In The Press

The Post & Courier, Charleston SC Nov 21 2009
Acker claims top design trophy
An honor bestowed recently on a Charleston area interior designer was more than a one-year shout-out but recognition of longtime achievement.
Duval Acker, owner of Kitchens By Design fine kitchen and bathroom design and installation business in Mount Pleasant, recently accepted the Dora Gray Award at the Carolinas Chapter ASID 2009 Excellence in Design Gala in Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
The award is presented to ASID members who have demonstrated a lifetime of outstanding and significant contributions to the Carolinas Chapter, the society and the profession of interior design.
Acker has served on the Carolinas chapter board since 1999, is a past chapter president, and is currently serving as the chapter's design community director.
Acker says, "I am deeply honored to receive the stellar Dora Gray Award from ASID Carolinas for 2009. It's a privilege to serve my fellow ASID members and to work alongside many talented, dedicated professionals."
Here is a sampling of what her peers had to say: "The passion for our profession displayed by this nominee is inspiring in so many ways. As design community director, this person has worked tirelessly to bring together a group of dedicated people to get the design communities growing and keep them strong.
"Two or three years ago, the nominee was instrumental in the revival of our design legislation efforts in South Carolina ... She has spent many hours writing letters, making phone calls, attending meetings in person and via conference call, or talking with people about the importance of our legislative efforts."

Real Estate News
Charleston Post Courier - Charleston,SC, Nov 14th
Local publication honored
A regional interior designer group has tapped Charleston Home + Design Magazine with a media award.
The publication won for its efforts in promoting the Charleston Home + Design Show, which it organizes.
Presenting the 2009 Chapter Service Media Award was the Carolinas chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. The group held its yearly 2009 Excellence in Design Gala in Wrightsville Beach, N,C.
In particular, the Home + Design show provided a platform for ASID Carolinas members to offer free design consultations for homeowners so they could see what it was like working with interior decorating professionals.
The magazine was also recognized for promoting ASID Carolinas designers via its weekly radio show "Talking About a Home," which airs locally every Saturday on 94.3 WSC-FM. And, the magazine was cited for its annual feature on Charleston's most influential architects, builders and interior designers.
"We take that word ‘design' in our name very seriously and feel we have a responsibility and a mission to promote the design community in Charleston through our custom home shows, radio show, Web site and our quarterly magazine," magazine publisher Tim Barkley says.

News & Observer - Raleigh,NC
Oct 17th 2009

Praise the designers
Interior designers Tim Schelfe and Marlene Heymer of Schelfe and Associates Inc. were awarded an ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Carolinas design award for the interior design work of the Old Chatham Golf Club in Chatham County.
Their work included design of all millwork and built-ins, selection of all finishes, lighting and furnishings and set up and installation of all decorative items.
Schelfe is the principal/owner of Schelfe and Associates, and Heymer is senior designer at the firm. The Raleigh firm's design work includes projects throughout the Triangle and the state and in other countries.

Region businesses riding the waves
FayObserver.com - Fayetteville,NC,USA
OCT 10th

Where the business is
"You've got to go where there's business," said designer Ann Marie Locklear, owner of The Plantation House in Fayetteville.
She's known for high-end designs.
And while there is some demand for that in and around Fayetteville, Locklear does look elsewhere to supplement her business.
"The coast is a big part of our business, and we're grateful for it," said Locklear, who has projects in the works in places such as Wilmington, the Outer Banks and Key Biscayne, Fla.
Locklear said she's been referred to a client who wants to fly her to California next year to work on a nursery. "That will be me on both coasts," she said.
Locklear isn't working on rental homes. Her work at the shore is done in what typically are second, and sometimes third, homes for her clients.
True, the affluent are tightening their belts, too, Locklear said. But at the same time, current pricing scenarios are making it a logical time for some of them to build - and decorate.
The Carolinas Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers held its fall conference at Wrightsville Beach last weekend.
Margot Olson, president-elect of the chapter, said there is a certain demand created for designers by those who own rental or vacation homes.
"People don't get to spend as much time in them as they'd like - whether they're at the mountains or at the beach," Olson said. "So the last thing they want to do when they're there is go out shopping for appliances and carpet. We take care of that for them."
Feeling the pinch
But Olson stressed that the vacation home market is feeling the pinch just as much as traditional residential.
In a recent survey of 1,747 American Society of Interior Designers, 28 percent said they had laid off employees or reduced their hours this year due to a slow down in work, according to an ASID spokeswoman.
Nearly 65 percent of respondents said they were doing smaller design projects.
Now more than ever, having good word-of-mouth is key, said Parker Furniture's McBryde, adding that's how her employer has managed to build up a decent amount of work at the beach.
Locklear agrees.
She's got a friend, for example, who has a kitchen business in Wilmington and who recommends her to clients around there.
Likewise, Locklear has referred some Fayetteville work to him.
"You have to be willing to venture out and form those alliances no matter where they are," Locklear said.

ASID Announces 2010 Board of Directors
Interior Design - New York,NY,USA
ASID Announces 2010 Board of Directors
The 11-member board includes three officers (past president, president and president-elect), six director at large members, one Industry Partner representative, and one Chapter Support Team representative.
-- Interior Design, 10/7/2009
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) announced a new board of directors for the 2010 calendar year. Having taken office on October 1, the 11-member board includes three officers (past president, president and president-elect), six director at large members, one Industry Partner representative, and one Chapter Support Team representative.

The board will meet throughout the year to discuss issues impacting the interior design profession and the Society, look at ways to strengthen existing resources, initiate strategic partnerships, and explore new programs.

New board members include the following:

Michael A. Thomas, FASID, CAPS: Presdient-elect
Thomas, an expert on aging-in-place and universal design issues, is president of The Design Collective Group Inc., a design/build firm with offices in Jupiter, Fla. and Phoenix, Ariz. A longtime Society volunteer, Thomas served as president of the ASID Florida South Chapter, among other chapter and national positions.

Deborah Lloyd Forrest, FASID: Director at Large
Forrest is one of North America's top hospitality designers. Her work spans across the United States and has been published in Hospitality Design, Architectural Digest and Interior Design magazines, among others. Since 2004, Forrest has been honored as a member of Hospitality Design magazine's Platinum Circle.

Shirley Eaken Hammond, FASID: Director at Large
A Society member for more than 25 years, Hammond has been particularly active in legislation and education issues at the national and chapter levels. Hammond has been active on several Alabama state boards and is a past president of the NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification).

Jessica Mahne, ASID: Chapter Support Team Representative
A passionate advocate for students, Mahne is interior design program director at Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin and also serves as faculty advisor for the school's ASID student chapter. Prior to becoming an educator, Mahne was in-house corporate designer and construction project manager for American Family Insurance.

Lynn Lorch Metz, ASID: Industry Partner Representative to the Board
For the past two years, Industry Partner Representative to the Board Metz has served as architectural and design director (central region) for Haworth Inc., Industry Partner ASID. Prior to joining Haworth, Metz was associate principal/director of interiors for F & S Partners Inc.

Tim Schelfe, ASID: Director at Large
Schelfe brings more than 10 years of experience with the Carolinas chapter-one of the Society's largest. He has served on the chapter board since 2004, including a term as president. He has been honored with 17 ASID Carolinas Design Specialty Awards for his work in residential, commercial and hospitality design.

Returning board members include the following:

Sari Graven, ASID: President
Bruce Brigham, FASID: Past President
Stephanie Clemons, Ph.D., FASID: Director at Large
Charrisse Johnston, ASID: Director at Large
Rachelle Schoessler Lynn, ASID: Director at Large