Chic Galleria » Jennifer Hicks

A Day In The Life Of a Diva

Jennifer Hicks — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:09:38 +0000

You thought you were going to be following Beyonce, didn’t you? Its okay, I know I’m not exactly reaching the Twitter fan base (or daily salary) of Lady Gaga but I do get asked about my day a lot. And the reality is far from what one may think. As a beginner design student my head swirled around visions of me with an assistant at my side, surrounded by luxurious fabrics and sketches of walk-in closets the size of most peoples’ kitchens. I needed little hands-on experience to realize that was probably not going to be a daily occurance. And I’m still waiting on that assistant.

My favorite question is “What’s it like to be a paid shopper?” While I realize that this isn’t meant to come across as an offense, it is off-putting that anyone would assume all I do for eight hours a day is pick out lamps and wallpaper. So I decided to give you (Guy in Hardware Store) a tour of a typical day when the schedule is particularly filled.

8 a.m. Morning yoga. Loosen up, its going to be a busy day.

9:15 a.m. Return emails and call clients to confirm appointments for next day. Check over schedule for today. Plan to be out of the office and in the stores before it gets A) too hot and B) too crowded.

9:45 a.m. Update social media pages (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) before heading out. Did I get everything? When I leave the office for a full day of appointments I pack up like I’m headed on vacation. Level? Check. Client files? Check. Camera, tape measure, notebook? Check check and check. Balance my morning caffeine on the dash while I load up and enter the day’s appointments in my GPS. All set! Oops, don’t forget the frappe! Almost had to pull out the bleach pen before my first destination!

10:00 a.m. Check post office box; no payment from client (booooo) but invitation to a cocktail hour seminar on the year’s hottest new fabrics (yayyyyy)!

10:30 a.m. Arrive at Home Depot. Picking up paint supplies to paint new booth at Showplace Market. Grrrrr, hate painting. While I’m here I should look at granite colors for potential new client who hopes to remodel kitchen this summer. I want to have ideas in mind when we meet for first time. Quick scan tells me I should head elsewhere, the colors I am looking for aren’t here.

11 a.m. Head to Affordable Art & Frame to pick up order for myself and another client. Had my latest purchas from the Festival of the Arts framed and it looks amazing!Now, how will I get these in the car without the other supplies breaking the glass…? Must empty out everything I carried out of office earlier and rearrange. I need a bigger car.

11:10 a.m. Pink Swirl. What? A girl deserves a fro-yo break.

11:25 a.m. Oh no! Initial consultation with new client at Noon to discuss their style, budget and needs but they live across town and traffic is heavier than I realized. Forget a bigger car. I need a jet pack. Return new messages while I sit and wait. Plan location for a board meeting, schedule my FastPass for Dallas Market and get two estimates from electricians for can light installation while sitting in a construction zone! Score!

11:50 a.m. Arrive at client’s home with time to spare (whew!) and just enough time to switch out of flats- you didn’t think I did all that in heels, did you?! Check my pearly whites and go in.

12:20 p.m. Getting tour of home after talking with clients about their past designer experience gone wrong. Note to self: do not shop at Hobby Lobby, mark up a vase 90% or forget to return their phone calls. Got it.

12:50 p.m.Taking notes on every room as we talk. The client has very specfic requests. Write it all down, Jennifer, or its like you never heard it…

1:15 pm Appointmentt finished; headed to lunch meeting. Leave feeling excited about project and all the ideas start flowing!

1:30 p.m. Jot down an estimate timeline for new project while I wait on my lunch date. Can I get this done in two months? Probably but must factor in other big jobs that may pop up. Poor planning is unprofessional, after all. Laying it out on paper helps put it in perspective. Do I want burger bites or a summer salad? No! Focus Jennifer! Think schedule, not salad! Arrival of colleague saves me and its time to eat!

2:15 p.m. Full stomach, full car, and still a full day ahead! Back in my ballet flats. Point car north and head to Hunzicker Lighting Gallery to hunt for the perfect ceiling fan. Love that I can custom-create one on the spot. Also looking for a whimsical chandelier for a nursery. Can’t find one that hits the spot so I’ll have to design one and ask Lillian Strickler Lighting to build it for me.

3:30 p.m. Trouble. Cell phone battery is almost zapped and I still have hours left in the day. Waiting on a contractor to email his bid for painting and I need that phone! Used my last few seconds of battery to find my husband’s location and arrange to meet him on the road- thank goodness he has a car charger today! Pick a nearby parking lot to pull into and go into “Mobile Office Mode”, spreading my Dayplanner and files out in front seat so contractor, client and I can arrange phase 2 before he leaves for vacation and the contractor gets booked up again. Feels like a secretary!

4:30 Brecheen Brothers Area Rugs and Furniture. Picking out pieces to go in new booth and scoping out the latest color trends in area rugs. Not as much animal print this year, finally. Thought nothing would save us from the zebra stripes! Sign contracts on new booth with one of the Brecheen brothers before leaving.

5:15 p.m. Ick, home-bound traffic is going to be killer. Last appointment of the day is a home staging not far from my own modest abode. Use stoplights to fix hair and makeup as the heat and humidity have destroyed my morning efforts.

5:30 p.m. Distraught client hates the yellow paint she picked up. Someone didn’t look at it the daylight like I instructed. Quick, call painter and schedule her to come back tomorrow to repaint. Note to self; get new yellow paint samples by tomorrow at 9 a.m. Feels like a firefighter. Got painter to come back tomorrow and paint with new color. Fire out. Crisis averted.

6 p.m. Meet owners of home I am staging for local Realtor. Nice couple, adorable cottage style home AND they have great taste? Too good to be true!

6:15 p.m. A quick tour reveals fabulous decor, just too much of it. Get the husband to help me move out some dressers, accent tables and a love seat to make the home feel larger. Show the wife which items she can pack away (sorry, not everyone loves looking at photos of your baby like you do!) and we’re on our way to wrapping it up!

8:00 p.m. Wish the couple well with a quick closing and load my tool box into the car. Kick off shoes, put hair up and call husband to tell him I’m finally on my way home. He’s already grilling dinner? Love. Him.

8:30 p.m. Eat light dinner(mmm, the highlight of my day), squeeze in about 30 minutes of kickboxing to help me sleep better and hit the showers.

9:30 p.m. Update my Back Talk blog (www.decorateokc.net) and return Facebook messages. Someone needs advice on picking flooring! Schedule them for lunch on Friday.

10:00 p.m. Send follow-up email to contractor, “thank you” card to new client and prepare invoices for the bookkeeper. Feels like an office manager!

10:45 p.m. Looks over schedule for tomorrow. Forget the flats; its a Nike kind of day.

After studying interior design for four years in my native Oklahoma and becoming registered as a Certified Interior Decorator, my passion for breathtaking rooms led me to introduce Designing Diva Interiors LLC. I believe in livable, affordable homes that reflect the unique style of each of my clients and their families. A beautiful room can transform your life, and I truly love being a part of that process. With each new project arrives a new opportunity to create a space that will welcome you home at the end of a long day, or provide a cozy corner for rainy day reading, and everything in between!”

Jennifer lives in Yukon, Oklahoma with her husband and their four-legged child, a boxer named Duke. Jennifer serves on the board of directors for Heart and Hand Ministries (http://heartnhandokc.com/page04.html) as well as House of Healing (http://www.house-of-healing.org/). She shares her decorating insights each month with multiple local publications such as Edmond Active Magazine, Realtor Ryan Hukill’s blog “Its All Realitive”, her own daily blog “Back Talk” and is a new contributor to Tulsa’s online magazine “Chic Galleria”. Her work has been featured in these outlets as well as in the 2010 Symphony Orchestra Designer Show House.

Mistakes Home Sellers Make

Jennifer Hicks — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:42:46 +0000

So, you’ve read my other articles on home staging and taken them to heart. You’ve headed the warnings from your Realtor. You’ve watched so many HGTV shows you think its time you get your own. Great! Time to put the sign in the yard and start bringing home boxes and packing peanuts. Not so fast! Because you’ve tackled the big things like paint, updating appliances and moving out excess furniture you feel like your work is done. The ugly truth is your home is now in constant “show home” mode. What does that mean? It means that before any photographs are taken, before any single showing takes place, there are little details to address. Read on for some of the biggest “small” mistakes sellers make.

1) Leaving evidence of pets. “Your dog is so cute! Now get rid of him.” This is what your Realtor is thinking but can’t really say. Pet odors, supplies and the animals themselves can instantly turn a buyer off. Before photographs and showings, hide the litter box, kennel, chew toys, food bowls, etc. If you can take Fluffy with you when you leave the house for these events that would be preferable. Perhaps a neighbor could watch him. Leaving him in the backyard or in one of the rooms is not an option! Anything that prevents a buyer from accessing every corner of every space is a huge “no-no” and leaving these items out in photographs is pretty much kissing 50% of your prospects goodbye before they even see the house in person.

2) “I see London, I see France, I can see your underpants.” Hide your laundry either in drawers/closets or by using hampers with lids. When it comes to laundry baskets, go ahead and keep those emptied and preferably in a closet out of the way. Clothing, even if its stacked and folded, looks cluttered and makes people feel like they are intruding into your personal territory.

3) Overcompensating for household odors. Everyone’s home has a certain smell about it, good or bad. Our carpets, our clothing, our soaps, they all contribute to an overall, unique smell that we grow accustomed to over time. Ask an honest friend (or your mother in law) to stop by and do a sniff test before you start having showings or open houses. Scentsy warmers are all the rage and provide desirable fragrances while adding a decorative touch to any room of the home. They’re also safer than open flames, especially while you’re away. Here’s where the mistake comes in: Using multiple scents from room to room can give some people headaches. Using scents that smell too “floral” or “musky” can turn people away. Stick with one fragrance like a clean linen or fresh cotton and limit the plug-ins or warmers to just a couple of rooms. And instead of dousing your rooms with carpet sprinkles, room sprays and candle warmers try having the carpets, upholstery and window treatments cleaned first to eliminate odors altogether.

“Dressing Your House for Spring” by the Freeman Design Group

Jennifer Hicks — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:40:20 +0000

Trained in Paris where she was an editor at La Maison de Marie Claire, Kim Freeman has styled the pages of many of America’s premier decorating magazines. She now brings her design expertise to private residences where she translates each client’s vision into highly individual and inviting interiors. Kim’s eye continues to be refined by her experiences as a passionate traveler.

When Kim dresses a house for spring she lets in the air and light, swapping warm textured fabrics for light, crisp cottons, linens and sheers. But before you dress a room for spring, Kim recommends some undressing!

∗ Roll up plush carpets and replace them with woven cotton rugs or leave wood floors bare

∗ Replace winter quilts and duvets with cotton or matelassé covers

∗ Clean and store heavy draperies and replace with sheers to filter light or install simple Roman shades for privacy

∗ Spring is a great time to de-clutter — put away bric-a-brac and make room for vases of fresh flowers

∗ Nothing prepares a house for spring like a good cleaning

Photo by Jeff McNamara

Above: Pale cornsilk colored walls accented with ivory and citrus colored fabrics and raffia upholstered chairs give this bedroom its airy feeling. The foot-friendly woven cotton rug is from Elizabeth Eakins. Cotton striped Roman shades roll up to reveal a leafy view. Lined linen side panels on the Oly Studio Willa canopy bed have been replaced with sheers. Flowers cut fresh from the garden bring spring indoors.

Photo by Susan McWhinney

Above: Sometimes less is more. In this room with over-sized shuttered windows, a built-in window seat and antique wide-plank floors, no carpet or elaborate window treatments are needed, especially for spring and summer. The delicate scroll and height of the wrought iron bed, the fresh blue and white floral fabric on the tufted chaise and bed linens are all that is needed to complete this understated bed/sitting room. A Swedish family heirloom clock balances the height of the headboard and high ceilings.

Photo by Susan McWhinney

Above: Airy white and periwinkle fabrics, painted furniture and a woven rug from Susan Sargent provide both contrast and compliment to the 200-year-old Vermont farmhouse living room. An antique side table and slatted chair mix well with modern ceramic lamp and Arts & Crafts pottery. To refresh the room for spring accessories are kept to a few books and garden flowers.

Photo by Robert Grant

Above: For high style at a low cost Kim dresses a crisp white attic bedroom under the eaves for spring with lime green quilted bed covers, 100% cotton polka dot pillow cases and window seats slipcovered in raspberry cotton duck cloth. The contrasting raspberry border added to the white Roman shades creates a visual balance with the window seat cushion. Floors gleam with high-gloss white paint. A splurge on a rich cut velvet fabric for the cushions of antique chairs adds a touch of luxury.

Don’t Forget the Foyer… Entryways That Say “Welcome!”

Jennifer Hicks — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:25:49 +0000

When you ask people what their favorite room of the house is you will get a variety of answers: for the workaholic it may be the cozy yet cluttered home office; the busy mother finds solace in her guest room-turned reading room while the chef retreats to the kitchen. Though the answers are varied there is always one area of the home that gets passed over: The foyer. In smaller homes this space is called an entryway as a foyer, by definition, includes an “entrance hallway”.

Many clients hire me because they’ve spent hundreds, if not thousands, decorating the other rooms of the home yet still complain of a “cold, uninviting” environment. It never takes me long to spot the culprit– an ignored entryway or foyer is often to blame. This is the first thing your guests see upon entering your residence. For many of us its the first thing we see when we come home from a rough day of work and the last thing we see before heading out for the day. Why put all of your energy into every room but this one? Here are my solutions to the most common problems I see:

Dead space: Try a console table but refrain from the demilune (half-table) style if you have a narrow space. No room for a table or chest? Try a bench instead, which come in a variety of sizes and styles. This comes in handy for removing shoes upon entering the home (a must if you hope to prolong the life of your carpet).

A “closed in” feeling: A large mirror or a collection of smaller mirrors will make your small entryway seem much larger instantly. Even if you have a small entrance, go ahead and opt for the over-sized mirror. Sometimes a small mirror in a small space is the same as doing nothing at all.

Builder-grade walls: You’ve painted your bedroom, faux-finished the bathrooms and added beadboard paneling to the living room. It all looks lovely. So why is your entryway still white (or whatever boring tan color your builder selected)??? The paint color you choose for this space is perhaps one of the most important ones. Go too dark and you create a “cave” when you wanted “airy”. Too light and the walls run together with no clear definition and little interest.

Clutter: For those of us who use the foyer/entryway rather than entering through the garage, this area can quickly get out of hand. Shoes on the floor, coats, purses, change, car keys, mail, it all ends up here if you’re not intentional about the design of your space. Try attractive, durable baskets on the floor (under your new table?) for shoes/toys/dog leash/etc. Petite trays, bowls or platters can be purchased inexpensively to hold keys/phones/mail. Chances are you already have a serving dish in your kitchen that will do just fine. Hang hooks for the coats, briefcases and purses. If you inherited OCD from your elders like I did, two separate trays mounted to the wall will serve you well: one for incoming mail, one for outgoing mail.

Boring decor: No need to cram every pretty object you own onto the foyer table. Keep it simple and pretty. Fresh flowers go a long way and don’t have to be pricey. Most grocery stores now carry a decent selection of flowers year-round.

The guests will be here soon, what are you waiting for? GO, GO!

Excuses, Excuses. What’s Holding You Back From Your Dream Home?

Jennifer Hicks — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 07:41:47 +0000

Over the years I’ve realized that making a room look attractive requires much more than just knowing which chair to put where. There is a significant amount of psychology that goes into great design and any decorator worth her fee knows how to combat her clients’ fears and misconceptions, helping them overcome whatever is holding them back so that they get the room they really want. Today I would like to cover a few of the most popular fears or misconceptions that may be keeping you from hiring a professional decorator to finally achieve the design you deserve.

1. Decorators are too expensive. I can do what they do for a lot less.

As gently as I can may I ask “and how’s that working for you”? While to some it may appear that a decorator is nothing more than a paid professional shopper, there are many aspects that require professional education and training- knowing building codes is a requirement for those who call themselves designers, for example. Knowing which fabrics are suitable for certain items and environments is a big one. Having great taste simply doesn’t cut it. As harsh as it sounds, if you could do what we do on your own, it would be done. Professional decorators know of the resources available to the trade that it will take to get your job done right-the first time- while many homeowners wing it by searching online and hoping for the best. They are also aware of sale prices that could be of benefit to you- prices that retailers won’t tell you about. Additionally, the fees a reasonable decorator charges pale in comparison to the thousands of dollars one can spend trying to DIY without a clear plan of action.

2. I have no idea what my style is. Why hire someone until I know what I like?

While it can certainly speed up the process to know what you love and hate, part of my job is to work with you to help determine your true style. You may have gone the last ten years assuming your style was French Country but a series of questioning and some quality shopping time may reveal you’re really more modern. Just because you’ve been living with aunt Edith’s antique heirlooms all this time doesn’t mean you have to let them dictate your personal style!

3. What if the decorator tells me to get rid of everything? Won’t she just do what she wants in my house?

A true professional won’t. Of course there are cases where the client dictates that everything goes and the decorator is given carte blanche to start fresh. But for the most part, I (and my thousands of colleagues across the country) am very good at due diligence- that is, discovering exactly what you will go for and what you won’t before any walls are painted or any furniture purchased. I tell all of my clients that I can think a room is amazing but once I leave, if the clients hate it everything was a waste. You have to live there, you should like it! I have a home that I get to decorate for me; a real pro will not force his or her personal taste on you but rather, will work closely with you to achieve the factors you want with ideas of her own that will complete the space.

4. My life is too hectic, there’s no way I have time to work with a decorator.

While every decorator works a little differently, most of them will gladly take the wheel for a busy client and do the legwork without them. If you would prefer not to go shopping with your decorator, he or she will gather up the pieces they want you to see and deliver them to your home. I personally love to utilize email, getting clients’ approval on work orders or items to save us both time. If you let your decorator know ahead of time what your schedule is like, he or she will work with you to keep your end of load nice and light. Most decorators will even show up on the job site to let contractors in if you have somewhere to be. Of course, details like how much access the decorator has to your job site should be outlined in the contract.

So if any of these sound like you, I’ve got your number! No more hiding behind that 70′s wallpaper, its time to get moving on the house you’ve hoped for but never got! It isn’t as scary as it may seem and once the ball gets rolling most people find its quite a fun process!