The Carrot and the Stick

So today I left Ponte Vedra Beach at 6:30am and headed back home. The goal was to get back in time for my friend to make it to work in Athens by 2 and for me to possibly get to a 1230 meeting with my mom (didn't think that was going to happen). Dad met me in the Cracker Barrel parking lot and  asked what my plans were for the day. When I told him I thought I'd missed the boat on the meeting he insisted that I call immediately and do all that I could to be there. He is always a big proponent of on site experience, but more so he believes that I have the opportunity to learn so much from her in her way of managing a project.  Aside from having wonderful taste and a knack for interiors, she is really great with communication and working with clients, contractors, builders, architects, and other designers. I have recently seen the importance of keeping a project running on schedule and all of the work that it takes to make this happen. In a kitchen project that my mom just finished up I was able to see her keeping everyone working with both "the carrot and the stick".  Needless to say, I jumped out of my shorts and t shirt and into by "business suit" and met her and her partner for a new client meeting.

In attendance at the meeting was the "Retreats" entourage (Mom, her partner, Paige, and myself), the clients, the builder and his in house designer. The couple is planning to build a new Georgian style home in a nearby neighborhood. She says it's always been her dream to have a white brick house with black shutters, and by golly she's getting it...and a good one too!  The house isn't scheduled to be finished until next July, so there's a little time for us to start filling our role, but I guess it's never too soon to brainstorm. We will mostly focus on furnishings and finishes for the home, but my guess is that mom will fill the role of project management when it comes to the client and contractors. As far as furnishings go, the goal is to use as much of what the client currently has, and to find new (or new to them) items for the main floor.

One thing that I found particularly interesting was the builder's in house designer. She came with very preliminary CAD drawn elevations, and the kitchen plan that she had put together was pretty less than impressive.  It really highlighted the importance of a kitchen specialist in custom projects like this one--especially since both the husband and wife are very into cooking. I have never seen a man so into kitchen planning and really wanting such a functional kitchen.  He certainly left with his brain cranking as he was trying to "live through the plan" in his head.  This might be a great opportunity for Studio Entourage to jump on board for some basic plans and rough elevations so that the client can get the most out of their space! I'll let you know what happens.

I know this isn't technically part of my summer internship with Studio Entourage, but I figured it was closely related so I thought I'd share :)