This month, we’d like to congratulate Ciao Interiors from Kalispell, Montana for their award-winning participation in the 2010 Flathead Parade of Homes! This year’s Parade of Homes featured 14 homes –  two remodels and twelve newly-built structures – all exemplifying the finest architecture and design in the Flathead Valley area. Ciao Interiors had the opportunity to design, project manage and furnish a new home for the event – emphasizing detailed craftsmanship (by hand) and locally-produced stone and materials.

With enthusiasm and excitement, Ciao designer Les Bernabi and his wife Linda kept fans (including the GDM team) clued in on the construction progress with updates on everything from art selection to lighting locations. As the “Stunning Lakeside Club Retreat” took shape, we became more and more impressed with the home’s rustic integrity and seamless placement amidst Kalispell’s picturesque beauty. We find Ciao Interiors’ dedication to such an enormous task praiseworthy to begin with, but we are even more thrilled to announce that Ciao won the top three awards for their home – Judge’s Choice (overall best home on the tour), Best Architecture and Best Craftsmanship. Ciao’s Lakeside Club Retreat also had the most foot traffic and was incredibly popular with visitors who toured the properties.

The "Judges' Choice" banner proudly displayed in front of Ciao's masterpiece.

We’re proud and impressed with Ciao Interiors’ finished project, and in total agreement with all the praise they’ve received for their beautiful work. After many months of managing, planning and preparing for the event, we hope Les and Linda of Ciao Interiors have an opportunity to sit back, relax and take pride in this accomplishment – while enjoying a refreshing martini, of course!  Congratulations again to Ciao Interiors, and cheers!

[P.S. If you'd like to see more detailed photos of the home, make sure you check out the Facebook album!]

They will also be meeting with ultra-talented GDM member Ondine Karady at the event, whose 50′s movie- inspired kitchen, “Bumblebee by the Beach,” which was designed for House Beautiful’s “Uncompromising Design“ video series can be seen below.  Alexandra and Amanda have just updated that Ondine’s video has been playing on the big screen in Rockefeller Plaza throughout today’s event– congratulations!  Tomorrow, Ondine’s kitchen design will continue its reign in the spotlight at cooking demos and more sponsored by Jenn-Air.

Credit: Ondine Karady for House Beautiful

Tomorrow, Alexandra and Amanda will attend the Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius Conference hosted by Gaspedal for some educational nourishment.  The event will feature how-to crash courses in Word of Mouth (WOM) Marketing, brilliant speakers, and real-world case studies.

If you happen to be in New York, head over to Rockefeller Plaza to partake in some of these exciting events. Even if you’re not a design enthusiast, there’s sure to be something for everyone to enjoy!

Again, stay updated on Twitter and follow Alexandra and Amanda as they journey through New York! More to follow…

Below is a selection of some “twinspirational” Twitter finds.

@LadyFabrics (visit their website): Gorgeous, 100% natural, sustainable, biodegradable fabrics.

A wide array of colors from Lady Fabrics

@Alluminare (visit their website): Fully customizable fabric, wallcovering, pendants, lamps, pillows and so much more! Wonderfully interactive.

Fully customizable lampshades and more on Alluminare's website

@tracyhiner (visit the website) This is NOT your average wallpaper, it’s Art, and yes, with a capital A!

Two examples of Black Crow Studios' artful designs

@modernica (visit the website): Uber-cool furnishings that would make the Jetsons’ swoon.

Ultra modern chairs from modernica.

@HomeDecorNews (visit the website): A lot of something about a lot of everything for the design industry, from the DIY-ers to professionals.

@myperfectcolor (visit the website): Anything and everything you would ever want to know about Benjamin Moore paint.

The moral of the story: inspiration comes from many sources, Twitter being only one of many!

How can you make Twitter work for your business? Contact @gibsondm, @mandaleebee or @ProjectSupport (aka Alexandra, Amanda or Martha at Gibson Design Management).

Starting in 2007, the market for interior designers turned into quicksand.   The credit markets tightened, and projects that typically went to designers were brought in-house both residentially and commercially.

HGTV and the Internet created more competitors in the middle of the market from the consumers themselves, and frankly, for most designers, those weren’t and aren’t your best clients anyway.

High-end projects stayed fairly steady until the economic debacle of October 2008, and then many of the projects slowed, stopped or didn’t start at all.  Especially in markets tied to the financial markets like New York, the wealthiest clients lost their jobs and their sense of security if they were in jobs associated with money and wealth.

The commercial market was devastated by the credit crisis, and according to economists, the concerns aren’t behind us yet.

Even with this perfect storm, some designers were very busy.  Why?  They adapted to the market shifts, changed their pricing strategies, developed an online presence, spent as much as 10% on marketing, focused on a niche, learned how to differentiate themselves better, and didn’t wait for the phone to ring.  They took these conditions as a challenge and they worked even harder than before.

If commercial and hospitality is your preferred area of business, you’ll want to focus on renovations.  If you can show companies that an investment in renovation can lead to more dollars at the bottom line especially if they depend on consumer spending, then you have an opportunity to build a logical reason why a company should invest.  The commercial designers that become a marketing partner with their clients differentiate themselves and become a valuable solution-oriented team member instead of an expense.

If your specialty is residential design, bathroom and kitchen renovation is still steady.  The budgets might be smaller, but there is work in this specialty area.

A kitchen renovation featured on the Traditional Home blog

Some designers created packages of services they offered on their websites.  Why did that work for them?  The consumers wanted (and demanded) to know the investment required .

Other designers offered Value Based Fees because consumers resisted hourly fees.  ASID surveyed consumers a few years ago and approximately 70% said they wanted fixed fees.  Designers who offered this option found that it completely shifted their role from an hourly wage slave to a trusted advisor, and that helped many designers kick-start their businesses even during the last several months.

You could be the greatest designer, but if people don’t hear about you consistently, then your business will struggle.  These days, you need great photography, a great head shot, articles about you in magazines, online and in newspapers (third party endorsements), a web presence including a website, blog and social media and search engine optimization of your website and blog.

And, if you don’t have a written business plan, marketing plan, vision and strategy for your business, it’s time to get busy and take action.  Referrals and networking may have worked in the past, but they are less effective than ever, so that means it’s time to rethink and reposition your business.

[Originally written for Decorati Access Interior Design, Published June 11]

My presentation will cover how a blog can be a great way to better build your brand, to attract your ideal client, and to ultimately help your bottom line.

Special thanks to Grange and the Grange showroom in Denver for inviting me to speak.

Of course, martinis will be served.

For more information on registering for the Rocky Mountain Designer’s Market, click here.

Holly Hunt - New York

The perfectly sharpened pencils nestled in bins with memo sample request pads handily located next to them, the colorful and imaginative shopping bags full of gorgeous fabrics and funky trims, yours for the taking.

Fadini Borghi Fabrics & Trimmings

Graciously offered space to spread out and work, with water, coffee and snacks readily available. A sales associate ready to offer assistance; pricing and tear sheets swiftly and efficiently proffered.

But showrooms are more than that, they are a designer’s life blood, and designers are theirs’.  A perfect example of a symbiotic relationship.  Showrooms and their well-trained staff should be considered allies, a first line of defense. They are problem solvers, who will go to bat for a customer to help in getting to the bottom of a freight issue, or working with a vendor to push a lead time, or getting a difficult question or problem resolved.

The showrooms I have been fortunate to work both for and with have been much more than the selling, they have been about the relationship and the connection.

Gibson Design Management recently launched a Review Center.  This is a place for the design industry to review showrooms on the customer service that it receives.  We hope for it to be a place for showrooms that are providing great service to be lauded, and for those who are not serving the industry well, to improve from.  The way for this review center to be successful is for you to be candid about your experiences and to share those experiences.  We would love to have you contribute to our review center, and spread the word to your industry partners.

Currently, you can review showrooms in the Denver Design District and the Washington DC Design Center.  Please add your stars and reviews.  Posts can be anonymous if you do not feel comfortable adding your name, and of course, your email address will be kept strictly confidential.

A recent article by TechCrunch.com outlines the foundation and principle behind the interior design and product web site, Decorati.  As someone in the design industry, I was particularly troubled by the last paragraph in the article:

“While the prices for furniture on Decorati aren’t cheap, the site definitely lowers the costs by letting consumers access high-end furniture and design ideas without the help of a costly decorator. And if you do want to hire a professional, the site makes it fairly easy to find one that matches your needs.” -TechCrunch, October 2, 2009

It seems to be a conundrum as Decorati focuses much of their attention, like Ava Living, on bringing interior designers and consumers together.  Based on this article, however, it appears that Decorati will allow consumers to purchase trade-only merchandise directly.  Is this the case?  Decorati, if you’re listening, please chime in.  All other readers, what do you think?

Click here to read full TechCrunch article.

The Nation’s Next Top Model Home

Tim Schelfe, ASID

The Nation’s Next Top Model Home selected 7 ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) designers and gave them 28 days and $5,000 to transform a room in a model home (competitors could spend an additional $5,000 of their own money as well).  Voting then opened to the public for 30 days online (you can still vote!) and the winner will not only win the ultimate rock star designer status but will also win $25,000 for his or her firm.

I sat down virtually with Tim and asked him about his Nation’s Next Top Model Home experience.

GDM:  How were you selected to participate?

TS: An email blast went out to ASID and I filled out the required information, including photos of my work and a headshot of me.  Didn’t think much about it and then two weeks later got a call that I made the top 12 and then the final 7.

GDM:  What made you decide to participate and do you think it will help promote your business?

TS:  Initially I was very skeptical.  I thought, do I have time for this?  But the submission process was very easy to do and I thought “somebody is going to get selected why not me”!  I hoped this would get my name and my firm out to a very large audience.  I also thought it would be a fun competition to be in and a good way to promote professional interior design.  Also, since they were casting ONLY ASID designers I felt they were sending a good message to the public; hire a professional.

GDM:  Were there any pitfalls in participation?

TS: Yes all the designers had to abide by there budgetary rules.  Also the time it took away from my real business and paying clients was huge.

GDM:  What was your favorite part of the competition?

TS: Interacting with the other designers.  For the most part all of the design team got along with each really well.  It was also kind of fun getting use to all the media attention!

GDM:  Have you already seen any results (we realize this is may be a little early/premature)?

TS: I definitely know people have been watching the show because I will walk into a local store and they say “hey aren’t you on that design reality show” and it’s weird that they seem to know me.  It has also expanded my network of colleagues and contacts and provided me an opportunity to re-connect with many past clients and contacts by sending email blasts out to them informing them of the show.

Schelfe and Associates is a Gibson Design Management member so we may be a little biased, but not much as Tim is a great designer and a great guy.  Be sure to cast your vote here for Tim and see the other competitors before September 26th!

Southern Accents is the latest shelter magazine to face the guillotine.  Earlier this year, Conde Nast closed Domino; others to face the ax in the last two years were House and Garden, O at Home, Blueprint, InStyle Home, Cottage Living, and Country Home.

While the economy is much at fault for the lack of advertisers for our beloved shelter mags, could it also be that the emergence of social media is too taking its toll?  With advertisers opportunities to stretch their dollars farther by utilizing online tools and the online ability to microtarget, could it be that shelter magazines’ only possibility for survival is to also move more substantial efforts online?

We will miss Southern Accents.  As someone who has spent a great deal of her life in the South, it appears to be one of the only luxury design magazines that exemplifies and embraces the beautiful design, ease, and elegance of southern living.