Friday, Eye Candy

Just a little eye candy, as we venture into the weekend...

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I'm off to touch up paint for the millionth time in my new home office...pictures coming soon :)
Have a lovely weekend all!

Industrial chic...final look

So good news...Now that Leesa and the hubby have their final mood board in hands, I can share it with you...To see the first look again, go here. Like, I said before we kept the original idea for the room...an industrial styled room with rustic wood (fitting in with the style of their older house), a hint of sophistication, since she may bring clients here....but still with a little glamor for Leesa, since she will be spending the most time in their ultimately.  The office is in reality their formal living room. It is a pretty large room. It has hardwood floors, and two giant windows surrounding it. It's actually a pretty perfect, albeit boring right now, space for an office. Here is what we decided on in the end:

Just a note, it was brought to my attention, that if I wanted to charge for my services I probably shouldn't tell it to the world, were every item from a mood board came from. My theory on this is that my client already received her E-design, meaning that I was already compensated for the work and time I put into this mood board, as long as my clients are okay with it (which I make sure before I would post it), I am okay with it too. Besides, these items aren't that hard to find anyways, and everything is ordered before I post it, so that if there is only one of something (something off of Etsy or even Craigslist for locals), we don't have to worry someone else will order it first. Plus, if I use an item from an Etsy seller or small business, I want to give them a shout out, and if I can help give them business, I want to...In the end, I appreciate the advice, so I'm not going to go through each item anymore individually, but just give a general outline of the design...we'll call it cliff notes for Design's By Ashli :)...
We went with a gray wall, mostly to fit into the entrance and family room that are already gray and open to this room...besides you know I love a gray wall :).. Hopefully, this will create a seamless transition room to room. We stuck with the desk from the original plan. We loved it's rusticness (not a word), and it's quite large, which is perfect...found here.  Like I said in the original post, I am obsessed with these chairs, and with a small pillow for back support, they are actually super comfy. Found them here. This is the rug we chose to replace the sisal one...much softer on baby's knees, a great color/pattern, and not a bad price point. Plus you know I love the Moroccan style print. These curtains are great, and we found them pre-made and at a great price, which is great because we needed six panels (we are going to do one of their entire walls, that has a huge window on it, entirely in these panels).  The gold floor vase holds a small piece of my heart, and it adds that little bit of glam/chicness that Leesa wanted, plus its like three feet tall. I struggled with a lighting solution in this room, until my friend Nicole recommended a ceiling fan...hmmm...hadn't really thought about that. But in the end, Leesa and her hubby loved this one Nicole picked out, and let's be honest in Kansas, a ceiling fan can come in handy, especially with all the large windows in this room (in the morning it is like the surface of the sun in there from what I've heard). I loved these bookcases from the original plan, and luckily so did they so they ordered two to flank the smaller window and to hold all the ugly (that hopefully we can hide in the pretty white linen boxes) officey things. Isn't this sunburst clock cool? I knew, they would love it. It's massive at 25", and kind of has a retro vibe, which you know I love. Found here. The most surprising part of this whole process, was definitely when Leesa's husband agreed on this chair. Basically, I sent over three options, one animal print, one simple brown leather wing back chair (I thought for sure that would be the one he would pick), and this one (Found here). We were both in shock when he picked this swoop upholstered floral slipper chair with birds on it..but hey to each their own, and I was thrilled with this choice. I really can't put my finger on this man. In the end it adds a sense of whimsy and a little femininity next to that awesome side table (that by the way, I'm totally going to get for myself too). In the end, all parties are happy, and I'm thrilled with the outcome..Now, lets hope she can send me some after pictures...hint...Leesa...hint....also you should know, it killed me not to do a "put a bird on it" reference, when talking about that chair...I may be growing up people...or maybe not...

Lighting to love...

Let's talk about lighting...

As I chip away at the new office (pictures coming soon) I've been dying for new lighting (we HAVE to replace the boob lighting that exists in that office...that's right I said it...it looks like a boob...I'll give you a second) and while most of the lighting I've been lusting after is out of my price range for this room, I thought I'd still share some of my new favorites...

The Athena Chandelier from Zgallerie...I love the vintage nod and I can only imagine the gorgeousness that is reflected on the walls by this bad boy when it's on. But I really need a flush-mount or at least a semi flush-mount...the hubby's a tall guy, and if we ever decide to move the table in the middle of the room, we don't need him knocking his head on this :(

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The Calais Chandelier, also from Zgallerie...Love the color of course, and it's definitely unique, but not right for my office in any sense. 

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This brown and chrome flush mount chandelier could be really cool, and add a bit of glam, but there's something I don't love about it, and although the price isn't terribly high, I think we can do better...

 

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A brass lotus light...ahh how I dream of you, but alas this one is vintage...From the 60s.. which reads out of my price range most likely, or a wild goose chase to find my own..It's also worth noting, that with vintage lighting, it can be difficult to install, and usually requires some serious finagling, which is a pain....and dangerous. Still pretty to look at though...

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The Sophia Flushmount light from Circa Lighting...I luuurve this light, but once again out of my price range...

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It's a good thing I love shopping...back to the drawing board...Happy Friday everyone!

            

E-Design...how it works...

What a fantastically awesome month April was, like crazy, like if mint chocolate chip ice cream and no bake cookies had a love child, that would be this past month...hmmm..I might be hungry...but seriously I've never been happier, and can't believe how fast things have been moving for me in the design world. Thank you to everyone for your support and for reading because I know this blog is a big part of all of it. I truly appreciate all of you and am sending you virtual hugs everywhere...
Now to answer a very frequently asked question...
Since, I started my small E-design business just a few short weeks ago I've been asked a lot of questions about how the process works, from everyone...including my family, my husband, my in-laws, friends, pets, children, and everyone else pretty much...so I thought I'd explain how this works once and for all..
Basically, an e-design serves as a road map for your new space. In the end, my job is to help you create an inspiration board, so that you can then use it to turn the idea into reality in the space yourself. If you want help with the basic development of the room, but don't want to spend the money on a full design installation service, this is a perfect solution...There are examples of my inspiration boards throughout this post...

I start with a basic consultation, usually through e-mail, asking you questions about your space. An example of the consultation I send:
Basic information (Name, phone number, e-mail address)
Tell me a little bit about yourself and your family...
Do you rent or own?
What room(s) are you interested in using my services for?
What is the budget for this space?
What do you use this space for?
What do you need vs want in this space?
What is your final vision for this space? (How do you see yourself/your family in this room?)
What design style are you most drawn to? (Contemporary, Modern, Traditional, Flea market/Vintage, Mid-century, Industrial)
What colors are you most drawn to? (Warm colors, Cool colors, Neutrals, Bold, Jewel tones)
Where are your favorite places to shop for home purchases?
Are you willing to purchase items online?
Are you willing to paint or do any other D.I.Y. projects yourself if the budget does not permit hiring someone?
Are you willing to allow me to share your new inspiration board for your space on my blog?
What are the measurements of the space?
What is the general description of the space?
What's your social security number?.....ha ha just seeing if your paying attention...
Is there anything specific you want/don't want in this space? (This could be a specific color or piece of furniture they already own). 
At this time, I also ask for pictures of the space as it is now and ask them to send me as many inspiration pictures as they want...(These may be catalog/magazine pictures, or just any pictures they find online that they love.)
After a few back and forth e-mails, I start to get to know the client and what they want, and at this time I create their inspiration board. I usually try to come up with several options (especially if I source a product that could go out of stock or be on back order if they do not order it right away).  After sending the first inspiration board, we decide what we like/don't like and change it, until we get the final product. I also come up with a couple layout options and a personal shopping list for you, so that you know exactly what you need to order/shop for.

Hopefully, this helps clear some things up about E-design and my services. There are of course, many different types out there nowadays, and I hope to get more and more involved as my small business grows.
Any other questions?...While you think about it, I'm off to find some no bake cookies...

Industrial chic...or something like that

I don't know if you guys remember Leesa...you know from a few posts ago...she's the "crazy-awesome" soon to be mommy. Anyways, she needed some help making her home office into a space she'd actually want to work in once baby Charlotte came along. We had a real consultation this time, which was so much fun by the way, and came up with the basic idea for this space...I'm calling this design "industrial chic"...really I just pulled that one out of nowhere, but it's a pretty good description of this design. They wanted something that mixed his love of rustic furniture and her love of chic and glamorous design. I came up with a couple of inspiration boards and today I'm going to show you the one she didn't choose. (I will show the one that her and her hubby did choose after it is safely in their hands.)

 We wanted rustic pieces mixed with some industrial pieces, but with a little glam for her. I'm obsessed with that chair and desk as a pair, and we kept those in the final design plan, along with those great bookshelves and side table. I also loved the sisal rug, and at $80 you can't beat the price for a rug (found here for anyone interested), but, as I feared, sisal's not great on baby's knees, so that one had to go. Also, Leesa's hubby hated the zebra print chair (oh the nerve...:)), so we had to find something else (although I think you'll be surprised to see the one they picked). I also failed to design any type of lighting design, so that needed to be included...oops...We also went with a different curtain choice (something pre-made at a great price).
Stay tuned for the final inspiration board!