Windows and Beyond Seminar with Sally Morse

Sally Morse & Doreen Yun at the Windows and Beyond Showroom

“Where do you want to be on one year?” was the title of the presentation I attended. I found it to be inspiring and informative. Doreen hosted a second event that evening titled “10 steps to a Perfect Room” again presented by Sally Morse that was focused more on helping her retail customers.

Doreen Yun owner of Windows and Beyond hosted the event at her Fremont showroom. Her showroom is fantastic with many little vignettes spread throughout the vast space showing the amazing variety of items and materials she has to offer. Any designer would be well served to tour the facility and bring their clients by to see the variety of styles and effects that can be created with good quality, creative window coverings.

Sally Morse Director of Creative Services for Hunter Douglas spoke on many subjects. She discussed color trends for the coming year, fundamentals of customer service, sales technique before during and after the job has been completed, intended to help us secure the clients business over the long term, not just to get a check today. She also discussed lifestyle issues.

This seminar was more about tactics than strategy, not focused just on sales but on satisfaction. The satisfaction of the customer as well as our own satisfaction with our lives and businesses.

Overall I am glad I attended. I walked away with a new perspective on quite a few things a few more nuggets of wisdom and was reminded of a few things that I had forgotten, such as the importance of making the customer feel good about spending the money it takes to do the job. Not just for the customer to feel good about the quality, timeliness and result of the job we do, but for them to be glad they spent their hard earned money to achieve whatever goal they set out to achieve or solve whatever problem they were faced with. It’s a big difference and requires much more energy and effort than just doing what you get paid for, but the return on your investment in the happiness and well-being of the customer will be immense over the years.

You can review the photographs I took of the event in my gallery by following this link.

2010 Interior Design Student Career Forum Design Competition Winners

Yesterday I had the opportunity to help Lilley Yee photograph the winning entries in the Interior Design Student Career Forum 2010 Student Design Competition.

It was a lot of fun seeing the boards and the students who won definitely did a great job.

Lilley was surprised at how easily I overcame the challenges associated with photographing these design boards. To shoot something like this really requires a tripod and soft lighting. The glare from the acetate overlays the students used can pose a problem but after twenty-five years of photographing glass walled rooms, mirror or marble walls, and enamel kitchen cabinets I didn’t think about what was required, or how difficult it could be. I just did it.

Oh, well. Chalk it up to the benefits of experience, and move on to greater challenges.

I have the boards posted in my portfolio gallery but I won’t release them for public view until after the ceremony. You’ll just have to wait to find out who won.

Now, it’s back to the electron mines for me.

Ciao.

CEU On Growing Your Business at Decorators Workshoppe

Today I attended a CEU at Decorators Workshoppe in Campbell, CA. The Seminar was a two hour event on business planning and marketing titled “Design Practice Management and Marketing/Today’s Presentation for Tomorrow’s Clients.”

Mike Weddington of Hunter Douglas was the presenter and he did a fantastic job. The information he presented was both timely and relevant to the Interior Designer in these challenging times. One thing he pointed out that had the ring of truth, but was not what we wanted to hear was – I paraphrase “If you’re waiting for the economy to get back to where it was, you’re out of luck because it’s never going to happen.”

Mike is a smart guy. He used to play football for the Green Bay Packers and now manages a multimillion dollar division of a Fortune 100 company, Hunter Douglas. This is what you call a successful man and I always pay attention to what successful people say.

Paula McChesney On Television

Recently Paula McChesney wrote a book titled “Passion by Design, Re-Decorate Your Bedroom and Re-Invent Your Love Life”.

She was featured along with her co-author and lifelong friend Sally Peckinpah on Wave Street Authors Series.

I sat in on the taping and it was wonderful. I was surprised to learn that both paula and Sally were members of the singing group “Up With People” which is much more than simply a singing group. It is a multicultural educational experience for young people. And a singing group.

Pauline Hsu Said My Photographs Made a Difference

Pei-Lan Pauline Hsu is the Professional Development Director for ASID CA Peninsula. We were talking at the Miele Event at Sierra Select in December and she was telling me that the high quality of my photographs of past ASID events made the difference in getting a special room rate for the members at the Gaia Hotel located in American Canyon here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I’m glad I could help provide this benefit for the members and very proud to know that I helped Pauline chalk up another success as Professional Development Director for ASID CA Peninsula.

As I always say “Helping you is why I am here”  and now I’ve helped every single member of the ASID CA Peninsula Chapter and they didn’t even have to hire me.

Joseph Hittinger Published using High Dynamic Range Photographs

Joe Hittinger had a project I shot for him published in Palo Alto Online.

It was a great project that I shot using the High Dynamic Range Imaging technique that is making such a hit with all my clients. I like it because I can capture the essence of my clients design with a degree of fidelity to their creative vision never before possible. And since the supplemental lighting I need is either minimized or in most cases unnecessary we no longer have to struggle with reflections and light stands and cables, instead we can focus all of our energies on the creative aspects of styling and composition.

Take a look at the project at Palo Alto Online. com or check it out in my portfolio. I’m actually using photographs from this project of Joe’s in my CEU seminar for ASID.

Nesting Newbies Publishes DIFFA Dining by Design

Nesting Newbies DIFFA Dining by Design

I am proud to announce the publication of the DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation Fight Aids) Dining by Design event at the San Francisco Design Center by Nesting Newbies magazine.

You can view the images I shot in my portfolio by following this link. All but one of the images they published were shot using the High Dynamic Range Imaging technique that is such a hit with all my clients.

Or you can review the entire winter issue of Nesting Newbies by following this link.

It was a pleasure working with Lea McIntosh and Jodi Murphy of Nesting Newbies, they are on the cutting edge of periodical publication. I look forward to working with them as they blaze the trail for others in the publication industry to follow.

ASID CA Pen IP Event Pictures Miele December 3 2009

Miele San Francisco Staff preparing Chocolate Bread Pudding at the 2009 ASID Holiday Event

Sierra Select hosted the ASID CA Peninsula the monthly meeting/event at their Miele showroom in San Francisco. This month the event was held in conjunction with ASID CA North, the San Francisco Chapter.

Sierra Select provided food and wine and gave interactive demonstrations of a few of their cook tops, stoves and ovens. Members from both chapters had the opportunity to cook Lamb Meatballs, Bacon wrapped Winter Squash, Chicken and Chocolate Bread Pudding. And those who did not attend this month, we thank you because that meant there was more chocolate for us.

We all had fun cooking and enjoying the hospitality of the management and staff of Sierra Select. The liberal quantities of good food and wine show they really know how to host a monthly meeting.

You can find photographs of the event in my portfolio gallery by following this link.

As always the photographs I shoot at the ASID events are available for ASID Members, Industry Partners and Staff as well as Press to download and use as needed at no charge. Photo credit is always appreciated.

Holiday Cooking Event at The Miele Showroom at Sierra Select in San Francisco

Today is the day of the “Deliciously Fun Holiday Event at the Miele Gallery at Sierra Select at 680 Eighth St. in San Francisco.

I’m looking forward to seeing the Miele line and the cooking “competition.”

I wonder if there will be any vegan food for the photographer this time?

Regardless it sounds like a fun evening and I’ll be on hand to photograph the events and the final culinary masterpieces.

I hope to see you there.

Dean

Photograph of the Month “Daisy”

This month’s photograph is titled “Daisy.” I shot this in a local park recently, I like it because it’s simple and sweet. I hope it brightens your day through the coming winter months.

You will notice there are two versions of the photograph. This is due to the recent industry wide adoption of the “wide screen” format for laptops and desktop computers, as well as high end cell phones. I realized that at least thirty-three percent  of the visitors to my site are using the wide screen format and wanted to ensure they had the option of enjoying the screen savers I work so hard to produce each month.

One version is for the wide screen and one version is for the “narrow” screen us geriatric cases are accustomed to. Select whichever fits your need, I will continue to produce both wide and narrow screen versions until the new format becomes universal. You can view and download both versions from my portfolio galleries as well.

The wide screen format has a long history in the movie industry, most of us have seen Panavision movies at one time or another. The computer industry has adopted the wide screen format because it is the defined format of HDTV and the motion picture industry has adopted the wide screen as a standard format for movies.

It also forces all of us to buy new computers lest we be seen as being out of date dinosaurs. If you have twenty minutes you might want to take a look at this video called “The Story of Stuff.” It’s really quite enlightening and aggravating but it’s well written, thoroughly researched and very well produced.

Oh, well… as with any computer technology what is available today really is much better than what was available last month. I just wish it wouldn’t cost quite so much.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. You can click on the image to open in a new window or download; please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Dean