Leaving Las Vegas

A few years back, I got a pet sitter to scoop kitty poo and play ball with my doggies and left for about a week long trip to Las Vegas to help plan the window coverings for a large condominium in One Queensridge Place, in Las Vegas, NV.

Dark skies don't exist there, so I very much missed the stars I know. I didn't see any stars while there, famous or in the sky.

I took a guest room which had it's own bathroom, TV, walk in closet and an amazing view of the strip.I felt like I was living in a fishbowl, even though we were on the 14th (13th) floor. Of course it was my job to design the window coverings so I got busy.

My car was stuffed full of samplings of all sort. I pawed through them all to bring up a collection I thought (after taking a home tour) my childhood friend and her hubby would love. Together we went through every room needing window treatments and selected patterns and colors she would like. We discussed the functionality of every window as well; how would the room be used, did they want complete privacy, just decoration or a combination? What kind of light and thermal issues needed to be addressed? I had a full spectrum of products and we determined the appropriate solution for each situation.  

Peripatetic Designer, me, teaching as I went along. More than they really cared to know actually, but necessary so they wouldn't be disappointed with the results.

Later, I would have to go through it all again with the workroom owner who would be fabricating the fabric treatments and with the installer who would follow up with all the blind products.

I laid out all the sample books on my bed and started for a grueling night into the morning of doing measurement calculations, figuring requirements and working up an estimate. (you have noooo idea the work here...it is so fun to design, but it is soooo grueling to work up the details.)

Measure once, cut twice. Over and over all the figures to look for mistakes and make sure I remembered every detail discussed. I stayed up all night. (When I'm on a roll, I need to just keep going.) I spent several nights up, after they retired to bed, to move furnishings into the right places and to interpret wall colors to match existing furnishings and the fabrics we had chosen.

My friend and I would spend our days discussing color, furniture moves, new items needed and colors.

We got the paint and couldn't wait to see how it would look, so the three of us got brushes or rollers and spent one evening putting the first coat on the media room walls. (we did leave the hard stuff for the painter though) 

 

The colors would evolve. We would paint large swatches and study them.

I would spend the nights placing furnishings where I thought they should go and then discuss it with them when they got up.

Some of these things would be rearranged. I would put things in whatever room they had a correct themed value for and then we would find their best place within that context or edit them out.

We would add and take away until we got it just right.

When I went back for the installation, all the paint colors had gone up.
They had increased the value of the green color because the painter couldn't get it to look good on the ceiling. It was much darker than we started with, but in the environment it is magical.

These pictures make it look a little too saturated, but it is stunning in person, in 3D and with a 360 degree rotation.

The window coverings went in while I was there...ah, the pièce de résistance!

My friend owned an art gallery. It was beautiful and she brought her favorite pieces to complete her decor ambitions.

The zebra rug was my mistake. I meant faux zebra, but before I could stop her, she had it ordered.

(Sorry Mr. (Ms.) Zebra)

We had a wonderful week. This was a dream job for any designer, to get along famously with the clients and get to spend so much quality time making it all happen. (Not to mention, the budget was wide open!)

We dined at wonderful restaurants, leisurely eating at snippets of this or that for hours while being graciously attended to.
My friends husband would put his fork down and look right in my eyes every time I had anything to say. Now that is fine dining.

My friend and I would eat portabello mushroom veggie burgers at the Cheesecake Factory, and bring some delicious desert home to share with her man.

We shopped for items I mentioned would improve things, like replacing the legged, wrought iron table behind the sofa in the living room with a solid dresser to make a more grounded divider between the living room area and the breezeway through to the kitchen.

Now if I can just figure out how to use this blogger device better to get the words and pictures where i want them. Until then...hope you stay tuned...

Now

That's what I'm talkin' about..faux zebra. Vegan friendley.