Lectures are crapshoots. You never really know how they’re going to be. Even if the featured speaker is super famous – sometimes especially if he’s super famous – he could…
- decide to talk about himself rather than the promised topic, or
- he could be an uncharming egomaniac (I like the charming kind), or
- he only works with budgets over $10 million. Not a lot of useful tips in there.
Reminds me of a lecture I went to last year. The guy did have great hair, though.
Anyway, yesterday’s panel discussion at the Washington Design Center was EXCELLENT.
Stephen Drucker was the moderator, and what a resume he has. He invented The New York Times Styles section, for crying out loud, and was editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Living and The NYT Home section. He’s been at the helm of House Beautiful for 4 years now and has made the magazine fresh and relevant.
He’s funny. And it turns out that Celerie Kemble is funny, too. (And gorgeous – look for her in your most recent J. Crew catalog.)
And Jamie Drake, well, we KNEW he was funny.
Much funnier than his profile picture, which is really elegant.
So Stephen Drucker started by saying how much the design world has changed in the past four years. There are design blogs now, for one thing…antique stores are disappearing…people aren’t collecting as much as they used to…and perfection in decorating is generally considered a bad thing, especially among the young.
All true. All kind of sad. Except for the blog thing.
There was a good deal of talk about the business of design, which is SUPER important for me and the other designers in the audience. Who was everyone.
One thing Celerie said really stuck with me – and remember, she’s witty and smart and talented. I’m paraphrasing, but she’ll say to a client:
“My goal is for you to have a beautiful home for me to photograph, for you to be proud of and share with your friends – that’s how my business grows.”
I’m not kidding: with this pronouncement I made a major decision about bossy color. No more piecemeal projects.
Still YES to bossy basics, those one-time orgies of information and advice. I love those, and I love helping people just starting out, and people who are stuck, and people who are overwhelmed by a new space. They’re extremely gratifying. I hope I’ll always have time for those.
But when someone calls me and tells me they need new sofa and asks if I can help, and oh by the way I need something on the kitchen window…well, sure: I could. But it will be more cost-effective for me to come and tell you what to buy yourself (in a bossy basic). I may get you a deal, but how much did you pay for my time?
You see the problem.
And then from my point of view, I haven’t created any cohesive design statement. For you or for me. I haven’t changed your life; I’ve just given you one beautiful place to sit.
My clients right now are a perfect example of how my practice should be all the time. We’re working our way through their entire houses, room by room. I know and love them. They know and hopefully love me. They’re all interesting and funny.
This didn’t happen overnight, though, which is why the timing of Celerie’s pronouncement is perfect. 6 years ago, I was delighted to help anyone with anything. But you know what? I charged less. A lot less. It made sense for everyone.
So when the next big project ends, I’m waiting for the next big project. It will come.
This is a really text heavy post. Sorry. Here’s a picture of one of Celerie’s projects to revive you:
Ok. Back to the panel discussion and things you might find interesting.
On “value.” I loved it when Stephen and Jamie were talking about “value.” One of them said, “I have to tell clients that sometimes the best value is the most expensive.” It got a big laugh, but that can be true.
On splurging. What will Celerie and Jamie’s clients splurge on? Anything unique. Quality. Custom. Rugs. Mid-century modern. Antique light fixtures.
On bath fixtures: Brass is coming back. Unlacquered, though – it has to be able to acquire a patina.
On bedrooms: Custom headboards are way, way in. (Whew: I’m working on 2 right now.)
On windows: Simple still reigns, but box valences are ok.
On trends in 2010: Anything artisan, showing craftsmanship, custom-made for a client. And anything “green,” LEED-certified.
Finally, you have to love this comment from Jamie Drake:
“You hire me because you want something special, not because you want something nice.”
Words to live by.
Photographs of the designers came from totally legitimate sources, I promise. The marine blue hallway and cream sofa pictures are Celerie’s; the blue room at the end was designed by Jamie. The dining room is all bossy.
