Tag Archives: Guest Blogger Series

Design Lines Communications

Get Hooked: The September Forecast

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As we retreat and savor the last few days of summer, we have a wonderful September editorial calendar for you.

As always we will bring you exciting current projects (including an update on the 1800 Farmhouse), more posts on the Guest Blogger Series and the East-2-West Series. What cities will we have next? You will just have to wait and see!

Judy and I will also be live from New York City as we will learn key business strategies and hear from luxury market experts at the Business of Design 2010 Conference. Check back on the blog for continuous updates, Hilaire has got you covered.

Enjoy our video segments? We will have two more  videos this September.  Judy and Jon Rufty of Rufty Homes, Inc. will talk about sustainability and green design, while Molly will talk about our accomplishments out at the 12 Oaks Development in Holly Springs.

And last but not least, we are thrilled to share with you some of our recent press in  Southern Lady Magazine and also Carolina Parent. 

So are you ready? We ARE! Grab some coffee and settle in.

 P.S. I almost forgot, if you haven’t joined our Facebook page yet, you should!

image: Modenus Blog

Guest Blogger Series

Guest Blogger Series: Hardware & Plumbing with Taps & Latches

Taps & Latches Logo copy

In every guest blogger series we strive to educate our readers on other Raleigh area businesses that have a strong working relationship with Design Lines and bring that same level of knowledge and expertise to the luxury housing market within Raleigh.

You may not have thought about it this way, but the hardware within a house can change the look of a bathroom, front door or even kitchen.  Do you ever think about those details within your house?

Today, we have focused on Rick Jacobs who has teamed up with David Fitchett and Mike Wilkins to form Taps & Latches. Currently, their showroom is located inside the Carolina Glass & Mirror Showroom in Garner, right off of Interstate 40.

What are some hardware details that clients sometimes overlook?

Clients tend to over look flush leavers (the leavers you hit when you flush) and supply lines (which are the plumbing lines behind a toilet. ) Who knew?

What is your favorite type of hinge?

Square-quarter hinge (below is a picture of one from Baldwin, which is a line Rick carries.)

Baldwin square corner hinge

If you could have any doorknob/door what would it look like?

If I could have any doorknob, it would be a contemporary steight lever with a polished chrome finish.

(Here are a few pictures from the showroom.)

tapsandlatchesknobs,doorhandlesTapsandlatchesfaucets

What are some trends specific to Raleigh?

Clients in and around the Raleigh area are using more deco contemporary looks that are clean and easy to wipe down. More polish chrome than anything!! People today are thinking outside the box. They are not so matchy matchy anymore.

When did you first meet Judy?

Rick met Judy back in 1994 when Judy was looking for hardware for a specific project. At the time Rick was at Raleigh Contractor and down the road they ended up meeting again on several other new construction projects. Now today, they look back and cannot believe it has been over 14 years since their business partnership started.

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Rick & Judy at the Design Lines 3oth Anniversary Party

Guest Blogger Series

Guest Blogger Series: Eco-Friendly Tile

Decorative tile can be environmentally friendly and still look beautiful! In our final post of the Guest Blogger Series with Triangle Tile & Stone of NC, LLC we bring to you a new way of thinking about tile. Triangle Tile and Stone of NC, LLC represents Medicine Bluff Studios, a small artisan studio that takes corporate social responsibility to a new level.

Within the interior design industry the manufacturing stages of  the production process are constantly being redefined as the demands from consumers has increased to purchase environmental friendly products.

Triangle Tile & Stone - Medicine Bluff Studios (3)“Medicine Bluff Studios is a small artist driven tile studio that has always used environmentally friendly methods during production. Since the company was started, owners Debbie and John have used locally purchased clay to produce their beautiful decorative pieces and they donate leftover clay to local art programs for use in their classrooms.  They also utilize lead-free glazes and rely on air drying their tiles before they are fired in electric kilns, which cuts back on fumes and harmful gases. Another step that Medicine Bluff Studios uses in order to achieve an even smaller carbon footprint is using recycled packaging materials. They even shred documentation and use it to package their tiles. This company truly is nice to the environment and nice to the eye as well!”

Do you work for or know of a socially responsible company worth mentioning? What is unique about them? What are you doing to help create a livable space while also being eco-friendly? We would love to hear!

To see previous Guest Blogger Series post click here.

Triangle Tile & Stone - Medicine Bluff Studios (1)

Triangle Tile & Stone - Medicine Bluff Studios (2)

Guest Blogger Series

Guest Blogger Series: A Morning with Laura from ROCKin ‘teriors


People like Laura Grandlienard from ROCKin’teriors make our visions a reality. Designers design and our incredible team of fabricators and sub-contractors take our drawings and specifications and “make it happen!”

Alongside with her incredible talent to find and fabricate the most unusual stones, Laura does all this while being socially responsible both in her manufacturing process as well as the products she uses.

Efficiency is the bottom line. From displays which allow clients to navigate through selections with ease, to the maintaining high production standards within the warehouse, ROCKin’teriors is all about being “simply green.”


I spent the morning with Laura at the ROCKin’teriors studio in Fuquay-Varina and quickly felt at home. Laura’s approach is very personable, informative and down to earth. You can tell right away that she has a passion for the products only mother nature can provide.

“I have known and worked with Laura for years and I can always be confident that our projects will be handled with care and expertise.” Judy Pickett,FASID, owner, Design Lines, Ltd.

Do you know the process of how stone becomes a countertop? Go ahead and stop by the studio where you will find a picture story. It is a unique and an eye-opening experience. Who knew!

ROCKin ‘teriors work was recently displayed at the 2009 Green Home Tour presented by Stock Building Supply. Click here to see our recent post for more information about the home.


Guest Blogger Series

Guest Blogger Series – Neuwave Systems: Saving Time, Money, and the Environment through Home Automation

As a guest blogger, I would like to first thank Design Lines, Ltd. for having Neuwave Systems on their blog. They have been a great company to get to know and I personally love what they have done for my home as well as other clients in the area.

The topic today is about Home Automation! What used to only be for the rich, is now available to most hardworking homeowners. The best part is that you can save time, money, and the environment by integrating your home. Home automation would be defined by Neuwave as the act of interconnecting your everyday functions into one system.(TV’s, Lighting, Temperature, Music, Movies, and Security)

Think about your day: you wake up, turn off the alarm clock, turn on the lights, maybe turn on the morning news, go to the bathroom and turn on those lights, maybe turn on music or news in the bathroom, turn down the heat, get the kids up, arm the security system, and head to work; and that’s just the morning! What if you could have your house set to your lifestyle instead of your life set to your house?

Since money is the most pressing issue of the day, let’s start by how to save money with home automation. Your number one cost to run a home is of course……energy. By integrating your lights, you are able to make sure when you leave that every light in the house is off, or when you come home that not every light has to be on. Also, lighting control allows you to set the levels of each light when it comes on and you don’t have to burn it at full strength. We have seen people save $50-$100 a month just by adding lighting control. By integrating your thermostat, you are able to adjust your temperature from your remote control or even your computer if you are away.

Time is money, and more and more people don’t have “Time”. What if you could have extra time added into your life? Most of us end up in bed reading or watching TV; what if you could press one button and have your house “go to sleep”? No more getting up to turn off that pesky hallway light, or making sure the security system is armed. How nice would it be to wake up, and have the temperature just right, the coffee brewed, the news on, the weather report ready and the kids out of bed without any effort? Neuwave Systems can give you the time, it is up to you what to do with it.

As you can see, by cutting down on energy consumption you have done your part to saving the world. Every little bit helps and, and the best part is how easy it makes your life! When we design an Automation system we typically use Control 4; a very affordable system that allows you to be as simple or intricate as you would like.

The best thing is that you can add more control as you go and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to learn the system. From Grandparents’ to Grandkids’ anyone can control the system. If you are wondering, the entry level package is $700, and that will control TV’s and Music with on screen navigator and a universal remote with LCD read out. If I can answer any questions, give us a call!

(Photos courtesy of Neuwave Systems.)


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