Interior Design: Buying Good Taste

Though Big N and I purchased our home in September, it wasn't until recently that we decided to buy some furniture. So we devoted a whole Saturday to the task, naively thinking that we'd score the perfect sofa, bed, or dining room table in just the day. Of course we realized pretty quickly that we were *way* out of our league when we spent most of the day just trying to find a store that didn't sell the Tuscan/Euro/Revival furniture that really isn't what we're going for (e.g., above at right, no offense if you love this stuff).

As two busy professionals who don't want to spend every weekend scrounging for furniture, we gave up and hired a designer. We interviewed a few but knew instantly that Luis Ortega was the one for us: he's experienced, Cuban, and oozes effortless style. He implicitly understood our vision of starting with contemporary furniture with clean lines in neutral tones to complement our modern home but to add natural organic elements to create warmth and comfort. (Eg., this brilliantly designed NYC flat by Rose Tarlow, architect Richard Meier, from last month's Architectural Digest). Plus, Luis said he'd take me shopping, HIRED!

Yesterday Luis took us on a speed shopping trip around Beverly Hills and in the Pacific Design Center- Awesome! We met Luis at his Beverly Hills studio where he showed us pictures of some of the ideas he has for pieces in our home; then we hopped in his car for a whirlwind tour of 8 showrooms in under 2 hours. The man was *efficient*. We saw countless tables, chairs, sofas, rugs, and pieces of art. We found inspiration in a store called D.A.O (Design Around Objects, love the double entendre), which had very cool wood pieces including petrified wood end tables and tree root coffee tables. We also saw original Eames loungers and a few rare impeccably designed Brazilian chairs from the early 60's. And we saw a few sofas with the clean lines in neutral tones that we'd been envisioning. I realized that designers make their money simply because they know the right places to go to get the stuff, that and their wholesale discount.
Convinced that Luis was the right choice, we gave him the go-ahead to put a design plan together. With a little luck, we should have a brand new home in 3 months. I'll post before and afters for your viewing pleasure.