I love celebrating Memorial weekend because this marks the beginning of summer!  Having lived in the East Coast for eight years where six month winters felt endless at times, Memorial day always seem to be the promise for warmer weather and sunshine ahead.  Though, I now live in sunny Southern California, this holiday weekend still holds a special place in my heart…

Below is my inspiration for al fresco entertaining this holiday weekend or for another summer night…

THE LOOK – Different shades of blue accented with natural elements and clear glass.

Where to find these items:

1 – Coordinating cocktail plate & serving bowl by Oscar de la Renta

2 – Arugula and peach salad from Bon Appetit

3 – Spicy chipotle grilled chicken from Bon Appetit (as a side note, I happen to really like Bon Appetit and Epicurious.com for recipes)

4 – Domaine de la Fouquette Rose, Provence from Wine House

5 – Lantern from Crate & Barrel

6 – Ivory citronella candles (to keep away insects) from Crate & Barrel

7 – Natural woven tray from William & Sonoma

8 – Glass pitcher & cup from Two Tone Studios

9 – Fresh flowers (hyacinth here) loosely arranged

10 – Linen napkins from Linen Me

Have a fashionable Memorial weekend celebration!

]]> http://seyiedesign.com/tips-for-al-fresco-memorial-weekend-entertaining/feed/ 0 http://seyiedesign.com/the-five-key-elements-of-successful-interior-branding/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-five-key-elements-of-successful-interior-branding http://seyiedesign.com/the-five-key-elements-of-successful-interior-branding/#comments Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:45:12 +0000 Seyie http://seyiedesign.com/?p=2825 Tweet

Interior Branding is a tool to communicate the essence of your company’s brand identity through the design of its physical environment.  Successful companies like Apple, Chanel and Louis Vuitton use it as a business strategy to enhance their brand image, gain client loyalty and, ultimately, higher profits.

Good design is no longer considered an elitist idea, but rather is now an integral part of a sound business strategy, and Interior Branding is an important aspect of achieving business success.

The five key elements of a well-branded interior include:

1.    Reinforcement of Visual Identity – Using your company’s logo, a trademark design element or color throughout as an interior detail.

2.    Creating an Interior Synonymous with Your Product or Brand – Reflecting your company’s core personality in your interior environment, which encompasses both aesthetic and ambiance.

3.    Consistent Visual Language – If your company has a presence in more than one physical environment, your design aesthetic should always be consistent, but not necessarily identical.  This may include multiple locations, or different types of spaces such as a freestanding boutique or spa, a shop-in-shop, or product counter inside a department store.

4.    Creating a Special Experience – When clients walks into your spa, retail boutique or office, you want them to have a memorable experience, as well as transact business.  You can achieve that by developing distinct areas where you can entertain and educate them about your products, or by creating inviting residential-style environments where they would want to linger.

5.    Engaging the Senses – Paying careful attention to how your clients connect with your business through their various senses – hearing, touch, sight, smell and taste. Make sure the connections are interesting and consistent with your brand identity.

Now that you got a peek inside the Official Talent Gift Lounge for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, I would like to share some favorite fashion & beauty products that celebrities were pampered with at the Lounge this year.

GLALENT Platinum Ion Mist device from MTG 
This is a portable facial mist sprayer using a technology that captures nano collagen in capsules.  I love the sleek design, and its size also makes it great for travel!  http://www.mtg-en.com/

LGGK (Locally Grown. Globally Known.)

Ed Sheeran, photo by  Jerod Harris/WireImage

An apparel brand with “style on a mission,” LGGK has partnered with the nonprofit Starkey Hearing Foundation to help people hear.  I love how soft their t-shirts and sweatshirts are, and even the inner stitching in the sweatshirts is color coordinated.  www.shopLGGK.com

Jäger iOsonic Toothbrush and Teeth Whitening System

This toothbrush releases a constant flow of positive ions from the lithium power source during the brush cycle, which temporarily reverses the polarity of your teeth causing plaque to be repelled from your teeth and drawn to the negatively charged toothbrush head.

The pink color and the charger with the UV sanitizer are great touches.  www.thejager.com

4 Leaf Clover made-in-the-USA handbags, courtesy of KeepAmerica.com

MC Lyte, Dayme (designer) & David Seliktar (CEO of KeepAmerica),  photo by Todd Oren/WireImage 

Their canvas tote with the clover leaf leather trim is quite lovely.  It is also available with vegan patent leather trim – perfect for Hollywood.    www.4luckyLeaf.com

KeepAmerica.com is the number one online source for all things made in America.  www.keepamerica.com

Simone I. Smith Jewelry

Simone I. Smith is an entrepreneur and self-proclaimed accessory queen, who launched her own line a decade ago. Smith has teamed up with the American Cancer Society for her line of lollipops necklaces called “A Sweet Touch of Hope.”  These sparkling lollipop charms raise funds and awareness to help save more lives from cancer.  www.simoneismith.com

D’Milikah Swimwear

Rami Jaffee of Foo Fighters, photo by Todd Oren/WireImage

D’Milikah specializes in swimwear that captures the essence of everyday real women of all sizes. Their 2013 Swimwear Collection is Brazilian inspired, with a touch of Italian handcraft adorning each unique piece. D’Milikah has expanded its swimsuit collection to also include casual wear, dresses, and accessories. www.dmilikah.com

  Seyie Design, photo by Matthew Simmons/WireImage

Sting, Miguel, LL Cool J, Mumford & Sons, Juanes, Neil Patrick Harris and more re-charged from rehearsals by escaping into an enchanted Zen garden-inspired Official Talent Gift Lounge for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, where they were pampered with the best of what Hollywood has to offer.

We were excited to collaborate with Distinctive Assets for the second year in a row, as the exclusive interior designer of the Lounge.  This year performers enjoyed a luminescent white contemporary environment, replete with lush green foliage and organic chandeliers.  Décor for the lounge was provided courtesy of Niche Modern, material [ENVIRONMENT] and Big Red Sun.

It was an incredible experience to have so many creative, talented people come through the Lounge and see them enjoying themselves…

For a peek inside the Lounge, check out the photos below!

 LL Cool J, photo by Todd Oren/WireImage

Sting, photo by Matthew Simmons/WireImage

 Terrell Owens & Pete Wentz, photo by Matthew Simmons/WireImage

DJ Young 1 & Ashanti, photo by Jerod Harris/WireImage

Miguel, photo by Matthew Simmons/WireImage

Ed Sheeran, photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Tom Parker of The Wanted, photo by Alison Buck/WireImage

Tyson Ritther & Nickolas Wheeler of All-American Reject, photo by Matthew Simmons/WireImage

Pauley Perrette, photo by Matthew Simmons/WireImage

Mikky Ekko, photo by Matthew Simmons/WireImage

Seyie Design, Sweepstakes table

Lash Fary is the founder of Distinctive Assets.  For nearly fifteen years, Lash has worked with a veritable Who’s Who of Hollywood to introduce products/services to the entertainment industry and to develop celebrity-oriented promotions and events.

Lash and Distinctive Assets have set new standards for “giving and receiving” through their coveted Gift Baskets and Gift Lounges for events such as the GRAMMYs, the Latin GRAMMYs, the Tony Awards, the Kids’ Choice Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the MTV Movie Awards and the CMA Awards.  With a résumé of top award shows and a star-studded client roster, Lash has become an authority on style, celebrity shopping, entertainment marketing, product trends and gift giving.  For years, Hollywood’s biggest celebrities have given and received gifts chosen by Lash.  He appears frequently on numerous television programs as an “expert guest” and is quoted regularly in a broad range of publications.

Lash blends a business degree from the University of Virginia’s acclaimed McIntire School of Commerce and management consulting background with a uniquely Hollywood pedigree that includes author, host, entrepreneur, inventor, sultan of swag and gift guru.

To find out how Lash lives a fashionable life, Click Here…

For Thanksgiving decoration ideas this year, I would like to share some favorite images from my library…

Design by Ralph Lauren Home.  Photo via Elle Decor Magazine

I like this lush tablescape with the clusters of candles and loosely arranged flowers in earth-tone potteries.

Design by Charlotte Moss.  Photo via A Flair For Living by Charlotte Moss

The simple arrangement of roses and fruit look so pretty and elegant mixed with special china and tabletop pieces.

Photo via Vogue Living Houses Gardens People

I have always liked the mix of vines and ornate candelabra with the casually placed linens here.  Feels as though it’s out of a fairytale storybook.   To make it into a festive Thanksgiving table, I would add some deep orange colored flowers, maybe ranunculus, and amber glasses.

Photo via Vogue Magazine, September 2004

The vintage style plates and trays with pastries and berries make for a lovely dessert display.

      Decorated by Seyie Design

Maple branches in a clear glass always make a nice fall-themed table.  Best part, it’s so easy!

Wishing you a beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving!

I have such a love of craftsmanship that I can watch an artisan at work with the same fascination and attention as some people viewing an action-packed Hollywood film.  Needless to say, I was therefore excited to come across this article on Elle Décor, in which Hermes gives a peek at how its products are meticulously crafted.

Hermès scarves.  Photography by Mimi Ritzen Crawford via ElleDecor.com

Apparently, the making of a single Hermes scarf takes two years and requires 280 miles of silk thread.  One more reason to appreciate it!

White-leather flowers decorate tables etched with tool imagery. Photography by Mimi Ritzen Crawford via ElleDecor.com

Silk specialist Kamel Hamadou.  Photography by Mimi Ritzen Crawford via ElleDecor.com

Gilding a Saint Louis glass.  Photography by Mimi Ritzen Crawford via ElleDecor.com

In this blog post, I would like to share about a topic that is near and dear to my heart, Interior Branding.

Why is it important, especially if you are a business? Because we live in an “Era of Design,” according to an article published by Forbes Magazine in May 2012.  Interior branding can help companies gain more customer loyalty, and thereby higher profits.

So, what is Interior Branding?

It is a tool to communicate the essence of your company’s brand identity through the design of your physical environment – which can be a retail space, a day or medical spa, a restaurant or an office.  This includes both the tangible, such as the interior design & visual aesthetic, to the intangible, such as the ambiance and mood.

A physical space is a very important asset to influence a consumer.  When a client enters your store or spa, you have the ability to create a bubble around them with your brand.  You engage them at every touch point and help them develop an emotional connection with your brand.  This is your BIGGEST opportunity to create a memorable impression upon your consumer, and to elevate your service or product from a commodity to an object of desire in the minds of your consumer.

This has become a very important investment for all types of businesses in recent years.  Many companies who were not typically design-oriented have realized that good design can be integral to developing consumer loyalty, case-in-point Microsoft opening up their own “branded” boutiques after seeing the success of the Apple stores and brand.

Although interior branding as a business strategy has become a phenomenon in recent years, it is not new.  In fact, the luxury fashion sector can be attributed to starting it.   For years, companies such as Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and other luxury brands have used design and atmosphere through their stores to convey their own brand identity, differentiate themselves from competitors, and appeal to their target market.

People lining up to enter the various luxury boutique on a typical weekday at the Harbor City Mall, Hong Kong