Week Two has been an exciting and exhausting one. I could
definitely tell the days I didn’t have coffee; I needed a nap after work! Since
we were closed for the holiday on Monday, we jumped right back into things on
Tuesday. Rachel and I continued to update the sample library, this time turning
to the rugs library. In the afternoon I went with Kassie to Pier 1 Imports to
meet with the Parade of Homes builder, Chris Gardner (of Bella Homes) and Chad,
the Urbandale Pier 1 Imports store manager. We had to discuss how Pier 1 could
work with us to stage the homes for the home show. Chad needed a “wish-list” of
everything we wanted to use which he would need to get approved by the regional
level. The tricky part about this is anything we order from their Ohio warehouse, they
have to keep in the store. If you haven’t been in a Pier 1 Imports store, they
are super-crowded already and to order a sofa that would have to stay in the
store until it is bought would be really hard to deal with. The amount of free
advertising that Pier 1 Imports would get for having their stuff plastered all
over a show home is crazy. Thousands of people will be walking through these
homes, and if they like what they see, they will realize that it is actually
affordable at a store just down the street. We left Pier 1 kind of stressed
that we have to have this “wish-list” made up in a short period of time.
Wednesday has been the most educational day for me so far. I
shadowed Kassie all day because we were working on the Home Show and she had
quite a few client meetings. We started the day off by going to the Parade of
Homes sites. They are still under construction, so it will be really awesome to
see the progress as we are working on it! Lesson #1 I learned was do not wear
heels to the work site. (In my defense, I was not aware it was still under
construction!) Some of the stairs were scary. We met with Chris G. and the
owner of the home, Kris, and discussed the game plan for the home. Kris is
hoping to sell the home through the Home Show so she definitely wanted a say in
the way it was designed. We walked through room by room and discussed what we
thought would be best for each space. Hunter Douglas does Home Show deals when
they know thousands of people will be seeing their product, so they are giving
us $5,000 worth of window treatments to use on this home. That being said, we
also had to decide which windows got to have these treatments. After we went
through this house, we went to the house down the street which was smaller, but
similar to the first (Also built by Bella Homes). We were able to meet with
Rachel, who will actually be living in the house with her husband, Jack, their
17-month old daughter, Ella, and a baby on the way. The unique part of this
planning project was that they are going to be living in this house so we are
potentially using a lot of their existing furniture as well as searching for
new furniture that they want. They have a very small budget left so this will
definitely be a challenging task. After we finished meeting with Rachel, we
went back to the first home to take measurements for window treatments and
photos.
Once we left the Parade of Homes site, we went to pick up
samples and check measurements at one of Kassie’s commercial client’s business
and then went to her next client’s home. Kassie worked for another company
before she joined Creative Home about two months ago. Because of this, her
previous clients wanted to stay with her so they still keep in contact with
her. Obviously, you need to create good relationships with clients so they
stick with you so I was excited to see how Kassie interacted with her clients
and to take note of it! This client had just moved into a new home and Kassie
had helped her basically design her entire living room. After three months, her
furniture finally arrived so Kassie was going to see how she liked it and help
her arrange it just the right way. Kassie said this furniture was around a
$10,000 investment which, of course, makes the client nervous that they picked
the right thing. After arriving, we realized that the client loved it and it
looked great! It was pretty contemporary so I definitely loved it. J
Kassie also helped her decide between a couple pieces of art to hang in the
kitchen. From this visit I realized some clients just need reassurance that
they made the right decision. She loved it, so that was exciting. Our next
visit was another living room client who seems to be taking her house one room
at a time. This client was a prime example of relationship building; after the
design consultation there was a lot of personal talk which I realize is an
important part of making a lasting relationship. In order to earn their trust
and create a bond, you often times have to become the client’s friend. I did
learn she was originally from Cedar
Falls and was actually going up there that night for
her father’s birthday. She asked about me and I told her I had attended UNI and
was doing this internship to finish my degree. Already, we had a little
connection! I had a great day being in client meetings first hand. It was
definitely knowledge I couldn’t learn sitting in a classroom or at a desk. I
still have so much to learn, but there was definitely a great start!
Friday I was able to use my scale as well as the paper scale
we learned how to make in class. I try to do things a step above so my
employers know I can bring something to the company. It feels great to know a
few tricks and programs they don’t so when they see what I’ve done they are
impressed! J
I used Olioboard.com to make a few quick “sample” boards for us to show the POH
homeowner so she could see what our ideas were. Alison, who is only a few years
out of college came in and asked what program I used for that and Kassie loved them and thought they’d be a great
way to showcase our ideas. I also used my past summer job experiences in an
office to put together a really organized binder for our POH project. Everyone
has their own methods of organization, and Kassie’s is what I call “chaotic
organization.” By this I mean she has each project stuffed in manila folders
which are piled all over her desk. I could tell she really appreciates my
organization and my ideas and that makes me feel great!
I am being proactive about getting the most out of my Des Moines experience; I am following many Des Moines social
networking pages such as the Des Moines Greater Partnership. Through this I
learned of an event Thursday night called “Do More in the City.” It is a
networking event for all interns living in Des Moines for the summer. I also would like
to attend NeoCon this year but I am still looking for someone to go with. It
would be a bit of a trip from Des
Moines (about 5 hours) but I think it would be a great
experience, especially while I am still technically a student. There is a career
fair too which I would like to attend.
This concludes my second week, the time is flying by!
Images of the POH!
The outside – it’s huge! The dark side walk was wet so we
were trudging through that dirt to the left in our heels.
Sitting room that is to the left when you walk in the front
door (That’s the front door through the window)
Other side of sitting room
The kitchen so far!
Kitchen again – the sink is under that window to the right
Dining nook off of the kitchen!
The great room – those humongous windows/doors go out to a
really awesome deck.
Pantry off of the kitchen – that little door is connected to
the garage- makes it easy to bring the groceries in – unique!
Bed room #1 – Girl’s room. (It’s hard to get a good picture
of these right now.)
Jack and Jill bath between kid’s rooms.
Boy’s room.
Master Bedroom through French doors.
Master bath – there will be a free standing tub- cool!
Where the shower will be in the mast bath – I’m excited to
see how this turns out!
This was a tour of the first floor. I did not have time to
get pictures of the basement but it consists of two more bedrooms, a large
storage room, a bathroom, media room, another nook below the dining nook which
will be a game table area, a bar, and a wine cellar.
Hope you enjoyed the photos – I can’t wait to see the
progress! J
Dining Nook Ideas – Olioboard
Great Room Ideas
Upper Deck Ideas
No comments:
Post a Comment