Our guest blogger again this week is Taylor Anderson, Design  Assistant at Beacon Hill.  In this blog, Taylor continues her exploration of our attraction to the stripe and its place in fashion and interior design.

Taylor Anderson

There is no room for error when it comes to straight lines: the stripe abandons its quiet demeanor, and can’t help but tattle on anything that is not perfectly aligned, measured, sewn, painted, or stretched. Whether it be the strings of our instruments or the frames of our architecture, the importance of precision resonates with those who recognize true quality and craftsmanship.

I find it fun to be on the lookout for stripes in fashion, because the human body is anything but straight! It's always inspiring to see a designer who can flatter the female form while still capitalizing on the impact of a stripe pattern.

Source

I love the way the taffeta in Grace Kelly's skirt appears pieced together, almost like beams of light shooting from her waist.  We see a greater sense of circular rhythm coming from her skirt than from the mosiac behind her: like a parasol or pinwheel ready to spin.

 
Source: The World of Interiors

The broad, hand-painted strokes in this gown allow your eye to take quick inventory of every pleat, tuck and fold.  It's the structure in the stripes that reveals her form and the desiger's workmanship.

Zoe Saldana in Armani (Source: In Style

Each bag below speaks a language of sophistication, where less is more, and pattern serves to focus our attention on excellent workmanship.  Would we notice such curvature and layering without the stripes to guide our focus? Would this Miu Miu bag look as crisp and sleek?

Giuseppe Zanotti                     Miu Miu                    Edie Parker                       Fendi  

And now, we look at some of the most challenging and satisfying uses of the stripe in design: interiors!

We get a sense of austerity and serenity from these meticulously painted stripes.  Whereas the flat plane of the wall is a perfect canvas for clean lines, the stripe reciprocates by accentuating the curvature of the shelving and molding.  Such a simple motif transforms these small bathrooms into spaces with drama and character.              

   
                                Source: House Beautiful                                   Source: Lonny                                                               

  
Source: 1stDibbs.com                     Source: House Beautiful

Note the alignment of each piece on both this bed and the settee. The stripes seem to spill in an endless flow, jumping over spaces or bumps along the way without missing a beat.

But Sampson, steer clear of that pink bedroom! 

Our guest blogger this week is Taylor Anderson, Design  Assistant at Beacon Hill.  In this entry, Taylor dives into the meaning behind a basic pattern seen every day: the stripe.  Drawing on history, art and fashion, Taylor explores the attraction to and enigma surrounding this staple in the design world.

Taylor Anderson

 
15th Century Depiction of Cain & Abel: Cain- the Bible's first traitor and murderer- is shown here in an unmistakable two-toned smock.

Francesco Morone's (1471-1526) "Samson & Delilah": Stripes on the bed, stripes on the wall: an obvious lair of deception.

However, as Lynn Phillips’ points out in her New York Times article “Crossing The Line,” does our eye understand the stripe even now? Perhaps to me they flow down a plane, but to you they climb up it. We welcome such enigmas now: they intrigue and excite. Is this why we love the stripe? Because our subconscious is drawn to solving the puzzle? Is it because we are convinced that the simplicity can only be skin-deep? Are we drawn to it simply because we can’t crack the code?

Unitled (Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red)  by Mark Rothko

Our guest blogger this week, Terri Taylor, has 32 years of experience in interior design and construction. Besides running her award-winning design studio, Terri is an interior design business coach, supporting entrepreneurial design business professionals with a unique mix of proven design business systems and inspirational tools to create meaningful success (www.designbizblueprint.com). This week she discusses conveying the value of your time to clients. Terri will be sharing her wisdom in CEU-accredited presentations in select Robert Allen | Beacon Hill showrooms this fall; visit the Robert Allen Facebook page for more information. 

Terri Taylor 

Has this ever happened to you?

A good designer has created a plan that requires contractors and sub contractors to build and install interior cabinetry, tile or whatever is needed according to this designer’s drawings.

When the job was sold to the client the cost of the time to project manage this installation was not included. This could be because of oversight on the designer not including it in the fee or the designer is billing by the hour and the client is tired of paying her or the client refused this portion of the design fee.

But here is the catch…

The designer goes out and manages the project anyway. She is there almost every day making sure that everyone is reading the drawings correctly and the job is done right.

The client is aware of this and realizes that he is getting all this support, knowledge and time for free. This client even calls her on a Friday night and expects to see her on site on Saturday morning and she shows up.

What a deal for the client!

The designer is stressed out because she is not getting paid for all this, upset that the client isn’t even acting grateful for this gift and she doesn’t have time to market for new business because she too busy managing an unpaid job and her checkbook shows it.

So, whose fault is this? The designer….

To her credit, she is working from a place in the heart where she cares so much about creating, designing and helping people that she is willing to do it for free.

While this big heart is an admirable trait, it does not serve her well in her business…

The result of this behavior is the exact opposite of what she thinks that will happen.

The client will not be happy and grateful that she has done this and then hire her at a higher fee for the next job.  

No way…

Instead the client realizes that they don’t have to pay her at all…

They don’t value the work that she has done, don’t believe that she is an expert or follow her design advice. It is truly impossible for this designer to move her business “up-market” when she is behaving this way.

Sound familiar? Don’t worry, this can be resolved….

Here are 4 simple tips that will help you to end this self -defeating behavior and move you toward the design business that you want.

TIP #1: You have to personally value your time and talent before anyone else will. Establishing clear boundaries around your time will eliminate this problem.

TIP #2: Bid all your jobs with a specified number of on-site project management trips included. If you can only get a couple of visits included, it is OK, just put it in your Letter of Agreement.

TIP #3: Report to the client each time you visit the site. Explain what you did, what you corrected and how it saved him money to have you there. The purpose of this is to establish the value of what you are doing.

TIP #4: When the time for your project management visits are about to run out, meet with the client and make him an offer. Tell him that you believe that in X number of visits it will complete and it will cost this much. This will be a fee not an open-end hourly rate.

If the client does not take your offer you MUST WALK AWAY…

I know that it hurts but you must value yourself more than that job.

You may have to let the job fall apart…

I promise, this will not hurt your reputation; instead the client will realize how valuable you are.

Chances are you will be invited back  (in a paid way) to fix the problem or start on the next project for them.