Interior Design is a Lot Like Dancing!

My husband and I have been taking ballroom dance classes off and on for over 16 years.  Lately we’re back “on” again and enjoying it very much.  We have wonderful instructors who have taught and performed ballroom dancing for many years.  As we were driving to our class last night to continue learning salsa, I started thinking how we need to build on steps, from basic steps to more complex steps.  As we become more and more comfortable with the steps, we learn new ones.  But then we forget some of the steps we already learned!  So it’s a continual learning process.  If we didn’t have our patient instructors to again teach us what we’ve forgotten, we’d probably just stop dancing altogether!
Learning to dance without a good teacher is a little like trying to design the interior of your home without a good designer.  Sure you can look around at different stores, watch shows on HGTV, and look through lots of home magazines, but figuring out what your personal style looks like and trying to create it in your home is not easy.  As an interior designer, I really listen to my clients, ask them lots of questions, and look at lots of photos together so that I have a very good idea of their needs and desires.  I also find out how their family functions and what their passions and lifestyle are like. Then I take measurements and start creating a master plan for them.  Because of my education and 25 years of experience, not to mention some intuition and talent, I am able to create a design that they love.  Sometimes it requires a few tweaks, but in the end my clients have been astonished at how well I know what they’re going to like, and am able to find just the right pieces, fabrics, and colors.  When I create a design I start with layout and elevation drawings.  Then I select the basic pieces and build on the design, layering in accent pieces, lighting, area rugs, window treatments, artwork, plants, and accessories.  By the time I present the design to my clients, it’s usually almost exactly what they we’re hoping for.  Then we fine tune it and get everything ordered, delivered, and installed.  It’s a fun and fairly stress-free process for my clients, and the best part for me is seeing their smiles when they see their transformed home.
If you think you might like some assistance designing your home interior, please call or email me. I’d love to help you.  If you’re outside the greater Los Angeles area, I can still give you some guidance.  Just go to “Personalized Design Advice” and tell me about your design dilemma. You can come home every night to a place you love.  After all, home is not just where you live – it’s where you come alive.