It's me - from beyond the grave! Well, not beyond the grave... just beyond the state line. I made sure I submitted this blog post before I left in September. debi Ross (yes, with a lowercase d), a designer based out of Orland Park, IL got her start in floral design. It should come as no surprise that one of her specialties is holiday decor. She knows all the ins and outs of the holidays, including how to deal with the lack luster look of a home after the holiday decor comes down and goes back in the closet for 10 more months. Here are some tips, tricks and ideas on how she deals with these dilemmas. Enjoy!
AS: Holiday decorating can be very taxing on all of us, what services do you provide to help them?
dR: Through Special Looks (a division of Inside Looks) we provide a full range of holiday decorating services to both our residential and commercial consumers. We’ll put up your tree, stairway railings, fireplace mantle decorations, plan the parties, shop for special gifts, etc. Additionally, we will decorate the outside of your home or office. The client that takes advantage of our services is usually looking for the same type of attention to their holiday decorating as they give to their daily home or office décor.
Our clients know that we will address all the details of decorating and leave their home or office perfectly decorated and spotless, ready for them to step in and enjoy.
Special Looks operates year-round to provide “seasonal” decorations, party planning services, flowers for special occasions and gift baskets.
AS: What is the biggest request and the most stress relieving to turn over to you for your clients during the holiday season?
dR: I think our greatest value to our clients is letting them come home and see their decorations up and ready for the holiday. Our clients are busy professionals who do not have days to put up their holiday decorations. If we bring four staff members into a home or office and spend three hours on-site that saves the client 12 hours of labor. Most of our clients don’t have that kind of time to give to any project. We come in and within a short period of time complete the job. They come home or back to work and “poof” the job is done. The client is now free to focus on the “joys” of the holidays.
AS: After all the holiday decorations come down and the normal accessories go back up, what is your number one request from clients to change?
dR: Our biggest request is to make the environment fresh and bright. Chicagoland winters are not traditionally sunny times and after you bring down all the Winter Holiday decorations these same spaces seem empty and boring. If we can offer some bright new colors and fresh touches it can minimize the dreariness of the winter days. This is also a wonderful time for making lists of goals and plans for the new year. Traditionally, at this time of year, consumers are looking for something new, some changes and we are poised to present their room through new eyes. We help with plans for color changes, upholstery, carpet or window treatment updates. Our focus is always on the “big picture”. What do the clients want for their rooms, we make the plan, then execute it as they like. After a busy holiday shopping season most clients are happy to let us do the shopping for them. All their regular spots are out of everything, sales, clearance .. .we walk in with all NEW things . . .bringing the world to them. We also emphasize how much money we can save them by bringing many options (vendors) to them. Think of the gas they can save!
AS: What is the easiest fix for after holiday decorations blues?
dR: Color. Add a bit of something bright and it makes all the difference in the world. New pillows, fun new accessories, updating picture frames, a fresh floral arrangement, potpourri and candles always work in January.
AS: Do you find that some clients will have a winter décor that they keep up after the holidays?
dR: We have lots of requests to delay take-downs. Two of our clients won’t let us back into their homes until the middle or end of January. They like to schedule some winter parties and really hate to let the Christmas season go. Most of our commercial customers are just the opposite. They want the decorations up early and taken down immediately after January 1. Evolution is our hallmark. Most clients are just anxious to see what’s next! If a clients wishes for winter decorations it’s more in the way of pine cones and winter berries and branches rather than garlands or ornaments. We also move them into Valentine’s Day or Springtime after winter . . . we like to keep finding reasons to return.
AS: What changes do you find brings the most cheer to clients post holiday take down?
dR: As we mentioned above, color and something fresh. Perk up an arrangement, change a bowl of potpourri, new candles, something that is bright and fragrant. We also use this time to talk about the “next” Christmas. No better time to talk next year than when you are taking down “this” year. We usually create a three-year turn-around on Christmas. We don’t want their decorations looking tired or faded. By phasing something in and out each year, we keep our sales in motion and guarantee that the client is always getting something new. If our clients are looking for a new tree or adding a new tree to the plan, we also offer a “lay-away” option for them. They can make regular monthly payments from February to December and easily budget in new decorations.
AS: Tell us how you got your start and how you landed in the interior design field.
dR: In October 1997, I had just built a new home in Orland Park, had been employed by Docter Florist and The Dutch Mill Interiors and Gifts for 14 years as their general manager when the owners of the store decided it had to close. I had a new mortgage and no job. Clients that had always arranged for their decorations for Christmas through the flower shop had no idea who was going to do it for them if the shop closed. This left them with no resource for their decorating needs. They assumed I would continue to do it so I did what I love to do--decorate. The staff that had worked for me at the flower shop now came on board with me in my effort to complete the decorations that we had done together for the past 14 years. We muddled through, got all the sites up and eventually down, collapsed under the shear weight of what we had accomplished and then decided that we COULD do it and just did. Thus, Special Looks was born. Now the challenge was to find a way to earn a living the other 9 months of the year. Luckily for us, when you take down holiday decorations, most clients comment that their homes and offices look a bit dreary and are in the market for something new. We stepped in, offered to make those changes and Inside Looks was born. We started by simply offering to do the simple things they looked for in January and kept the ball rolling through the remainder of the year. What started as a floral arrangement or bag of potpourri has now grown to drapes, furnishings, flooring, lamps, accessories and so much more. In March we begin our 16th year and continue to grown and expand at the pleasure of our customers.
