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Inspired, personalized, creative interior design by Carla Aston
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Do you mind if I vent a little? | #DESIGNREFRESH

January 25, 2014 in DESIGN REFRESH

Sometimes I feel a little like a coffee pot that’s just dripping, slowly, in the corner of the kitchen. It just seems like it’s taking me forever to fill up the pot so I can finally have my cup of coffee and drink it!

In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, I’m talking about my goals, my ideas about my business and future.

As a result of taking a break early in life to raise my children and live overseas -- therefore interrupting my career -- it’s taken me a long time to get where I want to go. And I’m still not quite there, yet.

Sometimes, in the world of design, I feel pretty invisible; and, really, by the time I finally retire -- if that ever happens -- I want to feel I’ve made my mark on this industry I love.

Around the new year I was feeling a little down.

I hadn't made the progress I envisioned for 2013 and things just weren’t moving fast enough. You see, I have some big goals, but not much time. I know I can do what I want to do; I know have a lot to give; I know I can achieve what I want, not only by making my own business grow and profit, but by helping other designers make their businesses prosper, promoting this industry I love, and spreading the value of good design.

However, in January, the drip drip drip of my coffee pot started paying off. I’ve been published in several local magazines, one national magazine, featured in Williams-Sonoma Designer’s Marketplace Blog, and I’ve also, just recently, found these articles on highly trafficked design websites where my blogposts had been used as a source:

  • How to Arrange Tiles to Make a Small Bathroom Look Larger - SFGate.com
  • How to Decorate Tall Spaces Above Kitchen Cabinets - Motherhood.com

So things aren’t looking so bad after all ;-)

If there's one thing I've learned from being in this business it's this:

Success in interior design starts with good clients and good relationships with those clients and their really special projects. Here at DESIGNED w/ Carla Aston, we’ve implemented a new filtering system that allows us to identify which clients will be best for us to serve, and it seems to be working. Our Free Friday Walk-Throughs in January went really well and we’re booking more for February now.

Interested in being on our client list and possibly having your project show up in a magazine one day? Contact us HERE.

Oh, and one more thing: Check out my newly updated PRESS section. I’m kinda proud of how it’s growing!

DESIGN REFRESH
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The Super Bowl is coming up, but your man cave is turned upside down. Grab these must have furnishings and decor so your party won't look like a bust.

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Address to Impress: The Hearth, Your Kitchen's Central Focal Point
about 4 years ago

When guests enter the kitchen, what commands their attention first? The hearth. (Or the range, cooktop, venthood area.) When it's properly addressed, its design will surely impress.

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Interior Decorating With - Not 'For' - Dummies
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Dummies -- or, rather, mannequins -- when done right can be quite interesting and artistic as home decor.

Interior Design Trend: Globes! Learn Why, What Types & Where to Buy Them
Interior Design Trend: Globes! Learn Why, What Types & Where to Buy Them
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Globes: These ordinary, standard learning devices, when set upon a shelf in a father’s study or a kid’s bedroom, can be transformed into a uniquely beautiful collectable! 

Would a Horizontal Slab Mirror Look Right In Your Bathroom? Let's Find Out...
Would a Horizontal Slab Mirror Look Right In Your Bathroom? Let's Find Out...
about 4 years ago

There are instances when a horizontal slab of mirror -- when done purposefully and the bathroom's overall design is kept in mind -- is the absolute best solution.

11 Instances When the Frame (Not the Picture) Is Worth a Thousand Words
11 Instances When the Frame (Not the Picture) Is Worth a Thousand Words
about 4 years ago

Picture frames get no respect. But with this article, that shall change; because they can be designed to be just as special, just as artful, as what they contain. Here's why...

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CARLA ASTON
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Disclaimer / Comment Policy:

The advice and comments I offer here on the blog and in the comments section are free and are done for sharing and discussion. I am in no way taking responsibility for your decisions on your projects, I am simply offering up some advice from my distant and limited view of your situation in question. I try to answer as time permits but cannot get to all of them. If you want to hire me personally, there are ways to do that by clicking on my Services page.

Please note that if you load images in the comments section you are then giving your permission for me to use the image in a future blogpost, without reference to you, the owner of the photo. All comments are public and therefore can be republished.

Mean spirited, derogatory comments will be deleted. 


Note:  My blog periodically contains affiliate links. Purchases made through them are greatly appreciated.

Thx / Carla