There's a lot about this little business that has blown me and Chelsea away. We've accrued clients from across the US (and even Canada!), designed for a battery of dream spaces, and even shipped pieces out of state! That's crazy to think about - I mean, we're just two women working out of our homes! In our garages, at our dining room table, late at night or the wee small hours of the morning. And God is still growing us!
Recently I was commissioned for a custom order for delivery to New York. And I gotta say - it makes me feel swanky to have a piece in the Big Apple *sheepish grin.* The client wanted something similar to my brass finger pull tall boy but needed a lot more storage.
I did some hunting on my local craigslist and found the perfect low boy (from the same furniture line no less - how does that happen?!?).
Her design aesthetic was simple: she wanted a matte color that could go with anything and a touch of brass. After seeing some photos of her space and discussing her vision, I worked up 3 renderings for her to review:
She liked the idea of a warm gray or white in her space, but in the end she kept coming back to her first love: the moody dark finish from my finger pull tall boy. My client had a tight deadline so I immediately set about painting. But T-minus a few days until our scheduled for pick up, I ran into a bit of a problem...
Where was the brass hardware?
I had ordered these yummy brass finger pulls a week prior and had selected 2-day shipping. 7 days later, my tracking number was reporting that it was bouncing between distribution centers in the vicinity but never “out for delivery.”
What the?!?
Stupid hardware. Why you got to play me like that?!? I looped the client in on the conundrum and she gave me the green light to get creative in order to meet our deadline. She only wanted a “peek” of brass anyways so I combed through my local hardware store to see if there was something outside-the-box that would work. And I found...
Strike plates!
ould you tell?
Strike plates are those metal plates that you attached to a threshold to correspond to the bolt of the door. Much like the library pulls I reconfigured for my original tall boy, the strike plates had a subtle lip that could protrude off the drawer top like a true finger pull. I used the same brass tacks as my other piece for a low-profile attachment method that wouldn't interfere with the functionality of the drawers.
Recognize them now?
I showed my alternative idea to the client and she was all for it! So I attached the hardware right-quick and had the piece ready for pick-up in the NICK of time.
The piece arrived at my client’s NYC walk-up the next day and after the delivery guys fenagled it up the stairs (Pivot! Pivot!), it is safely in its new home with minimal wear and tear from the harrowing out-of-state journey.
And I can officially say I have big city clientele ;) *Eek!*
If you’re interested in a custom order like this piece or how we can work with you out-of-state, check out our helpful FAQ guide or email me at cate@stylemutthome.com.
