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The team uses cozy seating plans and durable fabrics to create family-friendly spaces that will withstand the test of time. |
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Rariden Schumacher Mio & Co. uses a team approach
when working on ground-up building projects.
Designers from the firm share their expertise to create
stunning results for their clients. |
Are there some favorite things you have
found? Things you reach for again and
again because they seem to always
work?
Jill: I don’t think so. We don’t have a real
‘signature piece’ or anything. If you are
asking about trends, I would say we are
doing more sectional seating than ever
before. It seems like families want to get
cozier now. We try not to have that
‘signature’ piece because we want
everyone to have their own look. It helps
that there are three of us, each with very
different styles.
What else are families asking for now
that is different than in recent years?
Michelle: They want really wearable fabrics.
They know they need something that will
last and look good for a long time. We
have been laminating and treating fabrics
for stain resistancy, such as Nano-tex. We
are also huge fans of some of Pindler &
Pinder's faux leathers and outdoor
fabrics from Manuel Canovas and
F. Schumacher & Co.
Over the last eight years, if you were to
think about some of your favorite projects, which ones stand out?
Jill: I was just talking to Rosemary (Cotter)
about that in the car yesterday. It wasn't
necessarily one project, but it's the type of
project where we get to go from soup to
nuts. It is great when we can be involved
from the start and get to build a house
from the ground up with the client. Being
part of a team and getting to sink your
teeth into it and getting it right from the
start. Then you are creating it all together
– It's really fun, and exciting to see it all
come to fruition.
Michelle: We have been involved with
projects where we have actually gone around
with our client and a realtor and searched for pieces of property. We help decide how the house will sit
on a particular site, so we are there before the house is even built.
Jill: Yes! So then you can imagine living in it and you can help your client see it. Many clients can’t
visualize something that is not there yet. So you are building it together, and helping them to not
make mistakes.
We do have many projects when we know going in that all we’re doing is furniture layout. We’re in –
we’re out – boom. That is also something that goes along with being a favorite project – honesty. Just
say up front – ‘okay, this is what I need from you.’ Then you create a trusting relationship and you
know what your position is.
Michelle: Yes! Set clear job parameters so nobody is disappointed.
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Clients receive their own custom look rather than a
company "signature look". Collaboration with the
client is the key! |
Do any projects stand out as
particularly challenging?
Jill: Many of our jobs are challenging in
one way or another. Sometimes we need to
think more mechanically, or sometimes we
are asked to do something we have not
done before.
Michelle: We accept the challenge and
move forward (laughter). A recent law firm
job we did was interesting. We do lots of
residential projects, so it was fun to work
on a commercial job. We were given a
blank shell and got to plan the total space
allocation. It was just like a problem in
design school. We needed to have “X”
amount of space for rest rooms, “X”
number of offices, and they also needed
a kitchen. We were really pleased with
the result.
Jill: It was challenging in a really good way.
It exercised our brains and then we saw
the successful result. It was exciting for us to push the envelope.
Tell us about a time you had to discourage a direction a client wanted to take.
Michelle: Every day!
Jill: We try to do it lightly and with humor. We have clients, though, that we have to tell, ‘We’re here to
save you from yourself!’
Michelle: We all have different tastes. We wear different clothes every day – different jewelry – some
days you want to be bohemian, some days you want to be sleek, but you can’t have all those things
on at the same time. We get to work with creative, fun people, and sometimes all that creativity shoots
right out at once. It’s our job to filter through all of that for our clients.
So, have there been any disasters?
Jill: Nope. We figure everything out all the time (laughter)…
Michelle: Well, a big part of our job is problem-solving. There is something to solve on a daily basis!
Jill: What I finally did realize is that nothing is a matter of life and death. It’s only furniture, and in the
end, we make people happy. It’s what we do.
Michelle: Anything can be fixed and it’s all about how you communicate with your client. It’s just like
with a new mother and a crying baby. If she is frantic, then the baby will be frantic. If we’re frantic, the
client will be frantic. They read cues from our attitudes.
I think that’s why we are fortunate to be busy. We’re not going to drop a client if there is a problem,
and we take responsibility – emotionally, financially, or any other way.
Jill: Things are going to happen. It’s a law of nature. But we always make it right. |