I have not blogged for weeks now…mostly due to this:
I have been putting together Valentines Day and Mothers Day windows for a jewelry store in Dubai…actually, not one store…27 of them!! I have been to all of the Emirates except Al Ain and Ras Al Khaima so I have also clocked up a few kilometers in my car over the past few weeks.It was a lot of fun but also very challenging and completely exhausting…and today, I did a mock-up window for Mothers Day!! No rest for the wicked!!
I purchased and wrapped 260 boxes of different sizes and then tied bows on every single one!! The perspex /acrylic heart is from Ikea and has soft pink tissue paper sandwiched between the two halves. The flowers I made up using double sided tape and faux rose petals from Ikea and then I scattered foil confetti to add some texture. The heart garlands were made up by my long suffering curtain -maker ( he sewed together over 50 m of garland) but I did give him all the cut paper hearts which I cut using a Sizzex cutter! Amazing machine…I then attached the garlands to the top of the window displays. I was really happy with how everything turned out, it must be said…not really my forte as all my previous work as a visual merchandiser had been for an interior decor store! A very interesting challenge to do small scale window decoration!
I am also developing samples for a luxury penthouse on the Palm Jumeirah…this is a project I have been involved with for over 18 months and it seems to be finally going ahead! Sampling can sometimes be a long and tedious affair…designers will ask for several samples and once they select one, they will generally tweak that sample until theyre happy. I often limit the number of samples I do because I have had so many situations where I supply samples for a potential project, don’t hear back from the designers and then a few months later I get a call from the designer who asks me to copy the sample they have and it turns out to be the same sample I submitted months before! A lot of designers take a good sample and shop around for lower prices and they will ask the decorative paint specialists to match the approved sample. Its very annoying but a part of doing business.
There are a few designers and architects whom I trust with my samples and I will make up as many as they need to get the right finish ,because I know they will not shop my samples around. Most of these companies I have worked with for about 14 years, so we have a good relationship, which in my humble opinion, is what business is all about.
I will be taking photos of this project as we progress with the work ,so I hope to be able to show you how we work ….. I am looking forward to starting next week!
A Decorator's Notebook 