Tropical Modern
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A military family’s final post: A brief interview with the client.
What made you decide to hire a professional designer?
Marshall and I have polar opposite taste. Marshall has all these collections to consider. We needed a professional third party to help us negotiate and rationalize what and how much we could happily include in the home design. We also wanted a polished and cohesive look that fit our lifestyle.
Why was this the right house and time to devote to interiors you really loved.
Marshall was on active duty for 26 plus years. He retired from the military in November 2018 working in Special Forces as a Colonel in the Army or green beret. Tricia said, “This house is my reward for military life. I have no regrets because my husband’s service to our country made the sacrifices worth it, but this is my time—our time.”
We had owned only 2 houses in that time but many rentals as we had lived in many cities and countries throughout his career, moving on average every two years, We never had a “real home”. We wanted this house to be our forever home. The initial contact with Fina Design happened a few months before Covid hit, through a referral at the nearby DCOTA design center. Shortly after that first contact, we put the project on hold for many months because we couldn’t see a way to have so many workers in the house during the extensive renovation, while everyone including older school-aged, and college-aged children were back home due to Covid.
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Why did you pick Barbara as your interior designer?
She was highly recommended by the South Florida’s DCOTA design center. Her website was colorful, alive and storytelling. I liked how she looked in her photos. When I first emailed her, I was sure she wouldn’t do the project as I thought it might be too small or too far away. However, when we spoke, we instantly hit it off and Barbara was won over by my story and accessibility.
One of my priorities was beautiful lighting, and the photos on her website are all thoughtfully lit and designed. Now that the house is complete, I can say I would never want to walk through this design process with anyone that doesn’t have what Barbara has. All her experience and process and “what if we do this, moments” added up to a home that is perfect for us in every way.
What are your favorite and most surprising aspects of the interiors now that it is all done?
o All the details. Her attention to details is staggering and makes a difference to everything she touches.
o Everything is thought through.
o Having custom things made.
o Good linens in the bedrooms.
o Organization everywhere.
o Fully outfitting the closets allowed us to keep the rooms clean and open.
o Trim on curtains. What a difference a finishing touch makes.
o Her process made making decision so easy, giving us three great decisions that are my taste, but also working with the plan as a whole.
o Barbara is an amazing listener. I always felt heard.
o Having the best people to get the jobs done and have around us while we are trying to live in the house while work is being done.
o How Barbara helped us redefine how the house flows.
o There was so much laughter and warmth.
