Very few people become expert in their field and even fewer achieve it before the age of sixty. The time, research and experience required involves decades. So how does one become an expert at the age of forty? You start early in childhood.

“Just enough” are the two words that came to mind when we spoke to Eric Spiegel for ID-Digest’s first explicit “before” and ‘after” article. Knowing when less is more and what your blank pallet could be was the foundation for Eric’s involvement with this makeover, even before his client purchased the property.

The property, which had caught his client’s attention, had been on the market for over two years. It was in a very desirable location surrounded by lovely homes but prior to any negotiations the client knew it would be in his best interest to seek Eric’s input. There was a reason this residence had been on the market for so long. The interior did not match the quiet elegance of the exterior. All of the principal rooms were covered in knotty pine. An over whelming amount of knotty pine - topped with unpainted keystone foam molding. The “before” pictures will give you an idea of the visual impact this must have had on potential purchasers - it screamed “major renovation!”

Wrought Iron - always beautiful but traditionally outside of many homeowners’ budgets NOW has an alternative - “Fauxtastic Iron”; a lightweight product that provides the decorative look and feel of wrought iron at a fraction of the cost.

As we wave farewell to Summer and prepare to warmly embrace the emergence of Fall, I find myself drawing several distinctive parallels to my own life and career. In the Springtime, the world watches in anticipation of the emergence of new life. We await the appearance of buds on the trees, which burst forth with new growth. My own career has a similar story; after absorbing knowledge from years in academia, I finally achieved my doctorate in Interior Design. My studies of Visual Communications, Commercial Art, Business Administration and Interior Design interwoven with my specialized studies in Decorative Finishes, Gilding and European Plasters nurtured my own style, which burst into fruition in 1988. It continued to grow and mature as I spent the next few years working for several design firms. My own blossoms were seen when I opened my own firm, Wingard, Wingard and Associates, LLC. As the business grew, so did my dreams in the field of interior design.

Eufaula, AL – The home pictured is a replica of a Colonial Revival house, popularized in American home design.  According to Richard Guy Wilson, noted architect, historian and author, Colonial Revival is “…neither a formal style nor a movement.  Colonial Revival embodies an attitude that looks to the American past for inspiration and selects forms, motifs and symbols for replication and reuse…”

If the phrase, “You either have it or you don’t” is to be believed, then Ben Hanley surely has it. From time to time ID-Digest has the privilege of meeting someone of such immense potential that we feel compelled to share them with the world. Ben Hanley is one such find. Having just completed his master studies in architecture and design, with an emphasis on future design, Ben is preparing to take the world by storm. His desire to shape the look of the future is equaled only by his passion for life in the present. As architectural design continues to evolve, we are sure you will be hearing Ben Hanley’s name again.

His work is reminiscent of his birthplace.

Join us this month as we celebrate our International Gallery of artists, talented professional individuals from many different countries. It has been our sincere pleasure to bring their visual portfolios to our readership each and every month.

ID-Digest is extremely excited about this article - our first feature on a company that offers a service to so many of the design industry’s principal players, the developers, architects, designers, decorators, retailers, decorative artisans, graphic artists and also the home owner. Various technologies enable a service that takes your surface design concept and produces ANY image on virtually ANY surface!

 A Former Marketing and Managing Partner of an Interior Design firm in Beverly Hills zeroes in on a niche market - Branding for Interior Designers.

There are few places in America that can boast as rich a tapestry of history, culture and architecture as New York City’s Lower East Side. This legendary neighborhood, the first home for waves of immigrants since the eighteenth century, is truly a melting pot of cultures and nationalities. To this day, it remains central to the social and economic history of the United States. In the midst of this rich tapestry lies one of the east coast’s greatest treasures.