I have hijacked Patricia’s blog this month to shed light on my experience of partnering with one of the quirkiest designers I’ve come across. I have worked with hundreds of designers over the span of my 25 years in the design field. Since joining the team of Lockwood Interiors last year, it has been a wonderful ride and here is my take on my work environment.
Some of you may have seen Patricia’s previous blog post (Feb 2013) about the Life of a Designer. She described it as being so much more than colors, patterns and fabrics; with long days filled with emails, calls, meetings, sourcing, paperwork, accepting deliveries and project site checks. All of this is true. However, the methods to take a design concept and seeing it through to a completed project with Patricia can be entertaining to say the least.
Let me share some of my observations to provide a little insight into what really takes place behind the scenes at Lockwood Interiors.
1. PATRICIA HAS A.D.D.
No I do not mean attention deficit disorder. Patricia has “Addictive Designing Disorder.” This translates to the fact that she eats, sleeps and always lives DESIGN.
2. PATRICIA HAS THE WORST TASTE IN MUSIC
Despite what Patricia believes, Barry Manilow songs do not actually help and inspire design. Period. Yes, I have had to ask Patricia (more than once) to kindly remove any and all Barry tunes from the office playlist.
3. PATRICIA’S EDIT BUTTON DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK
During client meetings, I am sometimes called upon to administer a swift kick under the table, should the need arise. One such meeting comes to mind when Patricia was showing carpet samples to our client. When asked if the carpet was pet friendly for their cat, Patricia actually responded with the next question that made my jaw drop. She asked how old is the cat implying that if the cat was not going to live long – the carpet selection won’t be an issue.
Patricia definitely keeps me on my toes and our time in the office seems to fly by. I discovered that Patricia is organized beyond belief even though I have never seen the top of her desk. She has a photographic memory and I’m amazed when she can find a single note among numerous files in record time. Patricia considers herself a control freak and I can relate to her workaholic tendencies. I admire her ethical practices and she really is fair, if not a bit short tempered at times.
But seriously, Patricia obviously has a keen sense of humor by approving this blog post. We love what we do and have a lot of fun doing it because our shared passion for perfection and pride in our work. Together, we are problem solvers providing our clients with creative and technical solutions through design. The bottom line is that I truly appreciate “working with quirk” and being part of the Lockwood Team.
