construction which he’s done in the past. We’re an entrepreneurial family. We’ve really tried to share the highs and lows of what that means to our kids. That it’s not all glory, there’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.” “My husband and I do very different things within the company and our middle son is gravitating more toward architecture and construction and less on interior design. Whereas our youngest really wants to be a designer, loves furniture and lighting.”
New construction design/build/interiors by Vanillawood
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understand why their FF&E package costs what it does. It also informs us as to where we are specifying for each project. We try to empower our clients to be in the driver’s seat of how they want to spend their hard earned money.” RI: Speaking of budget, for large areas, bound broadloom has become en vogue. When the budget is tight, does that bridge the gap for you? “We have that conversation early on with the client. Are you a custom rug kind of family or client? We typically put a custom rug price in our budgets. After having done this a long time, we really understand the value of investing in a good quality rug.” RI: When it comes to rug materials, do you prefer wool and silk, or do you like performance fibers like acrylic? Does it matter to you? “Some of our clients are very specific that they want something that is high performance and very forgiving for accidents because they have kids and animals. There’s concern it won’t hold up.” RI: Sometimes people don’t realize how cleanable wool is. “We always want to introduce natural
materials wherever possible. But again, as designers, we are stewards of our clients’ wishes. We’re not here to just tell them what to do. We’re here to listen and intuit, and help their dream become a reality, push them out of their comfort zone, introduce them to things that they hadn’t thought of or even knew existed. But at the end of the day, it’s their space and we are here to tell their story through their home.” RI: Utilizing bold art to bring color into space is one of your signatures, which I love. Do you usually incorporate art that clients already own, or do you get to know them and then introduce them to artists? “Mostly, we are sourcing artwork for our clients. Art brings personality, texture and character to spaces and helps to make a room feel finished. Art can really help to define a space. And collaborating with artists on original pieces is very special.” RI: A lot of your spaces seem designed to showcase art as a focal point. “Artwork is always a great way to not only showcase your personality but also your sense of humor. Our spaces shouldn’t be taking themselves too seriously, you know? I mean life is serious. Can your home have a little fun?”
RI: That’s so cool. Could you envision a time when either of them are an active part of your practice? “Absolutely. It would be an amazing legacy to pass on, but only if they passionately want it for themselves. Like most parents, we just want our kids to be happy, whatever that means.” RI: What are the advantages of a design build firm? “What we really love about it is that our clients are dealing with one team from the very inception of a project to the very end. It’s one creative vision all working toward the same goal. And for our team, to be able to touch all points of a project is incredibly creatively fulfilling.” RI: You work on very high dollar projects. How do you suggest clients budget for the interior phase? “When we’re approaching an interior design furniture package, we put together a very comprehensive budget line item by room, by category, because a lot of times our job is to really educate clients on what things actually cost.” “That way they can really see and
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