Friday, May 29, 2009

Finding a Voice




At this moment, I feel as though my training in Interior Design is both ending and only just beginning. As a recent graduate of the design program at the Fashion Institute, I am wrapping up my education and am jumping head-first into the world that I’ve spent the last few years learning about. FIT has definitely taught me the nuts and bolts of being an Interior Designer… I can draft floorplans and elevations in my sleep. I can sketch ideas, come up with a color scheme and write up a work order to get the job done.




But working with Eileen has been an even more important learning experience. Spending my days at Boyd Interiors has taught me that the most important part of being a designer, and the most elusive part, is being able to streamline ideas, to hone your vision and create something new while never loosing sight of what makes you... you.






Eileen is creative beca
use she can find inspiration in all sorts of places… but what makes her truly talented is her ability to edit and pare down the visual cues that bombard her all day. I mean, how else can she walk into a decidedly un-inspired place like Kmart, and walk out looking like this?!
It's also why our showroom in Huntington is so fantastic... there is a whole world full of design pieces out there, but Eileen expertly edits those choices down to only the very best, most interesting things for her clients. The work is already done for you...
genius!

So this summer, I am giving myself one last homework assignment: to work on sharpening my own editing skills! I am going to take my camera with me everywhere I go- whether it's to a talk on sustainability at Greenhouse next week, or just to the supermarket. I'm going to practice paring down the inspiration that comes my way and fitting it into my own evolving style. I will be sure to share my progress along the way, so make sure to check in!

Until then,

Always Inspired
, Laura!

Friday, May 15, 2009

I joined the Boyd Interiors team about a a year and 1/2 ago and it has been one exciting experience after another! Eileen is one of those infectiously positive people that encourages you to conquer the world....So that's what I've been trying to do one media placement at a time.












As a voyeur to the creative journey that Eileen and the girls embark upon, I am always so amazed to see the inspiration unfold into a finished project......Below are some of my absolute most favorite inspired moments.....


Check out the website to see how these inspirations were interpreted.
Always Inspired, Cara

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Today's Mantra: Learn As You Go....

As a young aspiring designer, working at Boyd Interiors has given me so many priceless experiences. The most recent and exciting was the prestigious 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Show House.

Eileen brought me along on a couple of scouting trips into the city to assist her and the team with this huge installation. The show house was a 5-week sprint of creative brainstorming and executing. The experience taught me that the world of interior design is definitely a “learn as you go” process. You can’t expect everything to turn out as you might have planned…Instead you have to be ready to make quick, adaptable decisions. It's pretty clear we didn't start with much, a mere blank canvas that needed a major face-lift. As you can see from the picture above, I am with Beth our Creative Director working out some basic space planning issues. It may appear to be some down time, but it was quite intense thinking of ways to over come the visual mayhem!
There is so much planning and research that goes into a project of this magnitude. Much of which takes place in our design laboratory at the shop. Color schemes and fabric choices galore!

The final day of installation was like a Hollywood walk of fame. Every inch of that gorgeous house was crawling with Interior Design Royalty! It was such an amazing experience seeing the transformation from bare & boring to oozing with color & excitement.

If you haven't seen the show, you better hurry up....This is the last weekend and I promise you don't want to miss out.
Ta-Da....Magic!

Always Inspired, Jo