www.formandfinishdesign.blogspot.com: seagrass

Friday, January 22, 2010

Let's Get to the Bottom of it!

When a friend or client asks me about area rugs, usually the first words out of my mouth are "seagrass" or "sisal". Now, I am far from the "neutral" or "beige" school of decorating, but even my own home is filled with seagrass rugs.
First of all, they are affordable. I'd sooner spend a few hundred on a natural seagrass rug than try to find an inexpensive poly or olefin wannabe Oriental rug. They also help bridge styles (see "Juxtaposition" below). Say you inherited (or purchased secondhand) some more formal wood pieces but your style is a bit more casual; or, in the case of some clients I had, did the whole chintz/English garden living room but now want to break up the formality somewhat. Introducing a natural texture like sisal or seagrass is a simple, inexpensive way for your room to say "don't be afraid, come on in, I'm not as serious as I look." Now, I happen to love the way seagrass feels underfoot, but, if you find it too scratchy or have a baby that crawls around, there are some options using wool/sisal blends, and yes, even poly sisal which can be hosed down or even used on a porch or deck.
I have found great prices on sisal rugs at Overstock.com, Homedecoratorsoutlet.com, Restorationhardware.com and at Ikea.

Design Consultations

Want a lot of ideas without committing to high fees? Schedule an in home consultation. I will spend up to two hours at your home going over different ideas for your spaces. I will take photos and write detailed notes. Then I will create a design plan which will be emailed to you. Additional floor plans can be worked out for an additional fee. Payment is due at the end of the consultation.

Kitchen design consultations include an hour (or more) in home, discussing your needs regarding cooking, dining, living and entertaining, and taking measurements. This fee includes a set of sketches (usually 3-4 different plans) with detailed notes emailed to you. In person follow ups or additional plans/revisions are an additional fee.

Color consultations include up to two hours in home, with color choices for each room. If you need help making final choices, a follow up for this can be scheduled at a per visit rate.

For long term project management, like a bathroom or kitchen renovation, jobs will be billed by the hour. This includes in home consultation, design time, virtual mockups, shopping for materials and correspondences. There is a four hour minimum for this type of design project.

If you have a smaller project or a limited budget, please email suzhassler@gmail.com to discuss options.

Client Testimonials

Without reservation I recommend Suzanne Hassler…She was recommended to me by someone on this board and I'm so grateful. We are 95% done with my bathroom and she was wonderful to work with. She looked through my million pictures ripped from magazines and helped me see what worked together and what didn't. Her specialties are kitchen and bath. She keeps budget in mind, is very affordable and has very creative solutions. She can be as involved as you need her to be throughout the process and I'm happy to send you my after photos if you'd like to see the transformation.—Jen, Maplewood, NJ

Suzanne recently helped us with a modification of our master bath entrance and her idea made all the difference. Over time, many people had looked at the space, including contractors and architects, and no one had figured out a cost effective way to accomplish what we wanted. In fact, one contractor came up with a proposal to completely modify the space for around $30,000. With Suzanne's idea, we were able to accomplish what we wanted for closer to $2000. She has a great eye for design and is pleasant and easy to work with. I will use her again and recommend her!—Anne, South Orange, NJ

Suzanne transformed my small, useless clutter filled kitchen into a spacious and beautiful room with great great light. Her color choices were spot on - the kitchen now feels right. I absolutely LOVE the Marmoleum Click flooring and the tin walls. Like she wrote - my mom was floored! For years my mom has been pushing me to gut my kitchen and do a total renovation. With Suzanne's help - a total renovation was not needed. She helped us make choices which really kept costs down while creating a unique kitchen (which is getting wows from everyone who visits!). One thing my husband and I really appreciated was that Suzanne "stuck to her guns" - when I was unsure about the tin she didn't "hem and haw" she said "this is what you are doing and this will look great". We really appreciated her confidence in the choices she made. Suzanne is extremely detail oriented yet very easy to work with. I look forward to the next project I can work with her on! Thanks so much Suzanne!
—Bronwen, Maplewood, NJ

Suzanne helped me design my bathroom. It’s almost done and it looks fantastic. I am completely intimidated and overwhelmed by design choices and Suzanne made everything manageable and easy. I can’t wait to work with her again!
—Margo, Maplewood, N.J.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Let's Get to the Bottom of it!

Subscribe To

Followers