.  I just new I wanted to be an interior designer with beautiful work and happy clients.  But my "plan" was getting me nowhere fast.

 

Once I shifted my focus, I realized that sometimes doing things that feel counter-intuitive lead to the most sweeping changes in life and in business.  People had advised me for years "Don't charge too much, nobody will be able to afford you!"  Then I found a mentor who said "Charge what you're worth and don't apologize."  Seeing as how "not charging too much" hadn't panned out so well, I simplified my fee structure to ensure I could serve my clients at the best of my ability, and earn a decent income while I did it.  Counter-intuitive:  Raise your rates = more work.  It made absolutely no sense, but I was in a place of frustration and I needed change (and a paycheck).  Wonder of wonders, I now have great clients who trust me, a portfolio of work I'm proud of, and I get to earn a living wage to do it.  Amazing.  The fair exchange of agreed services for agreed investment.  This is what makes the world go 'round.

 

So it was with this in mind that I decided to create Design Confidential.  I've already shared with you how I got over my fears of running out of clients or giving away all my secrets.  But it all came down to this:  big risk = big reward.  If you don't try, you don't know.  I meet lots of people who want to work with a designer, but their budgets just won't allow it.  And I have plenty of stylish friends who can manage decorating their homes up to a certain point.  What I realized was that the missing link is information.  Information that I have!  So why shouldn't these people be able to benefit from a designer's expertise?  That doesn't seem fair, does it?  DIY shows and magazines will only get you so far.  The big risk is sharing the information with these people.  What if they don't enjoy it?  What if the workshop has only 10 people in it?  What if I pour my heart and soul into planning it and nobody gives a rip? What if there's a hurricane that weekend and we have to cancel?  What if what if what if.

 

Believe me, I've had plenty of these kinds of self-limiting thoughts creep into my head in the last week or two.  The challenge has been to keep them from turning into self-limiting beliefs.  That's where that counter-intuitive thing comes into play.  The workshop has not sold out.  It's okay, Rachel.  IT'S OKAY.  Keep moving forward.  Keep planning.  Keep focused.  The reward will be there in the end.

 

Maybe you're struggling with that same kind of thought process in considering whether or not to register for the workshop.  I know I've done that before.  I've attended several design workshops, some of which cost thousands of dollars, over which I deliberated for WEEKS before signing up.  And every time, I've left those workshops thinking, "I would have paid double what I paid to learn that!"  That's what I want to offer you.  I want to offer this amazing experience that allows you to overcome the fears that inhibit big change and send you away thinking, "That was awesome, and everyone should go!"  

 

It comes down to being decisive, which seems to be the central theme of everything revolving around Design Confidential.  I had to be decisive enough to start to advertise the workshop.  Then I had to be decisive enough to market it.  The content actually starts with teaching you how to be decisive.   I know that, in spite of my fears about things not living up to my hopes, I have the ability to help people solve real problems and make real change in their lives.  Normally, I get paid a design fee to do that.  But I decided to offer it as a workshop so that it could be accessible to more people. That is risky when my business is design.  But one of my unique capabilities is my fervor for educating people on how to make the best design decisions for their lives. 

I hope you'll join me and the other amazing designers who'll be at the Renaissance Hotel on July 20th.  If you're at a point where you just need answers and you're tired of making mistakes when it comes to the money you spend on your home, this is your opportunity to decide to change that!

Register online at designconfidential.eventbrite.com

Design Confidential: Meet the Experts

The plans for Design Confidential are coming together!  This one-day design workshop is sure to solve all of your design dilemmas - are you overwhelmed, panicked, or losing sleep over your design project?  Are you scared to commit to a color or style?  Worried that you'll make the wrong choice and then have to live with it indefinitely?  Then you need to be there!  This will be the best $300.00 you spend all year long!  Just follow this link to the event website to sign up!

Today, I'm continuing with my "Meet the Experts" series, which highlights the amazing guest speakers who will be joining us for Design Confidential on July 20th at the Renaissance Hotel.  I am so excited to introduce this guest.  Although we've known each other just a little over a year, she is one of my best friends (and sister from a past life, I'm convinced).  She is Andrea Brooks, style maven and True Colour Expert.

Andrea Brooks, Andrea Brooks Interiors

Andrea Brooks has gained national acclaim for her original, layered interiors with a personal and sophisticated feel. Recently named one of Arkansas’ top 10 Design professionals by At Home in Arkansas, Andrea has spent years developing a courageous style worthy of such attention. With an appreciation for the classics and a love of the unconventional, Andrea finds inspiration in every imaginable source.

Andrea’s work has been published in At Home in Arkansas magazine multiple times and featured on high profile design blogs, including Tobi Fairley Interior Design, House of Turquoise and Colour Me Happy. Her design projects vary from traditional to rustic, farmhouse to modern, but all boast Andrea’s unifying signature style of layered color and texture, a focus on original art and a dash of the unexpected. Her interiors always exude the confidence of a carefully curated home remarkably connected to its owners.  (Source)

Understanding the Science of Color and Avoiding Color Mistakes

I met Andrea in the spring of 2012, when we both attended Tobi Fairley's Designer MBA Camp.  The friendship was instant, and she and I have travelled extensively since then to industry events, market, and even another Tobi Fairley event just this April.  In addition to the way our personalities completely clicked, I love Andrea for her patience and persistence in design.  I have seen first hand how she thoughtfully selects each piece for her clients, looking for just the right thing.  And did I mention that she's an ace with color?  Oh my god.  Just wait.  Andrea is a graduate of Maria Killam's True Colour Expert course, and she does things with color that will blow your mind. We'll be sharing pictures of her own house during the workshop - which many of you will recognize immediately because it's been all over Pinterest - while she shares her unique perspective with us.  And, just to brag on her a little more, she is also going to be featured in a national magazine - the photo shoot for which just wrapped a few weeks ago!

I can't wait for you all to meet her and the other design experts who will be joining us for Design Confidential!  You will love to hear what they have to say about how to get started on your project, how to choose color with confidence, how to organize your ideas, and how to identify your personal style (in the sea of options available to you).  The housing market is thriving again, and I know many of you are buying or building...I can't think of a better use of your time or money than spending the day with my group of experts before you find yourself in the middle of a project with no direction!

Sign up today and look forward to a fun-filled, hands-on day of learning and growing!

designconfidential.eventbrite.com

 

Andrea Brooks Interiors is located in El Dorado, Arkansas and is a Platinum Sponsor of Design Confidential.

The Question on Everyone's Mind

I've been getting such great feedback about my upcoming design workshop, Design Confidential, which will be held at the Renaissance Hotel on July 20th!  Thank you to everyone who has already registered and for all of the positivity and support you've all shown since I announced my big idea.  All of your enthusiasm has affirmed my feeling that this is going to be one of Baton Rouge's best events ever!

To help set the stage for this great workshop, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the fabulous lobby at the Renaissance.  And for those of you who are interested in attending who are out-of-town guests, I highly recommend booking your room at this fabulous hotel too! 

 

But even with all of the excitement I'm getting from some of you, there is one thing I keep hearing over and over again:  "Rachel, why would you give away all your secrets?  Aren't you scared you won't have any clients afterwards?"

The short answer is no.  No, I'm not scared to share this information with you.  Here's why:

1.  Knowledge is power.  Through a series of events, I met Tobi Fairley, a dynamite interior designer and business guru in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Tobi's attitude of sharing and transparency is completely contagious, and I now have a network of friends I've met through her business coaching groups and seminars who are my primary support in business.  Tobi has lost nothing by sharing her business model;  on the contrary, she has gained the admiration and respect of many in our industry by creating a watershed moment that many others (like me) are using to create change in our own areas.  I've had to change my own attitude about sharing and get over the fear that I'll lose clients to other designers.  (Newsflash: not everyone will be an ideal client for me, and I've had to get really comfortable with that thought.)

2.  Information changes lives.  Yes, there are people who think of interior design as just shopping, or a frivolous hobby.  (Believe me, I've heard every derogatory description of this profession in the book.)  But those of us who take this job seriously, who are determined to improve the lives of our clients, know that some of the smallest changes lead to the biggest rewards.  I want you to have the information you need to make those decisions with confidence, so that you can feel emotionally sound and happy at home. Without the right information, we are all destined to come to the same incorrect conclusions time and time again.

 

3.  Monetary-based decisions lead to mistakes.  Somewhere along the way, we became a culture who congratulates itself for its ability to spend the least amount of money possible on our homes.  I'm all for a good deal, but at some point, you have to know what you're looking at in order to know if it's a good deal at all.  To professionals, the lowest possible price is usually an indication that there is a flaw in the service or product.  It's more important to me to show clients how best to invest their money, rather than cutting corners all along the way.  The goal should be to save in some areas, so that you can splurge in others.  No, you don't need to spend a million dollars on your home.  But your home should make you feel like a million dollars.  (And you can quote me on that!)

SoHaus Interior Design

4.  There is no shortage of design clients.  That's in bold, more for my sake, and for the sake of my designer friends who are reading this.  I used to live in such a state of paranoia that the design jobs would literally just run out.  That there would be nothing going on, no one calling, and no work to add to my portfolio.  That is simply just not true.  Sure, there is a natural ebb and flow to this industry, and there are times of the year that aren't as profitable (hello, January) as others. But knowing what makes me unique as a designer has helped tremendously with my insecurities about finding clients.  The truth is that anyone who attends this workshop is a client, albeit a different client than the ones I work with in my design business. One of my unique capabilities is that I'm passionate about educating people and I'm comfortable doing it.  I am embracing those leadership attributes (finally, at 34 years old) and telling that insecure worry wart in my head to step aside.  I don't know where she came from in the first place!

Making good decisions is what the design industry is all about.  Yes, it just so happens that it's also an awesomely fun job and I sometimes can't even believe that I get to do it for a living.  But the pros will tell you that we spend a large part of our time on projects crunching numbers and doing what we can to give clients the best possible return on their investment.  We want to do a good job.  We want you to be thrilled with your space.  That's why I created Design Confidential...I've taken that concept and given you the tools to do it on your own!

If you haven't signed up for the workshop yet, head on over to the event website and take a look at the content we'll be covering.  Everyone - from design junkies, to design "dummies"- will walk away from this workshop feeling empowered and confident in their abilities!

designconfidential.eventbrite.com