I got an early morning text from a local friend, that an associate of hers from out of the area was in escrow on a beach property in Santa Cruz and needed design help. What she didn’t tell me was the timeline. Fifteen minutes later I was on the phone with her friend, and by the next afternoon I was at the property with my soon to be client and her realtor, general contractor, and painting contractor, brainstorming everything from outdoor kitchens, to landscape ideas and exterior paint colors, AND we hadn’t gained access to the interior yet! Yikes… Ready, set, go….and away we went.
Susan’s goal was to get the property ready for summer enjoyment with family and friends. Problem was, it was already June. In many arenas, you can snap your fingers and things get done. But in the world of interior design not so much. There are long lead times on furniture purchases and many subcontractors are backed out for months. So, I had my work cut out for me.
I’m a stickler for ALWAYS beginning with a blueprint to scale, and furniture layouts for any area involving furniture purchases. This turned out to be a saving grace down the road when my client was in store shopping without me. I was able to double check dimensions with her salespeople to make sure the size and scale were appropriate for her spaces.
Then on to the story boards with all the design selections for outdoor patio furniture, indoor furniture, deck furniture and wall colors for areas that needed repainting.
I could barely finish sending the designs to my client when she would say, “I love it. Send me the SKU number, I want to order it now”. And she did. We spent many late night hours texting back and forth, making selections to meet her deadline while appealing to her mid century modern aesthetic.
Between local retail stores in and out of the area, and our online resources, such as Room and Board, Pottery Barn, Ironhorse Furniture, and Terra Furniture we were able to pull it all together.
If you are overwhelmed when purchasing a new property, are under a deadline, and trying to figure out how to customize the spaces to reflect your tastes and lifestyle, I’m here to help.
See my contact info below for information.