Design Sessions- Spaghetti Day at the Studio

Today, we're giving an insider's look at something we've never shared before - the infamous "Spaghetti Day" at the studio. Our clients tell us over and over how much they love this part of the process, and it's one of our favorite ways to open the door to deep creativity and true personalization for each client. We'll reveal the magic behind this unique moniker and all the teamwork that goes into making this term synonymous with BIG design sessions at the CFD studio.

Reinventing the Recipe

If you've been following for a little while, you know that one of the facets of the CFD way is full custom design, meaning that every client, every space, and every design concept is planned and executed from scratch. One of the biggest reasons we do this? Because it serves our clients in the best way possible —to create a space that is the perfect fit for them. But that also means there is a lot (a LOT) of time, strategy, artistry, and creative elbow grease that goes into each design because no two are ever alike. Although we create custom designs day in and day out, each project has a unique vision, scope, and life of its own. Its design reinvented, and we love to break the mold one exceptional space at a time.

All about Taste

We start laying the groundwork for each design, beginning with the very first conversation we have with a client. However, much of the critical design direction is established when we bring them into the studio. Beforehand, we take the time to collect information and images about what our clients find beautiful, inspirational, comfortable, and meaningful. This can be everything from "I've always wanted a super comfortable armchair" to "my dream is a chef's kitchen" and literally everything in between. A dedicated playroom with storage everywhere? That gorgeous dining room scene you clipped from a magazine and have held onto for years? Yes and yes. We want to see it all, because what matters to our clients is exactly where we want to start. Building on everything they want for their space is how we create a vision that's entirely unique to them.

The Key Ingredients

Once we've done our homework, the big day is HERE. We bring clients into the studio for a focused, individualized inspiration and design-athon. They get to come back to our workroom - one of our favorite spaces ever, which also houses every beautiful sample under the sun. We put out all their inspiration photos, add some of our own, and we start to get creative- we draw on the themes in their favorite images or from requests they've made, and we start to pull textures, tones, and shapes. This is not so much about style as it is about visual undercurrent and design connections. Rooted in an artistic background, we've found that so much creativity happens when we remove the barriers of popular "design terms" and see what a client is naturally drawn to: the forms, elements, and colors that really resonate deeply for them. It's a judgment-free zone- we invite any and all reactions (good or bad!) because we truly want the end result to be a space they will love for a lifetime.

Chef for a Day

Next, we gather up images, textures, shapes, tones, and even specific pieces, and we throw 'em up on the workroom wall. Then, our clients get to be in the driver’s seat. We give them a big marker and have them go through and mark up what they love and what they don’t - what brings them great joy and what doesn't move them at all. Often, even clients are surprised at what emerges - they often find themselves loving something they previously never considered, or connecting very strongly to a piece or a pattern that they hadn’t even imagined in their own home. We pay close attention to their choices and notice when themes begin to emerge. For example, we may notice a client is particularly drawn to jewel tones or loves all the classic, leggy sofas. When it comes to highly personalized home design, the details really matter- and this is how we flesh them out. This is also one of the ways we gently push creative boundaries to build a space that is truly novel and can even be more incredible than a client may have imagined. By the end, we have a tremendous amount of insight into their vision. Just as when you throw spaghetti against the wall, we use this collaborative session to identify the collection of design elements that "stick" for each client.

Perfectly Combined

You know by now that we're always, always mindful of function- or essentially, the ways that each individual and family use their spaces. Throughout the session, our logistical design brains are working hard in the background, and we're discussing the furniture plan layout, dimensions, and that key ingredient that makes it all work —SCALE. We're going through the details of the space with the client in real-time as we review design inspiration. This allows us to form a cohesive, streamlined plan, with the client gaining a direct understanding of what would fit where and how the room would flow with the big pieces in place. If it sounds like there's a lot going on in this session- there is. However, a great deal of experience and knowledge have taught us how to make this not only extremely productive but also an exciting, creative, and fulfilling experience for our clients.

Welcome to the Team

One of the things we value most is the ability to give our clients personalized attention, and Spaghetti Day is one of our favorite ways to deliver it. Instead of using a top-down method, we like to put our clients right at the center of the creative process, and build every bit of the design around who they are and what will make a space their forever happy place. Spaghetti Day isn't our only day with them in the studio, but it's one of our favorites because it's when we get to show clients that they are genuinely part of our team and how much we value sharing their vision. At the end of the day, the work is far from done, but it's incredible to see our clients full of excitement as they see their design beginning to come to life.

We’re so glad you came over to hang out with us on the CFD blog today. Curious about our process? Check out more about our full-home design process here. Want to get to know our team? Check out our decades of design experience and how we make your home one-of-a-kind here.

Have questions about designing your own dream space? We’d love to help. Start here at our contact page. Or, feel free to just give us a holler anytime at hello@catfrenchdesign.com.

And, if you’d like to follow along for more in-the-moment happenings and goings-on of this bustling design team, you can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest!