Designer Profile: Nancy Blandford

A couple weeks ago, the Monogram team was contacted by an amazing designer, Nancy Blandford. She shared with us a recent kitchen remodel that she’d just completed with Monogram. Her design work was so beautiful that we had to feature her on our blog. Check out Nancy’s designer profile and learn more about her business, Built In Design. Next week, we’ll talk to Nancy more in-depth about her recent kitchen remodel. Stay tuned!

SRFD: How did you become interested in design?

I grew up in the 70’s loving to create. I made clothing out of old jeans and flour sacks, repurposing before it was cool. I also loved to paint and draw. I wanted to go to art school, but my parents had a home furnishings store and pushed me to go into Interior Design. Looking back, I am happy that they led me that direction. I have never grown tired of helping my clients discover their design aesthetic. I believe it is important to first get to know my clients and how they use their space and then design something unique that works for them.

SRFD: Tell us about your recent kitchen project.

Most of my work is from referrals and from projects I have posted on Houzz or Pinterest. I had a client recently contact me from projects I had posted on both sites, and she hired me to do her lake house. I was her “boots on the ground” while she was back home. We had weekly FaceTime meetings so that she could watch the project progress. 

She would pin photos of things she liked and wanted to incorporate into her kitchen. I would send her sketches of different options, and together we designed her space. She described her style for this home as “Country French”, but not shabby. I would relabel it as “Elegant French”. I took her clever angled 1980’s kitchen and cleaned up the lines. Since the kitchen was front and center in the dining living space, it needed to fit in and serve without dominating.

SRFD: What’s a design trend you’re over?

Her existing kitchen was the epitome of passe` design! I am so over angles just for the sake of angles. I am also over orange wood tones. 

SRFD: What’s a design trend you’re excited about?

I am excited about the options appliance manufacturers are coming up with. I love, love, love the Monogram 30” Integrated Refrigerator! I was able to put two together and give my clients what they needed for food storage, and it looks like a beautiful piece of furniture. I also like microwave drawers, being able to hide it somewhat. Now if someone could engineer a microwave with a panel front, and while they are at it, make a reversible hinge door.