Baltimore Symphony Show House- Move in Day!

It’s move in day at last! We had a truck rented and a helper to move all of the furniture from our retail store Details of Design in Annapolis, Md. and then the whole plan fell apart! The helper could not make it and we had to cancel the truck and pay for a delivery company to pick up and deliver the furniture to the show house in Baltimore. Luckily, it all got done.

I took a load of accessoreis in my car and went in through the front door of the Ritz Carlton Condominiums. They have these bellhop rolling carts that I was able to use. However, you do feel obliged to tip rather heavily since the bellhops are so very nice. The bellhop and I started rolling down the endless hallway to the next building. The hallways in the Ritz are very well designed. The flooring is a patterned carpet with marble rectangular panels inserted every so often to break up the long hallway. It is very attractive. As we started down the hallway though the cart would roll, roll, roll, then bump as it hit the edge of the marble insert in the floor. After about ten of these bumps a lamp literally jumped off the cart and smashed on the floor! I was in shock! I did not have another lamp to replace it! When I got back to the store Jennifer helped me glue it all back together like a jigsaw puzzle. It really doesn’t look too bad. I bet no one will notice (famous last words!).

We have hung up the artwork. We have a couple of original oil paintings that have been stopping people in their tracks as they take their preview walks of the designers rooms. The art has been complimented a lot. The rugs are down in the space. I understand that one of the Ritz Carlton managers has walked through and said that he had been most of the units in the buildings there and he had not seen any other tennants in the building use the Living Room space as we had with the secondary grouping off to the side. He really liked the spaceplanning.

I picked up the glass for the shelves in the recesses by the fireplace and went to slide them in. They of course did not fit! I had asked my assistant to order the shelves and to look up my notes on a yellow pad to order them and I was in such a hurry, I neglected to tell her that we needed to take a clearance allowance off of my dimensions. I got 4 of the 6 shelves in, but I have to go back to the glass company to get the two cut down. nothing is ever easy. The drywall of the recess is crooked on one side. Just my luck!

We are down to the last few days! I also received a call from Ron at the drapery workroom yesterday. The first words out of his mouth were, “We can’t use this fabric on the crown molding of your treatment. It won’t work!” I told him that I would be right down and he and I would figure it out. You really have to remain calm through all of the trials and tribulations. There is no sense in getting an ulcer.You definitely have to be a good problem solver to be a good designer. Well, during my last minute visit to the workroom in DC we worked out the application of the glue so it would not penetrate the fabric. The workroom has 75 top treatments in work in front of my job for a nursing home project. So, as long as they get done, I will get my draperies somehow at the last minute and just in time. Let us pray!

Sometimes I forget why I love being an Interior Designer! I am sure when the room is all pulled together my amnesia will have disapated and I will really enjoy meeting the public and discussing the space in person. The first unveiling is a private party next Thursday evening for the residents of the Ritz Carlton. Maybe someone will love the room so much that they will just say, “Can you please just move this whole room up to my condo, I love it just the way it is!” Let us pray!

The grand opening is on May 7th to the public and runs until May 30th. If you are there and one of our designers is working the room, please let us know that you have been following our blog!