Notes from Natasha
Hi - You may or may not know this, but I was allied ASID for 15 plus years. During that time, I was too busy as a working designer to take the time to be grandfathered in as a professional ASID, and was told that it would really not affect my practice.
I have decided to share my story with all of you in an effort to help more interior designers better understand the affects of the Practice and Title Acts. I did not realize their true meaning until I too had been fined.
The State of Florida, fined me $25,000 - $5,000 each for three counts of claiming to be an architect and two counts of claiming to be an interior designer. The charges were a direct result of a Green Room I designed for the Latin Billboard awards project. An article was written about the project, referring to me as an "award-winning interior designer" and stating that I used crown moldings to embellish interiors. The state interpreted that to mean that I considered myself an architect.
It took us two years and $10,000 to fight and prove that this was unwarranted and that I didn't even have anything to do with the writing of that article. Interior Design Protection Council (IDPC) and Institute for Justice (IJ),helped to reverse the Title Act in the state of Florida at the beginning of this year. Please do not think that the fight is over. States across the country continue to attempt to pass such laws, acknowledging that enforcing the Title and Practice Acts is nothing short of a "witch hunt."
Even though I proved everything was not true and that I was fully in compliance, I still had to pay the state $2,500 for their time. States hire outside legal firms that aggressively interpret the law, fining and disciplining members of the design community that are just trying to earn a living and have not done harm to the public in any way. In a two year period, over 600 Florida interior designers were dragged through the same process.
Please take the time to view this video. (The network named it "Pillow Fight." I am not in favor of the title, but this video has helped to explain our plight and is being used across the country to help prevent the Practice and Title Acts from being passed.) Video link
Natasha Lima-Younts
Founder
Designer Society of America
Team Member - Karen Gleason
I'm Excited!!!
I want to thank you all for the great welcome to DSA. It has been a pleasure getting to know some of you this first month, and I look forward to working with all of you in my role with Member Relations. This month is marking the beginning of a few new things at DSA. We are featuring a monthly portfolio campaign, coordinating a new membership drive and launching the initiatives for our state-wide chapters.
Also, DSA is now on Facebook.
If you have not taken advantage of our free online portfolio, I encourage you to do so. This is another tool to market your business and display your work for potential customers. Let your talent speak for you! We will have a drawing in April for one active member who has an online portfolio with photographs, posted by March 28, to win a spotlight in our June newsletter. The winner will also be featured on the home page of our website for the entire month of June. So take advantage of the free portfolio and the chance to win free advertising for a month.
We want to grow to become a strong force in the industry and need your help. I will be sending each member a packet of information about DSA. In this packet is a form for each member to fill out with the names of 10 fellow designers who are interested in membership at DSA. If you return these 10 names, your membership will be extended for two months. If five of the designers you suggest join DSA, your next annual renewal is free. Starting our chapter groups is a high priority for us this year. If you are interested in heading a chapter or helping with the coordination of your state chapter, please contact me. We are looking for strong leaders who want to help with the vision of being a united force in the interior design industry.
I also hope you will check out the Designer Society of America Facebook page and become a fan. I know with all these initiatives in place that we can build a strong membership resource. I also want to know how we can better serve our members. Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions or comments at karen.gleason@dsasociety.org. Again, I look forward to working with each one of you.
The society designed with you in mind!
Karen
Dorothy Draper's Signature Style
Kate Smith
Dorothy Draper (1889-1969), was America's first female interior designer, and she turned the establishment on its ear with her outlandish use of color, texture and ornate fixtures. This forward-thinking woman was the Grand Dame of using bright, bold color and texture combinations in her decorating of socialite homes, hotels, offices and hospitals.
Though to many people Draper's work was a sensation, the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright called her "the inferior desecrator." Despite Wright's dislike for Draper's style, her influence can still be seen in color and textural combinations throughout America and the world.
The Queen of Color and Texture
Draper loved to use color in her decorating, departing from the dark color schemes of the usual 
Victorian-inspired decor. She was one of the first decorators to believe that vivid, beautiful colors helped people feel happier. She favored using such dramatic color combinations as green and red with coral, or black and white with bits of color thrown in for emphasis. It is said that she suggested the Howard Johnson's orange and blue color scheme, which is famous even today.
Draper also mixed different fabrics and textures to make a bold statement. She was the first to combine strong stripes with grand cabbage rose floral material. She loved oversized details, like huge mantels, ornate moldings and lots of mirrors. One of her mottos was, "If it feels right, it's right." True to her words, her often theatrical combination of colors and props, such as a birdcage chandelier, somehow worked, leaving people with a larger-than-life feeling.
Dorothy Draper was famed for many decorating achievements, not limited to New York City's Hampshire House, the dining area in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the lobby of the Carlyle. She also decorated the entire Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia and the Camilla Restaurant in the Drake Hotel in Chicago. She authored two successful books about decor and decorating, and was invited to decorate airplane and automobile interiors. Not bad for a woman in an era when women were typically little more than homemakers!
Dorothy Draper Still Around Today
Even though Dorothy Draper designed and decorated more than 50 years ago, her influence can still be seen in interior design today. Modern decorators believe in her notion 
that color is mentally beneficial as well as fun. Benjamin Moore created a collection of colors reminiscent of Draper's signature paint colors. The 15 chosen capture her keen usage of color and self-assured sense of style. With fun, evocative names like Nightfall 1596, Apple Green 2026-40, Gondola Ride 602 or Jamaican Aqua 2048-60, it's easy to see why a paint palette honoring Draper would be successful.
Even furniture makers and decorators are copying and promoting the "Draper Touch." Thomasville's magazine, "Dream," shows how to achieve a modern-day Draper sitting room. Teaming large-print cabbage rose upholstered furniture, bold paint schemes and over-scaled elements help to capture the unique flare for which Draper was famed.
"New York" magazine's article, "The Draper Effect" by Wendy Goodman, lists six different points you'll need to incorporate into your decor if you want to channel Draper's vision: intense color; 
plant life; dense, textured carpet; striking details; a roaring fire; and exuberant prints. How do you apply these points? First, abandon pastel colors and neutrals and head for bright, bold and vibrant colors instead. It will probably be something you'd never dream of putting on a wall. Draper loved intense colors on walls and floors, such as the turquoise lobby of the Hampshire House.
More Than Just Bright Paint
She loved using live plant life and florals in her rooms, though silk plants will do if you lack a green thumb. Select big, bold, ornate accent pieces such as a baroque mirror. Textured carpets with gorgeous detail are important too. Though Draper liked boldness, she didn't like clutter in a room, so get rid of the shelves full of knickknacks. Finally, you'll need to throw a slipcover with a huge floral print and details such as satin cording or fringe on the sofa and stoke a roaring fire in the fireplace. Then your room will look the way Dorothy Draper would have envisioned.
Kate Smith, CMG, CfYH, DSA and Kiki Titterud, Allied ASID, CMG, CfYH, DSA, both recognized authorities on color, train design professionals through the accredited Color for Your Home Color Consultant Certification for Interior Designers program.
To learn more visit www.colorforyourhome.com
Business Building Blocks: Are You Connected?
© www.melissagalt.com
Do you really take the time to build a relationship with your clients? Are you allowing them a chance to get to know the person behind your business? In this age of hi-tech it is increasingly important to master the art of high touch. Often we focus exclusively on our client in business and forget to share a bit about ourselves. Don't underestimate the power of finding those all important points of connection that will set you apart from your competitors. It can be as simple as gathering any of the following information about your clients (and their gatekeeper if they have one):
- Where are they from?
- Where did they grow up?
- Who is their favorite sports team?
- Do they have a favorite restaurant or food type (Italian, Mexican, Chinese)?
- Where is their favorite vacation spot?
- Do they have a fantasy destination?
- What school are their kids in?
- What college did they graduate from, or are the kids headed to college?
Yes, you can include politics and religion, though I don't generally recommend it unless you meet at church! Interestingly, I have found that most of my clients share similar political views - like attracts like.
By finding out some of these critical factors you will learn how you can connect to your client. I have had clients hire me not only for my experience, my testimonials and my portfolio, but also because:
- We are graduates of the same university though different majors and years apart.
- We are both from the West Coast, though I was Southern California and she was Northern.
- One client attended the same boarding school as my younger sister, years apart.
- I've been to Africa on safari and it was on my client's list of fantasy adventures.
- We both love Hawaii and can share places to go.
- We share a love of art and museum trips, having met on a bus trip sponsored by a museum.
Personal points of connection set you apart and allow your clients to connect with you beyond business. In this age of hi-tech and low touch, business is all about reaching out and touching in real time, not just cyberspace. It is the same reason everyone watches reality TV shows; they want an inside peek at someone else's life. When you allow your client's to know you better, you deepen your bond and provide a greater investment in the relationship.
Remember, women often bond over boutiques, so if you can compliment her on something she is wearing, and be genuine in that, you'll gain a new resource and get that much closer to a new client. (In the world of social networks, aka business strategic networks, photos matter!) Men bond over sports, so if you share a love of the same team, go for it. If, on the other hand, you are a rival, be diplomatic and keep your sense of humor. Allow your clients a glimpse of your life beyond business; it will make you much more real and possibly irreplaceable!
www.businessrenovationmastermind.com
Last month I gave a brief overview of the book "Silent Spring." It provides a strong foundation in understanding the sustainability movement. This month I'm recommending a reference book that can provide a foundation for understanding sustainable interior design.
"Environmentally Responsible Design - Green and Sustainable Design for Interior Designers," edited by Dr. Louise Jones, is a comprehensive textbook - yes, a textbook - and I am recommending it. It's not the kind of book you're likely to curl up and read straight through, but the contributions of many authors are gathered together in a cohesive guide to both the history of sustainability and detailed information necessary for interior designers. It's a comprehensive reference resource for students and seasoned professional interior designers.
"Environmentally Responsible Design
Like Great Britain of old, ASID is large, powerful and militant. Both chose to serve as the partner to select businesses and groups useful to accomplishing their purposes. Both dismiss the injustices they create as collateral damage for the "public good," while refusing to acknowledge the destruction of lives they leave in their wake.
granted exclusive marketing privileges and created a monopoly. It was a violation of freedom and resulted in the mobilization of large segments of merchants, traders and activists.
Interior Design Practice/Title Acts create a similar negative environment. They have the capacity to put hundreds of thousands of designers out of business or place them at an unfair competitive disadvantage. Such laws do not serve any public benefit, but instead create a monopoly in which only a small handful of elitist insiders would have control of all the business. These laws are anti-competitive, unnecessary and unconstitutional.
Member Spotlight
design services may very well be at the bottom of the priority list for most homeowners right now, and many of us are having to work even harder to keep our existing clients, let alone seek out new ones. With that being said I'm here to tell you that this tough economic period could very well be the best thing that ever happened to you! Ok, now that you think I'm nuts, I have your attention. Read on and prosper.
It's probably a good time to take a look at how to run a better business. (But hey, when is it not a good time?) This economy does not leave room for you to succeed in interior design unless you are a relentless warrior. If you are doing things the same way you were even 90 days ago, it is time to do some careful thinking and strategic and creative planning. Take a deep cleansing breath and get ready to reclaim your passion for the wonderful field that we are in.