Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Familiar Elegance

The first green mantra most of us learned was the 3 R's of Waste Management: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. These 3 R's can be applied to many aspects of our daily lives. Not only should we apply this when choosing what to put in the trash can, but also when considering buying new items from stores. Do you really need a new dress for the party? Do you really need a new dining room table? Many options are available to those who may not be able to afford new things and those who want to create less of an impact on our planet.

Whether she intends it or not, Marjorie Scooler of Familiar Elegance in Charleston, South Carolina is helping to lessen the damaging effect of unnecessary waste that may come out of interior design all while saving her clients money. Marjorie comes to your home and uses the skills of an accomplished interior arranger with your existing furnishings and accessories to give you a new look with a professionals touch. You only pay for her expertise. Another advantage to this approach is time. There is no waiting for new materials to arrive at your home, so this could be a great help before an in home event or open house.

As you can see in her above before and after shot, the final look is something that could be seen in a magazine. And remember, this was done using all of the homeowners existing materials! Throw in some paint, with low VOC of course, and you're in business. Marjorie has even been featured on the popular HGTV show Decorating Cents!

I, personally, love this approach to design. I've moved quite often, but my budget doesn't allow me to buy many new materials. I have reinvented my bedroom and common rooms look each of the 10 times I've moved over the past 9 years. When I'd get bored on a rainy day in high school, my mom would let me re-do the guest bedroom using items we had around the house. If you're looking for a new look and don't want to spend the money give this a try... or better yet let me do it! I won't charge you much!

Winthrop Department of Design

Today I emailed the Design Department at Winthrop University and inquired how their program might be able to help me get the credentials I will need to enter a career in design. A new employee of one of my dad's friend's shops was able to attend Winthrop part time to get her degree in design... this is exactly what I need. Ideally, I would prefer to continue working at my current company while attending school. I hope there might be a chance to scale back my hours during the week so I don't have to quit before my one year mark at which I will receive a much needed guaranteed bonus. Money, money, money, moneh, MONNNEHHH.

Winthrop also has a non-traditional program called The New Start Program for adult students. This, along with location, are two added bonuses Winthrop can provide for me in my current situation. I have my fingers crossed that they might even accept some of the credits I earned during my first semester at Virginia Tech as an Interior Design major. Anything to get me to graduation faster!

Dad to the Rescue

I was home in Columbia, SC visiting my dad and step mom when the topic of trying to figure out how to reroute my current career path came up. My extremely supportive parents were quick to share ideas and personal contacts who could possibly help me with the new endeavor. My dad works for a clothing company, Tom James Company, and is exposed to clients in many different areas of work. He knew of two people immediately who each own interior design shops in Columbia. What a great place to start! I quickly jotted down a few questions for him to ask in advance mostly around my main concern - Do I have to have a degree to be considered? I can't wait to find out what they have to say! At the very minimum it will be nice to, hopefully, meet with them over coffee or lunch next time I'm in town to exchange ideas and hear from people who do what I dream about doing every day.

These lovely rooms were done by one of my dad's contacts, Evon Kirkland. Check out her site - she has some amazing stuff. Evon Kirkland Interiors' work is elegant, simple, and has a slightly modern edge without going overboard.

Another contact he shared with me was Bonnie O'Connor of O'Connor Design, LLC . She and her husband have created some very nice retail space planning that blurs the line of interior design and fashion. It's very interesting to see how creating windows for retailers and dressing mannequins can work as art within a space.

Time for a Change

Ever since I was a young girl I've wanted to be a designer or a marine biologist. Pretty random, huh? During my childhood I'd draw pictures and create different crafty projects in my spare time and attend SeaCamp, a marine biology camp in the Florida Keys, for 3 weeks each summer. It looked like I was on track to attain at least one of my dreams, if not maybe both!
I went to college looking forward to beginning classes in my Interior Design major. I was thrilled and knew I would be a great success. I wasn't. I wasn't unsuccessful because I wasn't smart enough or capable of doing well on projects. I was unsuccessful because I wasn't ready to be in college. I didn't understand how to manage my time and I didn't understand how to manage my money. Both of those things were very important when majoring in Interior Design. Projects were long term and you were expected to work on them daily, yet there was nothing you actually had to show your professor until the final due date. Sweet, I thought. I pushed projects off until the last minute and was disgusted with my results. Materials were also expensive and deciding out how to pay for them added stress to my life. I decided to quit the next semester.

After graduating from college I began working at a large bank here in Charlotte.... as most of us do, or now did considering the market downturn and massive amounts of layoffs. Last fall I was lucky enough to land a job at a local up-and-coming hedge fund where I'll have a chance to weather the storm and pop out on the other side of this recession smarter and better equipped to succeed in finance. But I don't wanna!

It's my birthday. My Golden Birthday. I'm giving myself 3 years to start over and pursue my real passion. I'm going to be a designer. By 30.