Behind the Scenes with James Rixner: Christopher Guy

                                                                   

James Rixner is taking on a new show-house project: Mansionin May.  The largest room in the Blairsden Mansion, constructed in 1897-1903 in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey benefiting the Morristown Medical Center.

INTERVIEW:

1.What is the showroom’s design style and how does the furniture being used for the Mansion represent the brand?

The first word that comes to mind is "Glamor" The showroom ranges in style from Art Deco, Regency, to mid-century modern. The best way to describe the showrooms style is a contemporary mood with traditional values.

                                                       

2/3. Describe the brand and the service it provides.

Originally known for a wide range of decorative mirrors, the Christopher Guy brand grew into a collection of upscale upholstery, seating, dining tables, sofas, headboards, office furniture, lighting & a private fabric label. Christopher Guy's signature design details include the patented “Chris-X” (pronounced kris-krôs) leg design as well the “Silk Cut” upholstery & wood detail.

 Influenced by film, performing arts and the human form, the glamorous & alluring brand reflects a contemporary mood with classic values. Christopher Guy is the creator of the world’s most fabulous lifestyles. 

4. What are you most excited about for MIM?

The Grand Salon promises to be the most exciting room in the Mansion. The marriage of James Rixner’s innate talent to conjure spaces that are elegant and at the same time livable along with the sculptural qualities of the Christopher Guy items will be a feast for the eyes!

5. What happens to the products when the show ends?

All the items will be for sale. And we hope that because the public is able to view the items first hand it will encourage them to buy the items.

To visit the showroom:

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Mansion in May will be open to the public May 1st, 2014.  Restoration and decorating work at the mansion is proceeding rapidly. “With over 30,000 square feet of house and 53 interior design spaces to complete, our designers have a short time frame in which to translate their concepts into beautiful reality,” said Hofmeister. 

 

Mansion in May is the preeminent designer show-house in the New Jersey-New York area, attracting over 25,000 visitors to the event, typically held every other year. As a fundraiser for Morristown Medical Center, the event is known for presenting the area’s most unique and historic mansions, restored through the work of top interior and landscape designers.    

General Admission

Self-guided tour (approx. 1.5 - 2 hours)
Hours: 10am - 3pm, every day in May
Last ticket sold at 3pm

Ticket Pricing
$40 per person, February 1 - April 30
$50 per person, May 1 - May 31

Purchase Options
Online: February 1 - May 31
In Local Stores: April 1 - April 30
At the Door: May 1 - May 31

Sources:
www.GCTMarketing.com
www.jamesrixner.com
www.christopherguy.com
www.mansioninmay.com

How To: Use Facebook Analytics For Your Business Page

Most of us are on social media, I currently have my Facebook page open to my personal page as I am sure many of your staffers currently do. We all understand the need to be active on social media, but during working hours we want to make sure the company stays active too.

How to structure your social media team:

First thing is to find information to create a report and have something to look at as you measure the growth of your business page. 

Facebook already gives you a lot of information such as:

• Overview
• Like
• Reach 
• Visits
• Post
• People

Overview: Gives you overall information from the different tabs available.  The image below shows insights from Likes, Post, and Engagement, at a glance. Each of the tabs have their own set of information and breaks down all the statistics.

People: This tab highlights types of people and their location. It give information such as gender, age group, location, and language. 

Post: Your post are key to growing your base. Are you staying relevant, engaging the end user. The Post tab gives you insight on your top post. This will be great for your marketing/social media meetings to generate topics your fans will be interact with. 

Likes: We love to see people like our page but we sometimes get an unlike, both are equally important and need to be examined.  By seeing who is liking and un-liking it will show you who you are attracting and why others may decide to leave.

"Thankfully, Facebook has refreshed the web version of Insights to bring you clear data sets that are presented in easier-to-navigate graphs that are highly dynamic and customizable. New features include:

• Benchmarking
• Easy start and end date slider
• When your fans are online feature
• Best post types feature
• Comparisons vs. general Facebook audience
• Advanced filtering
• Addition of Post Clicks stat"

"The data Facebook currently offers is very easy to read and understand, it is a great tool to measure and analyze your growth.

"When considering what metrics are relevant to your business or your client, think about what you’re using Facebook for and what goals you have in mind for the page.

If you stick to your goals and only report on them, you can ignore the other Facebook metrics and avoid the dreaded ‘analysis paralysis’!

Most brands set up Facebook Pages as a marketing method to bring traffic to a site (or foot traffic through a door) in order to convert" 

How go to your page's insight:

1. Be a manager or administrator of the page. Have the current admin just add your name to the list once you have liked the business page

1. Go to top of the page --> insights

Sources:
www.facebook.com
www.branded3.com
www.gctmarketing.com
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

Next week--> How to Create a Spreadsheet To Track Growth. 04/20/14

5 Must Have Accessories For Designers on the go

Technology

Interior designers and Architects check out these gadgets that will make your life a little easier. Our lives are a bit different then most, we often deal with construction sites where there is no electricity, large plans and paper that we need to be scanned yesterday, and more often then not need a measurement of some oddly shaped room. 

I researched and found 5 gadgets that could help with those issues.

1. Premium Solar Charger 

- Ultra Thin Solar Powered Backup Battery and Charger for Cell Phones Approx- $29.99

2. Doxie Flip Scanner

This portable flatbed scanner is made to work anywhere, small enough to fit in a bag or large pocket, it features battery power and flash SD memory, so you can use it without the need for a computer.  Approx--$150

3.Structure Sensor (attention Architects and Interior Designers)

Using the sensor and your iPad, you can measure the three-dimensional space in any room, automatically capture three-dimensional models of everyday objects, and even simulate physics on top of the real world. Approx- $380

4. Handpresso Hand-Held Espresso Maker

If you dislike Starbucks as much as me but find yourself in need of an espresso on the go, this device is it.  Approx-$78.00

5. Pocket Smart Measuring String

A string that gives precise measurement even around a curved surface can really save time and energy. $12.00

sources:
http://www.foxnews.com
http://www.ebay.com
http://www.forbes.com/