This June I became a Design Excellence Competition winner.
Just recently I’ve been sitting in a room filled with seriously talented interior designers at the annual gala dedicated to the Design Excellence Competition winner ASID, New Jersey. Their projects’ photos were sliding on a widescreen. Each one was better than the next. I felt inspired by the creativity and complexity of the work of my designer friends. Then something familiar showed up on the screen. It was my project! I almost jumped off my seat. I was one of the winners for a residential project for a house of less than 2,500 square feet!
I am humbled and grateful to receive an award for the 2017 Design Excellence Competition! It was a long ride that took almost a year from the design concept to the last picture nail. Together with amazing artisans and contractors, I was able to design and build a family room, including a custom entertainment center, select stone, and beautiful mosaics, all the furnishings, remodel the powder room, select all the colors, lighting, finishes, and accessories. I managed all the deliveries, supervised the installations, designed window treatments, and all the hardware. I stayed within the budget and the time frame.
As a result, the clients live in a comfortable and friendly home they wanted. They say that it reflects their personality and lifestyle exactly.
Client’s words:
“We love sitting in our family room on our comfortable couches, watching the fireplace burn and admiring our beautiful wall unit (which Marina designed and brought to life). The dining room and the powder room are EXACTLY what I was hoping for but would never have a vision. I love, love my home!”
The pictures of BEFORE and AFTER are now submitted for an editorial review of the Design Excellence Competition media so I can’t publish them here yet 🙁 but soon!
Congratulations! I can’t wait to see your work. I’m super curious on finding out more about the daily tasks and working hours of an Interior Designer?
Thank you, Heidie…umm, working hours… That’s a hard question. If it’s a running project, hours can be brutal. It also depends on the deadline and vendors and your relationships with the client and the vendors. An interior designer depends on many people. For example, let’s say I am hired to buy just a chandelier. First, it needs to be approved by a client. I talk to a client, find out her preferences. Then I measure the room, make a list of other lamps (we call them fixtures) in this room. Consider colors of the walls and how they will affect light, consider natural lighting in the room, consider a budget. Then I source different options for a client depending on her other home decor and style. I create presentation boards using different tools, such as Canva and Photoshop. Sometimes I make sketches with a pen or a pencil. Other times, I use a computer software for a sketch. I usually present two or three boards, but sometimes, as many as ten just for a chandelier!
Then after the drawing is approved I contact a couple of vendors (distributors or manufacturers) to order an item. I have to specify the chandelier including a kind of bulbs I want, their color temperature, kind of bulbs (e.g. incandescent or LED). After the order is placed I follow up on the order to make sure that it comes on time. Very often orders are delayed. Then, guess what? I have to reselect if I am under the time frame constraints. Okay, suppose we get the chandelier and all is good. Then I contact a licensed electrician to install it. He is only there to do the job. I have to give him the exact direction about the location of the chandelier in the room, the height, and provide the bulbs. Also, there are many other questions, such as the location of the switch, dimmers kind, price, and brand. I hope this gives you an idea. Just to note, everything has to work together, I am NEVER hired to buy just a chandelier. This example is for simplicity only.