I fall to Pieces by amanda burdge

Credit

Four weeks ago with a handful of mad skills, sharp faculties and a bag full of tricks ( or smashed oreos and dorito's with all the excitement I clearly cannot remember) I convinced the remarkable and amazing designer, Dayka Robinson to show me Atlanta, the insiders edition. Our first order of business was on Thursday night at an invitation only event to Pieces in Atlanta. 

Dayka and I Thursday night

The event featured Jonathan Adler, a designer dedicated to bringing style, craft, joy, and a general feeling of grooviness to your home. 

The event was jammed packed. Everyone maneuvered around precariously clinging to the cool iced drinks offered from the bar as if it were a mirage in the desert. Thank goodness for the invention of ice cubes, and liquor.

And on a HOT Atlanta night, we could have used a little more air conditioning! But thanks to the swift moving bartenders they quickly shelled out cool refreshments to help bring the temperature down and make us feel a little less like the packed sardines we were.

Dayka, who has been telling me about this awesome blog, Decor Demon, here having a conversation with none other than the author himself, Brian Flynn Patrick. His blog is fun, witty, and informative! I too had the pleasure of meeting him and cannot say enough about how gracious, and nice Mr. Brian is.

Dayka and Brian Flynn Patrick of Decor Demon

I also had the opportunity to meet blogger Niki McNeil of Single bubble pop. Her blog is fun, stimulating and focuses on finding inspiration from multiple disciplines, including design and art. 

After perusing throughout the store, and meeting some wonderful people and bloggers, myself, Niki and Dayka decided to head over to flip burger boutique, for a FANTABULOUS burger. If you haven't been there, you MUST go!

This burger boutique has all organic meat, and the BEST fries, onion rings and dirty vodka martini I have EVER had. If you like vodka, as you all know this is my weakness, it is worth a cross country trek, or a three hour drive from Nashville, for a delightful sip of pure heaven!

I have many, many, more adventures to discuss, so stay tuned for more stupendous and exciting escapades of me and Dayka in Atlanta!

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Atlanta Market 2010, by Amanda Burdge

Well it is that time of year. I am headed to Atlanta for the Home and gift Market, and I am so excited to meet Dayka Robinson of Meditations of life and style. If you remember, I posted my elation in this post about how excited I am to hang out with this talented, fabulous gal.

I am even more excited about hanging out with her as she chauffeur's me around Atlanta like the Big D of a designer I am! By the way- She's taking me to a V.I.P event Thursday night who happens to have as their guest, none other than Jonathan Adler himself!

Jonathan Adler

Jonathan Adler

I have a laundry list of things to do, and see but I will take photos along the way to keep you posted. I will report back all of the upcoming trends, and color movements. I will also be happy to show you this years animal fashions that will be seen everywhere. We've seen owls, horses, fish, ducks, penguins, birds, antlers, just to name a few. Market is also a great way to view market trends in spending. If Market is strong, then buying power is up, and this is good for business' all around.

Don't forget to sign up for all our wonderful new classes!

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Designer Bootcamp by Amanda Burdge, professional interior designer

Along with our new workshops, Design Strategies 101, AB HOME offers Designer Boot camp!

If you are a recent graduate of design school looking for "real world" experience,

  in a nurturing environment,

then

 is for you!

Our mission with this workshop is to provide new design professionals a hands on approach to working in the field of design.

1) How to work with clients

2) Professional presentations

3) Vendor/designer relationships

4) Customer Service

5) Time management

6) Value building

7) Budgeting

AND MUCH MORE!!!!

We are thrilled to be launching this exciting new program.

If you would like more information,

or would like to sign-up for our classes 

please contact us @

info@abhomeinteriors.com

You can also contact us @

615-750-2763

or contact

 Christian @

Christian@abhomeinteriors.com

For up to the minute information,

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AB HOME facebook fanpage

I would also like to thank a reflection of tuesdai for doing a wonderful interview on AB HOME Interiors! Click here to read it!

Colorpodz-Interior lighting crash course with Amanda Burdge

A few weeks ago I had a wonderful conversation with Kelly Berg of Arte Styling, and Lori Sawaya of Colorpodz. Lori, a color expert, and the mastermind behind Colorpodz, and Kelly, a fabulous color aficionado, steered me through their professional world of podcasting, on a subject that I am truly passionate about- 

L-I-G-H-T-I-N-G!

Colorpodz

Arte Styling

Lighting effects everything in our home, including COLOR!  As we transition into the next decade we are going to see a huge push in energy conservation, and recycling of materials. But what does that mean for our homes, interiors, and COLORS?  Well with new research and development in LED lighting, we will no longer have to sacrifice quality of light to appease sustainability demands.

The lighting we have in our homes effects everything from mood, color and atmosphere. And when you are selecting a wall color, you are not just picking paint. Selecting the right color is a science, and a skillful art. Many factors come into play when selecting the right one. If you get all the components right, you have what I call, Magic by Design. But mess it up, just one thing, and you have design chaos.

So without further ado, here is the page to our wonderful podcast

Interior Lighting Crash Course (this includes lighting info)
Podcast (click on green box, click to play in new window)

Be sure to read Lori's post, she has given excellent graphics on the vernacular used during our conversation, and given examples of the new technologies.

Thanks again ladies for letting me hang out with you, and blab away about LIGHTING!!

For more info on this group of fabulous gals, and their fabulous companies, click here to see my post on who they are, and what they can do for you!

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Get help with Design Strategies 101 by Amanda Burdge

Do you need decorating assistance? Here at Gates Interior Design we have been working on developing various workshops for over a year, that benefit graduating students coming out of design school, homeowners who would like simple design solutions at an affordable price, and workshop's that help the D.I.Y's jump start their home project's. After the success of our designer bootcamp and months of preparation and consideration's, we are very excited to introduce:

1. Collaborative Design Workshops

Gates Interior Design

Offering you the opportunity to achieve quality home design by teaming up with one of 

our bootcamp designer's, at a fraction of the cost; all while under the guidance and supervision of an experienced design professional.

Our mission with this design opportunity is to provide new design professionals with "real world" experience in a nurturing environment, and you the homeowner with a room that
truly reflects "who you are" at an unbelievable price.
Design fee is $45 an hr. All bootcamp designers will have interior design degrees, and will have graduated from our Bootcamp.
Design options available are:

Overall design concept's, Color consultations, Space planning, Accessories, Window Treatments, Lighting and furniture selection. Collaborative Design solutions offered will be limited to space available, and class graduates of designer bootcamp. Appointments will be limited to Friday's only.

2. D.I.Y. Decorating workshops

Like doing your own home projects, but don't know where to start? Let us teach you 

our award winning design strategies, to help you achieve design success.

Gates Interior Design introduces Design Strategies 101 for the do-it-yourselfer. 

Our mission is to provide the homeowner the necessary tools and expertise needed to complete the job on their own, all with our proven interior design techniques.
Classes available:
1) Where to start and finding inspiration
2) Developing a strategy, budget and floor plan
3) Smart shopping and how to accessorize
4) Color theory

Available DIY classes can be purchased a la carte or as a package. Individual classes are $179 ea.
Class package is $499. 

We are thrilled to offer these exciting programs. 

If you would like more information, 

or would like to sign up for our classes 

please contact us @ 

info@gatesinteriordesign.com

You can also contact us @

615-750-2763

If you are a Design graduate or Design Senior in our area, 

and would like to sign up for our Bootcamp workshops 

for the opportunity to work in the Collaborative Design Workshops, 

please email us @

info@gatesinteriordesign.cominfo@gatesinteriordesign.com

For up to the minute information, 

Don't forget to follow us on twitter!

And become a FAN on our 

 facebook fanpage! 

Installation, 1 year later by interior designer Amanda Burdge

Often times when I design a space, I try to design with the future in mind, and as many variables as possible. Design is an investment, and most people do not have the capability to do it over and over again. When I revisit a space that I have done, I am always pleased to see how it looks, and how it has been lived in, and used.

Doc Harr's office, 1 and a half later

Today I went to go see Dr. Harr. He had a little mishap with a painter, who may or may not have damaged a chair by completely falling on it and destroying it; but that is besides the point. The point is, it was an excuse to go see my favorite dentist, and his beautiful, and spectacular office designed by a wonderful and talented designer, MUWAH!

I was so very pleased to see the office, a little over a year later, looking fabulous. Everything was still in place, in tact, and perfect, just as I had planned it.

Nothing like revisiting a design in it's full glory seeing it functioning beautifully and looking fabulous. The space is comfortable, easy on the eyes, and a great introduction to a root canal! Ok, maybe not, but the space still looks fantastic, and I am pleased to say, the designer did an outstanding job! 

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Sid Dickens Memory Blocks available in Brentwood TN

AB HOME Studios

Now until July 2nd we will be running a promotion on our Sid Dickens tiles. Buy one memory block tile, and receive the second tile 25% off. On top of this exciting and rare promotion, Sid Dickens is inviting you to enter their, 'IN THE WILD CONTEST.'

AB HOME Studios

Submit photos of your memory block collections for a chance to win a one of a kind framed peice, handmade by Sid Dickens himself. And they are not looking for the typical room shots. They want something different, eclectic, and wild. Create your own composition, mix in your favorite things, and tell them a visual story with your favorite blocks.

Sid Dickens

Your story can be big or small, so snap a photo and send in by Monday, July 5th, 2010. The winning entry will be showcased online and will receive a beautifully framed, custom memory block made personally, and signed by Sid Dickens.

For more info on this contest email AB HOME Interiors @ info@abhomeinteriors.com, or to submit your collection, fill out the Sid Dickens memory blocks 'In the Wild' contest form here. We are so excited about this fun contest, and can't wait to see what you all come up with!

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Drapery Installation day with Amanda Burdge

One of my favorite things to design in a home is custom draperies. When I am first starting out with a new client they often want to purchase ready-made, or massed produced draperies, from a big box store like pottery barn, to keep it on the cheap. Massed produced draperies are great for secondary rooms, or projects that just don't have the room for a large expense. But if your budget allows, nothing, and I mean nothing compares to CUSTOM draperies.

A lot goes into custom draperies. First, you need to develop a budget. And this isn't a random number that you pull out of your magical rabbit hat and hope on a wing and a prayer that it can be done. For example, if you have a large two story window, you will need twice the fabric, lining, and interlining. SO, you will need twice the budget. Many times when I start on a job with a client they will immediately tell me all the fabulous things they want, and need to do, not realizing that their champagne taste cannot be done for the $1200 they have budgeted. This can lead to disappointment, but if you plan ahead, and have a realistic budget, you can have the champagne, with a glass!

Credit

Do your research on local workrooms, or hire a designer to help you develop a budget for the room you have in mind. You can also visit wonderful blogs, like In Stitches, to learn terminology, and read up on books like Design Directory of Window Treatments,  by Jackie Von Tobel, to familiarize yourself with the treatments you love.

After you have developed a budget, a fabric needs to be selected. Fabric plays a major role in the look and feel of the room, but must also be appropriate for draperies. In the custom world you will hear us use the word "hand". If a fabric has a wonderful hand, that means it will hang well, and drape beautifully. Very, very important! Drapes are like a ball gown for your room! Once the fabric has been selected and ordered a decision can then be made on the type of hardware you want to use.

For this project, I chose a beautiful cotton/linen sheer, with an embroidered knit. We chose this fabric not only for it's beautiful hand, but the embroidery was key to help in noise absorption for my client's tall ceilings. 

AB HOME Studios

After a fabric has been chosen, it is ordered, and sent to the workroom to start production. Depending on the area you live in, custom draperies can take 3-8 weeks to make. Here in Nashville the average turn around time is 6-8 weeks, but when I lived in Las Vegas they could be done in two!!

Naked window before

Once the workroom has completed the draperies, a time is scheduled to install them, and this is a very exciting day. Your naked window gets transformed in front of your eyes into that beautiful ball gown.

The hardware goes up, and one by one the custom panels get installed.

Very carefully the team goes through the draperies and dresses them, making sure they are hanging just perfectly, and refining the pleats to fold immaculately. 

After each fold is attended to, the draperies are complete, and hanging flawlessly. Bravo team!! My client was over the moon about this installation today, and was very pleased with the decision to purchase custom draperies, over ready-mades, and I could not agree more! 

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Tea Sets by interior designer Amanda Burdge

One of my client's often goes to a local tea house, here in Brentwood, called World Cup of Tea. They are a tea house that offers premium and rare teas, along with various tea accessories, and teapots. I myself have never been a huge tea drinker. I am often admiring from afar, but because I love the tea pots, I play along, and buy ridiculous stock in pots, cups, and platters that I don't need, but love to collect! And I have to admit I will occasionally indulge in a lovely and exotic lipton peach tea in the winter!

Pottery Barn

How lovely is this set from Pottery Barn? I just want to sit down in my yellow summer dress, with friends, eat cucumber sandwiches and enjoy an afternoon of laughter, and giggles.

Molla Space

This set is so sweet! How great would this be as a wedding gift, or for your best friend? Or how about a romantic evening on the terrace with your better half watching the sunset?

Rock and Republic

Ok, so the set above is a little too sticky sweet for you? Well take a look at the terrorist teapot by Rocking Republic. A little sass, a little humor, and a whole lotta fun. Bring on the lipton tea!

Heres a few more of my favorites that I found, that would look very handsome in my teapot collection:

Abbot

Deer Silhouette

Don't you want to have some tea? Well, I think it's a bit hot, but I am sure I can make a pot of iced tea and any of these great pots would work beautifully for an afternoon of chilled, sweet tea, from the south.

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July Market Atlanta, 2010 with Amanda Burdge

Every Winter and Summer I make my way down to Atlanta, to visit Market. Those of you who are faithful followers ( Pssst....I adore you!), have seen me post about this so-called "market". Well as an industry designer for over 12 years, it never occurred to me that the layman has absolutely no clue what this is! Until I emailed Dayka Robinson over at Meditations on Life and style and asked her if she would like to accompany me.

"I keep hearing about this! Is that the gift/home market at the americas mart?  how is it??  I'm trying to figure out a way to get in this year!  let me know what (if anything) i need to know about this."

Dayka and I have exchanged several emails over the past few months, primarily because I'm stalking her about Atlanta, and all the great things the city has to offer.  I always go to Atlanta for business, and am enamored with Atlanta's southern charm and glamour. But I am always the outsider looking in, getting in the way on the road, driving too slow and getting all sorts of lost,  frustrating the local city dwellers. Boy can those locals get rowdy!

So this year I thought I would reach out to Dayka, bright eyed and bushy tailed, to convince her that I would now be her best gal July 15th-18th. We did a little horse trading, teeth pulling, and hard negotiating but we came up with a very fair swap. She shows me Atlanta, and I show her Market. Well, I feel like I have a V.I.P. access card to the coolest club in town, with the coolest kid on the block. I cannot wait!

Americas Mart

Colonial Mills

I think she will adore Market. One after another, like an indoor market place, vendors are lined up trying to persuade the buyers that their product is the best, and that they have something no one else does. Of course everyone knocks everyone else off, so that is not entirely true! But more than ever, I am excited to go this year. Her fresh faced enthusiasm to see this for the first time will be thrilling. And I of course will feel like a kid in a candy store (we all know how much I LOVE candy) given access to my favorite city.

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