M Designs

When clients consider redecorating or working on an entirely new home design, they seldom consider lighting at the beginning of the project.  It is however, something that should be considered early on.

An effective lighting plan will have a dramatic effect on the space, but the lighting also needs to serve different purposes, depending on the room.

There are three basic types of lighting.  A well lit space should include elements of all three types of lighting:

• Task Lighting – used for things such as reading, sewing, or working on the computer
• Ambient or General Lighting – used to illuminate the room.  This can be accomplished with various table and floor lamps, strategically placed to give you adequate light to see and move safely throughout your home.
• Accent Lighting – used to add drama and create interest in a room.  Recessed lighting, wall sconces or track lights are perfect to spot light items such as furniture, paintings or various artwork, and fireplaces.

Gone are the drab, utilitarian lights of old.  Light fixtures themselves have become beautiful pieces of art as well, and can be found in any decorating style whether your taste is traditional, transitional, or contemporary.

Below are a few lighting tips:

• A desk lamp should be about 15” tall, shed light on the work surface and be adjustable.
• A properly hung chandelier should hang about 30” above the tabletop, and be 6” narrower than your table on each side.
• A standard lamp typically illuminates 40 – 50 square feet, so be sure to use several lamps in each room to avoid darks spaces.
• Be sure your fixtures are proportionate in size to your space and furniture.
• A reading lamp should be placed along your shoulder with the bottom of the shade even with our head.

*Photos from Currey & Co.

As a Designer and Decorator, it is very important for us to keep a portfolio of our work….after all, it’s not enough to TELL people what we do, we need to SHOW them.  We don’t photograph every job, however, there are those jobs that stand out, and we want to capture the end result.  The best way for us to do this is to hire a professional photographer, style the space and schedule a photo shoot.

I really love setting up for photo shoots!  It gives us the time on a job to ensure it looks like we envisioned it when we began.  It also gives the client a chance to see their home through our eyes.

What’s involved in a photo shoot?  It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort.  M Designs “styles” the space prior to the shoot.  As you can imagine, people live in their homes and they NEVER look like the photograph on a daily basis.  However, we need to have lots of prep time in advance to prepare the space.  We work with the photographer to style the shot and though I would love to hire a stylist on each shoot, most of the time, we style our own shots.  This includes providing props, which could include fruits, veggies, or food items for a kitchen shot, perhaps dishes and linens for a dining room shot, linens for bedrooms and bathrooms, and pillows and accessories for living areas, and ALWAYS fresh flowers.  We select items that would coordinate with accessories that are already in the space and make that photo come to life!

Once the shopping is finished, we arrive at the client’s home and proceed to “style” the space, putting each accessory in just the perfect place….sometimes moving items many times before the perfect shot can be captured.  This step happens 2-3 days before the shoot so we can take test shots to see what is still missing, or what needs to be edited out.

We work with a professional photographer on each shoot.  We also work with our builder and remodeler clients to style their photo shoots for their photographers as well.  I highly recommend working with a professional for a number of reasons.  First, they are extremely experienced in lighting a shot.   This entails a number of lighting elements, from actual lights, to reflectors, to standing outside a window and shading it while we take a shot.  Secondly, they can instantly tell you which shots will be the best and what will be the best angle to show your work.  We have often moved a piece of furniture 2 inches while they stand at the camera and check the shot for accuracy.  Lastly, our photographer does clean up in Photoshop at the end of the shoot.  This involves removing ceiling fans or plugs that are distracting, adjusting color to match a sample on fabrics, and taking out shadows that we weren’t able to remove in the field.

When you work with a professional team such as we do, it makes our job easier.  Without great photography, you aren’t able to show your work in its best light.  As designers, that is our calling card, and we are only as good as our last photo shoot, so we need to constantly document our latest projects.  Photo shoots are a lot of work, but they are fun, and the end result is always fabulous!

I am excited that we at M Designs will be hosting the next NKBA TX North Plains Chapter Meeting on Wednesday, August 18^th.  The National Kitchen and Bath Association provides industry professionals with networking and educational opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else.

I, along with several of my colleagues, will be presenting “How to Add Finishing Touches to Set Your Kitchen and Bath Projects Apart”.  This presentation will cover the latest trends and offerings of fine finishes, kitchen and bath furnishings, innovative plumbing products, decorative hardware and accessories and lighting, along with tips on using these items to set your projects apart.

The event begins at 5:30 and will be held at M Designs Studio, 1801 Royal Lane, #810, Dallas.  Please click here to register…..you do not need to be a member to attend, but we do need you to pre-register.  We’ll be providing delicious food and drinks, and lots of opportunities to network with others in the industry.  PS – I made my famous M Chicken Salad and we will have cool and refreshing drinks and a fun dessert!!  We look forward to seeing you Wednesday!

One of my favorite fabric sources is The Robert Allen Group.  We specify fabrics from all four brands of their fabric collections:  Beacon Hill, Robert Allen, Robert Allen Contract, and Robert Allen@Home.

Robert Allen designs are always fresh, innovative, stylish and original.  I love how the inspiration for their designs comes from art, history, and nature, to name a few.  Robert Allen products and are of the finest materials and construction found in the industry today.

M Designs has turned to Beacon Hill many times over when asked to create window treatments for our clients.  Beacon Hill’s use of refined materials and opulent color palette enables us, as designers, to provide a luxurious, one-of-a-kind product.

Fabric being woven on the loom

Mr. M will tell you I have a sick sense of humor. No one makes me laugh except my brother, and anyone who falls down and injures themselves ala Americas Funniest Home Videos. I don’t enjoy blood, just people passing out at weddings, falling down steps while on live TV,etc. You get the drift.

So recently, thanks to Paloma over at La Dolce Vita, I was introduced to Uncle Beefy. If you want a great daily dose of dry humor, this is it. I have never laughed so hard. Uncle Beefy, are you my brother? Enjoy blog friends….

As I work with clients designing, remodeling and decorating their homes I get to know a little about them, their families, and their personal style.  No two clients are the same…their likes, dislikes, or their style.  However, I have come across one statement that comes up time and time again, and that is the remark “I just can’t live without…..”, and then they all fill in the blank with their particular item that would make life a little more challenging if they didn’t have it.  I am asked frequently as well, “Denise, what’s the ONE thing you couldn’t live without?”  It is very hard to narrow my “must have” list to just ONE thing, so I’ve come up with my top 10 things, that without them, my life would be a little less sunny.

1.  Shoes – I love all shoes, platform pumps, strappy sandals, patent pumps, boots with fur ……including my wall of shoes in my office.  Prada, Gucci, Louboutin, YSL…LOVE shoes.

2.  My family – without the support of my wonderful husband Scott, and my adorable children Jaxon and Jori, my job wouldn’t be near as rewarding.  I love coming home to share my daily experiences with them.

3.  My faith – as many of you know, without a foundation, those bad days or tragic events could take you under.  I believe my business was built upon my God-given talent and without Him, there isn’t much of a reason to be here.

4.  Color  – though muted, our studio reveals my love for many colors.  I am constantly changing the paint colors in our consultation rooms and vignettes, and am still amazed by the difference a new color can make

5.  Bread – as I have an allergy to peanuts, most chocolates and sweets are off limits to me since they are manufactured in facilities that also process peanuts….so BREAD, here we come.  I love all types from Rye, Rosemary infused, Pumpernickel and Sweet breads.  I have been pretty good lately and only indulge once a week, but be careful if you put a bread basket in front of me…I can’t resist.

6.  My work family – we try to have lunch as a group here in the office each day and it’s so great to have an incredible team to “break bread” with and share our daily lives.  They are positive, supportive, and creative, and I love them all.

7.  Pratesi Sheets – While I switch between my Pratesi and Anichini sheeting, I have been eternally spoiled and can’t go back.  I have even considered taking them on vacation so I can have a better night’s sleep.

8.  My iPad – While I still don’t own an iPhone, I received an iPad for Mothers Day this year and I read daily blogs, download the latest novels, keep my calendar, and read and send e-mail from my iPad.  The convenience for work is priceless.

9.  Lavender – OK – I have gone overboard here, but I just love the smell of fresh lavender.  Car fragrance ma’am?  Lavender.  Bath Oil?  Lavender.  Linen Spray?  Lavender.  Lotion in our office?  Lavender…you get the picture.

10.  Dishes – I have never met a china pattern I didn’t like.  I am embarrassed to say that I own over six sets of china and everyday dishes and still look for more.  I mix and match them and love setting a table…glassware is my second place here and I always have plenty on hand for entertaining.

What is one of the 10 things YOU can’t live without?  Post your comment…we’d love to share with our readers.

Last week my favorite Kravet rep came by to show the new fabrics by Thom Filicia for Kravet.  First let me say, AMAZING price points.  And secondly, what a breath of fresh air.  Take a look…I was instantly inspired for a few projects I am working on and I hope you will be too.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of going back home, near the Texas Hill Country, to attend my cousin Becky’s baby shower. I got to spend time with family, re-style Mom’s bookshelves, rearrange her furniture (always requested by Mom) and enjoy the bounty of my Uncles’ labor.

Only in Texas can you attend a baby shower and then go outside to leave and find a truck filled to the brim with fresh cantaloupe and watermelons brought just for family to share. I have often wondered where my entrepreneurial spirit originated since my parents never ran their own businesses for any length of time. I just thought that the inspiration came from my husband who has operated his own company since he was 21 years old. When I was growing up “in the country”, I saw gardening (which my grandmother loved) as lots of hard work for little reward. Even though I couldn’t wait to get to her house to pick fresh blackberries from her vines, I didn’t have much appreciation for the perfect rows she tilled and the sweet cream peas we had with cornbread in the summer. I couldn’t wait to leave the country behind to find the big city and fewer chores around the farm.

So today, as I sit by my pool in the city, enjoying the fresh watermelon and cantaloupe provided by the best growers in Texas, I am grateful. Grateful for my “country” roots and what is obviously a spirit of entrepreneurialism from my family members….because both of my uncles’ work full time jobs, raise cattle, grow melons, own and manage a country store and still have time to share their bounty with people they love. Thanks Uncle Tom and Uncle Joe….I hope to share the bounty of my creativity with others too…thanks for my AHA moment today.

I have kept a library of tear sheets in our studio offices for over 10 years now.  Many of these notebooks have images from now defunct publications.  From Met Home to Southern Accents, to Domino, this library is a treasure trove for all the designers in my design studio.  My ritual every summer of compiling tear sheets and filing them gives me inspiration for months.  As we embark on a new round of projects, I need fresh inspiration from the past and I hope to get it this week.  What does your tear sheet library look like?

As I mentioned last week, M Designs had the privilege of hosting an open house/house warming party for one of our favorite clients.

We worked with this family on the entire project of creating their dream home, from the architectural drawings to the window treatments.  This amazing home has a courtyard entrance, concrete floors on the interior and a clean, modern style.  It is absolutely beautiful and was such a thrill to see in its entirety, once the family moved into their new home.

M Designs would like to thank our clients so much for allowing us to work with them, and to host this great event for their friends in celebration of their new home.  Below are some photos from the party.