You think you know, but you have no idea

Kyle is the marketing manager at the Bull's Head Bookshop at UNC. What does that mean, you ask?


(He also designed the poster.)

Feels like I'm Back in School

Meet my new best friend. I've been spending a lot of time with this book, and that's not going to change any time soon. I'm sitting for the NCIDQ exam October 1-2 of this year. A two day exam isn't my idea of fun, but it will be worth it in the end. The NCIDQ is the professional exam for interior designers, and it's required in 26 states (although not currently required to practice in North Carolina). It focuses on the aspects of interior design that affect public health, life safety, and welfare - no creativity required. The test itself includes one day of multiple choice followed by a day of drafting. Whew! Needless to say, I can't wait to have it behind me!

Design Lines celebrates 30 years!

A few weeks ago we celebrated a big event at Design Lines - 30 years in business! My boss Judy Pickett started our firm in a yellow house on Glenwood Avenue in 1979 with $500 in her pocket.



Not long after that, Laurie and Molly joined the firm, and Design Lines moved into a house on Peace Street. An old ad is shown above, featuring an old logo.


We celebrated at Judy's house with current and past clients, vendors, and of course the Design Lines staff! Cydney English at The English Garden provided the flowers - and they were beautiful as always!


Brittany's beautiful handwriting tagged each food item on the menu. The event was catered by Lip Service, and everything was delicious! Kyle and I had a great time. I especially enjoyed introducing him to clients and vendors that I work with everyday, but he'd never met before.



Client's really enjoyed getting to see Judy's elegant home. Food was scattered in different rooms, with a tent in the front for additional gathering space. I snapped these photos before the guests arrived.


The powder room and entry hall are shown above.


I love this shot of the master bedroom - the soft light coming in the windows made the whole room glow!


The dining room is shown above left, with the dining chairs pulled away to allow room for guests. And on the right, another shot of the master bedroom. Judy has an amazing collection of original art!


The 84-85-86 crew! (In reverse order, based upon the year we were born.)

And finally, the whole Design Lines team at the end of the night: Laurie (business admin), me, Ashley (designer), Judy (owner and designer), Molly (designer), Hilaire (communications), and Brittany (designer). The event was a huge success with around 200 guests! Design Lines has come a long way in thirty years!

And the winner is...

About a month ago, I got an email with an ad for a contest. To enter, you simply had to follow them on Twitter. I thought that sounded pretty simple, so I entered - and I won!

I won two original acrylic paintings by Jamie Packard from New Era Portfolio, usually sold for $2,000! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. (I think they would work best in a kid's room, but we don't have any plans for that right now.)

Design Lines' new website!

We've been working hard over the past few months to revamp our website at work - and it's finally finished! The blog is the next thing on the list for a makeover. Check it out here!

Recent projects at work!

After five years of college and three internships, I absolutely love working on real projects and getting to see my designs come to life! Here are some recent shots I took on the job.


Not your typical client meeting: Brittany meets with a client to select paint colors on the side walk outside of our office. And to the left, wallpaper I selected for a laundry room - I love how it looks installed!


An all-cream master bathroom with an onyx tile floor. On the right, I love the corner chairs that flank the entrance to this room, the paint color, and the cornices!


On the left, a lovely chair from Hickory Chair, one of my favorite companies based out of Hickory, NC. The fireplace on the right was one of the first things I designed when I was an intern, and I got to see the result a few weeks ago! (The screened doors to the left allow remote signals to pass through, without all the electronics being seen.)

Need a change? Paint!

Paint is the least expensive way to make a big impact in your space. In a matter of hours, you can achieve dramatic results, but choosing the right color may be the hardest part. This summer, Design Lines is hosting a summer color event to help you find the perfect color for your space.


Graphics by Brittany, Hilaire, and yours truly.

Quiet on the set!

We recently shot a video at work to give new clients a snapshot of everything that we do. I think it turned out great!



For more videos on local businesses, head to Triangle Blvd.

My Tar Heel

Kyle at a party for graduating seniors at UNC.

More than a job

I love what I do. After a lot of thought and prayer, I decided about six years ago that I wanted to be an interior designer. I can't deny the desire that God placed in me to be creative, but specifically to create inspiring spaces. Everyone deserves design, and if you've ever seen Extreme Home Makeover, you've seen what a difference design can make in someone's life. But what exactly do I do?



That is my desk at work. I work for Design Lines, LTD, an interior design firm located in Raleigh. Judy Pickett started Design Lines thirty years ago, and it has now grown to eight employees, with six interior designers. I'm the newest addition to the team, and I've really enjoyed working on various projects - everything from high rise condos, vacation homes, and personal residences to commercial facilities like the alumni club at NC State. Sometimes we work with architects and builders on homes throughout the construction process. Other times we work with homeowners to furnish and accessorize their homes. I'm an interior designer, not a decorator. While I do decorate on occasion, there is a big difference between the two that most people don't realize. To understand more about the difference, click here.

I recently blogged about some accessorizing I did for the 2008 Parade of Homes on the Design Lines Blog. Although the home was empty, the idea was to create areas of interest, snapshots if you will, that visitors would remember. Here is a slide show of the images that I captured just before the Parade of Homes opened last fall: