An interior designer uses this assessment of needs to create what the interior design trade calls a “design program.” Once the program is complete and approved by the client, the designer goes off seeking inspiration. My Goal is To Create Your Vision - Not Mine!
My
first step is to learn how each of your rooms should function
to enhance your activities. Do you entertain frequently? Or is your home
a retreat - a place where entertaining occurs only on holidays? 
My second step is to listen. Your answers to questions like those enable me to set priorities: Those who give dinner parties need a dedicated dining room. If you set out the china only once a year, you are probably using the dining room for far more than eating and need flexible space.
From my understanding of your lifestyle, your goals, and your needs flows an orderly planning, budgeting and design process. You will know what to expect each step along the way, and you can contract for as much, or as little, of my time as you need.
The steps I take to solve your problems can include:
- Site visit and detailed measurement
- Creation of a scaled floor plan
- Scaled furniture footprints that can be arranged on the floor plan
- Creation of a color scheme keyed to your likes, light and favored treasures
- Visualization of how furnishings or accent colors will look in place
- Organizational advice
- Sequential, calendared project plan
- Shopping and buying
- Contractor referrals
- Onsite supervision
Nicolette's Design Philosophy
I flat-out don't believe in forcing my clients to follow a given style, or for that matter, my sense of style.
I think a design is successful only when it meets the goal of the person who is going to use it. I'm a little unusual because I believe that it's far more important my designs to make you happy than to make me famous! That's why, before I begin to design, I ask clients to fill in the survey that appears on this website.
My emphasis on issues of health, convenience, comfort and environmental responsibity results in rooms that reflect my clients' tastes rather than the "international style" of design that was made famous by the design school from which I received my master's degree.
I was trained by the institution founded by Mies Van Der Rohe, and my design work follows his philosophy, a philosophy made famous by architect Louis Sullivan's statement, "Form ever follows function." Van Der Rohe and Sullivan were both creators and proponents of the international style, a modern, minimalist approach we are used to seeing in skyscapers.
My goal is to create a design that will allow you to live comfortable, conveniently and happily -- while also making your guests exclaim, "What a beautiful room!"
While I can't be around to reinforce a client’s resolve to put away papers or throw more dinner parties, I do seek to create interiors that will do that for them. WhenI understand my client’s natural tendencies, what features of the interiort are helping or hindering a desired change, and then re-design the room to remove hinderances and provide built-in rewards (such as convenience, warmth, a pleasant view), then the design is far more apt to be successful.