Wednesday
Sep212011
MATCH
Wed, 21 Sep 2011Whitney sent us the following email the other day: My husband and I (along with our three year old son and five month old son) just started an interior design business in the San Francisco area. With the economy down and many people having to rent homes instead of own them (us included) we thought that designing for renters was something the market was missing. We do quick small budget makeovers while the family goes out on a date! 2 hours and you have a new well designed space. What a fantastic idea! They have a blog with details of their business, and below are some before and after photos I found there. Good luck with your new biz Whitney and Kevin!
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AFTER!
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Reader Comments (21)
A great and practical idea. Going to check out their site now...
WOW! Everything looks better now. A perfect change.
While I certainly think all of this are great improvements, I find it very interesting (and distracting) that every single BEFORE picture is taken with the drapes closed or blinds drawn, aka DARK...and the AFTER pictures are taken with them open, aka LIGHT. It makes the bias even more pronounced, in my opinion. Let the changes/improvements speak for themselves, without the huge difference in before/after pictures -- just my humble opinion....
Thats a grat idea! I mean comparing two pictures of which one is taken with blinds and on camera flash (very bad photograph) and other is taken in natural light, slightly overexposured and great angles (almost profesional and magazine like photography).
Amazing. I can make my room look better by turning on the lights and using a better camera as well !
at least compare like for like photos...
For the love of gawd, can we get over the difference in photos already?? If I was trying to start a business where I revamped spaces in 2 freaking hours I'd do the same thing.
You guys act like you've never heard of marketing strategies. Give these people a break - the changes are obvious anyway. And Tom hasnt even had his say yet....
Marketing strategies are great when they're not so blatantly obvious - and SO bad! The improvements are honestly nothing to write home about, just a simple revamp. Put the after pictures together in one lump without the obviously dark and dingy before photos, and no design blogger will take a second look.
I think they have done a very nice job and I am sure their customers find the value in the changes. Great idea!
Hi! This is Whitney from Match. I thought I'd add to the conversation regarding before and after photos because you are right, the are very different photos!
When I show up to the clients house I don't take professional photos because I'm only trying to document what we are working with and I have a very short time to do it. My priority is not to stage a perfect "before" shot. Then, when I get home and need to think about the space I can pull those images up. I didn't close the blinds, turn off lights,or mess things up, that is just how the house was when I snapped the photo. The after shots are my portfolio pieces, and they need to be as professional as possible. Part of our design process is to help our clients see that opening the blinds to get better light and organizing the clutter can make a big difference.
Thank you for bringing that up so I was aware of it and can explain it to our readers!
Whitney and Kevin
I think having a 3 year old and a five month old working for the firm is a much larger concern. : )
God damn it people! Interior design is not only about fancy furnitures, it is about re-thinking the usage of space.
A little work & creativity go a long way. Love what can be done if you just take the time to think about how to use a space more efficiently.
Whitney, I have struggled with including "before" pics on my husband's residential architecture website. I usually opt not to include them because the whole point of renovating is that the existing space is so ugly or boring...Whenever I show these "bad" photos, that's what takes center stage in the viewer's mind. Take heart :) Your business is awesome and does it's job: simplifies and makes good use of space. Kim, thanks for the post!! Gives me a sense of community when I see someone else have an earnest desire to inspire.
Whitney brings up a good point about letting natural light into the home. I would also add that shades of white on walls and in furnishings opens up a room and makes it lighter.
I painted an accent wall that was sage in our condo white and it completely transformed the room. It appears light in the room even after the sun goes down.
Sometimes it takes the trained eye of a designer to identify problem areas and provide solutions.
Wood floors where possible also make a room appear larger and brighter, especially lighter woods.
These are really good transformations that would make a rental space really appealing. I love the fact that they install so quickly, must take a great deal of preparation to have everything ready. If I were renting, I would jump all over this service! Good luck, hope you're innudated with clients!
Whitney Hi I love it! As a matter of fact I have been thinking of doing almost exactly that same thing here in beautiful sunny Florida. Any ideas or suggestions as to how to get started would really be appreciated! Love the work you a have done. I hope to appeal to people just starting out, that do not have a huge budget. I want to incorporate found furniture and other goodies from my estate sales and thrifting.
Thanks Whitney
Two question did you bring the new bed, dining table and dresser in while the couple was on a 2 hour date?
If so did you surprise them or did they pick these new pieces sometime before the date?
VERY impressed with the 2 hour pony wall/seat.
I agree that the pics are way too dark and you only see part of the room in the before pics, left me wondering what it really looked like before.
You guys should do well.
Very nice!
/Jenny in Sweden
Two hours...yeah right !