What's In My Bag
Do you ever wonder what's inside a designer's bag?
I thought it would be fun to share what I keep in my bag on a day that I'm running around. I may be visiting a project or doing a consultation, or shopping all within hours of each other. I try to be as prepared as possible while I'm out of my office, and these items keep me efficient!
Photo by Amber Robinson
LASER MEASURE
When I started working in architecture back in 2014, I was introduced to this invaluable device - a laser measure. When you're a new interior designer at a firm, you do a lot of what we call field verification. You're going out to these huge job sites and measuring every single inch so that you can accurately draw the space in AutoCAD. Super glamorous, right? This thing was invaluable when I had to measure dozens of feet & allows you to take accurate measurements without another person. Now, I carry it with me to measure client spaces. It's great for getting ceiling heights and cuts my measuring time in half.
MEASURING TAPE
Even though the laser measure is clutch, I still need the traditional tape measure to get those tight spaces. It comes in handy when you're measuring furniture, artwork, lamps, whatever. Measuring is KEY in interior design. I don't know of a worse feeling than getting to an install day and realizing the piece you fell in love with will not fit.
IPAD PRO
I love to bring my iPad Pro to look at inspirational images on Pinterest. I create shared boards with a client so that I can see exactly what inspires them! If it's presentation day, I can pull up the plan I've created for them and show it on the big, bright 12.9” screen. It's also great for taking photos, and doing quick sketches to help a client visualize what I'm thinking. One of the best advantages of the larger screen and having the Apple Pencil is that I can take a photo of a room and draw on top of it right away. I use the Adobe Sketch app to do that! Simply take a photo, insert it as an image layer, and then add a drawing layer on top.
PAINT DECK
Probably the most common question I get asked as a designer is about paint colors. With so many to choose from, it's a daunting task to select one that is right for your space. Although I have my go to neutrals and fun accent colors memorized, it's always good to have a paint deck on hand. I prefer the Sherwin Williams system, just because I've used it for years! I love that last year they provided all designers with these convenient brochures where you can quickly select from small swatches. I then go to my fam deck & view a larger sample when I'm on the go. When I can, I like to order larger swatches that I can tape to a wall to get a better view of the colors.
iPHONE + TRIPOD
My iPhone is always in my bag and I love to take photos of items I find while I'm out & about and quickly send a text to a client to see what they think! Believe it or not, I also use my iPhone to record a lot of the videos I produce for the blog. I have a tripod attachment that allows me to mount my phone and take HD video. I can quickly transfer the video to my iPad using airdrop and then edit using iMovie. Basically, I have a whole tech set up in my purse.
WATER BOTTLE
You know a girl’s gotta stay hydrated with all this designing and blogging going on! I keep a water bottle it's me to refill during the day so that I'm never running on E.
