What is excellence? How do we define the pursuit of excellence? Excellence has a description of value and importance and leadership in its field – all of which are true definitions.
Is there something in your life that you would deem excellent? One of our favorite fabric reps was in recently and asked us, ‘Has your life been exceptional so far?’
What a great way to rephrase the question, ‘How are you’?
I had the recent privilege of viewing a home finished by one of our designers, Pat Munce. This home will be featured in the next production of Best Home magazine and believe me, you will want to pick up a copy!
The home is amazing and every place you look confirms the love and careful choices made by the homeowner and designer as they collaborated on this project.
I’ve heard people say that if they had an unlimited budget and a full time designer, that decorating their home would be easy. This house is the result of a generous budget and the skills of a fabulous designer but I know that the project has not been easy. This journey, which has taken almost three years to complete, has been a collaborative effort to find the perfect finishes and to source out exactly what the client wanted. This represents a great deal of work and research!
What is most excellent about this home is that it reflects the home owner. I have met the client in our store and could walk through the home knowing how each choice, each small detail and colour is a reflection of the dynamic couple who own this home.
I turned corner after corner and could see how the homeowner would have chosen this or phoned Pat and said, ‘You have got to see this!’ The home was a crystal clear reflection of her personality but it took years to source out everything and to make everything work together harmoniously. Pat designed using new products, antique family heirlooms and mid-70’s retro inspired finishes which is why the house is so successful in its completion.
Great design doesn’t always require a lot of money or a gifted designer but it always needs you to be an intimate part of the process. When you can choose products that make your heart soar and have finishes in your home which reflect your personal history, that is when a design plan is successful and excellent.
Sometimes design can be a long term planning process which can require searching for that perfect element or using existing decorative items that are meaningful to you.
We can all design with excellence and have amazing results in our homes. The more unique and personal you can make a design plan, the more outstanding the final product will be.
Be on the hunt for unique artisans and products which will give your home that special touch. Restore items that are meaningful to you and give them a new life in your home – nothing says good design like a reflection of your good taste.
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Feel free to contact her at 343-7711 ext 227, email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com or join her facebook group called “Ask a Designer”
