Mar 9, 2010
Michael Habachy
Recent Posts
Guest Blogger, Industry News
Highlights from Armory Week 2010
No comments Posted on Mar 18, 2010 by Patter Hellstrom
Armory Week draws visitors to New York from all over the globe to participate in art fairs and exhibitions. In it’s 12th year, the Armory Show on the Midtown piers expanded to a size comparable with Art Basel / Miami Beach. Last year the Armory Show introduced a second pier for modern art dealers. The 211 contemporary and 74 galleries enjoyed great success as the art market rebounds. Evidence of this year’s success was the sale of an Edvard Munch landscape, which sold to a private collector by Faurschou Gallery from Copenhagen for $6 million. (more…)
Guest Blogger, The Buzz on Antiques
The Buzz: Word of the day-VAISELLIER
5 comments Posted on Mar 15, 2010 by Buzz Kaplan
By Buzz Kaplan, Decorati Contributing Antiques Editor and author of The Buzz on Antiques, and Executive Director of Decorati manufacturer C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.
A client of mine dropped by the other day and said, “Hey Buzz, do you have any of those French cupboards that have plate racks on the top and storage in the bottom?”
And I said, “Of definitely! Those are called um, uh, duh…well…I can’t remember what they’re called!” Yes, I had a senior moment (or in less polite company, a brain fart). Glad she didn’t ask me who the President is. Just kidding, I know it’s Herbert Hoover…. (more…)
Guest Blogger
The Dress Mess: How to Organize Dresses in a Closet
4 comments Posted on Mar 12, 2010 by Lisa AdamsFrom the 19th century to the present, dresses have dramatically changed in variety, shapes and sizes. And with every designer’s collection each season, we are introduced to new patterns, cuts and hemlines for every occasion. While keeping current with fashion can be a challenge in itself, translating the collection of dresses into your closet can often times result in an organizational disaster! Here are a few tips to maintain and organize those beautiful pieces: (more…)
Designer Profile, Profiles
Michael Habachy
1 comment Posted on Mar 9, 2010 by Decorati
Michael Habachy’s seductive, intriguing, monochrome spaces melt with classic style and luxury, inspired from around the globe.
How would you describe your design style?
BOLD, WOW, FUN and Sophisticated.
Is there a classic-a staple-that is always a part of your design…sort of a signature? What is it and what enables it to work in any environment?
I love to create different looks, so I would hate to corner myself into a signature style. Yet, my design techniques and the principles applied are what remain consistent throughout my work. I would say my trademark is to create drama in a space but also to keep it as simple as possible. This requires me to be extremely selective with what I choose for an interior!
Guest Blogger, The Buzz on Antiques
The Buzz: “Just a Giglio”
No comments Posted on Mar 5, 2010 by Buzz Kaplan
By Buzz Kaplan, Decorati Contributing Antiques Editor and author of The Buzz on Antiques, and Executive Director of Decorati manufacturer C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.
Our esoteric antique word for today is “GIGLIO”, a term that most people mistake for “GIGOLO” and therefore mispronounce it “JIG-uh-loh”. But there’s a big difference.
A gigolo is an escort for ladies with too much money and too little companionship. Think Richard Gere in the 1980 film “American Gigolo”: (more…)
Guest Blogger
5 Tips For Handling The Web-Savvy Interior Design Client: Tip 5
3 comments Posted on Mar 4, 2010 by Gail Doby
Interior Design by Faith Sheridan Design Group, Photography by Roger Turk
By Gail Doby, ASID
5. Offer a hybrid service. Some of my very best clients who invest in my expertise and ability to design custom work still have budgets. Respect that, and for areas such as kids rooms or basements, go shopping with them at retail and let them purchase items for those areas. It’s not worth ruining a great relationship. I had this happen recently with a client of thirteen years. We ordered a rug from Nepal that took four months to arrive and was very expensive. The rug was shipped before it was dry, and when it arrived, the smell was terrible. Bottom line, after several cleanings, the rug lost eight inches in length and its original luster. The showroom took it back and I suggested that she order a rug from a catalog for $2,000 because she didn’t want to spend another XX,XXX dollars and wait for another four months. I didn’t want the liability if we had another problem. She ordered the less expensive rug and is thrilled with the savings. We have many more projects to complete for her, and I’d rather keep a happy client. Consumers: if you want custom products, let your designer purchase those items. Why? Because you don’t have the long-time vendor relationships, and you’re only doing one project. In this case, you would not have gotten your money back if you’d purchased this on your own. The designer’s long-term relationships are one of many benefits of working with a seasoned professional. The vendors know the designers will bring thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of business over the lifetime of their relationship.
Gail is co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University and is an Interior Design Business Success Mentor to thousands of interior designers globally. DSU’s Business Mastery Membership and classes include Value Based Fees, Marketing Intensives, and Interior Design Masterminds. Click here to get your complimentary copy of DSU’s Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook and IDEAS newsletter subscription filled with inspiration, business tips and time-saving resources.
Guest Blogger
5 Tips For Handling The Web-Savvy Interior Design Client: Tip 4
No comments Posted on Mar 4, 2010 by Gail Doby
Interior Design by Valentina Interiors & Designs, Photography by Sergio Roncato
By Gail Doby, ASID
4. Offer a design-only fee for clients that want to do their own purchasing. This may not be your preference, but frankly, it is easier. You don’t have the responsibility and liability for all of the problems that we deal with on a regular basis. Some clients try to do what we do and they come back and say it is worth it to have us handle it for a mark-up. Consumers: Designers work by the hour, or by flat fees in some cases. If a designer offers design-only services, their expertise is valuable. A good designer will save you so time and money and will give you a result that is spectacular. If you were confident that you could do this on your own, you wouldn’t need a designer. If you really want to do your own purchasing because you want to save the money for the mark-up, just be aware of the problems you may encounter. You’ll need to find a receiver, handle all purchasing paperwork, request fabric cuttings for approval and make sure the fabric color and texture is right, inform the vendor/showroom how to apply the fabrics and trims, make sure all orders are received by the vendor, information is complete so vendor knows how to construct the item, check color and sheen on finishes, pay all vendors, shipping costs, delivery, damage claims, repairs, wrong fabrics or trims, delays or discontinued products affecting shipping, etc. I won’t let my clients handle draperies because it is way too complex if you don’t deal with it every day. If you don’t mind handling purchasing details, then be honest with your designer and compensate them fairly for their expertise and guidance.
Check back for more tips from Gail!
Gail is co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University and is an Interior Design Business Success Mentor to thousands of interior designers globally. DSU’s Business Mastery Membership and classes include Value Based Fees, Marketing Intensives, and Interior Design Masterminds. Click here to get your complimentary copy of DSU’s Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook and IDEAS newsletter subscription filled with inspiration, business tips and time-saving resources.
Guest Blogger
5 Tips For Handling The Web-Savvy Interior Design Client: Tip 3
4 comments Posted on Mar 3, 2010 by Gail Doby
Interior Design by Jennifer Kesteloot Design, Photography by Alex Johnson
By Gail Doby, ASID
3. Ask questions and educate your clients. We talked about clients finding better prices on the web during one of our mastermind groups, and one member addresses this in the initial interview with his clients. He acknowledges that it is possible to find lower prices for individual items on the Internet, and what he provides is the service to manage the purchasing, delivery, inspection and installation process. Many affluent clients don’t want to do all of the work that is required to handle the endless details and problems. Ask your client if they want you to do the purchasing in the initial interview and you’ll avoid conflicts that could end your client engagement. Consumers: when you meet with your designer, a budget conversation is critical. If you don’t trust your designer enough to discuss what you’re willing to invest in your home, you aren’t ready to hire a designer. Here is what happens – they may bring designs to you that are more than you’re willing to spend. If you don’t have any idea what a project costs, ask them and then decide if that works for you. We’re taught not to discuss money, and that is counterproductive when you are investing money for services and a result.
Check back for more tips from Gail!
Gail is co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University and is an Interior Design Business Success Mentor to thousands of interior designers globally. DSU’s Business Mastery Membership and classes include Value Based Fees, Marketing Intensives, and Interior Design Masterminds. Click here to get your complimentary copy of DSU’s Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook and IDEAS newsletter subscription filled with inspiration, business tips and time-saving resources.
Guest Blogger
5 Tips For Handling The Web-Savvy Interior Design Client: Tip 2
1 comment Posted on Mar 3, 2010 by Gail Doby
Interior Design by Faith Sheridan Design Group, Photography by Roger Turk
By Gail Doby, ASID
2. Create an ideal client profile. Consider the demographic (age, marital status, education, children/no children, etc.), psychographic (values, interests, hobbies, etc.), and technographic (new term for tech-savvy) when establishing this profile. If your client wants to shop online or at retail, decide if you want that type of client. Don’t take this type of client if you do mostly custom work and don’t want the inevitable surprises of furniture arriving that you didn’t select. Consumers: one of the biggest mistakes we see as professionals is the wrong scale, proportion, quality, color, style…I could go on, but if you really want to do your own shopping, be honest with your designer. The mistakes that often happen are expensive. If you don’t mind taking on the liability for mistakes, then discuss that openly with your designer. Please ask your designer to review the selection so they can guide you.
Click here to read Tip 1. Check back for more tips from Gail!
Gail is co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University and is an Interior Design Business Success Mentor to thousands of interior designers globally. DSU’s Business Mastery Membership and classes include Value Based Fees, Marketing Intensives, and Interior Design Masterminds. Click here to get your complimentary copy of DSU’s Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook and IDEAS newsletter subscription filled with inspiration, business tips and time-saving resources.
Guest Blogger
5 Tips For Handling The Web-Savvy Interior Design Client: Tip 1
6 comments Posted on Mar 3, 2010 by Gail Doby
Interior Design by Jeffrey Design, LLC, Photography by Andrew Crefeld
By Gail Doby, ASID
There are many changes happening in the interior design industry these changes are affecting our interior design colleagues. It’s time to face the fact that our industry is forever changed by consumer attitudes and the Internet. We can’t put the genie back in the bottle, so what do we do to address this trend?
1. Accept the change and adapt your business practices. Be transparent with pricing and communication with your clients. Your clients can/will find out, and that immediately destroys relationships. Consumers: Ask your designers how they handle purchasing and mark-ups. Designers work very hard to create a fabulous result for you, and if they do purchasing on your behalf, it is a valuable service that saves you time and expensive mistakes. Most designers take care of problems that you don’t know about and just make it right for you at their expense.
Check back for more tips from Gail!
Gail is co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University and is an Interior Design Business Success Mentor to thousands of interior designers globally. DSU’s Business Mastery Membership and classes include Value Based Fees, Marketing Intensives, and Interior Design Masterminds. Click here to get your complimentary copy of DSU’s Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook and IDEAS newsletter subscription filled with inspiration, business tips and time-saving resources.
Guest Blogger
The Laundry Sanctuary
5 comments Posted on Mar 1, 2010 by Lisa Adams
By Lisa Adams, LA Closet Design
For most of us, doing laundry is an unsightly chore that simply never ends. In addition to the laundry, let’s not forget the countless other tasks at hand during the course of the day. So the last place anyone wants to tidy up is the laundry room itself. In fact, many homeowners tend to hide this room behind closed doors, using it only when necessary.
Whether your laundry room is a tiny closet or a spacious room, organization, layout and the details are key. Use these 10 tips to create a well-designed space, which will help make doing the wash less of a chore. (more…)
Guest Blogger, The Buzz on Antiques
The Buzz: Word of the day-Curule
6 comments Posted on Feb 26, 2010 by Buzz Kaplan
By Buzz Kaplan, Decorati Contributing Antiques Editor and author of The Buzz on Antiques, and Executive Director of Decorati manufacturer C. Mariani Antiques, Restoration & Custom in San Francisco.
By now you know that my favorite antique terms are those designed to confuse, obfuscate, and otherwise drive normal people crazy.
That’s why I like the word “curule” so much. First, it’s weird to pronounce: “Q rule.” Second, it’s defined as “the same thing as a faldstool and the same thing as a ployant.” Well, that’s just great and thanks for nothing. Antiquarians can be a cruel lot. (more…)
Guest Blogger
The Life of Lucite
4 comments Posted on Feb 26, 2010 by Erinn Valencich
Decorati is excited to introduce our newest guest blogger, Erinn Valencich. Erinn Valencich is an interior designer with clients across the country, including a celebrity clientele in Los Angeles. She has been featured in House Beautiful, Home, Redbook, Robb Report as well as regularly hosting shows on HGTV and having made appearances on The View, Extra!, E!, and Access Hollywood sharing her design advice. Click here to visit her blog. Click here to read Erinn’s latest story feature on Decorati Access Blog.
Why is it that one of my favorite materials is one that you’d almost miss in a room, for no other reason than it’s see-through? Dali painted on it, Apple computer has made its Power Mac G4 Cube out of it, women have worn it around their neck in every rainbow-color imaginable as a lesser-priced alternative to Bakelite. (more…)
Well, once again, I learned something new today! Thanks for the background,...
Timeless Comfort: Kathleen Hay