manditra's Profile

Having a degree in Interior Design from a CIDA accredited school is most useful if you want to go into commercial interior design (hotels, restaurants, workplaces, healthcare, retail, etc). Some of my classmates did go on to work in residential but it's not as difficult to get into residential design without a degree (experience is best- if you have good taste you can learn the rest) as it is commercial. Any commercial design firm is going to want to see the degree, and eventually NCIDQ certification and LEED certification, etc.

I work in commercial design and I would have absolutely idea what I was doing if it wasn't for what I learned in school (codes, construction documents, materials and specifications, AutoCAD and Revit, and most importantly, how to approach a design problem and present your ideas).

I love it, handles and all.

I bought a very cute blue velvet dining chair (chloe chair) from World Market not too long ago... it was on sale for $99 and I use it as a computer chair. I LOVE it! Just like chevron stripes, I think a little velvet goes a long way.. although I kind of dig the gaudy look and would totally do a giant sofa in it.

@ The Nesting Game: I agre with nycagnes- Royal Blue. Definitely not eggplant (eggplant is more berry colored to me) but probably not navy, either.

BillyRes, who are you to tell him (or anyone) what to do? You're not even being critical, just controlling. Why do you care what he does? What a weird comment.

OMG, you guys complaining about the colors are hilarious! Some websites don't show their furniture in every color they offer it in.. this is COMMON KNOWLEDGE. Do people really not understand that? Have you guys never shopped online before? Come on people! Use your imagination! You sound ridiculous!

Thank god there are SOME creative people on AT! To the rest of you- she asked how to repurpose it. If you don't have an answer to her question, don't bother with your negative, useless commentary.

The firesafe idea is GREAT.. I also like TamDiego's idea of a bench. Please let us know what you end up doing!

The people who are saying the bed is awful have a very restricted sense of style and cannot see beyond their personal taste- it's actually great. It has a very grand, masculine, vintage look to it and I think you could definitely make it work in this room. I think evergirl is dead on- go white or go dark. Either option she presented would look great. I personally like the white option (cream) with neutral/rustic accents.

I love the pink! The blue looks dull.

CENTIVA. www.centiva.com

I cannot recommend their luxury vinyl floors enough (I'm a commercial interior designer). I strongly recommend checking out their facebook page for photos of all different kinds of installations. The product is just gorgeous and it's going to give you a much more grown-up look than marmoleum, imho. If you don't want a wood look, check out their stone collection... it's fantastic.

Also, they will laser cut any design or pattern you can imagine, and it's EXTREMELY precise. You will see photos of this on their facebook page as well.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Centiva/107662365938335#!/photos.php?id=107662365938335

SBGBlogs- where in Chicago do you live? What is your rent? I'm planning a move and your studio sounds awesome.