December 1 – Wow, this year is flying by. And even though another Thanksgiving has flown by, I’m still in that spirit of gratitude. Grateful for all my loved ones, grateful for the wonderful clients and beautiful design opportunities, grateful for the wonderful learning opportunities that keep me on my toes. I think every new job offers a learning opportunity or a new piece of knowledge that applies to another job somewhere, some time later. For this reason, I want to share a focused portion of that priceless cornucopia of learning that I experienced.
This particular lesson came during the pandemic. I know: we’ve had it this far with this topic. However, the pandemic presented me with a golden opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills. For whatever reason, just before the pandemic hit and to this day, custom-designed kitchens, baths, entertainment walls and furniture became The Thing. Whether it was part of a complete renovation or not, each of these jobs required my joiner and joiner to be on their toes. Which in turn required me to pay extra attention to my toes. What most of my clients don’t realize is that designing a custom kitchen requires knowing how cabinets are built and how they are installed. This becomes even more true, with the challenges of Santa Fe homes (which can often be funky, quirky, weird, or “restricted” in some way). In most of our customers’ homes, you rarely encounter straight walls or floors. So it is of utmost importance to know the tricks of the trade and have a good cabinet maker to help design and build these kitchens, baths or other built-in appliances. I’m so lucky to have that in Rich Crowther. Again, so grateful.
During the pandemic we were (fortunately) affected by major renovations. But this demand also left us short due to the pandemic. So you guessed it! The interior designer became a designer, furniture maker’s assistant, professional schlepper and installer. (Although the real confession: I loved not having to dress up to go to work every day!) I now know how to assemble a cabinet, how to level cabinets, how to install cabinets /hanging, how to install toe kicks, how to install drawer slides (and such). types of hardware) and how to describe an end panel or filler. (I can also repair a boo-boo on a cabinet door finish, glaze, and emergency cabinets. Despite all these new skills, I’m not allowed to cut the side panel or filler.)
These skills are not acquired without bumps and bruises, both for body and ego. But they have made a huge difference in the way I approach cabinet design. Plus, I now know how to solve problems that kitchens face in older homes with limited space. All of this has given me a new level of self-confidence.
But my favorite part of learning is seeing the end results: seeing the custom furniture and custom doors that Rich and my team and I designed and built. Over the past five years we have designed and built the following: TV lift cabinets, hidden areas, beds with hidden storage, cocktail tables, side tables, bedside tables, headboards, custom entry doors and probably some things I block out. And I loved every minute of it! I was hands-on with each of these projects. Again, my expert furniture maker, Rich Crowther, is very picky about who he lets into his shop. . . AND to reiterate, we had and remain few resources for skilled woodworkers. That’s where I come in. Once again.
My favorite projects were probably THE bed for the ages and the three custom doors with 21 lights that we designed and built. However, I don’t want to forget the cocktail table, where two laptops and two desktops that could be used from a couch were housed, powered and hidden. But back to The Bed for All Ages: This was a project for an old client and a very good friend. This customer had a buffalo cape hide that he had held on to for twenty years and always wanted to put on a headboard. Manly was the order of the day. In the end, Rich and I delivered a king-size zebrawood and ebony frame with an upholstered buffalo hide insert and four posters topped with custom iron vortex shades (with a 400-pound headboard!). Again, the ego got bruised a few times and of course I have permanent dents and scars on my shins from moving the bed to its forever home. But it was all worth it; the customer was over the moon. (The doors were a completely different experience and story for another time. But absolutely fascinating to learn how they are built!)
So word of the day: GRATEFUL. Grateful for my clients, grateful for the work, grateful for the lessons. Grateful for everything I learned from master woodworker Rich Crowther. My experience with these designs/builds and working in the shop with Rich has given me a whole new body of knowledge to draw on when looking at the possibilities for spaces in my clients’ homes. I see things in an even more complete way, knowing what can be done with a little ingenuity and knowledge. I also found my favorite woodworking tool…the DOMINO JOINING SYSTEM! I’m obsessed. And my new rule is that every time we play the DOMINO! It’s like going to Disneyland.
Buffy Kline can be found at WGD Interiors in Santa Fe. She is an ASID Professional Member and an NCIDQ certificate holder. She is also a licensed interior designer in the state of New Mexico with over 25 years of experience. She has worked in the design and property development sector, with high-end residential properties being her main focus. Customer-focused design is at the core of what Buffy and her highly valued collaborative artisans, vendors and partners offer the Santa Fe community. Contact her at: bkline@wgdinterieurs.com.
