Chicago, The Windy City part 2

A little Chicago trivia......Chicago is known as The Windy City which we attribute this to the wind off the lake, however it was really nicknamed this due to the politicians and city boosters who were thought to be full of hot air.  Chicago wanted to host the World's Fair and kept sending their politicians to win this prize which they finally did and gained their nick name.

When visiting Chicago, as with many large and great cities, there are so many things to do and& experience one cannot ever do it all in one short weekend.  I did have the opportunity of experiencing the 'Magnificent Mile' and its fabulous retailers.  Enjoyed a nice authentic Italian lunch and did make a few purchases.

Of course I had to see the Crate & Barrel store which was several levels of fantastic products reached by ongoing escalators.

Love this table of wood and glass from C & B






















I found myself mesmerized by the beautiful architecture which I posted in an earlier blog. So fantastic, especially considering Chicago was considered to be a lost city after the great fire of 1871.  The people of Chicago decided they would rebuild and once again be a great city.
A few famous buildings below....many more in my first post

No self respecting decorator could visit this city without a stop at a home decor store, so I dropped into Room and Board and enjoyed their lovely room displays





















































Macy's on the Mag Mile is many floors and of course a lot of escalators
I seem to be hung up on taking photos of escalators??

 During my short weekend visit,  I was able to take an Architectural River Cruise which was incredible to see the many buildings along both rivers. 

    A few views from the boat....

We had to visit the famous Navy Pier, however did not take a ride on the Ferris wheel.  Maybe next time.  While in this area I saw the most fantastic collection of stained glass.  Something worth seeing.  Lunch was at the "Bubba Gump Shrimp Co." so named from the Forest Gump movie.  The shrimp was indeed great!!

Our hotel was right across from the River Walk, and the skinniest
building in Chicago, also within the downtown area known as the Loop
and has several of the "L" subway lines running through it.  Also it is
known to have the 2nd oldest Macy's store in the world,
after New York.  We enjoyed shopping in this area and all of the
beautiful architecture.

Even the subway entrance has character

A view of the elevated "L" subway

GTA West Chapter of CDECA hosts their first Professional Development Day

A week ago our chapter hosted a fabulous Professional Development Day for members dealing with the subject of "Project Management for the Interior Decorating Profession"

Andrew R. Thomas, PMP, is a Project Management Consultant for companies such as Hatch Engineering, Barrick Gold, and teaches the George Washington University Project Management curriculum for numerous corporate clients.  Andrewwho  lives in the GTA west and understands the local market and how important P.M. is to the decorating profession.  He spoke to us for an hour at the Toronto PD day and returned to offer us an in-depth, hands-on 4 hour workshop, geared towards an actual decorating project.

Running from job to job, and working 18 hours a day, but still feel like you are constantly trying to catch up with your work load?  Well if that is the case, you need Project Management skills and we certainly were given many great tools to manage our businesses.

This workshop dealt with practices that are known to lead to project success. These practices include: assembling the right team, having clearly articulated goals and objectives, effectively engaging the client, understanding who all the stakeholders are and what motivates them…these are just a few of the key topics that will be examined.

 Andy broke us down into small groups and challenged us to work through a typical Decorating Project, and assisted us to learn the project management tools and techniques which in turn makes us more efficient as decorators and designers, thus increasing profitability, and client satisfaction.

Chicago, The Windy City...... Architecture

I finally made it to Chicago.  I have wanted to visit it for a while and see the architecture it is famous for.  Many famous architects came to the city after the Chicago Fire and took advantage of the opportunity to design and construct some of the most renowned buildings in the world. The legacy of their work has influenced architecture throughout the world..  One famous architect we all know is of course Frank Lloyd Wright who has conceived many many buildings throughout his career, with a number of them in Chicago.

Chicago is the location of the nation's first skyscraper, the 10 story, steel framed Home Insurance Building, built in 1884 and demolished in 1931.  Below are some of the different architectural styles found throughout the city.

 

 

  

Lynn Spence at Wicker Emporium

I recently was invited to, and attended an event hosted by Wicker Emporium, at their Heartland location in Mississauga, called “Inside Out:, bringing the indoors out with Wicker Emporium".  The guest speaker was the delightful and humorous Lynn Spence, seen regularly on Cityline.  Lynn presented several tablescapes capturing an elegance in the dining and entertaining experience.

Being that Mother Nature is trying her best to bring about spring and summer I wanted to see what Lynn would do at this event and I really wanted to meet and talk with her.  She is just like on TV and so gracious and so talented.  

Wicker Emporium has several locations and fantastic products and pricing.  I have shopped there for myself and for clients and an thrilled with everything that has been purchased. Wicker Emporium is a family owned business which originated in Halifax and has moved west and will continue to grow.  I have met the owners and they really do care about product and customer satisfaction.   If you are reading this and have not visited a Wicker Emporium showroom, you must!!  They carry many pieces, not all wicker and have exotic woods like teak, acacia and rosewood to name a few.   They have everything, including some wicker and a fairly large selection of ready made drapes, cushions, throws, lamps, area rugs, accessories and the list goes on and on....

I am incredibly supportive of this company and write a monthly post on their recently created Blog -  check it out.

Lynn created several tablescapes to create different moods as seen below and then some indoor vignettes as well.  There were three dining table settings and one game table set up.  Which is your favourite??

I

The table setting below was my favourite, however I would be 
happy with any of them.  Using the aqua accents gives it a 
'beachy, hamptons' look, using a teak table and a mixture of 
chairs and a bench

The second tablescape was a little more casual, perhaps a nice
brunch, done in bright and happy colours of orange & yellow



The third dining setting was a driftwood table with more of the soft
blues as well as two larger head chairs made comfy with the addition
of throws for a cool evening.

For a little fun, Lynn created a 'game table' setting using a round, 
pedestal Mango wood table and Acacia wood stools.

Lynn also took us around the showroom highlighting some of
the wonderful vignettes she created.  This cozy area below beckons
one to take a little time and read a good book

   A lovely piece that would make a wonderful island in any kitchen

          Yours truly with Lynn Spence

Jamie Alexander shares Spring 2013 Trends from High Point

This morning I attended another fabulous event hosted by SoFA and was so inspired by the presentation by Jamie Alexander who has an incredible knowledge about Design, Working with Clients and is great to listen to.  He shared many points on how we as Decorators and Designers can work maintain control over our projects with very excellent tips for us to follow.

 

Some of the topics were - 

- New Trends
- Trends "Gone Wild"
- Suppliers in the "New"

How to sell furniture to your client
- From your office to their home
- From your local retailer to their home
- When the client takes over the online deal

Seeing is believing
- selling the piece without the client touching the piece
- choosing fabrics with an end result you and your client is happy with
- the basics of case goods
- Your "Go To" list the supplier listing you cannot live without 

The second portion of Jamie's presentation dealt with the 2013 Trends he spotted while at the recent Highpoint Furniture Market.  Here's some of what you will be seeing...'

• Refined Asian done in black (not high gloss)Antique & reclaimed pieces - New Antiques that are created to look like real Antiques by using some of the old furniture making methods
• The reclaimed look is still strong however it is new pieces made to look very old
• Room Divider Screens which makes sense with the popularity of the Open Floor Plans today
• Art that represents Architectural images, prints
• Tufting is still big and staying that way
• Faux Fur - not only throws or area rugs, but now on sofas, ottomans
• French Style - but with new finishes and fabrics; more updated
• Retro reborn,  e.g. the Arc Lamps
• Colour is now found on Walls, flooring and accessories and large pieces of furniture is neutral
• Wing Chairs made more tailored and smaller
• Mixing metals is still hot - hammered and matte finish.  Gone is the high gloss silver
• Trunks, tins, boxes
• Lots of pillows on sofas
• Mirror, inlaid pieces on lamps, black mirror used on furnishings;  Lacquer is out