Month: March 2011

When we are faced with working with existing pieces, this will always make the project a bit more difficult, but certainly not impossible. Most people have things from their families, from travels or from earlier design projects which can be utilized in some manner, so get ready designers, you are no longer in school and reality can really bite!

For The Designer

It never fails to surprise me when a client comes up with something they want to incorporate into their project, but what does surprise me is how bad some of these requests are. When they are truly awful, you need to determine if this is merely a wish or is your client at an impasse and MUST use this piece or risk offending someone they cherish. Look and listen to what the client is asking for and determine if the piece can fit in, even if you need to modify your original concept to include methods of incorporating these pieces.

Recently a wonderful client asked if I would use some of his mother’s pieces which to me were totally off-base with what we had proposed and I was at a loss until I came up with a “Retro” concept for the family room. This was quite a departure from the rest of the home but it would only work if he allowed me to have some creative license with these pieces, so we kept some aspects and changed others and then added additional Retro pieces to keep the influence modern, colorful and “hip”….think old Dunbar with new Donghia fabrics in a room with classic Mataliano sofas, pool tables and a bar in Pal Dao wood with horizontal grain….very sleek and modern but with a twist.

For The Client

When asking a designer to incorporate existing pieces, know this will influence their overall concept of their presentation to you, and you may want to see one presentation with these items and one without, so you can determine what you really prefer. If you MUST have these pieces included, the designer may want to update them, refinish them, use them all in one space or take your project in a different direction than you originally asked for in order to make them work. Again, if this piece is your husband’s and you don’t really like it, let your designer know the importance to your husband but just don’t ignore the issue because your husband will disconnect from the project and the designer won’t be allowed to please you both.

I myself have a “Beaux Arts” (circa 1920s) sofa from my grandmother that I cherish, but until recently it was in storage. Now I will take off her lilac old cotton velvet and recover it in a very heavily aged, glossy tobacco colored leather to make it more masculine and work it into a scheme which includes other pieces making it part of a collection of 20th Century classic pieces.

For the Designer and Client

Usually a professional can incorporate pieces, photos, awards, children’s clay ashtrays and Aunt Ida’s buffet into your home if you are willing to allow them to direct the overall look to include this piece as if it were intended to be there all along, so don’t wait to spring this on them…be upfront… and if the piece really won’t work, listen to them and think about putting it into storage for another day or offer it to one of you family members who might want it…maybe it would really look better in someone else’s home and you can let it go or use it in a summer home…think of the possibilities…and discuss it with your designer.