March Spotlight with Cynde! Spring is in the Air

As a native New Englander, I can tell you that springtime gives us a boost of energy filled with extended sunlit days and bits of color sprouting out all around us.  It is the time of year that we are wishing away the piles of snow along the streets and searching our gardens for the slightest bit of “green”.  It’s the time of year that we are so eager to add rich color to the grey landscape that we have been living in over the past few months of winter. 

This is how I feel when I begin the journey of design with a new client.  Their house is the landscape or the backdrop of their life that we will fill with the elements of dimension & depth, scale of color, life experiences and always an eliminate of surprise! Take a peek at these pictures included in this post that help visualize these things.  Look at the symmetry of the depth, dimensions and color in the rich velvet green mountains with white silk tips against the calming blue of the sky and then giggle at these hands sprouting out of the water anchoring this building!   

The single most important part of my job is to get to know my clients, they are the “focal point” of the job. The challenge for me is to fill each room with things that will make every family member feel happy in that space and incorporate all of the elements.  It could be as simple as the fabric color on the sofa that makes mom smile when she walks by it or the fuzzy-furry white pillows on that sofa that makes the teenage girl feel like a movie star or the ultra-lux seat cushion that the dad sits in at the end of a long day.  That one piece that makes everyone feel like it was put there just for them.

What I love most about being part of the design team at Darby Road HOME, DRH is that we work together to keep our showroom filled with pieces that allow us to take a house and make it a home!  We have so much fun and we welcome our customers into the store as if they were guests in our own home with great music playing in the background, a cup of coffee or glass of prosecco.  We surround you with stunning furniture, accessories and art to inspire and make you feel as you do on a warm, sunny spring day.

I’ve been with DRH for a little over 3 years and a designer for a little over 20 years!  I live on the Southshore with my husband where we raised two fantastic girls.  We love entertaining our family & friends and I love changing my décor seasonally…no surprise! 

February Spotlight with Betty!

This month, we sat down with Betty, one of our beloved team members here at Darby Road HOME.

‘Tis award show season! And the Oscar goes to…….

 I have always loved movies and often think in that context when working on design projects. 

Clients often have a difficult time deciding where to start and how to complement their initial selections to complete their projects. l would like to take a cue from Hollywood and focus on the emotional and creative ideas that make projects extraordinary. Creating a Storyboard or Mood Board gives you a script and can provide an overall vision and help move a project forward. I find this a very effective way to help clients visualize their finished room and gives them confidence in their choices.

At DARBY ROAD HOME we offer a complete range of products and that sets the stage in our showroom. We take great care in selecting the product we display and the choice of our vendors. It is that overall ambiance that attracts clients to our store and our goal is to personalize their project but give them that same sense of style.

There are many factors that go into creating a “WOW” worthy space, and it begins with the stars! Let’s think about what natural focal points exist such as a stunning view or great architectural details. Or what do you want to make your  focal point, a colorful rug, a great piece of artwork, the television, or maybe a large sumptuously overstuffed sectional.  

Next we have the supporting cast… I find when people focus on individual choices without that overall plan in mind they either can’t comfortably move forward or don’t get the best design result. While all the pieces in a room are important they should not all carry the same visual weight. There needs to be variety and nuance in intensities of patterns, materials, and colors. Perhaps a subtle fabric choice on a chair or bench balance a deeper color choice on the sofa. Or a simple sofa selection is complemented by a bolder rug or pair of chairs. A warm wood toned server would be complementary in a room that has striking metal dining table.

Of course, we can’t forget about guest appearances! Don’t stop short with accessories and lighting- it’s like getting rid of cinematographer! Often people are disappointed because their project doesn’t measure up to the idea from the magazine they have been carrying around. It is almost always because it is simply incomplete! Maybe you still need artwork, accent pillows, window treatments or the right items on the table or shelf.

Some visually stunning movies are Doctor Zhivago and Passage to India.

 Now we talked all about interiors and design… let’s talk about some fun stuff like Betty’s favorite things!

For me, a good dinner party needs great appetizers and desserts. My specialties are pies. One of my fondest memories is picking wild blueberries with my Dad and baking pies. My baking style tends to be a bit ad-lib, so here are a few of my tricks for making the perfect pie!

• Chill the crust before you roll it- it makes it easier to handle

• DO NOT over knead the crust. It makes it tough instead of flaky.

• Add a bit of flour to fruit fillings for a thicker consistency

• Vent the top crust

• Blind baking (putting pie weights, or parchment paper and dried beans in a crust and basking before filling) keeps the bottom crust flaky and not soggy!

• Substitute vodka for water in your dough mixture to keep it most and easy to roll- the vodka evaporates when it bakes giving you that elusive flaky crust!

• Personally, I like to experiment with crimping the edges by using a fork or adding a braided edge.

I’ve never met a pie I didn’t like!!