On the Road with Barb Episode 3.

As Albert Einstein wisely stated, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”  Here at GWD, we believe that, even though we are experts, we can always learn more to make us MORE expert-y. 😉

Designers and Installers. Installers and Designers. Their worlds are purposely very different.

Designer: Color, texture, composition and style.

Installer: Level, true, flush and smooth operation.

This installment of “Life on the Road with Barb“ she explored the world of skylights, woven wood shades and cornice board takedowns!

Well…..that’s what the installation calendar looked like for Day 3 of her installation adventure!

“Connor, our Installation Manager, is great at organizing appointments for these special days to include each Designer’s own clients…so the journey of the client experience is well understood. As Designers we help bring visions into people’s homes come alive – sometimes the solutions are simple and practical, and sometimes they are grand and involved! To experience some challenges and understand the difficulties, is an important step in being sure we anticipate all that could be encountered.

Our first visit to a home in Burlington was to do a check measure for a skylight shade. Picture a lovely bedroom with a skylight 12′ above your bed! And now put yourself in the shoes of someone who works an overnight shift and needs to sleep during the day…. bright summer days, not just gray winter days. Thankfully – WE HAVE A SOLUTION FOR THAT!

Next, we were off to Waitsfield to install a couple of woven wood shades that had been ‘hemmed’ for all practical purposes. This is a beautiful treatment – but….if you have a New England home with older windows, and a ‘natural’ treatment…there can be some *clears throat* minor adjustments. This Designer has learned to not round up the measurement on length and to educate a client in advance of the gentle positioning of the shades when they are fully open.

Finally – our day ended in Grand Isle. A client is refreshing her kitchen and casual dining/sitting space with new Roman shades and valances mounted on Cornice boards. We took down the old valances to bring to our fabric workroom to use in manufacturing the new valances! If you did not know… Felix is AMAZING and there are sooooooooo many beautiful examples of his work in our clients’ homes.

Stay tuned to see the ‘new’- a picture here is of the ‘old.’

Our day was a classic, gorgeous Fall day in Vermont! It is always such a gift to me to work in this beautiful state. We drove to our appointments and talked about shims (they will be used on the skylight installation,) speed squares, stacking heights, the large projection of dual shades, finish nails – they can be smooth or ribbed – and lastly, pictures. As Designers it is so helpful to take some pictures of mounting conditions to give Installers advance knowledge of what a project will be like!

What I learned…

• Measure, measure, measure – DOCUMENT too with pictures!
• Ryan and his “bride to be” have picked a wedding date – September 4th, 2021! 💜
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are a fave of both our Installers!
• After helping get an energetic 6 month old puppy in her crate before we did some take down, I think I still would want a dog a bit older vs. a puppy for my next dog…even though they can be so adorable!
• Ryan still has the largest bladder of anyone I know – amazing! 😋

Till the next time… thanks Install Team!!!

Schedule your in-home or virtual appointment with Barb TODAY!