Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

My restaurant project, The Painted Burro, will open this week. Last night, I went to its first Friends & Family night--a time for the restaurant to test its menu and the staff prior to officially opening. I had butterflies all day--so excited for my family to see the project I've been working on and talking about for months. Usually, my audience when a project unveils is a residential client--typically the woman of the house. So to experience a more public unveiling is very different. I thought I'd dedicate this post to the power of social media which catalyzed this project for me. Later in the week, I'll discuss how the design of this restaurant unfolded to illustrate how important collaboration between designer and client is to the success of a project.

Last July, I had the heavenly experience of spending three weeks in Italy to celebrate my sister's big birthday. I came home to face two things: first, the post-vacation blues, and second, my limited mobility because I had broken my foot in Florence (fifth metatarsal). By the way, if you have to breakMe in Riomaggiore your foot, do it on a vacation like this. First of all, it cost only about $100 for all the medical care I received! This included 1) a visit to the Emergency Room; 2) two sets of x-rays; 3) a cast; 4) an injection; and 5) a follow-up visit with the hospital's attending orthopedist. Secondly, all the indoor sites we wanted to visit were handicap-accessible. The Roman Forum and Colosseum were tricky, and hiking in the Cinque Terre was impossible, but otherwise, between taxicabs, piggy-back rides from my sister's friend, Chris, and patience from my travel companions, I was able to stick to our itinerary.

Once I got home, I was feeling miserable. It was summer, the time of year I live for, and I was stuck inside. I was in a cast and on crutches and couldn't do the beach or any of the outdoor activities I love. What I did do was sit at my computer all day long and do what normally I had no time to do: work on marketing Laurie Gorelick Interiors. I started with revamping my web site and committing to start this blog. And then I delved 100% into social media. I posted to my Facebook page and started tweeting. Let me just say that up until this point, I'd be damned if I was going to tweet. All my associations with Twitter were Ashton Kutcher-esque. But if I hadn't started tweeting, I would not have gotten this project. So, to all you twitter naysayers, I say: Fools!

While in my cast, I saw a tweet from a business columnist for the Boston Globe looking to interview small business owners about how the recession was affecting their businesses. I tweeted back that I was interested. Because of those tweets, I was featured in a front-page article on August 15, 2011. In the article, I said how I was considering offering my services for free to restaurateurs and retailers opening new stores as a way to further showcase my work. From the article, I received two responses: one from a web designer wanting to re-do my website, and the other from Joe, my future client. Here's what he wrote:

Hello Laurie, My name is Joe Cassinelli and I am the chef/owner of Posto in Somerville. First, congratulations on the Boston Globe article! I know how much press can help. Second, I am just starting the design process for a new restaurant concept in Davis Square, Somerville and was considering reaching out to a few friends I know that do interior design for some help with the new space. When I saw your statement about working with commercial spaces as a way to promote your business I thought I would reach out and see if you have any interest in helping me with some design elements. I am working on a Mexican/Oaxacan space and didn't know if you would be comfortable with that genre . . . On a side note, the restaurant will have full press coverage . . . You can google Posto and see the kind of coverage I have been getting. If this is any interest to you please feel free to contact me!

And this is what I wrote back:
Joe,
This is destiny!  I just looked at your site, and more important than the design of your new venture, I MUST eat at Posto!  I spent three weeks in July in Italy, one of which was exclusively in Tuscany . . . There, I lapped up the food, culture and wine.  I'm now hooked on Brunello, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and anything sangiovese . . . I'd be delighted to help you with your new venture. When can we meet?

As they say, the rest is history. I did not meet with Joe face-to-face until the property was his, which was some time around the end of October. I went to that meeting loaded with an idea file of images that reflected my interpretation of the design he envisioned. Something must have clicked, because by the end of the meeting Joe asked me to come up with a project fee. You may think, Stupid!, but I declined. A deal is a deal. There's more for me in store, I believe.

Part Two: L.A. Shopping

My second stop on my retail tour of L.A. home furnishings stores was H.D. Buttercup. (Wednesday, I wrote about visiting Grace Home Furnishings on my recent trip to L.A. for the Design Bloggers Conference.) I had read about H.D. Buttercup when it had originally opened in 2005. The concept was novel: a "design center" where consumers could buy brands previously offered only through trade showrooms. Another attraction: the location was a historic commercial bakery building from the 1930's. And the final factor that made this store a must-see was that it was created by Evan Cole whose family created ABC Carpet & Home, a store that I witnessed morph from a no-frills carpet merchant to a home furnishings phenomenon during the almost 15 years that I lived in New York City. If H.D. Buttercup was anything like ABC Carpet & Home, I had to see it.

I have to say that the store did not exactly meet my expectations. Perhaps because I'm a designer and familiar with design centers and their offerings. Some interesting brands are featured at H.D. Buttercup. Cisco Brothers, a California-based line of upholstery and case-goods was on display up front. I've known about Cisco Brothers for a while. Their furniture is well constructed of natural and sustainable materials. I flipped for their kantha cloth upholstery. I love Kantha cloth quilts and their simple embroidery. Seeing settees, chairs and ottomans upholstered in Kantha cloth set my heart racing. I immediately texted pictures to Sarah, my oldest daughter, with the phrase,"for your apartment when you have your own" (she now shares a one-bedroom in New York City with her best friend from college).

      

                                        Kantha Cloth Chair (left) and ottoman (right) by Cisco Brothers

Other brands at H.D. Buttercup included furniture by Lillian August, Andrew Martin, and Timothy Oulton; Stark Carpet; vintage goods from Style de Vie; Sferra linens and mattresses by E.S. Kluft and Co. Lillian August runs the gamut from very traditional to transitional, and H.D. Buttercup's offerings  aligned with a transitional L.A. feel. Andrew Martin's furnishings seemed targeted to men: lots of upholstery in leather, greys and blacks. I was really surprised by the lack of color in so many of the displays and wondered if this was deliberate--to keep things neutral as a way to showcase the furniture forms rather than the fabrics.

Trends were very evident. Union Jacks on everything from pillows to framed posters to upholstery. Steamer trunk tables stacked to the ceiling . . . literally. Riveted metal furniture which I kinda liked for the novelty.

      

               Union Jack Ottoman                                Steamer Trunk Tables                                      Riveted Credenza

My favorite displays were at Style de Vie. This vintage 1960's lamp caught my eye, and I easily would have bought it if I lived locally.

I also loved these chairs: the color, the material. If only I had the right project.

If the store lacked some of the panache I had expected to see, one thing I saw there didn't. Guess who happened to be in town for the Oscars?

                                        

                                                                me (left), Nate Berkus (right)

Welcome to L.A.

Because I was going to Los Angeles for the Design Bloggers Conference starting on Sunday evening, February 26th, I decided to make a long weekend of it. One of my dearest cousins lives in L.A. We grew up together; my mother and her mother were like sisters. I always love to visit her and "play" in L.A. ("Play" in OUR language means shop.) Before I became a designer, that meant visiting my favorite fashion store, Fred Segal. Now that I'm a designer, it means visiting home furnishings stores that are novel for me as someone from the Northeast. Today, I'm featuring my visit to Grace Home Furnishings in Brentwood. (By the way, as part of my blog, I often hope to feature other stores that I frequent or happen upon.)

Perhaps you've seen Grace Home Furnishings' advertisements in shelter magazines. They prominently feature the store's mascot, Gracie, a beautiful chocolate brown Labrador retriever. Gracie posed for me:

                                             

The store brands itself as a mix of "East Coast refinement and Old Hollywood glamour with the comfort and ease of Southern California living." Michael Ostrow, a co-founder with Roger Stoker, told me that they have also been credited with reinvigorating the color turquoise. So much so that they had hoped to change their window display before hosting a reception for the Design Bloggers Conference. I didn't mind. What I love about the store is how important color is to their style, a passion I share with them.

It was great to see a lot of orchid--a color I blogged about several weeks ago. It was present in upholstery, lamp shades and carpets. I love how orchid mixes with neutrals, and the store's displays showcased that beautifully. Here is a beautiful orchid headboard mixed with browns and whites:

                   

                           Above: "Channing Bed" available  on Grace Home Furnishings newly-launched online shop

   

         Mercury Glass Lamp with Orchid Shade                                     Another Fave--Ikat--in Orchid Colorway.  

     

Accessories are abundant at Grace Home Furnishings, and many caught my eye. I loved this ceramic garden seat that looked like Wedgwood Jasperware--so formal and elegant but I can so see it in a casual California interior. (I think that the East Coast version of casual and the West Coast version are completely different. What is considered casual--appropriate for a family room on the West Coast--would be formal for a living room on the East Coast after what I saw at Grace Home Furnishings).

I also loved this lamp shade for a floor lamp. It looks like something from the Victorian Era but is so completely 21st Century in its colors, pattern and beading.

This foo dog lamp is great: it's sculptural in form but adds texture and pattern with the cream and brown shade.

Poufs are the "go-to" accessory these days and this one does not disappoint. It adds texture to the form in a flirty fun way.

                              

My favorite accessory of all were these illuminated bombe urn lamps. So fabulous for a console or buffet! I wish they would come in other colors (hint, hint).

Newly introduced is the Grace Home Furnishings Online Shop where you can purchase some of their classic pieces, including upholstery, case goods and accessories. (I didn't feature their famous case goods here on the blog but you must take a look. They're very Hollywood Regency.) One wonderful feature of Grace Home's custom pieces is that they're all made in the U.S.--in California in fact--so you know that quality control is tightly monitored.

Design Bloggers Conference 2012

In addition to recovering from jet lag, it's taken me a little while to come down off the high I got from being at the Design Bloggers Conference in Los Angeles earlier this week. What an experience it was toOscar at Pre-Oscar Party given by Fuse Lighting for Design Bloggers Conference Attendees mingle with fellow designers and bloggers, experience the L.A. design scene, and learn from some of the best in the field. Before I was a designer, I was an attorney practicing employee benefits law in New York City. As an attorney, going to a conference was an opportunity to get out of the office for a little "breather." But often the content was lacking and I found that it wasn't worth the extra hours I had to put in to make up for being out of the office. I can't say that about attending this conference.

For me, the high point of the conference was hearing Bunny Williams speak on Day Two. In the early 1990s, when I would read and devour design magazines cover-to-cover, Bunny's designs only made me want to become a designer even more. I love her classic and timeless approach to design. If anyone has the "Navy Blazer" approach to decorating (see my January 24, 2012 blog post), it's Bunny. I hung onto every word she spoke at the conference, and at the end of her presentation, was first on my feet to give her a standing ovation. Below are some of my favorite lines from her talk:

"There are no formulas [for a design]. Try not to be repetitive."

"Decorating is not a fashion statement you throw out in two years."Bunny Williams design for Long Island home

"Make rooms you can really use."

"Everything in design is recycled. Take something and make it your own."

"When you have things that you love, you can make them work in different situations."

"What is important in design: SCALE, SCALE, SCALE!"

"I like rooms to feel like you can change something if you have to."

And my favorite line that Bunny said: "I am not a brand. I'm just me."

I share so many of her sentiments and approaches to design. I only wish that I can bring the same level of comfort to my designs as Bunny so masterfully does to hers.

                                    

                                                           Bunny Williams (left), me (right)

Westward Ho!

This weekend I head west to attend the Design Bloggers Conference in Los Angeles. I'm super excited to share the experience with other interior designers and media professionals who I've met in person at networking events and to connect "IRL" (in real life) with other interior designers and bloggers who I've met on Twitter, Pinterest and the "blogosphere." Social media has fostered comraderie in ways that could hardly have been imagined before technology made these connections so easy. Besides the networking opportunities, hearing design idols like Bunny Williams and editorial greats such as Kristine Kennedy, Stacy Kunstel and Jason Oliver Nixon will be inspiring.

I'm also looking forward to getting my L.A. fix. As an East Coast gal, never living more than 200 miles either north or south of the Big Apple, having a taste of SoCal culture is always a treat. High on the agenda, naturally, is visiting some prime retail venues: namely, Grace Home Furnishings, an adorable home furnishings store in Brentwood Village; H.D. Buttercup, an amalgamam of home furnishing vendors in a historic commercial bakery building; and Kelly Wearstler's flagship retail store in West Hollywood. Kelly, who re-invigorated Hollywood Regency style in interiors, has launched a clothing line and this is her first storefront.

As a novice blogger, I expect this trip to inspire plenty of material. Stay tuned for the rewards.