Vendor of the Year: Dominique Montelbano

Dominique Montelbano at Props for Today is my vote for the vendor of the year.

I think it's because of her cool and calm disposition. She always makes you feel cared for and that she can help you solve your decorating problems.

But it is more than that.

It's the graceful way she'll escort you around PFT , tagging every couch you think you may want to rent... And then the speed in which she'll pull together your order when you call an hour or so before it needs to be picked up ( oh how crazy our business often is).

And let me give a shout out to the new furniture that PFT has purchased this year.

It's always exciting to see new, rentable stuff that is trendy and appropriate for all kinds of sets.

Dyann Klein, the owner of PFT deserves credit for her perseverence and desire to continue making PFT a fresh and exciting place.

Happy Holidays

I worked on a television spot for K's - a leading box store around the country. The director was quite adamant that the spot not look too christmasy. The client's had sent us boxes and boxes of xmas decorations - xmas balls, garlands, wreaths, reindeer - the most over the top selection of holiday decorations that one could imagine...And the director wanted none of it - "No wreaths, no garlands..."oh I hate all that stuff" he told us.

So we were in a quandary. How to decorate this commercial in a holiday fashion without over-doing all the christmas decorations - And of course this was, essentially the "Product".

So me, the designer, one of the best around - and a crew of prop man began decorating the tree, the mantle and the location - the living room in a house in Montclair in which all of the homeowners furniture had been removed and replaced by couch, chairs ,lamps and accent tables from Crate & Barrel -

So we delicately placed live garland around the mantle - We hung a very small wreath above the fireplace - we decorated the tree with a minimun of balls and lights. We wrapped gifts in a very austere and simple fashion... We placed a beautiful orchid on one of the tables...

We were worried, we were nervous. This particular director was of the old school - always quick to insult or criticize. We waited until he arrived.

When he walked into the room which really looked very pretty and not to over the top at all he stared intently and then whispered to the designer..." This looks like xmas at Sing Sing..."

So out came the reindeer, the decorative garlands, the wreaths, the candlesticks the tstokies galore. Oh and the matching red stockings, perfectly spaced and in a perfect row.

And so it goes.

Happy Holidays to all.

It's complicated

Okay. So I didn't end up blogging everyday. There were people who wanted to read my blog and were disappointed that I wasn't keeping the blog up to date -

What happened. Well life happened. Working, trying to work, raising a daughter, being a mommy, wife, set decorator, freelancer - all of those things got in the way of blogging.

But you might ask why didn't you write about all of that.

That is a good question. I think, in many ways, it was a disappointing year.

Maybe the disapointment in the industry started last christmas eve ( a year ago almost to the day) when I found out I hadn't received a credit on the film "It's Complicated". Some how I was left out of the credits and it was very frustrating, disappointing and unnerving - all of those things - especially since I had felt so connected to that film, and that experience.

Sure. there were very difficult moments during the shooting. But I was very much a part of the set decorating team. It pushed that painful button of feeling invisible and unrecognized.

So that was a lousy christmas present. My sister said that if anyone asks why I wasn't in the credits I should just say... "Well, it's complicated..."