A Look Behind the Curtains With Sherry Hart @ Design Indulgence

Hello!

I'm so glad to be back with another post of Look Behind the Curtains with one of my favorite designers/blogger, Sherry Hart!
{If you didn't see my first post of this series, please go here to see my interview with Marianne Simon.}

If you have not read or follow Sherry's blog, Design Indulgence you definitely need to put this on your list! She has the greatest sense of humor and great sense of style. It is such a treat reading her posts.

Here's the results of my interview with Sherry.

Where are you based?

S: I LIVE IN ATLANTA GEORGIA

How did you get into interior design? How long have you been doing it? 

S: WHEN I MOVED TO ATLANTA IN 1989 MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT A HOME THAT NEEDED RENOVATING. I HAD ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN DESIGN SO I DECIDED TO GC THE PROJECT. WELL…I LOVED DOING IT! AFTER IT WAS DONE WHEN PEOPLE SAW IT THEY WERE SO POSITIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THAT I WENT TO WORK PART TIME FOR A DESIGNER TO LEARN EVERYTHING I COULD. AFTER 5 YEARS SHE DECIDED TO RETIRE AND I WAS FORCED TO GO OUT ON MY OWN. THAT WAS ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. I CONSIDER MYSELF "HOME SCHOOLED"!

 

When and why did you start your blog? 

S: MY BLOG WILL BE 3 YEARS OLD IN FEBRUARY….AMAZING I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT! I AM NOT EXACTLY SURE WHY I STARTED BUT I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A WAY TO SHARE PICTURES OF MY WORK. I REALLY ENJOYED THE WRITING PART SO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD…AND IT HAS HELPED ME IMPROVE MY WRITING SKILLS SO MUCH.

 

Do you have any interior design education/ degree? 

S: NOPE….IN FACT I ONLY COMPLETED 2 YEARS OF COLLAGE AND THEN I WAS A FLIGHT ATTENDANT FOR 20 YEARS [UNTIL I WAS 40]. I GOT INTO THE FITNESS INDUSTRY WHEN I WAS 30 SO AFTER RETIRING FROM FLYING I WORKED FOR A WHILE FULL TIME AS A TRAINER. I HAVE TO SAY THAT I LOVE DESIGN AND LOOK FORWARD TO DOING MY JOB EVERY DAY!

 

How would you define your style? 

S: I THINK MY PERSONAL STYLE IS PRETTY CLASSIC….BUT I DO LIKE TO ADD SOME MODERN IN WITH IT. LIVING IN THE SOUTH….MOST OF MY CLIENTS PREFER THAT LOOK ALSO. I DO LIKE TO ADD SOME PATINA TO A ROOM BY ADDING SOME VINTAGE….AND I TRY TO KEEP IT FROM LOOKING TOO "DECORATED" I AM ALWAYS THINKING HOW A ROOM WILL AGE…AND HOW CAN I MAKE IT SO THAT IT CAN BE UPDATED EASILY IN THE FUTURE.



Sherry's Living Room

 

What is your favorite room to design and why? 

S: I SEEM TO GET A LOT OF BEDROOMS! NOT SURE WHY BUT I HAVE DONE SO MANY THAT I CAN ALMOST DO THEM BLINDFOLDED :) IT SEEMS LIKE THAT IS THE LAST ROOM MOST PEOPLE DO SO I LOVE WHEN I CAN MAKE IT A NICE RETREAT FOR COUPLES.

 

What is your favorite paint color to use? 

S: THE LAST 5 YEARS I HAVE BEEN INTO NEUTRAL LIGHT COLORS. MY FAVORITE WHITE IS BEN MOORE WHITE DOVE. IT IS A VERY SOFT WHITE THAT CAST SUCH A PRETTY GLOW ALL THE TIME. OF COURSE I LOVE LIGHT BLUE. BEN MOORE ALASKAN HUSKY IS ANOTHER FAVORITE.

 

What is your favorite local décor shop? 

S: I USED POTTERY BARN A LOT FOR BEDDING…WORLD MARKET HAS ALSO STEPPED UP THEIR GAME THE LAST FEW YEARS. IKEA AND WEST ELM ARE CLOSE BY SO I CAN USUALLY FIND SOME THINGS THAT WILL WORK FROM BOTH OF THOSE. I LOVE MIXING HIGH AND LOW…SO TARGET GETS SOME OF MY MONEY:)

 

What is your most go to online décor shop? 

S: WISTERIA! LOVE THEIR LATEST CATALOG WITH ALL OF THE COLOR ON THE COVER. I JUST ORDERED A MIRROR FOR A CLIENT FROM THEM. ALSO BALLARDS COMES THROUGH FOR ME MANY TIMES.

 

What room in your own house is your favorite and why? 

S: HMMMM…..I WOULD HAVE TO SAY MY BEDROOM. IT IS ALL WHITE WITH AN ANTIQUE RUG IN SOFT BLUES AND BROWN. THE CATHEDRAL CEILING WAS A STAINED WOOD BUT I HAD IT PAINTED WHITE ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO. I HAVE A CREAM LINEN PADDED HEADBOARD WHICH MAKES IT COMFY TO CRAWL IN WITH MY IPAD AND READ BLOGS AND PIN.

 

Sherry's Master Bedroom
 

Who inspires you? 

S: MRS. HOWARD, SUZANNE KASLER, VICTORIA HAGEN ARE A FEW OF THE DESIGNERS WHO'S WORK I REALLY ADMIRE. I LOVE A TAILORED CLEAN STYLE AND THEY HAVE IT.

 

"This room is by Mrs.Howard.The furniture is very classic but I love the brick wall and the softness of the window treatments" ~ Sherry



"Another gorgeous room by Mrs. Howard. Rustic console but a very traditional dining table. She mixes the styles so nicely."~Sherry

 



"Another gorgeous bedroom by Mrs. Howard. I love the neutral tones of this room. The wood bench and desk help warm up the space."~Sherry

 

 

Looking back, have you ever had a big design disaster? Or thought, “what was I thinking?” 

S: OH YES! IN FACT I JUST MADE A MISTAKE WITH THE WINDOW TREATMENTS IN THE SHOW HOUSE I WAS DOING. I ALMOST ALWAYS DO CREAM LINEN CURTAINS AND DECIDED THAT MAYBE I SHOULD TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THEY WERE HORRIBLE! WE HAD 24 HOURS TO GET THEM REDONE! BACK WHEN I FIRST STARTED I TALKED A CLIENT INTO SOME CLUB CHAIRS….SHE WANTED A MORE MODERN LOOK AND I ASKED HER TO TRUST ME AND GO WITH A MORE TRADITIONAL STYLE. I ENDED UP WITH 2 NEW CHAIRS ;)

 

Do you ever second guess your decisions? 

S: YES…..AND BEFORE I ORDER FOR A CLIENT I AGONIZE OVER EVERY FABRIC AND PIECE OF FURNITURE. I WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY AND LOVE EVERYTHING SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT I REALLY GIVE IT AS MUCH THOUGHT AS I CAN…TO PLAY DEVILS ADVOCATE AND MAKE SURE IT IS PERFECT FOR THEIR ROOM.

 

Best advice for someone starting an interior design career? 

S: IF YOU CAN SHADOW A DESIGNER A COUPLE OF DAYS A WEEK…..BE AN ASSISTANT YOU WILL LEARN SO MUCH WITH HANDS ON TRAINING. STUDY PICTURES YOU LIKE AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHY…..OR WHEN YOU SEE AN IMAGE IN A MAGAZINE LOOK AT THE FURNITURE PLACEMENT AND THE COLORS. I ALWAYS DO FLOOR PLAN WHEN I FIRST START ON A PROJECT BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REALLY MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WILL FIT IN A ROOM PROPERLY.

 

Best advice for new bloggers? 

S: WELL….IT TAKES TIME BUT COMMENT AND GET TO KNOW OTHER BLOGGERS. I WAS SO OBSESSED WITH READING BLOGS THAT I WOULD GET UP REALLY EARLY SO I COULD READ THEM. OF COURSE I HAVE GOTTEN SO MUCH BUSINESS FROM MY BLOG I AM NOW BUSIER THAN EVER AND DON'T HAVE AS MUCH TIME FOR READING….BAD AND GOOD :)

 

Best advice for someone decorating on their own? 

S: GO SLOW. DON'T JUST BUY TO BUY. SAVE FOR WHAT YOU WANT AND MAKE WISE DECISIONS. DON'T ACCESSORIZE BEFORE YOU HAVE GOTTEN ALL THE FURNITURE, RUGS AND CURTAINS IN THE ROOM. TRY NOT TO SPREAD YOUR MONEY OUT…FINISH A ROOM.

 

 

____________

 

Thanks so much to Sherry! I got such a kick out of reading through your answers and getting to know you a little better. Thank you for the wonderful tips/advice! I am dying over your inspirational photos by Mrs. Howard! Love them too!!

Be sure to pop on over to Sherry's site if you haven't already and say "Hi".

 

 

 



 

Continue

A Look Behind the Curtains With Marianne Simon

I am very excited about starting a fun little new series of posts, or at least I hope to continue them anyways, it's called A Look Behind the Curtains. I am calling it that because it will be a little insight into a designer/or blogger that I am fond of, and want to get to know a little better. I have done Blogs I Follow and Designer Spotlights before but this will be a little more insightful with the designer/blogger answering some questions for me.

 It will be a little like looking behind the curtain of the Wizard of Oz, where we get to pull back the curtains a little and see who is behind the pretty pictures and designs, and see how they got to where they are now.

Especially for someone like me that is just starting out blogging and trying to learn a little more about design, I thought what else would be better than to ask people whom I admire their work for a little advice.

So graciously, my first designer that has agreed to answer my questions is Marianne Simon of Marianne Simon Design. She is actually a local designer to me, just a short 30 minute drive away. (If you ever want to meet up for coffee sometime Marianne, just let me know!)

Here is what Marianne told me:

 

Where are you based?  Bellevue, WA (right next to Seattle)

How did you get into interior design? How long have you been doing it?  I started my design business in 2005 while I was working full time in pharmaceutical sales.  I guess you could say I moonlighted in design until I could afford to take a leap of faith and quit my lucrative sales job.  I finally kissed corporate America goodbye a few years ago and now exclusively run my design business full time.  Design has always been in my blood, I've been doing it since I was a child.

When and why did you start your blog?  I started my blog 3 years ago as an extension to my design business.  I thought blogging would be a great way to communicate with potential/current clients and other people who share the same passion.  I had no idea what an amazing network of talented people bloggers are, many I have even met in person.

Do you have any interior design education/ degree?  While I don't have a formal degree in design, I did graduate from the University of Washington.  I don't think you can be taught great design.  I think you either have it, or you don't.  I considered going back to school years ago for a design degree, but then I thought about all of the great designers I admire, not a single one of them has a design degree!

How would you define your style?  My style is timeless, classic and clean lined with a mix of antique and modern elements.
 

 {Marianne Simon Design}

 

What is your favorite room to design and why?  I'm not sure I have a favorite room to design.  I truly get excited about each new project and the possibilities each one holds.
 

 {Marianne Simon Design}

 

What is your favorite paint color to use?  My go-to color is Navajo White by Benjamin Moore.  It's the perfect neutral shade and pretty much goes with any décor.

 

What is your favorite local décor shop?  I have a few local favorite décor shops that I frequent… Veritables, Great Jones Home and Haystack.

What is your most go to online décor shop?  Jayson Home is always a favorite.

What room in your own house is your favorite and why?  I love my kitchen.  I remodeled it almost 5 years ago and since I love to cook, it really brings me a lot of joy to be in there.  Plus, the kitchen is always the heartbeat to any home!  Everyone wants to hang out in the kitchen.

 

{Marianne Simon Design}

 

Who inspires you?   Darryl Carter and Steven Gambrel.  I was lucky to meet Darryl last May in New York, truly a dream come true!

 {Traci Zeller, Darryl Carter and me in NYC}

 

Looking back, have you ever had a big design disaster? Or thought, “what was I thinking?”  I once used an upholsterer that came recommended and used them for a piece I was having reupholstered for a client. It turned out to be a major disaster!!!  I think a child could have done a better job.  It was awful and I didn't want to tell the client about what had happened.  Luckily, I was able to get my money back for the labor, but had to eat the cost of the fabric.  I took it to another upholsterer, reordered the fabric at my own expense and never told the client about it.  The piece turned out beautifully and exactly how it should have.  Lesson learned.

Best advice for someone starting an interior design career?   You must be passionate about design.  Gain as much knowledge as you can about the industry, intern at a design firm if you can afford not to be paid, read as many design books and magazines you can get your hands on and if you're switching careers or venturing out on your own, make sure you have money in the bank.  It takes time to grow your business and it doesn't happen overnight.

Best advice for new bloggers?  Post at least 3-4 times a week, leave comments on blogs you like so people know you're out there and don't worry about the followers.  Just because they 'follow' doesn't mean they're reading.  There are so many people that will read your blog on a daily basis that will never hit the 'follow' button.

Best advice for someone decorating on their own?  Buy the best quality pieces you can afford, even if it means you'll have fewer things, and never, ever buy a matching set of anything, i.e. matching sofa, loveseat, chair or bed, dresser, bedside tables.  

Thank you so much, Stacey for including me in your series!

________

Thank you Marianne! You are so kind! It was so fun reading all your answers, and getting your wonderful advice. How lucky are you to have met Darryl Carter? Very cool. I am also excited to check out those local stores you mentioned above! Maybe I'll bump into you there sometime.

Be sure to visit Marianne's website and blog to see more of her work.

Have a great weekend!

Continue