First, the Inspiration

As I near the end of this wonderful project, I realize just what a journey this has been. Since I was trained in publishing and marketing, I can’t help but do a mental de-brief. So the next few postings will be in sharing those methodologies and systems that provided the necessary organization helped to ensure the success of this project. I apologize if some of my recommendations and observations are obvious and elementary, but I’ve come to appreciate that it is rare that a project of this magnitude gets delivered on schedule. Ok, we are 2 weeks late, but that’s because we made quite a few alterations along the way that expanded and enhanced the final outcome.

I have to first commend my partner in all this, Cemil Hope. He’s the dream contractor who also fills in as architect, design partner, project foreman and teacher. This was really a journey for the two of us.

Because I had done many renovations before, I decided to forego the help of a professional team (architect, designers, specialists). As a result Cemil and I had to communicate often and well. We created many systems of tracking and communing that kept us together and informed.

First, we had to establish the look and feel of the end product. I collected, edited through, and generated lots of tear sheets to demonstrate my desires for each room. These were culled to the winners and became the basis for what were trying to achieve. They got posted on black art boards and became basis for my inspirations boards. I added samples of the materials I chose as I went along.

Also called mood boards, concept boards, storyboards, the concept is the same: they are the visuals that helps keep the materials integrated with the original concept.

Now that it is 6 months later, these boards are a little worse for wear, but they helped to keep everyone on track and allowed me to show vendors what materials would work with the overall room design. Often times, these boards are provided for you by your design team, but I think doing them yourself at the outset of a project is very empowering and ensures that your aesthetic is being met.