Where to start...

My family would attest to the fact that I have always loved interior design- I would constantly be changing things around or decorating on a budget. I was never afraid to build my own tufted ottomans, sew my own drapes, reupholster furniture, or paint at the drop of a hat! At 18 years old, when choosing a major in college it was the farthest thing from my mind. Instead, I chose a double major of Business Administration with an emphasis in Management, and Home Economics with an emphasis in Clothing Textiles thinking I would like retail work. (Home economics because it was easy for me; I had sewn since I was 10 years old, learning through 4-H.) After college, I married the love of my life, we moved to Havre, MT and I worked in retail until I realized that the hours did not match with his. Then we had 2 beautiful children and I chose my jobs based on their schedules. I worked as a hearing reporter for Social Security Hearings, I taught classes in basket weaving, sewing, quilting, machine beading, and various other crafts. I also started a federally subsidized lunch program at a parochial school, and substitute taught middle and high school students. Through those years I had requests from friends or family to help them decorate their spaces and I knew I needed more information, so at 47 years of age, I decided to go back to school for Interior Design, as I knew that that was what I really wanted to do until I retired. Little did I know how much of a difference there is between interior design and interior decorating! To clarify, interior decorating is just that: choosing colors, fabrics, etc, interior design involves lighting requirements, drawing floor plans/mechanical plans/furniture schedules, space planning requirements, codes, kitchen and bath planning for both residential and commercial applications. Many homework hours later, and a lot less sleep…
I graduated in May 2009, started my own consulting business, v.v. Design, passed the first level of the kitchen and bath design test, hence the AKBD(Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer) behind my name and have been helping clients ever since.
Each week I will cover a different topic, as well as post an interior design quote of some sort. I will update by Sunday night so that followers will have all week to read and be updated. Please email me if you have questions you would want answered.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilized, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what's in or out." Albert Hadley