10/07/2024
I am over the moon excited... and relieved... all at the same time. It's 10pm Sunday evening and I just returned home after a late evening surprise reveal. As many of you know, I have done surprise reveals of all shapes, sizes, and budgets, for more than four decades. However, this one was major. Let me set the scene:
Six months ago my client left their 1950's outdated and poorly designed home in my hands. They knew they wanted to renovate it, but were undecided as to the direction. When I found out their home was built as a personal residence for actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist Danny Thomas... as well as being just a couple doors down from Frank Sinatra's former house... I Instantly knew the direction we needed to go. Being located on a large golf course front property, with gorgeous mountain views, the setting would be perfect! This house needed to look like it was a celebrity home that had been cherished and extremely well taken care of over the years. This home could NOT look like it was renovated and could NOT look like it was new. And so the long and arduous process began.
So that brings us to this evening. After being held in secrecy for the past six months and off limits to my client, their family, and friends, they arrived late this evening to see what their million dollar plus renovation budget bought them.
I didn't know what to expect, but I had high hopes for their satisfaction. Instead what I received was what every designer dreams of. They were excited, amazed, and maybe even a little in shock at what they saw. There were surprises from the time they pulled into the driveway until they walked through the house and out into their newly designed backyard. The reveal could not have gone any better. The house was unrecognizable to them compared to when they left in April. I loved how the wife kept putting her hands to her face in amazement and the husband kept shaking his head back and forth in disbelief. But the greatest reward was the hugs I received. There's a lot of unspoken words in a good hug. The compliments continued throughout the tour as we turned every corner and entered every space.
The only problem now is me being so wired I don't know how I'm going to fall asleep tonight.
My clients are only in town for a few days due to a wedding they needed to attend in Northern California. So, after they leave to return back to the midwest on Thursday, we have the next month and a 1/2 or so to finish up the A.D.U in the backyard and complete the front yard landscape, horseshoe driveway and drive-through garage...but only after all heavy construction vehicle traffic is finished. I feel strongly a new driveway should only be driven on by the owners and their guests.
Yes I will be posting more photos and videos soon, but I want to give them a chance to get home and show their family their own photos first.
On a personal note, it is evenings like this that make me extremely grateful I was blessed with a gift that allows me to brighton the lives of others. I am forever grateful.
