Pay attention to personality. Most people hire an architect only once in their lives. Searching for one is akin to finding a financial planner, architects say. Look for an architect who has designed projects that are similar in style and scope to yours. “There’s no substitute for experience,” says Todd Strickland, a partner with Historical Concepts, an Atlanta architectural firm. Because designing a home is such a personal project, it’s important that you feel able to communicate with your architect.
Liza Nugent, 41 years old, and her husband needed an architect to combine their apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side with a neighboring unit; they got referrals from friends. The first person they called made a snippy remark about how “unsophisticated” co-op boards in buildings on side streets such as theirs make renovations difficult. “I thought, with that kind of attitude, we definitely wouldn’t get along,” Mrs. Nugent says. After calling two more architects and interviewing three others, the Nugents picked a longtime acquaintance who had creative design solutions for their project. (more…)
It’s not even officially summer, and my sights are already set on fall. Hot trends and new wares were revealed at the end of April during the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, N.C. I couldn’t wait until fall to see them, so I got the scoop from several local furniture retailers.
The event is reputed to be the largest furniture industry trade show in the world. It is also known for being difficult to navigate, for the same reason, with a sprawling nearly 12 million square feet of showroom space, 188 buildings and 2,500 exhibitors.
“It’s so huge you would never see all of the showrooms, even if you were there for an entire week,” says Kelly Judd Schwartz, owner and creative director of Loft Home Decor in the Second Street District. She spent a whirlwind three days in North Carolina — it was her first trip to the show. (more…)
