Author: Lisa Wolfe

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!!!!! WOOHOOOO

Good news from the dream team here at Lisa Wolfe! My internship has been extended for two     more weeks! Which means I’ll be here able to help and see things progress, and lucky for you, you get two more extra blog updates as Hannah the intern!!

I also learned a funny piece of information yesterday! In my 8 short weeks being here I seemed to have acquired a few nicknames here..of course made out of love for the wonderful intern that I am 😉 “Little Cupcake” and “Pillow Puff”. How these came about I don’t know but its pretty funny if you ask me!

The week started off stuck in budget-mode. I have definitely have had my share of budgeting for the week! Lisa and I are finally wrapping our product research for the Penthouse.  With this under our belt, we are moving on to my personal favorite part of anything design…FABRICS!! (Cue the fan-girling) You know, while some people get excited over tacos or getting their paycheck…designers get excited over fabric samples and furniture finishes. Don’t ask. 😉

Lisa Maria and I had a few solid days in the office to start out the week, rushing to prepare for our trip to the city. We gathered all our favorite fabric samples for the Penthouse, notebooks, and tearsheets and headed down to CHI CITY BABY! Fully equipped with protein bars (Lisa’s favorite) and waters we were prepared for the long glorious day in the dog-eat-dog world.

Our first stop was at the Southport Client’s house where the photo-shoot took place weeks ago. This final project is one of my favorites that I’ve seen so far. Before I was even hired, Lisa tested me by having me create a 3D, fully rendered perspective of a custom office space. This is the first time EVER that I have created a rendering and then seen it in person. All my projects for school are strictly for educational purposes and nothing actually gets turned into real life spaces so this was definitely a neat thing to finally get to experience! Here are three different views I did. It was also a chance to see work-in-progress in some other rooms of the house (ongoing installs right now!)

After a few more client meetings and some hustling around, Lisa and I found that we were starving. Dino’s Gyros on the Spit Greek Restaurant. Dino’s  Who could turn down a delicious gyro and some fresh hummus?! Not going to lie, I’m getting pretty hungry thinking about it…and it’s only 9 in the morning. Lisa introduced me to saganacki (flaming cheese!)… Forget this modern technology called microwave, we’re taking it back to the Stone Age…light that stuff n fire!  Anyways, it was a delicious break from the chaotic day.

 

Our final stop for the day was the PENTHOUSE! We had quite a lot of work to get done in a short period of time. I was surprised to see how clean the penthouse was despite the demolition from last week! With all the gross carpeting gone and the old cabinetry out in a dumpster somewhere, its getting easier to picture what this place will look like in the end.

We first laid out all our different options of upholstery fabric, drapery fabric, and pillow fabric. The best place to start was to come up with all our options for upholstery and then move to pillows. After a few minutes of sifting and taking a look at all our wonderful options, I quickly knew which ones were my favorites. Unfortunately they didn’t get picked, but now I know which ones I’ll use when I design my own house one-day…hehehehe. Just wait people, it’ll happen.

Three and a half hours later, Lisa and I came up with the perfect fabric options for pillows, drapery and upholstery! I can’t even wait to see what it looks like in the end!

Top Five Discoveries of The Week:

1). If you have a lamp and want to raise the shade or add height to your lamp, you can purchase some extenders! They’re just inch-long metal pieces to add below the finial at the top.

2). When you are looking for furniture or lighting options, always keep your back ups options. Never know when you’ll have a vicious backorder or something gets discontinued.

3). Be careful when choosing velvet as a main fabric for a piece of furniture. Certain velvets show movement …. sometimes that’s a look you will like, but if not, be careful!

4). You can troubleshoot all you want but you can’t plan for everything. For example, a manufacturer forgot to include critical parts to a bunkbed. This caused a domino effect of setting the entire project back. All you can do is resolve the problem as soon as possible, keep everyone in the loop and communicate to the Client.

5). Sometimes Clients THINK they know what they want..but when it comes down to it, they may run into WEDDING DRESS SYNDROME…a desire to see everything the world has to offer before making a decision.  It happens!  The up side is that the Client gets what they wants and feels good about their decision.  The down side is all this extra time spent researching may take time away from other elements of the project.

Cupcake out.

 

 

 

This week seemed to fly by!

Lisa, Maria and I had a busy week as the Penthouse project  REALLY began to pick up! It feels like just yesterday that I was looking at the horrendous ‘before’ pictures on Facebook back in February. Now, the apartment has been completely demolished and a small, distant bright light can be seen at the end of an Interior Designer’s tunnel.

Lisa and I have almost all our furniture picked out for the Penthouse! OH YEAH!!! PARTAYY. The next step is to begin one of my personal favorites — fabric selections! Wednesday was our weekly trip to the city and to the Mart. We had a full day on our agenda, beginning at (hold on to your chairs folks..) 5:55am! A quick side trip to our fave store REVISION HOME CHICAGO yielded some last minute furniture recommendations for our big afternoon meeting.

Next stop was the Mart — here we visited various fabric stores and began our search. Lisa gave me a quick low-down on the different fabrics and what to get and what not to get and why. Then she ran off and left me here all by myself

 At first I was a little nervous. The Mart can be a bit intimidating with its size and many showrooms, but the people there are so friendly — I felt at home in no time! There were so many options I was overwhelmed. Finding just the right fabric for an Art Deco-inspired Penthouse limits you… or so I thought. Earlier Lisa showed me some different possible fabrics. Some of them were ones that I would never have even thought to pick, but seeing these made me realize that it’s ok to mix and match sometimes. Or even to go a little bit out of your comfort zone and go for some daring options. Lisa and her designs have definitely opened my eyes to a whole different style that I never even thought about. All of her designs surprise me with the various textures and color combinations. She has shown me to not be afraid and to choose some unique items that when put together look beautiful.

By the time Lisa was there to pick me up, I had accumulated so many bags that it was hard to even stand up straight! But if that doesn’t say successful shopping trip, then I don’t know what does!

Another first — bringing rugs to a Client’s home to view! OSCAR ISBERIAN and his team showed up with 8 specially curated rugs to show our Bannockburn Client. We moved furntiure out of the way, and one by one rolled these beautiful rugs to see in the space.  The sun was moving around so it was interesting to see how the rugs’  colors changed in front of our eyes.

Yesterday, I was introduced to the wonderful world of budgets and costs. Lisa and Maria gave me a lesson on how to prepare a preliminary budget based upon final selections of furniture. Some of this stuff gets to be a bit tricky when including discounts, mark-ups and various changes that were made along the way. I didn’t know how much work went into budgeting and pricing!!!   After I’m through with this budget, I can handle anything!

Top Five Discoveries of The Week:

1). When looking at fabric, it is important to note how durable it is. Each fabric should be rated on either a Wyzenbeck or a Martindale scale based on how durable it is. The higher the number, the more durable it will be and longer it will take to show wear.

2). Be careful with what kind of fabric you choose and what it’s made of. Some materials include fibers that can’t get spilled on or else they’ll get ruined (hello VISCOSE). So if a fabric has some delicate materials, maybe choose that for an awesome pillow or sweet curtains!

3). If you’re picking out a rug, it is important to see if you can get it delivered to your house to see what it looks like in the space. Sometimes, more often than not, rugs’ colors can appear differently in different environments. This can be caused by a number of reasons,  including amount of sun and existing colors in the room!  Don’t forget, the showroom most likely has fluorescent lighting and the rugs will definitely look different in your living room!

4). As you know, rugs come in various sizes, shapes and colors. But they also come in various thicknesses. Just because a rug is thinner than another one doesn’t mean that it’s lower quality…just the opposite!!!  A thinner rug can mean finer fibers which means a higher thread count per square inch — finer fibers = higher quality which allows for the rug to be shaved down further than others.

5).Always double check your work! With this budget exercise, i know i’m going to have to go back and check every line time2, 3, 4 times! This budget will be 4 pages long when it’s complete!

 

 

the week wouldn’t be complete without more pics of the cats and their friends the chipmunks!

This week was ANOTHER hectic one. Lots of driving! But luckily for me, Spotify exists so I can listen to all my jams while on my excursions.

Lisa and I were also busy with product research and fabric sample hunting. The Penthouse project is coming along swimmingly! Lisa and I have SOOOOO many options for coffee tables, mirrors, and lighting fixtures. We’re going insane with all the options! The floor is a landline of tearsheets right now!

On Wednesday Lisa and I decided to take a break and enjoy lunch outside (something she never does…eat lunch OR take a break!). Who knows how many days like that we are going to get this summer?! (probably 5). With the sun in our faces and the wind in our hair, it was a wonderful break.

Despite my adventures as a potential juror (new blog?! Hannah’s adventures as an almost jury member…) I was asked to RUN a photo-shoot for Lisa! I got to work with a *professional* photographer. My job was to rearrange items so they were picture-perfect (it’s really amazing how different a view looks through a camera versus through the human eye). Amy (the photographer) and I had to move the furniture in such ways so the final photo looked just right – even if it meant it was actually crooked! I found out how important lighting is and just how much work goes into a photo-shoot. Here are two quick pics of Amy in action!

     

The homeowners also had two really cute dogs! Little French bulldogs. I felt bad — they had to stay outside so they didn’t appear in a shot. Talk about “puppy-dog eyes”!!!

 

Friday’s are ‘vendor presentation’ days at Lisa Wolfe Design — today we had Karen from ROMO out with the new fabric collections. LOVE!!  we are a family business and Boo and Bug had to get in on it too…they loved it so much they jumped in her suitcase!

 

 

 

 

       

Top Five Discoveries of The Week

1). If you decide to hire a professional photographer, make sure they have all the proper equipment. If they show up with no extra lighting sources, then you’ve got a bad one on your hands. Luckily, Amy had it all and really knew how to take some great shots!

2).I never really had to take off the plastic from a lamp shade before interning with Lisa…and now I know the PROPER way to remove it!   Find a gap in the plastic wrap and slide your scissors right in…BUT don’t let that blade touch the fabric. Cut all the way around with the blade floating just about the shade. Scissors can be dirty (yikes)….or one wrong slip of the blade and you’ve just destroyed the lampshade.

3). Some wall sconces have plug-in cords with switches. Like a lamp! Before this grand discovery I always assumed that wall sconces had in-wall electrical. But this is not always the case.

4). If you receive a product or a package, make sure all the parts are included and the item is not damaged. It takes 5 seconds to ensure all is good. I almost ran away without light bulbs for a pendant but luckily I checked to make sure that they were in the box and they were!

5). If you have a lamp or wall sconce that has tiny lampshades, be weary of bulbs exceeding 40 watts – it could cause some burning and distortion of the shade’s fabric.

Welcome back! Sorry for the delay…Friday afternoon was a bit hectic here (Lisa had a date with some seats behind home plate at the Cubs game!)

I made a trip to Ikea …twice this week!!! I learned how to maneuver through the bathroom and kitchen sections (they’re both on different floors…but hey, FITBIT points!) I quickly learned about all the different available finishes and options for cabinetry. The most important experience was how to get quote summaries…. I was a little nervous. I didn’t want to mess anything up, but Lisa is a great boss and made sure I knew exactly what I needed to ge    when I was there! So don’t you worry fellow IKEA fanatics, the quotes were successfully put together and delivered!

Since interior design is basically my life, I couldn’t help but wander a bit through the displays set up. Some of my favorites where the kitchen ones! When the coast was clear, I discreetly (and always effectively) snapped a quick selfie of me in my favorite kitchen display.

 

Another highlight of the week was my second install of the summer!  I got to see another one of Lisa’s fabulous designs put to life! I love watching how everything ties together in the end. How the pillows always end up complimenting the couch, and bursts of color pop in their locations. It’s days like these that make me excited to get started with my career and really makes me believe that all those long hours in studio and in class will be worth it!

This week I also made a new furry friend, Lisa’s kitty Bear. He kept me company one day while I was product researching! He is hands down the cutest cat I’ve ever seen.  How can you resist cute little Bear?!

Top Five Discoveries of The Week

1). Putting a bedskirt on a bed is THE HARDEST THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD..well almost.  I’m pretty sure I don’t need to workout for two weeks after this task. TIP: make sure you have a strong man near by. If you can move the mattress yourself, well God Bless your soul.

2). IKEA is a fantastic low budget option for cabinetry (we are creating a bar and media credenza!).  If you need a quote for installation or need to plan your kitchen, IKEA offers a sweet option to create your layout! On their computers, you’re able to browse the various cabinet options; you can place them where you want. Then if you would like, you could print it out or send it in to be quoted!

3). It’s important to measure from the floor to the ceiling in various places because sometimes (especially in older homes) the floor to ceiling heights may vary!

4). Sometimes the actual fabric doesn’t look exactly the same as the sample. This is why sometimes a larger sample swatch would be beneficial to get a better look at the color or the pattern. Also when looking at a sample be sure to take a look at it from different angles because sometimes the colors vary according to the angle seen.

5). I’ve discovered a ton of new lighting and furniture manufacturers! Before my internship, I only knew of Home Depot and a select few places I learned about in school. But WOW! There are so many options!! I also learned you need to refine your search based on the Client’s price points.

 

 

Our family of four was ready for a change. Our task was to transform the Family Room, Breakfast Area, Master Bedroom and general Hall/Stairway.

Enter: custom built-ins, beams, new lighting and LOTS OF COLOR! We still have many key pieces to go and work to finish up…but our vision is taking shape. Expect final pics in a month or so.  Enjoy the work-in-progress images as well as the BEFORE pics!

         

BEFORE

              

From last week…. the two new bathroom names are…. VERSACE and THE BIRDCAGE

Welcome back fellow Interior Design enthusiasts. This was a fun, but hectic week. It was definitely one of the more full weeks I’ve had yet, but hey, the busier we all are, the better, right? The week started off with a hunt for a much needed discontinued faucet (last produced 15 years ago). After a few rather unhelpful phone calls and scraping all edges of the Internet, there wasn’t much luck here at Lisa Wolfe Design. BUT before you have a minor panic attack. All was not lost! During the Quest of the Discontinued Faucet, we ended up coming across a few very similar versions. PHEW!

Once again, Lisa and I made a trip down to the city. I could get used to these little outings to the city 😉 Fully equipped with coffee and breakfast bars, Lisa and I headed out at the wee hours of the morning (5:55 am to be exact). We had two stops at some Client’s houses (and yes one of them was the Penthouse). At our first stop, I got to take a look at the plans for an awesome custom-made closet! Ovi (the handy dandy custom furniture man) is creating these BEAUTIFUL paneled sliding doors. The Laser cut panels will provide privacy to the closet behind which will be fully equipped with storage to the MAX! Can’t wait to see it when its done!

After finishing up with the custom closet meeting, Lisa and I headed out to the Penthouse (WEEE). Quickly, Lisa and I had to change our shoes for we were about to step into a demo site (the time has arrived, fellow friends!) I almost wasn’t able to go in because initially I didn’t have the correct shoes. But right before we left for the day, I realized that I hadn’t completely finished unpacking all my shoes from college, and I had a pair of boots in the back! WHAT A SAVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When inside, Lisa and I felt as though we were in an almost completely different apartment, The Penthouse had been turned inside out. All the carpet was ripped out and there were piles of old cabinetry lining the walls. Gotta love demo day!!! WOOHOO! Lisa and I left our carpet recommendations for the Client to review later. And discovered that the black absolute tile she picked out matched the 30 year old batch!! OH HAPPY DAY!

After a long day, Lisa and I had to make a quick stop to grab some food. I’m pretty sure my stomach was eating itself! We went through the drive through at McDonald’s. Fries, Milkshakes, and Diet Cokes were what were on the menu. You know, every now and then, who can resist some good ole fries!

Top Five Discoveries of The Week

1). Organization is KEY! The more organized you are, the better off you are. If things are filed away sloppily then your life will be sloppy. Lisa is incredibly picky about how everything is titled and labeled….nothing gets past her.

2). A busy day makes you forget how hungry you are.  McDonald’s is ok every now and then. The key is that you’ve really gotta just eat it and then forget that you did.

Welcome back!

Well this week was another one for the books! After a nice long weekend from Memorial Day, coming back to the office didn’t really feel like going back to work! This week was full of Client meetings and trips to the city. I got to go downtown (and back to the Mart….yippeee! Luckily for us, the tea-na coladas are still in season!) twice this week

After a week of observing and product researching, I got to hang with my good ole friend AutoCAD on Tuesday and Thursday! I have experience in the program, yet I found that I was a bit rusty. But don’t you worry …Lisa and Melinda came to the rescue! Once I got the hang of things again, Lisa and Melinda taught me some new techniques to create elevations! Snaps for their patience with me! I couldn’t even imagine trying to draw these guys without modern technology! I bow down to you folk who did this by hand (insert bow down motion here).

Today was quite an exciting day! Lisa and I took the second trip to the city this week. I got to meet Ovi, the hand dandy, trusty custom furniture man! Lisa and I got to take a sneak peek at some custom cabinetry for a Client and even peek at some other projects!

 

  

 

 

Our next stop was to Penthouse in chi city. WHAT A PLACE THIS IS! I’m so lucky to be able to help with this project…and not to mention enjoy the view when I visit 😉 I discovered part of my job is lugging heavy bags filled with 50lbs of tile around..getting my workout!

Currently, the apartment is in critical Interior Design condition. Hand painted murals line the walls and ceilings that have, hummingbirds and long grasses. Yes, I did say hummingbirds. But thanks to Lisa’s amazing taste and skills, the place will be looking so art deco chic in no time! We presented the bath designs and left them taped to the walls so the Clients could review again later.  Lisa, Maria and I had some fun picking out nicknames for the two bathrooms to help keep things organized and fun during the process. The names in the running were The Birdcage, the jungle, and Versace. Comment below which two you think won, and then tune in next week for the reveal of the two winners!

 

 

 

This week’s Top 5 Discoveries are:

 

1). NEVER rely on other people for notes or to have all the information. In other words, TRUST NO ONE EXCEPT YOURSELF! Always be sure to take notes on everything you go over in meetings or when shopping for furniture, tile, paint, etc. This way you always know what was decided and in case something goes wrong with the vendor, you always have the correct items!

2). I learned that when giving elevations of tile patterns label and color coordinate EVERYTHING! No matter what line of field you are in, if you’re giving instructions to someone always pretend you’re talking to a 5 year old. This way it’ll eliminate any gray areas.

3). I learned that tight back couches and cushion couches do have a considerable difference in the depth of a couch!

4). You can get creative with ways to design certain things. It’s ok to step out of the box and design something totally custom! Take storage for a jewelry box for example. Sick of storing your jewelry in a box and finding your necklaces all knotted up? Try hanging them on pull-out panels that are on tracks! Lisa was having an issue w/this for a Client – I proposed my idea and it was presented and approved yesterday by the Client!

5). When custom making furniture, wood items that are rounded or have a bunch of curves are way more pricey than square or straight edged pieces. But both look beautiful if done by the best!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Thinking of adding some wainscoting to your walls? Well here’s a neat and INEXPENSIVE trick: paint the walls and have your construction worker place wood details on the walls to mimic real wood paneled wainscoting. Only you will know the truth!

First blog entry…YAY! I’m the intern here at Lisa Wolfe Design. This blog will follow me as I experience the crazy real world of design for the first time. I am an interior design student at Iowa State University and have the amazing opportunity to intern with Lisa for the summer! Be sure to tune in every Friday to check out my updated “top five discoveries of the week” list as well as to hear about my most recent exciting experiences as an intern. Having only started a week and a half ago, I have already learned and experienced so much! From inspiring and hectic installs to 6 am trips to the city, I feel as though I can say that I’ve seen it all… almost. Well, until next week at least 😉

The highlight of this week was Tuesday. Lisa and I went to downtown Chicago to visit some clients and to go to… wait for it, wait for it… the MERCHANDISE MART (every prospective and professional interior designer’s Disney world). I think I get more excited to visit the mart than I do for my own birthday. Being only my second time there, I was able to revisit some of my favorite tile shops and to see a few new (to me) furniture vendors. Lisa and I began to explore fabric and furniture options for a major project that I get to help with this summer. Oh, what is this project you ask? It’s a Chicago penthouse redesign; every interior designer’s DREAM! So definitely stay tuned for progress on this redesign!

During some downtime at the mart, Lisa and I came across an Argo tea sampler. But it wasn’t your average green or earlgrey tea; it was a Pina Colada inspired tea… OH WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!! Lisa and I just had to get some. This warm-climate drink was a nice distraction from the days’ chilly 50-degree Chicago weather (what is summer anyways…) Luckily for Argo Tea tea sampler was empty when we passed again, or else we would’ve refilled our cups 😉

 

The week overall was quite the introduction into the design world. After a great start to my internship, I have gathered my Top Five Discoveries of The Week:

1). IKEA has a self-serve storage warehouse in their basement, that you WILL have to visit at some point and where you WILL have to lug 50+ pound boxes onto a cart…and up 3 flights of stairs.  but if I can do it, so can you! (ps. I don’t know why everyone says IKEA instructions are hard…)

2). Thank goodness for Google maps on my phone because without it, I probably would have never found my way running errands this week. Snaps for Google!

3). Sometimes product research is harder than it seems, but there is always something out there that works, and once you find it, it feels quite rewarding. But you have to listen to the criteria or else its a big waste of time when she makes you go back and do it again!

4). Client Install days are hectic, yet fun. And sometimes you get to play with the kids during downtime. Who knew batman and ninja robin were so much fun! But being the intern, my job was to vacuum every square inch of that space. I learned how to correctly vacuum a pony hide (brush it like hair!) and also how to unwrap a lampshade!

5). My final top five of the week is this   because honestly, I am so lucky to be able to work with Lisa and her clients this summer! I’m already dreading the day when it ends.

TIP OF THE WEEK: Never screw in the finial (the decorative piece at the top of a lamp) with one hand! Always use two hands. If that guy falls, you’re in trouble!

See you next Friday!

Hannah the Intern

Our Client had high expectations of this transformation going in — and we were not going to disappoint! After they had executed a spacious reno with their own contractor, we had a blank slate (except for one sectional!) to work with. their style was a bit boho, a bit glam, a bit rustic….she didn’t want anything predictable, mainstream or safe.  which is right up our alley!

enter lighting. we decided to punctuate the large open space with well-appointed dramatic chandeliers (see dining room and foyer) to help define 4 of the rooms (its hard to miss!). the general lighting needed a little help so we inserted table and floor lamps to help set the mood as well provide good reading light (hello floor outlet!!). lucky for us, the mills are still cranking out beautiful durable fabrics that give us a leg-up with their 3 kids, multiple playdates and family pets. we provided a palette of textiles with the rich colors and sumptuous textures, popping a cobalt blue here and there to wake you up. custom furniture from Eurocraft, ZakRose, and Kravet rounded out the rooms and really provided that unique touch (red pony hide bench in the foyer, zebra hide-clad credenza and an amazing 8′ round starburst dining table).  we have a couple pieces to add to the bunch before final photographs, but for now we’re excited to share these work-in-progress shots with you.

 

 

   

 

 

Given Client’s affinity for a modern-minded, maintenance-free bathroom, Mark and I worked together to design and select finishes that gave them their wow-factor (and fit the budget!).  We mixed marble (classic beauty)  and porcelain (wallet-friendly) products and some killer over-sized sconces to take up the visual space of this large master bath. Because you know my extreme dislike of half-walls (and b/c we couldn’t move the toilet), we created a custom screen installation made up of three 70-year old Asian wood panels to provide some slight privacy by the toilet.  Silver sluter strips add some razor sharp definition to the very intentional geometry of the desk tub.  we still have a new upholstered bench and some accessories to go to finish the space but wanted to share these pics!  Thanks DCS Midwest, Paint Plus crew and New Content Inc for all their hard work.