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How many sleepless nights have you spent on a futon? For many years I respected their utility but intensely disliked their appearance and the miserable mattress. Just as interior design evolves, so does the mattress industry, thank god! Futons entered the American market in the 70′s. Embraced by college students or first time apartment dwellers, a futon stretched the furnishing budget as a dual purpose sofa and bed.

No surprise that in our current economic challenge, futon sales are up in this down market. Much less expensive than other mattresses, a futon mattress costs between $99-$750. Plus with better materials like memory foam they are much more comfortable too. I checked out Gold Bond Mattress and learned how this family business became the leader in the industry.

Tags: apartment dwellers, dual purpose, futon mattress, interior design
Posted in Ideas and Inspirations | 3 Comments »

I find clutter a tremendous distraction and irritant. My Seattle interior design clients are no different. Our busy families and households function more effectively and everyone is happier when ‘everything has a place’. A store I frequently recommend and that I frequent myself is Storables. Dodd Fischer (Founder/Owner) became interested in the Housewares/Lifestyle Store concept over 25 years ago. He was drawn to contemporary Italian design and the developing business of ready-to-assemble furniture. Plastic storage containers and organizers began appearing in department stores and the storage goods business was an emerging niche in housewares.

Some Favorites

Browse for your favorite here.

The first Storables opened at Beaverton Town Square, near Portland, Oregon, in 1981. They are committed to stocking a wide selection of quality products and exclusive designs. And they are passionate about organizing spaces. Function and style now play a key role in home organization. When your mission is to create needed storage and organization, this is a great place to go. Need some suggestions, I can help.

Tags: design clients, home organization, interior design, lifestyle store, Seattle designer
Posted in Ideas and Inspirations | 2 Comments »

Here in Seattle, we are having a fantastic summer. I see my interior design clients entertaining and considering modifications to enhance the outdoor entertaining experience for their families and guests. In this post I share some ideas from BHG by Kelly D. Norris that you can still tackle to extend the enjoyment of your patio this summer and into the fall.

• Make it Soothing with Water

• Add Cover with a Pergola

• Carpet for Your Patio

• Use Charming Accents

• Build a Fire Pit

• Just add Wind Chimes

• Feed the Birds

Visit BHG for instructions and you can add even more enjoyment to your summer today!

Tags: interior design, Seattle, sizzling summer
Posted in Ideas and Inspirations | 1 Comment »

Interior design for tweens and teens is challenging. How to be different? In my Seattle practice I look for sources and explore possibilities that appeal and can be personalized in some way. Here is a resource for parents who want to feature something new, fresh, personal. The company is Wallter. The clever mobiles and wall decor provide ample opportunities for creativity. Take a look.

Teardrop Mobile

The company introduced its line of paintable wall applications “Wallter” in 2004. The geometric, wood-based applications add a third dimension to the wall on which they are composed, commanding light and shadow in an inventive way and turn the space in to something original.

Wallter’s clients include The W Hotel, Hotel Lucia, Seattle’s Hotel Max, Crate and Barrel, Dreamworks Productions, Chiasso, Urban Outfitters, Stratus Films, ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition, and HGTV’s Debbie Travis’ Facelift.

What do you think? Can you apply one of their options to make a tween or teen bedroom unique?

Tags: Faith Sheridan, interior design, resource for parents, Seattle, teen bedrooms, wall decor
Posted in Ideas and Inspirations | No Comments »

When I read this blog post I thought to myself, ‘He’s right on here’. Vincente shared a window into the reality of practicing interior design. I decided I would share his post and I look forward to comments. He has received lots of them. So here it is:

“Even after doing this for 35 years and meeting all types of people who come in for consultations, I’m still surprised at the lack of understanding of what it takes to create an environment. I had a meeting earlier this week with four people who wanted to engage us to work on a Condo. Their expectations and a request to just ‘come up with two or three designs so we can present it to other people in the building and then’, to boot, ‘there are four other designers who are doing the same’ to see which one they like, really upset me – maybe it’s wrong of me, but I feel that if you throw it together, you’re not going to do your best job.

When I asked one of them what they did for a living he said he was a software programmer and I asked him if I was considering hiring him, would he come up with three different programs for me so I could decide whether I wanted to work with him. He said ‘Absolutely not – it takes a lot of time and energy to do that, you’d have to pay me by the hour, I wouldn’t do it for nothing.’ In the same breath that’s exactly what they expected of me. It shows an absolute lack of respect for the work that we do – the energy that we put into creating an environment that is not just ho hum and a space that will make me feel that what I’m doing is the best that I can offer.

In this industry somehow we’ve never gotten to put across to the general public the importance of what we do and the delicacy of what we create. If you have encountered similar situations, why don’t you share it. Any ideas on how to deal with this?

PS Besides wanting us to design three different ideas, they had no idea of budget so they wanted us to design at three different price ranges. Figure that one out…”

Tags: budget, consultations, designers, Faith Sheridan, interior design, lack of respect, Vincente Wolf
Posted in Ideas and Inspirations | 1 Comment »