There are a handful chats on Twitter that we really enjoy following for their educational and social value. If you’ve never participated in a chat, it’s really quite easy, we’ve listed the most important steps at the bottom of this post. One of our favorite chats is #kbtribechat which is held every Wednesday from 2 to 3 pm EST. During this hour, kitchen and bath industry professionals get together to discuss a different issue every week. The chat is always informative and fun with to the trade discussion topics changing weekly. Last week’s topic was social media and the one hour only scratched the surface of this important topic so we have offered to continue the conversation here on Modenus and also via our LinkedIn group. We’d love to hear your input and hope we can pick up the conversation on another #kbtribechat in more detail. Continue Reading…
Posted by admin on December 10th, 2011 at 10:09 am.
….or “How to play together nicely”.
The supply chain in the interior design industry is long and winding, influenced not only by all parties that contribute to the final sale of a product but also by the seemingly endless array of business models that are involved. Business models that, in many cases are not well synched with the result being a tug of war between parties that, in essence, all have the same goal. To sell the product or, to a lesser degree in this discussion, a service.
So here we are in an economy that seems to wait for someone to make a move, any move, and no one seems to know where to start. I in no way propose to have the answers but not a day goes by when I don’t hear suggestions from various members of the aforementioned supply chain. A discussion on Twitter today prompts me to dig a little bit deeper and bring some of these parties to the proverbial table and hear what everyone has to say, because maybe there is a way to work together in (semi-) perfect harmony and actually create sensible business and marketing models that actually have at least one thing in common – the direction. The folks that started this today : Lee Nicholson aka @filmoreclark who owns a tile showroom in LA with focus on US made products; Brenda Slynn aka @brendaslynn, a kitchen designer; Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo aka @acbddesigns a stylist and host of #designtv and Stacey Garcia a kitchen designer and owner of Garcia Cabinet Makers in Huntington Beach, Ca all commented on the focus for consumers being price, price and price.
I agree with the concern about having to always have the lowest price or even be just plain cheap, but I think there are others forces at play here. Every entity involved in the process of selling a design related product or service has a certain goal, usually the SALE, but the paths that are taken to make that sale vary tremendously and are often counter productive.
Modenus sits at a bit of a hub in the industry in that we work with manufacturers, consumers, design professionals, distributors, trade shows, PR folks and so on and we hear lots of different view points, so maybe it’s time for everyone to talk.
Designers: What do you want or need to make your life easier? What do you need from manufacturers, distributors or retailers? What do you need from digital platforms like Modenus ?
Consumers: Is it all about price for you? How much does buying “green” play into your buying decision? How important is quality?
Manufacturers: What’s your ideal way to sell products? To the consumer? To the design pro? To a distributor?
Retailers: What do you want to see from manufacturers? And how do you like to work with designers ?
So let’s hear what you have to say and maybe we can come up with some answers – together!
Posted by admin on August 18th, 2011 at 3:56 pm.
Alright folks, here are a handful of tips to show you how to best use the many features on Modenus, now’s a good time to learn them because we’re adding even more cool stuff in just a couple of months.
Our basic concept:
- Interior Designers, Decorators, Architects, Builders: All of our services, including the project management tool and listing in designer directory are free to approved trade pros.
- Artisans, Fabricators, Workrooms and other design trade services: Listing in our search-able artisan & trade services directory is free through Dec, 2011, after that there’s a small annual fee.
- Manufacturers, art/antiques dealers and vendors: That’s anyone who makes and sells products. To list in our catalog is based on an annual subscription which varies depending on number of products. Call us for more information. 321-280-6868
For more information about joining Modenus click here
Need more details about what to do? Read on!
Continue Reading…
Posted by admin on July 22nd, 2011 at 6:11 am.
This post is provided by Modenus’ LinkedIn group member Jack Gold at Presidential Interiors. Feel free to add comments about other creative uses and apps for the iPad.
I intended this post for those who have already purchased an iPad – but are simply not finding it easy to use for their design business. I’m not going to make the case for iPads vs. laptops for designers, because honestly I think its no contest. But for those who find change hard – let’s just throw in a handful of “versus” points:
The iPad is always there when you need it, instant on (vs. most laptops boot up time) 10 hour battery (vs. most laptops 2 hour battery) and intuitive apps with clean crisp interfaces – that provide just the right measure of continuity to your presentation as a designer and lover of all things orderly and beautiful.
As a portfolio, the iPad works wonders. Simply drop all your hottest project photos into a folder on your desktop – and when you sync your iPad to your computer – select that folder as the one to sync. A few painless minutes later, and you’ve got your entire portfolio of work in crisp, sharp digital focus – and the ability to zoom and pan across your designs makes it very easy to tell the story of your portfolio projects.
But ultimately, presentation is just the beginning. The right mixture of apps (all available for purchase online, and all very inexpensive) takes the iPad out of the “cute” category, and makes it a serious work machine. Here is a list of my favorites:
Dropbox
This program is one of many that provide cloud-based file storage, but it is my favorite. Once you sign up for a free account at dropbox.com, you will be prompted to create a folder on your desktop. You then install the application on your iPad – and whatever files you place in your desktop folder – become instantly available on your iPad. For me, this is invaluable. All of my active projects always sit in my Dropbox file, which means I have access to every concept photo, every rendering, every proposal, every single document on every single project – at my fingertips.
Incidentally, using Dropbox means I have access to all my active work files on my home computer as well – and I do not need to buy the largest capacity iPad – as I am not storing my files on the device itself, but rather in the “cloud.”
When I open a Client’s File on my Dropbox, they instantly see the titles of my subfolders:
Concept Photos and Sketches, Final Shop Drawings, Progress Photos, Proposals, Renderings, Vendor Invoices, etc.
While I am allowing the client a sneak-peek into what goes on behind the scenes of their project – I am also inadvertently showing them the amount of work that goes into each project, and thereby justifying my value to them.
iBooks
While iBooks is a great app for downloading and reading books – many users don’t know that it is also a fabulous tool for PDF storage. When you receive a PDF as an email attachment, simply choose “Open in iBooks” and the file will show up on the shelves in your iBooks library. This becomes a great way to review architectural plans and other PDF’s with your clients. (Learn more here: http://www.apple.com/ipad/built-in-apps/)
Adobe Ideas
This is a fabulous application, letting you make quick notes in the field – but perhaps most importantly – letting you mark up regular photographs. With a few swipes of your finger, you can easily add or erase elements of a design photo, letting your presentation evolve as the ideas mature. (Learn more here: Adobe Ideas on the Adobe Blog)
Benjamin Moore Pro
While we should never use a screen to view accurate colors, BMP is a great app that contains all of Benjamin Moore’s color preview paints, from all of their lines.
You can create specific palettes for specific projects, and this becomes far easier than flipping through multiple cards on a typical chain. (Learn more here: Benjamin Moore Pro in the App Store)
3DVIA
For those of us who create or use 3D renderings, whether in Autocad, Google Sketch-up or another 3D program, 3DVIA is a wonderful iPad app that allows you to download 3D models, and manipulate them in true 3D on your iPad. One of the greatest ways to view a project on the road. (Learn more here: http://www.3dvia.com/)
Moving aside from simply looking at applications, the iPad brings a lot of other extreme convenience.
As a web browser, it is perfect for double checking quick info when you need to know NOW. You can quickly surf manufacturers websites, see product specifications and sizes – and taking a moment to pre-load your most common vendors into the bookmarks will make these pages instantly available to you.
There are numerous time-tracking applications with big bold “Start/Stop” buttons that make it really easy to keep a log of the time spent on a specific project.
Easy invoicing applications like Freshbooks and QuickSale make it super simple to send out PDF invoices via email or even snail mail – straight from your iPad.
While we tend to think of our laptops and computers as private domains where work gets done, the iPad lends itself to opening ourselves to a certain level of transparency that can work in our favor.
As a small, lightweight and extremely simple device to use, passing the iPad back and forth between designer and client becomes natural and instinctive, and it brings a level of intimacy and openness to the design process that is really exciting.
Like a writer who sees his work published, or a painter who sees his work framed, the client experiences a certain level of satisfaction at seeing their project sitting on your iPad, taking a place of prominence in a very personal piece of electronics.
These are the basic tools, and these are the basic ways in which I use my iPad to enhance the concept and follow up sessions with my clients.
I can spend hours talking about the fabulous calculators, the easy to use measuring and size configuring applications, the thousands of magazine applications that can be used for browsing for ideas – but in this presentation, I’ve decided to stick with the basics.
Think of the iPad as an extension of yourself, and as an incredible tool to use when trying to bring the client “into” the heart of a project.
I do, and as a result the way in which I conceptualize, design, present, conduct walk-throughs, submit proposals and invoices – it has all evolved.
If you start looking at your iPad as a tool that can be used to enhance your workflow – and not just a fun toy – it will undoubtedly do the same for you as well.
—
Jack Gold is the owner and Senior Designer at Presidential Interiors, a NYC-based millwork and cabinetry firm.
Posted by admin on July 12th, 2011 at 1:00 pm.
Design Bloggers. They’re a tireless army of designers, writers, journalist, stylists, PR folks and other industry experts who want to share their thoughts, report about design events and most often, offer inspiration. They’re also a growing crowd of people who have taken the initiative to try something new, who are not sitting around waiting for the economy to magically change back to where it was but who are reaching out to meet peers, maybe attract clients or possibly even turn this blogging thing into a means to earn a living. Blogs are fast, easy and cheap to set up, which is why there are tens of thousands of design blogs alone but they’re not fast, easy and cheap to maintain. Writing daily blogs or at least posting several times a week is hard work especially for those who will go out and look for original content and invest their time, heart, soul, humor and knowledge to create pieces that inspire and make us, as avid blog readers, come back for more, again and again. And it’s those blogs we want to hear about. Share with us your favorite blogs, large or small, famous or not, we’d love to know what inspires you.
We will be posting the results on Modenus.com once the survey closes on July 5, 2011 and may even have an awfully cool surprise for the Top 5 favorite blogs in the lineup.
So, what are your three favorites? Leave a comment below.
Posted by admin on June 26th, 2011 at 11:19 am.
There are a handful of manufacturers we admire for having re-invented themselves when business slowed down in order to garner attention from new audiences and re-kindle the fire in existing clients. Standing at the same trade show display with a fishbowl for business cards and wondering why sales are down is lethal in this Darwinian environment. So aside from reaching out to new markets by engaging in social media and taking a much more proactive role in accommodating new marketing platforms like blogs and digital catalogs we want to salute manufacturers who are reaching out of their respective boxes to cross boundaries into other markets. Today’s example is SICIS who have gone from a simple collection of glass mosaics, to customizable glass mosaic blends, to art on walls, to glass mosaic area rugs to furniture and now to jewelry. Continue Reading…
Posted by admin on March 21st, 2011 at 12:35 pm.
The AD Home Design Show was definitely a great success. No matter which manufacturer I spoke to the consensus was that the show was well planned, well executed and the attendance was above expectations. What struck me the most however was the level of buzz and energy and nowhere more than at our very own ‘Marys & Mimosas’ TweetUp. A fun mix of about 50 bloggers, designers and manufacturers made their way over to ‘the MODERN home’, the cooperative booth for Valcucine, Ligne Roset, Rimadesio and Margaritelli. Continue Reading…
Posted by admin on March 21st, 2011 at 10:52 am.
In this week’s Let’s Blog Off we are asked to explain what a Legacy is. At the risk of sounding sexist I will say that the sheer idea of creating a legacy has to be one of the most testosterone ridden, male concepts this side of women’s lib. Rarely, if ever do we hear women talking about leaving a legacy of any kind and when it comes to legacy and the male interpretation of it we have only to look at Mr. Trump, cameo extraordinaire, who’s idea of legacy is prominently displayed or planned in every major city in the world and may be just a tad, dare I say it, phallic in it’s presentation. So as a woman I will attempt to understand the idea of setting out to create a legacy as opposed to building one simply by being who we are. Continue Reading…
Posted by admin on March 1st, 2011 at 1:55 pm.
