Inspiration in the Studio

Last week we joined together in the Studio with some of our invaluable vendor representatives for a “Gratitude Gathering.”  These are the people that represent some of our favorite brands across the industry.

It was wonderful to sit down and share meaningful conversation with this team of people over great food.  We didn’t quite know what to expect when we planned the evening, but we knew that bringing together this group could only create positive energy.

The Southern Studio team took turns drawing the reps’ names out of a jar and sharing the qualities we value about each person.  We shared memories of times they came to our rescue and went the extra mile to help us “make it happen” when things didn’t go according to plan on a project.  It sparked terrific conversation about the industry of interiors and everyone walked away with a new perspective for why they do what they do.

These reps have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to make our projects come together flawlessly on install day.  It takes a village, and we’re so grateful that this group of people is on our team!

Where did the summer go? Clearly, we’ve been focusing our energy on clients and trying to squeeze in some summer fun too….and neglecting this blog.  It’s time to catch up with a quick recap of our happenings in the studio (aka dumping our Instagram photos)!

We’ve been spending quite a bit of time on construction sites. Between remodels and new construction, there’s so many details to design.

To make sure we get it just right, a mini-home sample wall of the exterior materials is helpful.

This gorgeous oval framed room will soon be a gorgeous dining room. We can’t wait to bring this one to life!

We could not do our job without the help of our vendor partners and reps!  We were so thankful when the Kellex mobile showroom came to our parking lot!

And, when our Kravet rep arrived with the long-awaiting Kate Spade introductions, we were thrilled. There never seems to be enough fabric and trim…it makes no sense.

Our work often takes us on the road and on planes and on ferries.  It takes some juggling, but the challenges are part of the fun.

Shaw Floors wined and dined us at the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival in Atlanta. We so appreciate the Designer Network for the opportunity.

And, another trip to market in Atlanta included a nighttime ride on the ferris wheel!

Martha and I spent a weekend absorbing great inspiration at the Interior Design Summit in Denver. We’re so thankful for this group!

The biggest highlight of our summer was our incredible intern, Annie. She could teach a class on hard work, positive attitude and excellence. It was hard to say goodbye as she returned to school…

…just like it’s hard to say good-bye to summer (thankfully, we have a couple more weeks to enjoy). We promise to show a little more love to this blog this fall. For lots more behind-the-scenes happenings, be sure to follow us on Instagram too @southernstudio!

How can it be Labor Day? This was supposed to be the summer to enjoy lazy days and sunshine. Well, we got plenty of beautiful sunshine, but not too many lazy days! There’s been a lot happening at the studio over the past several weeks, but a highlight for all of us was our recent trip to New York City.

We were invited by our friends at Kravet to tour their studios and explore the design process that brings our favorite collections of fabrics and trims to life. The artistry and technical detail required for each new fabric is impressive. Now that we received a sneak peak of the pipeline of new products currently being created, it’s going to be great fun seeing them introduced into the line over the next year or so. We send a very special thanks to Steve Prada for the personal tour (gotta love the elevator selfie)!

We took advantage of all the big city has to offer the design world, including the showrooms of the D&D Building and The New York Design Center. So much to do, so much to see…

We  also spent some time seeking out the latest, most beautiful inspiration at the NY NOW show at the Javits Center.

And, of course, we found plenty of inspiration in the amazing food and fantastic restaurants.

I’m fortunate to work with some of the hardest working, most dedicated women around…who truly care about our clients and creating top-notch design. It was great to step away from the studio for a few days to nourish our creative souls.

So, bring on the fall! We’re refreshed and ready to make beautiful things happen!

The time has come! The Southern Living Showcase Home being built by Whitney Blair Custom Homes in the Thistle community is in the final stages of construction and we’re preparing and packing for furniture installation on Monday! The behind-the-scenes preparation is in full throttle. This is just a glimpse of what’s happing this week…boxes and boxes of beautiful accessories.

Window treatments and hardware….the beautiful Kravet fabrics under all of that protective wrapping are going to look amazing.

And, of course, no house would be complete without the last minute fill-in necessities at Target (special thanks to the store manager who brought us Starbucks while we shopped)!

This is always the stage of the process that we start to wonder if the vision we’ve been working so hard to achieve is actually going to come together. We’re staying focused on the plan….time to make it happen!