Lynn Garelick, Randy Fiser and Don Davis

February 2013

ASID PRESIDENTS FORUM

January 30 - February 1 2013

Dallas TX

Dear fellow designers, students and industry partners,

I attended the ASID Presidents Forum last week in Dallas TX.  The following is a brief report of what I experienced and learned.  There are a lot of good things happening in our interior design profession due to the re-organization and new policies, programs and website that National has developed and implemented in the last year. READ MORE

We appreciate their willingness to serve the chapter and look forward to their leadership!

On Friday, February 15th Sandra Long of Laura's Draperies hosted a Lunch and Learn at her showroom on Route 7 in Norwalk. Sandra presented a Power Point Program on the use of motorization in window treatments and how it might benefit Interior Designers and their clients. Jack Birtwell of Porter Preston Precision Blind Systems spoke on different ways to motorize window treatments and their installation.

Alice Burnham

How has 2013 been so far?

This year business has been surprisingly good so far. Alice has teamed up with her daughter, Sanny Burnham Warner, and they are working on 3 nice solid jobs and about to sign on one potentially large job.

What are your hopes and expectations for this year?

Based on the recession, Alice describes herself as "hopeful but very cautious". This is her 45th year in the Interior Design field, and never has she been so apprehensive. "I just don't know what to expect, but I am optimistic."

Working with Sanny adds an optimistic attitude. Two of their new jobs are clients Alice has worked with in the past, but having Sanny on the job adds new interest. The clients are her age so she brings a fresh approach and they relate to her.

Tell us about a special job you've had in the past year.

Alice has been working on a job for the past 3 years. Due to the recession, the client has been particularly cautious, but keeping the project going through this slow period has been good for Alice and her business.

Now she has a new job which is a referral and one of the best jobs she has ever worked on. It is to design an entire house in a young, fresh, contemporary style, and the client is very appreciative. It is a nice introduction for Sanny who sometimes worries about younger clients' need for Interior Designers now that so much is available on the Internet.

Is there something special about you that you would like us to know?

Alice is enjoying her collaboration with her daughter. The combination of her experience and her daughter's fresh perspective works well. Her daughter, she says, although a savvy business person, is unaware of the pitfalls we face and thinks outside the box.

When I asked Britt Newman how many years she had been a member of ASID's New York Metro chapter, she said that she "was bad at years, good at inches". In July Britt and her family moved to Stamford. When her ASID renewal came due in the fall, National suggested that she switch her membership to the CT chapter. Britt was apprehensive, but decided that it was up to her to make an effort, so she attended the Holiday Party at C. Parker Gallery in Greenwich, the social Media presentation at Closet and Storage Concepts in Norwalk, and the Lunch and Learn at Laura's Draperies in Norwalk. She said that all three events were fun and that she met people at each event, something that did not happen with ease at the New York meetings.

Britt's first career was as an actor and singer, on stage and on camera, and she says that will always remain a part of her. She gave her career up to raise her two children, a son now employed in management at a country club outside Boston and a daughter in college. She says this was her most difficult career but that she loved it. After her children entered high school she enrolled at the New York School of Interior Design.  She enjoyed the design classes but was disappointed that no business classes were offered in the curriculum.

When she received her degree Britt worked for a New York City firm for three years. She left to begin a large job with a client in Greenwich which has occupied her for the past year and a half. Britt never expected to own her own business, but finds that despite the many new challenges, she is enjoying it.

Britt is an Interior Designer and also Professional Organizer. She feels that an ordered home is a beautiful home and that organization helps people to live more beautifully.

Right now she is busy with a variety of jobs, small and large, and is thrilled that all of her present clients are pleasant to work with. She also chairs two peer groups, one in New York City and one in Fairfield.

Designer's Dog Days                                       

Maybe the D & D Building really means Designing and Dogs....

Ellen Dunn ASID enjoyed working on the water front townhouse of a corporate CEO and his wife who insisted that their home be decorated in taupe and gray to minimize the visibility of hair shed by their Yorkshire Terrier. When the house was completed it was beautiful but unfortunately the dog died the day they moved in.

Mary Ann Howell ASID took on a job for a corporate CEO who owned a large house in Wilton. He was a bachelor and concerned about his dog getting out while renovations were scheduled when he was out of town on business. One day, as he hopped into a limousine to the airport, he asked Mary Ann if she could please drop the dog at the local and very elegant boarding facility. Mary Ann, always trying to please, agreed. When she pulled out of the driveway the 200 pound pup jumped from the back seat onto her lap and remained there until she pulled up at his temporary home. Then he bounded from the car and down Route 7 followed by a very distraught Mary Ann and a large group of construction workers screaming in Spanish. Fortunately he was caught before any harm came to him, and the project continued without a hitch.

Alice Burnham ASID had a client whose dog ate a large piece of the corner of a rug on approval from Stark. With great trepidation she contacted her salesman who said "No Problem" and assured her that this had happened many times before. Stark repaired the rug and Alice sold another Stark rug to the client, who promised to keep the dog out of the living room in the future.

Eileen Corbin Allied ASID client's dog liked the taste of upholstered fabric. When left home alone he chewed the skirt on the corner of a chair down to the wood frame, along with the arm and it's stuffing. His owners returned to their house to find pieces of fabric and stuffing all over their family room carpet. Eileen replaced the fabric and arranged for re upholstery, this time without the skirt which was so attractive to the pup.

To support the ASID platform issue of sustainability, ASID will no longer print and mail membership cards for allied or professional members. Members can log in to ASID.org and print a membership card 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at their convenience. This process has been successful with our student and Industry Partner members, for which it has been in effect for more than three years.

To print a card, members must log in to ASID.org and select "Go to My ASID." Once in the My ASID section, they should then select "Print Your ASID Membership card."