My mom sent me a story this morning that is every homeowner’s nightmare: https://www.kiro7.com/news/jesse-jones/tonight-11-suspended-contractors-wife-starts-her-own-contracting-business-gets-suspended-too/HFESSJQKZBE4JM2FV2T62EHIZY/ Contractor is suspended, so he starts a business under his wife’s name to keep going.

Unfortunately, this is much too easy to get away with and homeowners enter unknowingly into contractor relationships without doing sufficient research. So, how does one protect themselves from shady situations?

We started design where most designs start, some inspiration photos. At the time, they had a contractor who also specialized in cabinetry that they were eager to use. The photos we had shared held much of the farmhouse aesthetic, but the cabinet design style was more midcentury modern in styling.

Our next challenge was size. We had a tight space, possibly one of the smallest kitchens I have yet to work on, with no ability for structural change. This meant that we had to somehow create an illusion of space, and provide the necessity of storage.

Display is important to this family, with young blooming artists, but not so much display that it becomes a cluster of tchotchkes.

The last challenge was to provide flexibility for a dining space where a built in dining nook was desired, as well as the flexibility to move the table and extend with leaves for larger family gatherings.

2020 has been a rough year. Politics, riots, murders, anger, frustration, recession, COVID, an unstable bridge, a collapsing pier, and I’m pretty sure locusts happened at some point. It’s funny, I find my self-descriptions of being a pessimist, but I also know that I am and always have been an optimist.

Oh my goodness… I suppose it is time to tell my big secret. Some of you, who receive my newsletter know the big news, but for the most part, we’ve kept things on the down-low.

Three months ago, Waldron Designs was a two-person firm. A designer and a designer-in-training. Today, Waldron Designs totes a crew of six, and we anticipate adding 2-3 more in the short term.

Honestly, when COVID hit, I thought color consultations were out of the question. I knew that I had done several projects in the past with color, finishes, fixtures, and more all virtually, but chalked it up to my amateur times and assumed I had made horrible mistakes.

Then, I pulled out my old photos, and… they all looked fabulous! What had I done?

At first, I was easily upset when people misunderstood what I did and quick to correct anyone who referred to me as an "interior decorator". Over the years, I've gotten less defensive and frustrated by it, and began to look at it from another point of view.

Phase 2 of the “Safe Start” plan is looming ahead of us, with many counting the days until June 1st. I am not counting at this point, because I realize that it will likely be extended again. Extended or not, that phase will come soon enough.

When it does come, Waldron Designs has a plan and will be ready.

As we near phase 2 for a more comprehensive reopening, we are reviewing the expectations of construction during this time and doing our part to ensure that we are being safe. As of today, we have developed a written protocol for site visits during this time of concern, and are sharing this protocol here.

Not too long ago, I wrote about The Home Office during the pandemic, and why it doesn’t really matter to be perfect right now, but instead how we should enjoy our comforts.

With no clear end in sight, it’s time to regroup, look at your workspace, and create a comfortable space that will not cause carpal tunnel, back distress, fatigue, and more. As wonderful and cozy as my leather chair is that overlooks the water. That comfort lasts a few weeks, at most before the aches and pains start to kick in. It’s time for an ergonomic solution.

Today, our kitchen and bath design process is about developing a space for you that functions in the way that you live and is not limited to the parts and pieces that were per-conceived by others in an order book for mass-production.

We started this new project type with a friend, and were energized by the level of change we could give a home and how much we could learn in the process. Home additions open up a whole new world with permit drawings and requirements and there are some things to know as a home owner that you will need to do your homework on before engaging a designer!

Every designer works differently. In fact, I highly recommend my previous post, To-may-to, To-mah-to, to see just how differently the term “interior designer” may be viewed by interior designers!

Before locking down a designer, it is so important to determine whether their method and expertise is a good fit for your needs.