Q1 | Let's Cath Up!!
It's been way too long, but the quarterly blog is back! Although we're almost halfway through April in just a few days, I'm pausing to catch up for those who missed some of the Q1 highlights and sharing a few spring home tips.
For those who haven't been following on Instagram, a lot happened over the past few months. Let's take a moment to recap a few events in real life and for the firm. I'm grateful to say we celebrated year 4 at Plot Twist Design in February. I'm also in the midst of rebranding and established a new parent company named after myself; Kelly Collier-Clark by Design.
Bedroom renovation featured in publications by Apartment Therapy & Alora'a 2023 lighting catalog. Photo rights reserved.
In Feature News Alora Lighting rolled out their 2023 lighting catalog, including a full page (p 6), published feature highlighting me as a design influencer and the bedroom designed for my niece last year. In case you missed it, that was completed and shared on the feed & blog for the One Room Challenge spring 2022. The catalog is available in print and digitally. Alora has also partnered with me last fall for a living room & hallway refresh providing sponsorship for flush mount lights for the vestibule and hallway. This year we've partnered again. As a brand ambassador I'll be sharing the my eat-in kitchen nook with sponsored lighting; a chandelier and a flush mount. More to come on that for Q2 as I'm trending to complete that over summer, along with a million other lights being replaced! Ha!
3D Rendering for a powder room renovation in progress.
In Project News we installed a new green room and vignette with a reading corner at Philadelphia's own African American Art Museum, our largest commercial project to date. A full design install was completed for one of our residential projects; a primary bedroom & bathroom suite renovation. The renovation work for the powder room shown in the 3D rendering is comepleted, and we're trending for final styling and photos to happen by end of month. We ended Q1 with a dining room full design project having custom blinds installed and overall 95% of the partial install completed. This project is also trending to be wrapped up this month.
African American Museum Philadelphia (AAMP 2.0) Lobby Reading Nook, Philadelphia PA. Photo rights reserved.
Primary Bath Renovation, Plymouth Meeting PA. Photo rights reserved.
Primary Bath Renovation, Plymouth Meeting PA. Photo rights reserved.
IRL We closed on a new split level home purchase in February, and yours truly just became a landlord for my previous home by the end of March. Needless to say, Q1 served an overflow of blessings. As a designer and realtor the journey in searching for the perfect home brought a few things to realization for me. I am still my own worse client. Compromise is necessary when you're married and home searching. And lastly, there is really no such thing as "the perfect house". It's after getting keys at the closing table that you get to start the next journey, the one I'm currently on now; creating the home that's perfect for us. It's plenty of space, a ton of natural lighting, and a few other features I am thrilled to have now that I didn't in my past homes. It's my 4th time being a new home owner, but this joy never gets old for me.
Sharing a view below of the paint and new flooring installed just before moving in. The mint green walls we inherited were painted stat, with Origami White by Sherwin Williams. We replaced old carpet on this lower level with herringbone tile and throughout the 1st and 2nd floor we had the original hardwood floors refinished. This space was planned to be our family room. We're now working on moving my home office here from the den on the main level. A plot twist, always!
My Family Room turning home office. Photo rights reserved.
Q2, happening now and next. April rolled in with the same thunder as Q1, booked and in pure design bliss with client projects. We're kicking off more design renovation for two bathrooms, one of which is part of a guest bedroom suite we completed design concept for. There is a guest room project in progress for another project we will partner with a client to install. Concepts have been shared on the Instagram feed for most of our current projects. Be sure to follow for behind the scenes footage that happens in our IG stories and updates on the feed.
At home, I am always up to something new. During Q1 I announced becoming a brand ambassador for Alora Lighting. With that we partnered for another home project. I will be sharing my kitchen lighting once my eat-in nook is fully installed & styled, hopefully by summer. For spring I'm participating in another One Room Challenge home project, and subscribers will be receiving those updates weekly for the first space to be renovated in our new home; the mud room. Week one kicked off April 5th, and the first blog went out over this past weekend.
About spring home tips. For those who like to refresh home decor for the season but not sure how, here are a few pro tips:
Clean and Purge. Spring cleaning should be more than our normal cleaning routine. It should include a good purge throughout home. The junk drawers, the catch all corners, coat closets, and our wardrobes. Decluttering is good for our mental health. What we see around us is to reflection of what's going on in our minds oftentimes. Lastly, be sure to start with the bedroom. It's the room we start and end every day, so it should be priority.
Restyle Your Decor. What does "decor" even include? I'll keep it simple. Everything outside of actual furniture is considered decor. Throws, pillows, accessories, and plants too if you have them in the room. Speaking of plants; add a couple if you don't have any. No green thumb? Go with an option that is easier to maintain like the pathos & snake plant, or just add a good faux plant or two. A pop of green in a room never disappoints. Plants and fresh flowers are my favorite ways to brighten up home. To keep the work simple, change out curtains for sheers. Yes, sheers are back on trend. My recent favorites are from CB2, thank me later. No current curtains up? Drapery around windows are like earrings to an outfit. Dress those windows! Pro tip: for a custom look, add curtain rings to your rods and make sure the curtains kiss the floor with not too much material left to puddle the floor. If you have darker color pillows and throws, swap those out with a neutral color if bright & pastel colors are not your style. Neutral tans, creams, and grays never miss. Lastly, let the sun in. Natural light is great for plants but even greater for our moods and skin after the daunting winter months we've had.
Live it up outside too. If you have a patio, deck, or a backyard, spruce that up too. A few flower pots from a local procedure junction or Home Depot, a new outdoor rug for your chair sets will give you instant welcoming vibes to spend time outside. Apartment renters, add a nice welcoming door mat and a spring time wreath to the door. Instant home happy vibes. If the pandemic taught us nothing else during the quarantine period, it should've taught us how to love home more. It's still the place where many of us spend the most hours daily, especially those of us who primarily work at home. So, take the time to make it everything you want and deserve. Still need more help? Virtual E- Design is our most affordable design service with the fastest turnaround time. This is also the goto service for those who just need help with decor finishes. Submit your request here.
Until the next quarterly post, follow along for my One Room Challenge project here on the blog and Instagram. All of your support on the Instagram posts and engagement are always truly appreciated. Enjoy your spring & summer my friends!
xx,
Kelly Collier-Clark by Design
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