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A Day at the Four Seasons Spa

October 19, 2011 in Travel by Jennifer | No comments

Four Seasons SpaA few weeks ago I had the distinct pleasure of taking our Sub-Zero/Wolf client Denise Manu to the spa at the Four Seasons Denver. Every year, Denise and I find an afternoon to celebrate the success of our annual Inspiring Design Conference—a two-day educational event for more than 250 trade professionals hosted at their amazing showroom.

Planning the event is almost a year-round undertaking, so after executing this well-attended event we figured we deserved some spa time. Denise and I both run around like crazy people, so finding an afternoon to enjoy and spoil ourselves is not easy. But on this afternoon, we managed to squeeze a couple of hours out of our day for a little pampering. What a mistake—we should have planned an entire day! The minute we walked into the spa, we discovered we had access to the amazing roof top pool and all the spa amenities, including a relaxation room. Upon this realization we began checking our calendars for a day to go back.  I regret to inform you that we have yet to find a date, and at this rate it may well be after the 5th annual IDC event—but at least I have that to look forward to. And trust me, I am looking forward to it.

Four Seasons Denver SpaIf you are in need of a day of respite  (as I know so many of you are) then run—don’t walk—to the Four Season’s Denver spa. Take a client, friend or loved one, but just make sure you plan to spend an entire day. And for a little more relaxation,  plan to stay for cocktail hour at the hotel’s restaurant and bar, EDGE. I hear that Thursday is the night that the locals stop in, and that it’s the scene in which to be seen. Apparently, high fashion on display, encouraging further “retail therapy”.  I haven’t been, but as soon as I find an outfit worthy of the hype, I’m there.

On a side note, the Inspiring Design Conference was not ALL work. This year’s event featured former football player, motivational speaker and author of Find a Way,  Merril Hoge. I’m a CRAZY football -loving sports fan, so having the opportunity to meet Merril and listen to him speak about surviving cancer and always “finding a way” was wonderful. (I also must admit I have a gigantic crush on Merril.)

So “find a way” to do things you love, including a visit the Four Seasons Denver spa—you deserve it!

Four Season Spa photos by Don Riddle

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Steak, wine and shop talk with Old Greenwich Builders

July 9, 2010 in Architecture, CH&L magazine, Design Trends, Food & Dining by Jennifer | No comments

Last week I had the pleasure of being included in Old Greenwich Builders‘ annual marketing meeting. Well, let me qualify…I happened to know that Chris Withers and Cress Carter, co-owners of OGB, host their annual planning meeting over steaks and wine. So this year, I invited myself because I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to hear from one of Denver’s most notable general contractors about how business is going and what they have planned for the future. So, over a fabulous steak dinner at Elway’s in Cherry Creek, we enjoyed a bottle of 2005 Franciscan Magnificat from Napa Valley, CA, and talked shop.

Cress filled me in and said that business is good, and that even though it might not be back to where it once was, they’ve been able to start new projects in the past few months that have taken them into new neighborhoods, as well as start new business relationships (with New World Millworks, for example, who used to only deal with large high-end commercial projects.) Part of the reason Cress and Chris are still faring well in such a tough building economy is that they measure their success very simply by 100% customer satisfaction. They told me, “We remain friends with our clients, sometimes close friends, and you couldn’t do that if you didn’t feel like your clients weren’t completely happy with their homes.” Makes sense.

I asked them during dinner if it’s possible to complete a project on time and on budget–you hear so many stories on the contrary–and they told me that it definitely can be done, but that oftentimes their projects’ budgets are extended because their clients are exposed to far more detail than they know is possible. Once a client knows what kind of custom detailing is available to them, they often make decisions to increase their budgets and upgrade their design and finishes.

It doesn’t hurt that Cress and Chris are the nicest, most honest, interesting, and easy-on-the-eyes guys you will ever meet. If you are looking for a high-end renovation or custom-home builder, check out OGB’s work: oldgreenwichbuilders.com.

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An inspired two days

June 16, 2010 in CH&L magazine by Jennifer | No comments

On June 2nd and 3rd, CH&L in partnership with Roth Distributing hosted the 2nd Annual Inspiring Design Conference, a two-day educational event for home design industry pros at the Roth Distributing showroom (inspiring in and of itself). More than 150 of CO’s top design professionals came out to hear speakers on topics ranging from social media and contract negotiation to finance for small business. Speakers included locally, nationally and internationally recognized architect, EJ Meade of Arch 11, and interior designer Mary Wilson of Nielsen-Wilson Designs. During breakfast and lunch breaks we had the opportunity to mix and mingle with each other and hear from our sponsors (Designs by Sundown, Rio Grande, Decorative Materials, Dornbracht, NKBA, ASID Colorado, and NARI). Dates for the 3rd annual IDC have tentatively been scheduled for June 9th and 10th, 2011—so pencil those dates in! For attendance and/or sponsorship information, send us an email: jwilliams@coloradohomesmag.com; or call us at (303) 248-2060.

$10,000 and a trip to Paris and Maison + Objet could be yours!

April 22, 2010 in CH&L magazine by Jennifer | No comments

Design is inspiration, and the mind of the designer is ever in search of an object or idea with the power to inspire. And so what inspires you? is what we want to know.

Design Sherpa, the leading provider of revolutionary social media marketing programs for the home design industry, has recently announced “What Inspires You?”: a contest for design zealots of all backgrounds, training and styles. The contest winner will bag $10,000 and a trip to Maison & Objet in Paris and be asked to chronicle their experience through blog posts to DesignSherpa.

How to enter? How to win? To enter is simple. Just submit an image of what inspires you and 100 words of copy to accompany it. (Click here for the entry form.) The top 100 submissions will move to the next round. For details on subsequent rounds, refer to the official contest rules. One grand prize winner will be chosen in November 2010.

Who is eligible? Anyone passionate and inspired by interior design (18-plus years of age and a US resident). What are you waiting for? You have nothing to lose and everything to win!

Stay tuned to the DesignSherpa website for contest updates.

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