We Also Clean Gutters

If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that customer service makes the difference between staying in business  or flipping burgers. Not that there's anything wrong with flipping burgers — I'm just not cut out for it. My one and only attempt was a two week stint at Wendy's that ended in disaster. But, that's another story.

Here are a few of our war stories and we're sure that you have some of your own.

The "Master Electrician"

We recently ordered a pair of clear glass chandeliers for a client that were PERFECT. Unfortunately, the electrician that she hired to install them had other thoughts. After he declared them "uninstallable", we had to take the project on ourselves or return the fixtures to the manufacturer. A $13 off-set screwdriver from Home Depot came to the rescue and all was well again.

 

Don't EVER tell us something can't be done!

A Weighty Matter

We were so excited to finally purchase furniture to be used on a 22nd floor terrace for a law firm in Mid-Town, Atlanta.  Prior to pulling the trigger our client (being an attorney) expressed concern over the furniture being blown over the 42" railing and crashing down on unwary vehicles and pedestrians below. OK. So we contacted our sales rep and asked if there were weights available for purchase. Of course the answer was "no", but they did provide us with a "recipe" for making and installing weights from PVC pipe and concrete. You can imagine the rest.

Thirty feet of PVC Pipe and three 50 pound bags of concrete later.

The view is killer... let's hope the furniture isn't.

Leave the Driving to Us

Yes, we'll even schlep furniture, art and accessories in a rental truck to places near and far for those "special" clients.

It's a glamorous career path we've chosen

We Don't Do Windows... Or Do We?

Actually, we don't.  But, in this instance I think Andrew would have been happy to hang outside Unit 45B at the Mandarin Oriental — Atlanta just to say he did.

Wait a minute... is that Andrew?

 

Serendipity

After being handed our share of lemons over the years, we've become experts at making lemon-aide. After fighting the initial peristaltic response that usually accompanies receiving something damaged, having Sketch-Up not sketch-up at all, and having buyer's remorse the instant you pull away from the roadside rug seller, the following came into fruition...

This table arrived from Arteriors with the top sheared off...

... after a trip to Lamp Arts, we have a one-of-a-kind table lamp ready for a charity auction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Sketch-Up malfunction (user error) produced this when attempting to design a custom cocktail table for a client...

 

... so we just went with it.

 

Why did we buy that hide rug from this guy?

So we can use it here...

... and here...

... and here.

That will be 10 cents, please.

This Resin-ates With Us

We love to promote our favorite artists and artisans. This week we'd like to introduce you to Aaron Whitehouse. We've known Aaron for years and recently featured his pieces in our project at the Residences at Mandarin Oriental - Atlanta and our latest installation on South Beach.

Design: GHI+D  Photo: Erica George Dines

Design: GHI+D   Photo: Erica George Dines

Design: GHI+D  Photo: Courtesy of Dorsey Alston

Design: GHI+D

What we love about these pieces is the depth that Aaron is able to achieve with the various paints and resins that he utilizes... we kind of know how he does this, but have been sworn to secrecy.

Aaron is being featured at the upcoming show at Huff Harrington Gallery. The show is entitled "Resinate" (we had already titled this post prior to learning of this - great minds, we guess). The show opens on April 25.

Photos can't do the works justice — you MUST see them in person. Oh yeah, and buy one while you're at it. Sir Elton John and Ed Roland already have!

"Secret, Secret....I've got a Secret!"

Growing up in places like the Low Country of the Carolinas, one had the opportunity to spend time in old homes with hidden staircases and/or rooms.   It was always fun to imagine sneaking around and hiding important treasures to be found years in the future.  Therefore, we've always wanted to create such a secret lair.

(Pinterest)

We recently had the privilege of creating such a secret gem.  The home we worked on is a vacation home for our client, so she's not there all the time.  But because she allows other family members to visit, she wanted an Owner's Closet that she could keep belongings in and not have to worry about them "disappearing".

GHI+D

Obviously, the photo above was taken before we could stage any of her personal items.  But, nevertheless, we are excited over the fact that we finally get to share our Secret!

We're Baaaaaaack!

Hello, again.  We've had a busy couple of YEARS since we started this blog, and boy are we embarrassed. So, let's try this one more time. 

With that being said, we want everyone to know that we really do have a lot to share...now, let's make it happen!

 . . . . .

So, we were perusing one of our favorite periodical's website today and came across this image:

 (Elle Decor)

What really moved us about it is that it contains so many design elements that we absolutely LOVE.   First, the design of the original Beetle convertible is, in our opinion, flawless.  Hopefully, we'll be able to make one our next "company car".   Aside from that, the color palette is something we've been drawn to recently. 

After spying the photo, we looked at our drafting table to discover this in the works:

(GHI+D: Studio)

We've been pulling together some of our favorite fabrics to create a colorful oasis for one of our clients; one who's not afraid of color or pattern.  So, we jumped in with both feet and started splashing around in the color pool.  

But then, we started really paying attention to the palette and discovered that we were doing this 5 years ago!  It's not unlike one of our past projects:

(GHI+D:  Courtesan Bedroom)

So, it's fun to see that at least we're consistent - with our design aesthetic, anyway.  Even if we haven't been keeping up our Blog!