One Room Challenge: Week 3

October 21, 2020 Nile Johnson

It's week three!

And if you are just joining me on this One Room Challenge journey, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nile, and I am the design principal of Nile Johnson Interior Design. I am also the client for this challenge. Why? Because as a person who loves designing spaces for others, I have found it challenging to take time away from doing what I love for others to create a space for myself. I have also found that burnout occurs when you don't (do something for yourself). So, this one's for me.

Progress: The Challenge inside the Challenge

And my floor plan is still giving me the blues. So, I've decided to use a trick I learned in design school that has helped me whenever I get stuck in one place on a project; move on to something else. So, I am going to focus on furniture. This will allow my creative juices to flow and possibly help with the lack of flow in my space plan.

Shifting Gears

Sourcing product for a project is probably one of my favorite things, of my favorite things to do. Discovering ways to tell a new story through the use of fabrics, furniture, and finishes brings me an overwhelming sense of joy. That being said, there is a lot of planning that goes into project sourcing, and it's the work that occurs during this stage that will make or break the effort put in before and after it. Knowing this, I always head into a sourcing expedition with a game plan. Especially if that expedition is taking me to High Point Furniture Market.

What is the High Point Furniture Market?

There are two ways to answer that question. My way; It is like fashion week for furniture. Or the official (and probably more informative) way via the High Point Market website. "It is the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, bringing more than 75,000 people to High Point, North Carolina, every six months. Among others in the home furnishings industry, interior designers can be found in High Point twice a year. because if you can't find it in High Point…it probably doesn't exist."

How I source for a project

One-stop shopping is super convenient, and these days, it seems like everyone is busier than ever. However, your space is an investment. We take that investment seriously, so each item is thought about thoroughly and in several ways. Style, scale, color, finish, budget, availability, etc., are just a few factors that drive product selection for a particular design. More often than not, when putting together a design presentation for a client, we look at over 30 options from 10 or more vendors and/or manufacturers for each item we need.

Know before you go.

Having an idea of what you're looking for will help you avoid endless wandering, indecisiveness, and buyers' remorse. Having a list of items that I'd like to look at while in a showroom is super helpful. I divide my sourcing time into two categories; purposeful and inspirational. Purposeful sourcing comes from the list. Inspirational sourcing comes from the time left over when I allow myself to explore and find new and exciting options that I hadn't seen, though, or heard of before.

Where is the furniture going, and how is it getting there?

Street names, the physical address for delivery, and possible short-cuts to avoid traffic are all beneficial, if not necessary, for a smooth transition from showroom to space. However, another step comes before, in which pertinent and pre-qualifying information needs to be gathered. Way before I or anyone on my team heads out to source and or procure product from a showroom, we take some time and measure - yes, step. The first time we measured was for design planning. This time is for design implementation. It's sort of a measure twice, cut once insurance method ensuring the install day goes as smoothly as possible.

What are we looking for? We walk the travel path your furniture will have to take once it has arrived at your location. I'll notate any and all critical dimensions to ensure that the beautiful chaise lounge in the store window will actually fit on the freight elevator in your building. There's nothing worse than waiting several months for a 13-foot, silk-covered, custom-built sofa to arrive, only to find out that it is too large to fit down any hallway or in any elevator. The only possible option is to hoist it up and bring it through the window via a crane (true-story). In short, preparation is critical. And that is what this week is all about.

I believe the best spaces come together by using a diverse offering of products and making sure all of the unseen details have been addressed. It is essential for assembling a successfully completed design. Which is ultimately our end goal, right :-)

Stay tuned for updates on my market sourcing progress and all the great finds I'll be using to complete my space.

In the meantime, if you’re ready to source product for your new project, let’s get a discovery call scheduled

And for more design ideas, tips, and inspiration follow all the other featured ORC designers below. They’ve all got something absolutely beautiful to share!