THINK YOUR DESIGN BUSINESS IS BURIED IN PAPERWORK?  THINK AGAIN.

In my third year here at Merida, as I got deeper into the world of interior design, I became fascinated by how designers balance their creative work with the business side of the industry.  After my curiosity was perked I started to hear a lot of design professionals talking about Studio Webware and thought to myself, “I have to find out more!”  Shortly thereafter I called up Lance and viola, this blog post was born!

It’ s not every day that you get a call from a client saying “Thank you for changing my life.” But Lance Haeberle , founder and owner of Studio Webware, has had more than his share of those rewarding phone calls from the interior designers he services. “It’s the most satisfying aspect of my job” Lance reports.

FILLING A NICHE IN THE INTERIOR DESIGN INDUSTRY…

In the early 80’s, Lance was living in Los Angeles and had multiple friends who were interior designers.   Lance, who had a software background, explains “I saw a need”.  He noticed that his designer friends, inspired by the creative aspects of their work but burdened by the administrative and business functions of the industry, needed a system to make finances and project management sane.  Lance decided to develop an automated product that could reduce the stress and time spent managing paper and information.  Armed with 20 clients initially in 1985, Lance began his software focusing in finances, and now has expanded to address multiple business functions.  Using Salesforce as a platform, Lance’s program is tailored to the unique needs of the interior design industry.

DROWNING IN PURCHASE ORDERS?

A single residential project can have a design firm generating anywhere from 90-700 purchase orders.  Anything from something small such as a lamp set for the living room or a single vase to larger items such as thousands of dollars worth of custom designed wallpaper or a major construction service can generate a PO.  Keeping track of everything, even when staffed with an army of hardworking design assistants, can be a designer’s nightmare. Studio Webware can be the difference between having 3 assistants or 1, a full-time bookkeeper or part-time.

Icovia Space Planner View

Icovia Space Planner Room Layout View

THE CAVALRY IS HERE!

Help is on the way thanks to Studio Webware.  To mitigate said paperwork avalanche, here are some of the tools Studio Webware has in its artillery:

• Single item entry- To streamline the process of managing a purchase, one single entry can automatically generate a quote, order, and/or project proposal as needed, and is also tied in to budget analysis and report-running for easy reporting.
• Interactive publishing- Designers can set up visual documents that can be seen by their clients from the comfort of their client’s home.  Clients can view the documents solo, or while on the phone with their designer.
• “Studio Capture”- A visual tool found on the Studio Webware website that allows designers to grab an image from vendor’s websites and drag it into the scene.
• Project management- The software offers a project management tool where designers can look at the big picture of a project and manage more broadly; likewise, details can be easily called up when needed, using industry terms like “CFA’s”, “lead times”, and can even go room by room for data.
• Accessibility- Studio Webware now offers all of its applications as cloud-based, meaning that busy traveling designers can manage their projects from virtually anywhere around the globe.
• Server provided- One of Lance’s clients, Thomas Weide of  Studio M of Tampa, FL says that the “deciding factor” in selecting Studio Webware over competing software was that it was truly “hosted”, and not “smoke and mirrors” hosting.  “Salesforce is the platform” Tom reminds us. “Salesforce.com is a huge player in the finance industry, has a trusted platform, and is truly hosted so I don’t have to manage a server and have an IT department.”

Studio Projects View

Studio Projects Product Detail

CELEBRITY CLIENTS? GOT IT.

Lance’s client list reads like a Who’s Who of interior design, including names like Barbara Barry, Inc., Michael S. Smith, Inc., Cullman & Kravis, Tucker & Marks, Inc., and many more.  Even showrooms and manufacturers are using Lance’s product- Henredon, Gregorius Pineo, Holland & Sherry, and National Upholstering Company, just to name a few.  While most of Lance’s clients are in the US, some are as far flung as Hong Kong, the UK, Switzerland, Canada and Australia.  New designer clients who come to Studio Webware have typically outgrown Quickbooks, are feeling overwhelmed and disorganized and ready for a bigger support structure. “Studio Webware gives them one powerful integrated tool to take control of their business”.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT IT?!

To be sure Studio Webware was the real deal we decided to hunt down a few of Lance’s clients to see what they had to say about working first hand with the software.  Tom of Studio M, quoted above, has a finance background so he’s familiar with many different management tools.  His wife’s design firm had outgrown Quickbooks, and she found that Studio Webware had increased flexibility key for the design industry (click here to check out Tom and his wife’s website, www.interiorsbystudiom.com).

Faith Sheridan, an experienced Studio Webware customer and owner of Seattle-based Faith Sheridan Design, said, “Studio Webware is the single source for my design firm in areas of accounting, ordering and project management.  Adding images alone heps my clients manage what we selected and the option to login on their own to monitor progress reassures them that their project is on track.  Lance understands how the interior design industry works and Studio Webware intuitively works in sync.  I cannot imagine using any other product.

Have you used Studio Webware?  If so, we’d love to hear your thoughts!

European artist Dahea Sun is changing the way we think about art with her most recent collection, Rain Palette.  A Master of Textile Futures student at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Sun’s Rain Palette is an innovative approach to draw attention to an important and hazardous environmental issue through an elegant and intriguing visual display.

Rain Palette is aimed to draw attention to an often overlooked yet serious environmental issue: acid rain. Acid rain has drastically decreased over the past thirty years due to successful emissions regulations in many countries around the world; however, the problem still exists on a global scale.  Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen are being emitted from coal burning power plants – the worst offenders are in China and Russia – to this day. Outdated automobiles also contribute to the problem to a lesser degree. Unfortunately, weather patterns make acid rain a more widespread issue, reaching far beyond the countries with high emissions. Because of its proximity to Russia, Poland and Scandinavia have suffered bouts of acid rain for years. Many countries downwind of China have also been hit with acid rain.

To visually present the issue of acid rain, Sun put samples of natural fibers (including wool, cotton, linen, and silk) into natural dye baths. Dye baths were made of plants specifically rich in anthocyanin (a type of molecule that is sensitive to pH levels) like cabbage, blackberries, and eggplant. After dipping the textile in the dye bath, it changes color depending on the pH of the plant the dye was created from and the rainwater it absorbed while growing. The colors range from pink to blue (pink being the most acidic). Sun used plants from around Great Britain to make the dies, and the result is an intriguing array of cloth pieces that represent the air quality of the country.  Sun’s goal was to find a “poetic approach to show air condition through rainwater visually.” Want to check it out in person?  The exhibit will be presented as an installation at the Milan Design Festival in April.

Images courtesy of Ecouterre.com

Before EJ Interior's Transformation

Before EJ Interior's Transformation View 2

We are huge fans of the esteemed Material Girls Blog, so when Emily Johnston Larkin of EJ Interiors contacted us to share one of her recent projects we were thrilled to say the least.  When we opened the photos from the Frisco, Texas, install our jaws dropped to the floor.  Larkin took some design risks in this project, and boy do they pay off.

After the EJ Interior's Incredible Transformation

Larkin went into this project with some specific requests from her clients, notably that they wanted to keep their walls a keep chocolate brown and their trim a taupe.  As an accomplished designer she welcomed the challenge and put her thinking cap on.  Larkin immediately knew that she wanted to do fun wallpaper on an accent wall, so she went to ID Collection in Dallas where she found the modern metallic damask print pictured here.  As Larkin said, “the damask printed beauty pulled in the chocolate brown and one other color – the chartreuse green.”

To further highlight the playful yet sophisticated print, Larkin pulled out warm silver tones in the design and used them in drapes, accessories, and the Luxe Silver Topaz rug (pictured with a Soft Cotton Twill binding in Dark Roast).  To emphasize the on-trend chartreuse, Larkin selected a plush green velvet fabric for the dining room chairs that create a look that embodies traditional elegance with modern flair.

EJ Interior's Transformation

EJ Interior's Transformation

EJ Interior's Transformation

Larkin did a fantastic job bringing her client’s vision to stray away from the traditional design that is so abundant in the Northern Dallas area, to design an inventive, modern and truly unique space.  We are inspired by Larkin’s work and hope you will be too!