Cool clients in the spotlight this month: The Johnsons and their beautiful Piedmont dream home.  Cory Johnson, editor-at-large for Bloomberg Television, and his painfully-lovely wife Mimi—whom I had the pleasure of teaching with side by side at the fun, hip and wildly popular ballet barre workout spot The Dailey Method in Piedmont (we say Piedmont but truthfully it’s in Oaktown baby)—visioned this Revival Craftsman house from the ground up.

Architect Rob Kelly and builder Jeff Reuvekamp were the talented professionals teamed up to bring the Johnsons’ vision into reality. We at LMB Interiors deeply enjoyed getting to know them and having firsthand experience of exactly how smoothly projects can go when our clients hire skilled individuals who offer such a high level of expertise and work together as an integrated whole.

Here are some images after completion:

Our role in the project was to bring the beauty, via selection of lighting, finishes and paint colors throughout their home. LMBI Senior Designer Andi Yablonski and I worked together with Mimi and Cory to select the materials, hues, and textures that would be most pleasing to them as well as most reflective of who they are and what they wanted to create.

The City of Piedmont awarded the Johnson’s project, “Best Newly Built Home” in the Revival Craftsman category for 2012.

We couldn’t agree more.

Here is a shot of the kitchen during:

And after:

Master bath during:

And after:

Congratulations to Mimi, Cory, Rob, Jeff, and… us for receiving the commendation from the City of Piedmont. Of course, the true winners are Mimi and Cory, who now get to enjoy living in the home of their dream-made-real, every day.

Something I hear over and over from my clients is that one of the unexpected perks of hiring an interior designer is having someone handle the myriad problems that arise as a result of coordinating a disparate team of artisans, delivery companies, and vendors, including painters, builders, installers, etc.

With so many moving parts in this business of interior design, and so many people who can potentially run into or even cause issues, it helps to have a skilled problem-solver at the helm, someone who exerts control over how things get handled and maintains the vision for the unified whole.

My success in this industry has depended on my ability to handle situations that arise, to do so effectively and gracefully with as little impact as possible on my clients. But I could not—and do not—do this alone.

I depend on an amazing team.

Over the years, I have hand-selected a fleet of extraordinary vendors who follow through till the end to provide products and services that make my clients happy. Our vendors—and this is particularly true of the ones being highlighted below—consistently deliver beautiful work in a skillful, professional, and timely manner.

These vendors make me look good.

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Thomas Featherston of Custom Furniture Design creates exquisite one-of-a-kind pieces for many top interior designers and our clients.

He also happens to be the only vendor who makes us a handmade decorative box every year during the holidays; a little gem that any designer—or one of our clients—would love to use for hiding keys on the front hall table.

Just take a look at a few of the pieces he’s made for designers and their clients over the years…

For Penny Shawback

For Nicole Hollis

For Douglas Durkin

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Jerry Kuroda at Queen on Grand Avenue has been sewing our pillows, bench seat cushions and window treatments for years, and he was the generous vendor who donated his services to fabricate the valance and bedding for our Heart of the Home Tour room last year.

Thank you, Jerry, for your years of beautiful work!

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We have mentioned decorative painter (and my birthday twin) Katherine Jacobus in this blog before, but we have to do so again, given that she mind-bogglingly talented, creative, and kind. I dare say she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met.

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Who is on your team? Do you have a list of favorite service providers who make your life easier? Who are the vendors who help you to shine in your work world? Please feel free to give a shout out to your beloveds in the comments field, below.

Puritan that she was however, my mother would have been horrified that I was exposing my children to the Castro community’s culture. While the highlight of my experience was seeing the Nanny kiss the Captain, my son and his friend would definitely tell you that seeing the naked guy on the street outside the theater (twice!) was the highlight of their experience.

I delight in knowing that my kids have parents who teach them to embrace all lifestyles and cultures—which is very contrary to my own upbringing.

This holiday season has been a growth-promoting mix of keeping the interior design machine running smoothly and staying committed to my investment in my own personal happiness. While happiness is a quality that naturally comes from self-actualization, there are certain objects and items—touchstones—that also inspire and increase happiness, just by being in my environment, or my being in theirs; “things” that remind me to slow down and enjoy the blessed life I am living.

Taking a tip from Julie Andrews, here are a few of my own Favorite Things:

Flowers: Peonies—pink, or white with just a little pink around the edges

Coffee: Cole Coffee‘s Fair Trade Sumatra

Tea: Teance’s Jasmine Green, in the afternoon

Lamps: Christopher Spitzmiller

Soap: Savon de Marseille

Artist: Famous—Rothko

Artist: Famous someday—Tracey Kessler

Paint Color Staple: Benjamin Moore Pashmina from the Aura Collection (kitchen by Martha Stewart)

Favorite Design Trick: Wallpaper for the master bedroom anchor wall

Healthy Breakfast: Green Smoothie (email me for the recipe!)

Decadent Breakfast: La Farine‘s morning bun and poached eggs

Fireplace Wood: Birch logs for decorating, Recycled-waxed-cardboard logs for burning

Mattress: McRoskey

Fabric Line: Quadrille China Seas (contact me to view the collection)

Towels: Restoration Hardware

Ice Cream: Coffee anything

Activity: Morning alone time to meditate, journal and process, or a long hike in the hills by my house

Blog: Danielle LaPorte’s White Hot Truth

I’d love to hear what your favorite things are too! Please post your comments below.

(And congratulations to Sharon Wright, our winner of two hours of design time—for sharing what she is grateful for in my Thanksgiving blog post. Thank you, Sharon, and everyone who posted; it was a delight to read your responses.)

On my long list of gratitude is the community that has supported and encouraged the growth of my business through sharing my name with their friends and family, after all word of mouth referrals is by far the highest compliment I can think of. This year to show my appreciation to you- anyone who responds to the question “what are you grateful for?” on my blog will be entered into a drawing to win two hours of interior design services and the winner will be announced in my next post.

Idea #1: Create Deeper Emotional Connections With Your Guests (brought to you via the creators of Inner Mean Girl Reform School -Amy Ahlers and Christine Arylo) This sure fire way to help you feel closer more quickly can be used with perfect strangers or long time friends and it goes like this… If you really knew me you would know…and then you finish the sentence. So here is my share…. If you really knew me you would know that I am petrified of public speaking but want to be a public speaker.

Idea #2: A Simple Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece. My good friend Evelyn reminded me of this just the other day and I thought you could use it too. Lemon tree branches baring fruit are colorful, fresh and readily available at your local flower market or dare I say your neighbor’s yard (just be sure to ask before pruning).

Photo Credit: Scott Hargis

When our homes reflect who we really are, we create a path to the social and emotional connections we all long for.

For most of us that means designing interiors with a combination of several key qualities in mind—warm, inviting, relaxed, classic, and elegant. The exact feeling and tone is unique to each individual, but in general, at the core of each of us is a kind and loving heart, which we intuitively seek to have reflected in the spaces we inhabit.

A “perfectly” designed home is one that allows our guests—and us—to feel “at home;” to be who we truly are. However, sometimes people are so committed to the idea of creating the perfect home that they wait until it is “finished” before they are willing to invite people in.

I’ll tell you the truth: This was my story.

Before I became a professional interior designer, my house was always the place to be on the weekends or for an impromptu mid-week gathering, especially over a meal. I love community, fun, and cooking with family and friends. I especially enjoy the kind of connection that can only happen in a home, away from the distractions of public life.

Suddenly, when designing interiors became my profession, I found myself not inviting friends into my home as much, or at all. Now, I needed it to be perfect. This choice stifled my spirit beyond measure. My inner chef and social girl missed the fun of cooking and playing with friends in the atmosphere of my home, all because I chose to let my inner critic run the show.

The truth is our home interiors—like our spirits—are always evolving. As we grow and change, our expectations and tastes do as well, which means our homes may never be perfect. We’ll always be evolving ahead of what is around us, developing new desires, and seeking to fulfill our visions. So, if we wait for perfection, we’ll never feel satisfied or happy. It’s actually impossible.

My invitation to you is this: If you don’t have the resources or time to do everything right this red hot minute, just do what you can—and I can help. We can set up a design consult and develop a plan of action with incremental, do-able action steps.

And consider this possibility: No one is looking as closely or judgmentally at the details as you think—and if they are, that says more about their fears of their own imperfections. Having compassion towards others and ourselves for perfectionist fears is the best prescription I know of; showing up, being vulnerable and authentic, gives others permission to do the same.

Last year, at the holidays, I finally decided to hang up my perfection hat and throw a small party. It was liberating. Our home was energized by the company of friends, old and new.

Busting my inner perfectionist has been one of the more inspiring transitions I have made in my life. My landscaping still screams 70s stark and our windows still need replacing, but there is plenty of beauty to be enjoyed. At the heart of our home is a sincere commitment to be the hub of social connection and joyful experience.

I invite you to practice acceptance of your home right now: Fluff the sofa pillows (if they are poly-filled, let me help you replace them some down-feathered ones for comfort) and put out some flowers; ask people over and make a pot of soup!

And here’s the real secret: Letting go of perfectionism will enable your home to come together more easily and without as much effort. An appreciation for authenticity gives us the motivation and energy to pursue creating environments that are welcoming and orderly, at every stage in their—and our—evolution.

Me, in my perfect enough entry way.

The overall goal was to replace a formulaic, corporate entity with something fresh, new, and real—an inviting space that locals would immediately recognize as part of their neighborhood. This location is just the beginning for the restaurant chain. We are looking forward to continuing our role in implementing this new ethos in all of its locations. We love the approach the owners are taking and are delighted to be a part of the creative team.

A few After/Before images are posted below. (Photo credits:  Goodeye Photography + Design)

Check out the rest of Goodeye’s Chris Schmauch’s mad-fabulous photos of the project here: Italian Restaurant Chain Remodel.

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

I came to realize that my happiness is paramount to creating the joy and love I want, not only in my own home, but also in the homes of my clients—because if I am not feeling grounded and connected to myself, I can’t offer those qualities to anyone else. Not to my kids, not to my friends, not to my clients.

I found that changing just a few patterns allowed me to show up in my life feeling more connected to myself and has made it easier for me to help others reach for that experience in their own homes.

How I did it: I claimed an area in my home to sit quietly and have a little morning “me” time. Below is an area in a client’s home that is the perfect spot for getting quiet and grounded.

No one ever could have convinced me that I would find the time to actually be alone and quiet in the morning, but I can tell you that by accepting the invitation that my newly-designed “me” corner offers, the space for taking time has opened up. Even more surprising, all of a sudden I found myself skipping my ritual glass of wine every night, waking earlier in the morning, and starting my day with a ritual green smoothie instead.

Is there a space in your home that is just for you?

Can you rearrange your furniture to place a chair and little side table in the corner of your bedroom? Is there a rarely-used part of the house that you could claim as your own special place to be alone with yourself for 15 minutes (or 30?!?!) in the morning before the house wakes up?

What rituals do you have in place to help you to feel more connected to yourself?

I’d love to hear your replies!

We designed this room for the Piedmont Heart of the Home Tour this year.

Maybe you saw it and wondered if the items within it were available to purchase for your own home.

Well, guess what, they are! Buy this custom set of queen-size valance with drapery side panels for your master suite or guest bedroom and experience an instant and luxurious room transformation. The mirrors are also for sale and awaiting the perfect home. Please contact us if you are interested in making a purchase.

Most homes constructed up until about the last decade or so have some kind of formal living room. Granted, it can be nice to have a separate space for entertaining but this room could also be a room you use!

If your guests, your family, and even you are petrified to set foot in your living room because it is over-designed and full of precious objects that can’t be touched, no one is going to be able to relax and want to spend time there. In fact, having a living room that is anything-but can create a lifeless and unfriendly feeling in the home. The right design, employing a balance of beauty and function in your furniture and décor, can make your formal living room an environment that draws people in and makes them feel welcome, adding to the overall enjoyment of your home.

Who doesn’t love a good before-and-after comparison? This is one of our favorites! We love the remarkable transformation.

We have the fondest memories of working closely with our client on the renovations as we polished this gem of a home into the stately presence it is today. We think the whole house now reflects his warmth and grace–and creates a welcoming and comfortable place for his family and friends.

The “Before” picture (below) shows our client’s dining room as it looked when the house was inhabited by the previous owners.