Barrie Briggs Spang is my go to girl for all things interior design. She has the best taste and can help you decorate without blowing the bank. Also location is not an issue-she travels and decorates virtually too! Check her out HERE!!!!!!!!!
You are decorator to the socialites! Tell me when you first decided to be a interior decorator?
Honestly, I think I was 8 or 9. My dad says when people would ask what I wanted to be when I grew up I would respond, "I want to put the finishing touches in people's homes." What kid says that???? I believe growing up with a father in Real Estate instilled the love of houses in me. We moved 7 times before I was 12, so I basically grew up with a paint brush in my hand and watched first hand the re-decorating process.
I knew for sure I wanted to be an interior designer by the time I was in high school, but my parents really encouraged me to attend a Liberal Arts college so I got a fully rounded education. I am so thankful for that advice as I relay as much on my Pychology 101 class and all of my English and Business classes as I do my Art History degree.
What inspires your designs?
Color! I love color. My travel experiences. I have been fortunate to travel a great deal, to some pretty unusual places, and I really pull from those destinations for my schemes. Other designers. I read a great deal and love to study what other designers, past and present, have done in similiar spaces. I wouldn't say I am trying to copy or emulate anyone, I just want to learn what they have done and make it my own. My clients. I really listen to what they are looking for in their home, office, boat, etc. and I work a lot of their personality into their space. My clients tell me when their friends come to see their new space for the first time they typically say, "It feels like you" or "There is so much of you in this room. It doesn't feel decorated". That is a huge compliment in my opinion.
ARe you a preppy?
ARe you a preppy?
Soooo preppy, ridiculously preppy. I always have been and even as styles change and new trends come out, I always error on the preppy side of any new look. I would say I dress classic. I have more cashmere turtlenecks than a TSE cashmere store. I love to wear my grandmother's gold charm bracelet and my other grandmother's pearl necklace. I have a blonde bob. I have a silver lab. You get the idea.
My house is beyond preppy. My Living Room has Apple Green walls with a Cornflower Blue and Green Toile for window treatments and a Green silk buffalo check sofa with needle point pillows.
Long answer to a very short question....Yes, I am preppy.
Do you have tips for those of us that can't afford U?
Now, more than ever, there are affordable resources for people who want a designer style without hiring one. I should start by saying, most designer(not all, but most) will work as a consultant. Meaning you would tell the designer up front you are just looking for ideas and they will charge you an hourly fee. This can range anywhere from $ 75.00 to $350 an hour. You can accomplish a great deal in an hour or two with a professional designer. Have them meet you in the space you are wanting to re-do. They will come up with the best lay-out, select sizes of furnishings and suggest fabrics/styles. They can make suggestions where you should be shopping and design the window treatments. This way you can do the room on your schedule and budget.
Another option which is quite new is e-decorating. You hire a designer that you work with electronically. You communicate via e-mail and never actually meet in person. There is a flat fee per room. Usually about $ 350- 500.00. You will send them measurements of your space. 3-4 photos of the space and fill out a questionere. The e-decorator will send you, again electronically, a room layout, paint colors, fabric recommendations, specific furnishings including style numbers and where to purchase them, wallcovering suggestions, and window treatment designs. They can select low, mid, or high price product based on your budget. This option is growing in popularity.
COLLARS UP!
SC
