These designer consoles will add style and function to any space.

Shane
Decorati Founder
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Schumacher showroom in the Pacific Design Center co-hosted an event with Decorati about the inlfuence of design bloggers. 

Panelists (left to right): designer and blogger Mark Cutler (http://markcutlerdesign.blogspot.com/ and http://pointclickhome.com ), designer and blogger Megan Arquette (http://beachbungalow8.blogspot.com/), designer and Decorati Founder Shane Reilly (http://access.decorati.com and http://shane.decorati.com), designer and Decorati Blogger Tim Corrigan (http://access.decorati.com/author/timothy/), fifth generation, digtally-savvy, Schumacher executive Andrew Puschel.

In the spirit of the independently-minded blogging culture, the discussion was rapid-fire, energetic, and involved the audience. The topics covered both the panelists’ experiences and perspectives on blogging, but also a healthy chunk of how-to’s.  The conversation was so lively, it was topped off with a successful rallying cry from Tim Corrigan to “get blogging!”

The audience raised such insightful questions, rather than a quick recap, Decorati is going to launch a robust Blogging Guide for interior designers to learn how to start their own blogs.  Stay tuned for more.  If you want to know how to get covered on Decorati Access blog, click below.

In the meantime, check out the recap by Megan on her Beach Bungalow 8 blog.

Thank you to Schumacher for hosting the event!

Lighting designer Kevin Kolanowski of Fuse Lighting provided these examples of successful high-speed projects he completed. 

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Furniture manufacturer Eric Brand provided these examples of pieces he completed with high-speed deadlines.

Design Melissa Palazzo of Pal + Smith provided these examples of her high-speed work.  Contact Pal + Smith.

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 Thomas Lavin, a leading voice in interior design today and who runs a showroom in the Pacific Design Center by the same name, co-hosted an event with Decorati called “High-Speed Luxury Project in Today’s Economy.”

Panelists included (left to right): Kevin Kolanowski of Fuse Lighting, designer Melissa Palazzo of Pal + Smith, Shane Reilly of Decorati, and Eric Brand of Eric Brand Furniture.  The panelists described how they tackled the challenges of high-speed design from three perspectives: process/compromise, client relationship, and resources.  Both Fuse Lighting and Eric Brand Furniture had numerous examples of meeting a client’s tight timeline, even for custom pieces.  Pal + Smith tackled a number of challenging projects for clients and succeeded by working closely with showrooms with excellent service such as Thomas Lavin. Shane Reilly described her experience as an interior designer working on high-speed projects and how that led to launching Decorati, a resource complete with search by lead time, sample sales, a library of designer portfolios, 24 hour access to tear sheets, and an efficient way to send and track quote requests to showrooms.  With the demands of today’s economy pushing us to meet our customer’s needs more than ever, high-speed design will likely become an even more prominent part of our industry.

Liven up any blank canvas with these colorful hues.

Shane

Decorati Founder
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Take a brake and get comfy in your favorite designer lounge chair.

Shane
Decorati Founder
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Decorati Founder Shane Reilly contributed the following article to Forbes featuring designers Amanda Nisbet, Martha Angus, Jay Jeffers, and Jon Amdersen-Miller.

Would-be sellers are turning to small renovations and cosmetic upgrades to achieve a shadow of the plans they had for new spaces.

When empty-nesting clients of New York designer Amanda Nisbet recently halted plans to move out of their open-format, family-friendly space in Manhattan to something cozier and more functional, Nisbet quickly moved to Plan B. That involved creating some semblance of their dream home in the one they already had.

She walled off the end of the L-shaped living room into a much-desired home office for the husband. And although Nisbet couldn’t squeeze the requested adjoining dressing room out of the master bedroom, she replaced the linens, carpet, headboard and window treatments, creating a fresher, more restful bedroom to “appease the wife while they wait [to move].”

Dropping sales and plummeting prices have forced aspiring homeowners to postpone or cancel their moving plans. Whether they had been hoping to upgrade, change neighborhoods or graduate from leasing to owning, many would-be movers are staying put, settling on a more modest American dream of home ownership: whatever home they already have, with some improvements.

In Pictures: Home Improvement Tips For Those Who Can’t Move

In January, existing home sales were down 5.3% and new home sales were down 10.2% from the previous month. As lawmakers wrestle over ways to stimulate sales, many sellers who had specific goals in mind for new homes are turning to small renovations and cosmetic improvements to achieve a shadow of their original plans.

San Francisco designer Martha Angus has witnessed young, would-be first-time home buyers put newborn babies to bed in closets. They hang a drape in place of a door, paint the back wall and “figure the baby won’t remember,” assuming it is a temporary solution, she says.

Another client of Nisbet’s had signed a contract for a new home and already purchased custom-made de Gournay wallpaper for the front hall when financial pressures forced them to stay in their existing house. Fortunately, the designer was able to recycle the wallpaper into free-standing decorative panels for the current home’s foyer, providing the desired effect in a portable format.

These types of quick fixes are increasingly popular. Solutions range from buying new sheets for a few hundred dollars, to creating a room where there wasn’t one by erecting a wall, which can run upward of $10,000. But with the Dow careening toward an uncertain future, many homeowners don’t know how long they may stay in the homes they do not want, nor what they should spend to fix them up.

“People have been conditioned over the last 15 years to think of their property foremost as an investment,” explains Los Angeles designer Jon Andersen-Miller. “Now without a guaranteed appreciation per annum and equal return on renovations, they have to return to thinking of creating a home as their primary motivation.”

San Francisco designer Jay Jeffers advises his clients that if there is a chance they may be in the home for five years, they should decorate, while “concentrating on things that add resale value, like kitchens and bathrooms.”

Nisbet takes the opposite approach with her clients, strongly deterring them from kitchen and bath projects when they are fundamentally not committed to their homes. She believes the expense and disruption are not worth it from a resale perspective when so many prospective buyers will factor in the costs of kitchen and bath remodels to suit their personal tastes.

For those who wish to hedge their bets and renovate without breaking the bank, Angus suggests smart-looking Ikea cabinets for kitchens. For a recent bathroom project, she cut costs but achieved a contemporary look by mixing Restoration Hardware light fixtures and Home Depot (nyse: HD – news - people ) marble mosaic floor tiles with a $1,000 mahogany toilet seat from Waterworks.

For the homeowners who are determined to move at the first opportunity, San Francisco designer Angus provides sound advice: “Don’t spend on the envelope.” Rather, she says, invest in mobile pieces like a good sofa or art. Jeffers agrees, suggesting his clients change only movable fixtures, like chandeliers and sconces, if they must stay longer than planned. Nisbet suggests new window treatments as a way to transform and soften a room with minimal investment.

With all the uncertainty in the economy, even some people who could move are staying put. “People feel safer in the environment they are already in,” says Nisbet.

And she will gladly help them decorate it.

Add sophistication, grace, and comfort to any entertaining space with these sublime sofas.

Shane
Decorati Founder
Contact me