Attendee Profile: Raynee Crowe of Color Vision

I started blogging about 8 months ago and I’ve been in love since my very first post. I have always had an affection for interior design, colorful decorative accessories and inviting spaces, but didn’t connect the dots until I was graduating from Business School and all I could think about was decorating my first apartment! I love to blog as it gives me a creative outlet to express my thoughts on design and personal style as well as give little tid bits of advice and connect with interior design enthusiasts/color lovers worldwide. Not such a bad gig for someone who didn’t even consider herself creative as a child.

Color Vision: THE BLOG is dedicated to all things interior design, art and the exploration of color everywhere. It’s a virtual warehouse of interior decorating ideas and creative inspirations conveyed with playful imagination and practical wit. I also showcase my very first art collection, ART by Raynée for Color Vision, which is a modern canvas collection incorporating vibrant acrylics.

Currently, I’m in development on my 2nd art collection (to be featured later this year) and busy finding new design ideas, color inspirations, practical ways for readers to add a little “oomph” to their spaces and as a consultant; resolving client decorating dilemmas.

I’m inspired by colors, magazines, music, fashion, friends, my mother, art, traveling, movies, other creative people…you name it!

This will be my first blogger conference and I’m very excited to cultivate new relationships, learn more about the interior design blogger world and kick my business into high gear. I really look forward to meeting you all. February 28th can’t come soon enough!

Attendee Profile: Shirry Dolgin of A.S.D. Interiors

As I was growing my interior design business, I found that my online presence was forever changing! After adjusting my A.S.D. Interiors website over and over again, and spending tons of money on my web designer, I found that my blog was the best outlet for staying up to date with the public and posting updates on current trends, products, and what was going on in the design world from my point of view. It was the best way for me to have constant changes that were full of content on any subject that was relatable to my company and the design industry.

My inspiration for the blog comes from the clients I work with and the trends I see when shopping for resources. I may have a special product to highlight, color of the month, or fun story about the latest installation I completed. I also throw in some of the things that inspire me like great architecture or products that are well designed.

So, even though my blog is an ever changing online platform for my business, I hoping to learn how I can reach more people through my blog, find inspiration for content, learn about adding sponsors, and also to learn about the kind of content consumers are looking to read

Attendee Profile: Cristin Priest of Simplified Bee®

Before launching Simplified Bee®, I first put my organizational and design skills to work in the high tech industry for over eight years directing marketing efforts including events, press and lead generation. After the birth of my first child, I hung up my corporate hat and switched gears as a stay-at-home mom. Shortly after, I followed my passion for home decorating and studied interior design.

As a busy mother of young ones, I understand the desire for a home to be functional, yet beautiful. I saw a need for “functional” interior design and knew homes could be orderly without sacrificing style. As a result I launched Simplified Bee® in January 2009 offering residential style-savvy organization and design services in the San Francisco Bay Area. I believe surrounding yourself in beautiful, organized homes reduces stress, makes you happier and inspires healthier living.

In May of 2009, after a client pushed me to do so, I started the Simplified Bee® Blog. With limited marketing funds, the blog was originally a placeholder for a website that would be developed later that year. To my surprise, the little blog grew and I grew to love writing about interiors, organizing and entertaining. “Meeting” new blogger friends has also been a wonderful element in starting the blog.

Some of my favorite projects are helping busy families with children. Currently, I am working on designing a playroom for a family with three little ones. It is a fun space to design because of the challenge to be functional first and foremost, while still be style-savvy and budget friendly.

Nature, textiles and color are typical inspiration points for me in design. Currently I am obsessed with the block-print textiles from designers like John Robshaw. I also prefer designs that are approachable, wabi-sabi and artfully blend old and new. Eco-friendly design is also important to me. I love upcycling furniture found at a yard sale or flee market. I am not a fan of interiors that are matchy-matchy and look a page out of a furniture catalog.

Attending The Design Bloggers Conference is a wonderful opportunity to learn from some of the best in the design blog community. I’m also very excited to meet the talented conference speakers and attendees - many of whom are fellow bloggers I have followed for years!

Attendee Profile: Kristine Bishop of I Design Love

I Design Love was founded because interior design has always been my passion, love and inspiration. Since it provokes such a creative spark for me, I wanted to share my ideas with the world. The name, I Design Love, stands for ‘interior design love’ to represent how design influences me on daily basis, I am constantly thinking, creating and breathing design. Over the past year, starting a blog has always been in the back of my mind, but school and work kept me too busy so my blog got pushed aside. However, when I graduated last spring, with a Bachelors Degree in Interior Design, I jumped head first into pursuing my passion. Although my blog has only been around for a short time it has transformed into something that I absolutely love. I enjoy spending countless hours researching topics, products and designs that inspire me and hopefully enthuse my readers as well. Recently, my dreams to start my own interior design firm have been coming true, and I am in the process of establishing my own firm called Kristine Bishop Interiors. As an interior designer my goals are to provide my clients with fresh, sophisticated and livable interior environments.

Many aspects of my life fuel the inspiration that creates ideas for blogging and my interior designs. Aspects such as; architecture, fashion and life’s every day events all contribute to my creative process and I work hard to merge these ideas cohesively. Currently, my design obsessions have included, bold wall colors, layering, mixing patterns, colors, textures and wallpaper.

The Design Bloggers Conference is the perfect opportunity for me to meet fellow designers and bloggers who share the same passions as I. I look forward to hearing their stories, achievements and obstacles they have gone through as business owners, and I hope to be inspired by them. I am most looking forward to coming home with new friends, a new outlook and knowledge on the blogging and design world that I can apply to my business and life. I can’t wait to meet everyone!

Attendee Profile: Claudia Juestel of Adeeni Design Blog

In addition to running my own interior design firm Adeeni Design Group I have been writing for SFLuxe and Reside, two San Francisco online publications since the Summer of 2009. In my position as design and architecture editor I cover what is happening in design and architecture around the Bay Area and interview icons of design and arbiters of style for my series “Tea With Claudia”. To express a more personal side and to share random reflections of what I find beautiful and thought provoking I decided to start my own blog, which I took public in July of 2010. There I introduce new articles for SFLuxe, as well as write about my experience and interests, ranging from architecture, design and art, fashion and travel to cooking and entertaining. I often provide a more European perspective and cover subjects related to my homeland Austria, celebrating its riches in culture and history. I also love supporting masters in their fields who may not yet have received the recognition they deserve; and so I just added a series called “Unique Talent”, which features artists, artisans and craftsmen with unique skills and designs.

In my design practice we emphasize bespoke interiors in a variety of styles, driven by the architecture of the home and the personal life-style of each client. We cover anything from traditional to modern and from rustic to elegant, whatever the project requires. We just completed a chic art-driven coffee and wine bar in San Francisco, CA. While I have had the pleasure of working outside the Bay Area and overseas, we are currently mostly working in California, including a turn-of-the-century farmhouse in Walnut Creek, a historic Italianate mansion in Diablo, a French cottage in Carmel, and a contemporary artist’s apartment in San Francisco. One of my biggest passions in design is creating on-of-a-kind furnishings for our clients. We design everything from casegoods and seating to rugs, fabrics and lighting. It is so satisfying to know that these clients own and enjoy something perfectly tailored to them, which nobody else has.

I am inspired by so many sources, travel always being on top of the list. But while often being tied to my work too much my armchair travels take me to other blogs, magazines, and books, where I often find much stimulation. I have a passion for the exotic, which I often incorporate into my design. I love meeting people from other cultures and learning about their way of life. But I cannot always find the time to visit fascinating places like India or Thailand. So I am happy to meet exiles from all over the world right here in my back yard, or to come across exotic objects at antique shops and flea markets, all of which can stimulate great design ideas. I find it so important to always learn new things, both professionally and personally.

At the conference I am looking forward to spending time with some of the seasoned design bloggers I have been following, such as Ronda Carman of All the Best, Cristin Bisbee Priest of Simplified Bee, Scot Wood of The Adventures of Tartan Scot, and new I ones I should know. I am excited about the opportunity to meet people face to face outside our virtual world and to learn more about their passions and dreams, and what works for them. I know that such kind of interaction will be very stimulating. I can’t wait!

Attendee Profile: Nancy Del Santo of AskDecor

The design community is going through a shift of galactic proportions in the way we conduct the business of design. Change can be un-nerving. The future isn’t clear. I decided to jump into this new world with enthusiasm, creating an interactive website and an online voice that allows me to work as a valued resource within a larger online community. I’m still getting my arms around social media and my role in it. Attending Design Bloggers Conference will help shape new ideas for me.

As a kid here in Los Angeles, I grew up going to Decorator’s Walk and attending Tuesday night antique auctions. Interior design was always my passion. But in college, my focus was on business. This led me to work in Corporate America for many years as a sales and marketing executive. In 2000, I decided to pursue my passion and opened a design firm in the Los Angeles area.

I enjoy being a leader by bringing out the best in others. I work with and through my clients and a collaborative team to coax the best out of their environments. Talented people in this industry inspire me. I’m re-fueled by the beauty of nature and the creative process.

The Design Bloggers Conference will be an opportunity to meet like-minded others face-to-face.

Thank you for what I know will be an amazing and trend-setting conference!

Attendee Profile: Julie Thigpen of belle maison

I started belle maison in March of 2008 as an outlet to share my passion for interior design with anyone who was interested. In looking back at my first blog post I wrote, “I created this blog to post new, interesting and inspiring finds that I encounter on a weekly basis. Design is my number-one passion and I am forever searching for the next accessory, piece of furniture or cool fabric to inspire me.” I’ve maintained that promise week after week, year after year, and here I am, 700+ blog posts later, just as passionate about blogging as I was back then! In a nutshell, belle maison is a compilation of images and resources that I find beautiful and inspiring. While the content is mostly interior design related, I also like to mix in, fashion, food, and travel, along with bits of my personal life and career in the design industry.

A little more than a year ago, I launched and online design boutique called Modern Chic Home, which is basically a virtual shop filled with all of my favorite accessories, furniture and home décor. I’m obsessed with finding the next gorgeous pillow or fabulous accent chair and Modern Chic Home is a way for me to share those discoveries with customers and clients who can purchase the items to enjoy in their own home. I’m currently working on expanding my shop by adding hundreds of new items, along with treasured flea market finds, which everyone seems to love these days!

I’m inspired by other designers and entrepreneurs – I love hearing stories on how people got started in the business and how they grew to become successful. I’m also inspired by fellow bloggers who share the same passion for design. Each and every one of them brings a unique perspective to the table, providing insight on hot trends, projects and resources on a daily basis.

The Design Bloggers Conference sounds like an incredible opportunity to learn from the best of the best in the blogging and design community. I look forward to meeting everyone attending, especially fellow bloggers I’ve come to know so well over the years!

Attendee Profile: Edyta Czajkowska - “Live Well, Live in Bliss”

After attending design school and gaining experience while working for various design firms, in areas ranging from luxury residential to commercial interior design and interior architecture- I decided to start my own design firm EDYTA&CO. Interior Design. My company focuses on distinct residential and boutique commercial projects where client and designer collaboration with personal attention is key. The beginning of EDYTA&CO. also brought with it the birth of EDYTA & CO. Blog. Through the blog as well as my design firm I look forward to helping people to create a space that they not only love to be in, but one that is functional and addresses their lifestyle needs.
Since the inception of my blog the purpose was to share my design expertise, inspire others and catalogue inspirations while sharing bits of my life and passions. Everyone can live in a luxurious lifestyle and each person’s luxury is defined differently. In my blog I also explore those moments that define luxury to me, and hope to inspire others to discover their own in order to live a more meaningful and more fulfilling life.

Currently I am working on residential design projects ranging from Chicago North Shore residence to Chicago high-rise condo. My work consists of one room re-designs to whole house remodels.

I find inspirations in many places: travels, fashion, nature, art, history- yet I believe the root of all inspirations comes from constantly reinventing and exposing myself to different surroundings, people , cultures and situations. This way I am constantly thinking in a fresh perspective with a reinvented eye.

Through the conference I am hoping to meet fantastic design blogger experts that share similar passions and goals. I am interested to learn their stories backgrounds and suggestions which will help me grow, and better serve new and potential clients nationally and internationally. I am excited to be part of such a great crowd!

“Live Well, Live in Bliss”- Edyta Czajkowska

Attendee Profile: Aga Artka of Aga Artka Interior Design

Hello, is anybody there?

“Hello, is anybody there?” was my first blogging sentence on November 2nd, 2008. Not totally convinced that anyone out there would be interested in reading my semi-regular updates on design, business ownership and inspirations from day-to-day life, I have begun my blogging adventure by setting some ground rules for mySunday, December 19, 2010 and my readersʼ sake.

From the original blog post:

1. I intend to share my passion and thoughts on Interior Design, Interior Architecture, industry updates and my own accomplishments.

2. I pledge to do my research and provide exhaustive information on the topic of discussion.

3. I promise not to trash the World Wide Web with unnecessary feeds, but be an inspiration to anyone who finds interest in the Interior Design world.

4. No plagiarism!

More than two years later, I have stuck to providing (what I believe is) valuable content on my travels, design projects, favorite products and materials, book references, vendor recommendations, small business struggles and solutions. Each post consists of two thirds of informational content supported by links, photos and videos, and one third of ME and the passion I have for interior design. I hope that my posts are interesting and keep people coming back to my website. I appreciate my current audience and realize that their time it valuable. My goal is to keep growing my blog to be the place to go for inspiration, trend spotting, design resource and review for all. First locally, then nationally.

Travel is what keeps my design wheels going. For work or pleasure, I always find time to investigate, document and later review and blog about the hotels I stayed at, the restaurants I dined at, the entertainment spots I visited and which made an lasting impression on me. I believe in an incredible power interior spaces have on their users…especially in the entertainment and hospitality industries. Therefore, I study those closely and share my findings with my audience. All that to bring the awareness of good design and its influence on people. Design does matter.

I look forward to traveling to Los Angeles, and to networking with all the professional and beginner interior design bloggers. I know that, despite writing, we all share a deep passion toward design and interior spaces, and to find myself surrounded by all that creativity and drive, will be simply amazing!

Attendee Profile: Carrie Leskowitz of Carrie Leskowitz Interiors

Every seminar I have been to in the last 2 years always emphasized the importance of social media. Being interested in driving traffic to my web site and promoting my design business, I created a Facebook page and started a newsletter. After a little over a year and a half the newsletter, while positively received, did not allow me to connect with kindred spirits beyond my email list. I really wanted to open up my world, and the blog was born from the limitations of my Design Musings newsletter.

I am inspired by anyone or anything that “moves” me. As a visual person, my eyes are always wide open. Whether it’s fashion, art, travel, design of any kind, the beauty in nature, architecture, etc., I love to share, inspire others, and hopefully teach something along the way.

“Be fearless” is what I always tell my kids. You never know where a path will take you. I did a show house room 2 years ago despite being nervous. However, this winter my “serene salon” is being included in a book by Schiffer Publishing. I am on a journey; I am open, and it will be interesting to see where blogging takes me.

I am anxious to hear from those that have come before me. Experienced bloggers, whom I have been reading for years now, make it look so effortless. I have so many questions that I am starting a running list. I want to be inspired to be a better blogger and learn the “secrets” to successful blogging. I look forward to meeting and learning from the best!

I recently completed a rental apartment in New York City for a client from Philadelphia. I loved working in NY. I love being in New York, I love the people and its energy. One of my goals would be to combine two of my favorite things, travel and work, and hopefully meet wonderfully creative people along the way.

I am really looking forward to attending the conference; as long as snow doesn’t keep me grounded in Aspen!