Posts Tagged ‘Todd Richesin’

How to Get in the White House—It Is Not Easy, But It Can Be Done!

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

By Amy Schwinge, MAOM

With several people officially either throwing their name in the hat or taking their name out of the hat for the next presidential campaign recently, the White House and who will be the next president have been on my mind lately.  The team at Mary Beth West Consulting (MBWC) had the pleasure of working on a very unique project last year – helping one of MBWC’s clients get in the White House, but politics had nothing to do with it.

In January 2010, Todd Richesin came to MBWC with a dream of being able to decorate the White House for the 2010 winter holidays.  Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC, is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics in serving mostly residential clients with upscale home décor projects.

Following much discussion between MBWC and Richesin, MBWC began researching the volunteer selection process in order to determine how to submit Richesin for consideration as a volunteer.

After numerous hours of research, MBWC was able to determine that there actually was not a formal holiday volunteer decorator submission process in place.  The lack of a formal process made it even more difficult to determine who MBWC should contact about submitting Richesin to be considered.  After further phone calls and e-mail exchanges, it was determined that the decision maker and appropriate contact was the White House chief floral designer.

In May 2010, MBWC sent this contact a portfolio of Richesin’s work, which included a letter of introduction, copies of media clips that included his national accolades and honors, and photos of Richesin’s own home, Casa Real, decorated during the holidays.

Richesin’s work spoke for itself.  In October 2010, Richesin received notification from the White House Social Secretary Julianna Smoot that he had been selected to volunteer as a 2010 White House Holiday Decorator. On the day after Thanksgiving in November 2010, Richesin began his first day of work.  So, he made it to the White House!

For security reasons, Richesin could not discuss the details of his trip with anyone, including the media, until Dec. 3, 2010. Once that date rolled around, MBWC launched an aggressive local media campaign that included a number of local interviews, such as WBIR-TV, WATE-TV,  WIVK FM, NewsTalk Radio, The Knoxville News Sentinel, Farragut Press, West Side Shopper and The Advocate and Democrat. 

According to published circulation rates, more than 11.4 million impressions were generated by the news coverage that was secured from Richesin’s selection.  The exposure augmented Richesin’s local profile and credibility as one of the area’s most talented and sought-after decorating professionals.

Incidentally, MBWC received the Public Relations Society of America Volunteer Chapter 2011 Award of Excellence for Marketing Consumer Services for “Todd Richesin Interiors 2010 White House Holiday Decorating Campaign.”

Saying that Todd Richesin thoroughly enjoyed his decorating trip to the White House would be an understatement as he said it was simply awesome and a dream come true.  More information about Todd’s decorating trip to the White House can be found on his website:  http://toddrichesininteriors.com/

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Traditional Home Names Knoxville’s Todd Richesin Among “20 Young Designers to Watch”

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Community Can Vote for Richesin as “Favorite Young Traditional Designer” in Duralee-Sponsored Online Contest and Enter for Chance to Win Custom Room Design

Knoxville, Tenn. – “Southern charm and lots of it” — that’s how the editors at Traditional Home describe Knoxville’s Todd Richesin in the March 2010 issue now on newsstands, which features Richesin as one of the “20 Young Designers to Watch.”

“This is a huge honor in the interior design world,” said Richesin, owner of Knoxville-based Todd Richesin Interiors.

Associated with Traditional Home’s accolade is an online contest for “Favorite Young Traditional Designer,” where voters have the chance to win a custom room design makeover and $5,000 worth of Duralee fabric. 

Richesin is among 20 designers nationwide vying for the prestigious title.

“This contest has been an eye opener for me,” Richesin said. “The support I have gotten has been truly humbling.”  Richesin is currently in the lead but just by a few votes and hopes the generous people of East Tennessee will throw their support behind him.

Todd’s supporters can cast their vote every day between now and March 23. “Of course, voting more often significantly increases your chance to win the contest and the free room design,” Richesin adds. “We can do it and a southern boy can win, but we need to keep the votes coming.”

The winner will be revealed in the October 2010 “Designers on a Design” issue of Traditional Home. 

Also in recent months, Richesin was selected as one of House Beautiful’s “Next Wave of Top 20 Designers” in the December / January 2010 issue.

According to Richesin, along with such national recognition comes the stigma of being inaccessible and too expensive.

“That’s the biggest myth out there about me,” Richesin said. “Whether I’m renovating an entire home or simply rearranging furniture for a client, I’m always available for a consultation and flexible with how much or little to spend on a project.”                                                              

Yet Richesin has made such a good impression on Traditional Home, they are featuring his stunning Key West conch design home in their June 2010 issue. His experience spans a 20-year period, and he has built a sizeable portfolio of upscale client projects throughout East Tennessee and the United States.

“My goal when meeting with a client is to design a space that allows its owners’ personalities to shine,” Richesin said. “That’s why I’m proud to say I don’t have just ‘one look’ because I truly drill down to the heart of a home. Each project is distinct and unique to the owner.”

Frequent client Jennifer Talbott has worked with Richesin for more than 15 years, on everything from an intensive renovation of an older home to improvements on a new vacation home.

“Todd possesses a rare ability to adapt to unexpected issues that almost always arise when working on complicated projects on an older home, without compromising the integrity of the result,” Talbott said.  “My home looks like my home and is not duplicated on any other projects.”

Spreading design knowledge and providing the best service possible is Richesin’s top priority. 

“By learning how my clients live in their homes, I’m able to interpret their design dreams and make them a reality,” he said.

Originally from Sweetwater, Richesin manages a fully appointed studio located in West Knoxville at his French manor house, which for the past ten years has played host to a complete interior design service. It is here where clients will find one of the South’s most exclusive fabric and furniture resource libraries.

“It would be such an honor to bring home the title of ‘Favorite Young Traditional Designer’ to a community that I treasure dearly and invest much time in – both personally and professionally,” Richesin said.   

Click here to vote for Richesin.

About Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC, is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics to express each client’s individual style.  The firm’s services include floor plan design; pre-construction analysis of floor plans and furniture layouts; flooring, plumbing, tile and lighting selection; selection of all interior finishes; cabinetry consultation and design; custom furniture, draperies, rugs and accessories; artwork selection and antiques. 

Richesin is also a business partner with Bobby Brown in Bobby Todd Antiques.  Founded in 1999 and located in the heart of downtown Sweetwater, Tenn. (near Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga), Bobby Todd Antiques features unique furniture pieces, garden accessories and gifts as well as intangibles such as scent and sound to enhance the design of every home.

Recently, Richesin integrated social media tools to give back to community members interested in gaining interior design knowledge, along with offering helpful decorating tips and answering design-related questions.  Todd’s blog, “On the Fringe,” hosts a variety of colorful blog posts. Todd’s fan page on Facebook is also growing daily.

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East Tennessee Native and Knoxville Interior Design Expert Todd Richesin Honored by House Beautiful as One of the “Next Wave of Top 20 Designers”

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Knoxville, Tenn. – With over 20 years’ experience working as an interior designer who has built a sizeable portfolio of upscale client projects throughout East Tennessee and the United States, Todd Richesin‘s passion for design has been officially recognized on a nationwide level. 

Richesin was selected as one of House Beautiful’s “Next Wave of Top 20 Designers” in the just-released December / January 2010 issue, hitting newsstands today, Nov. 24.

“I’m thrilled about the opportunity to share my work with House Beautiful readers and to represent my home state in such a prestigious publication,” said Todd Richesin, owner of Knoxville-based Todd Richesin Interiors.

Richesin grew up in Sweetwater, Tenn., and manages a fully appointed studio located in West Knoxville at his French manor house, which for the past ten years has played host to a complete interior design service. It is here where clients will find one of the South’s most exclusive fabric and furniture resource libraries.  

Todd also travels to furniture and accessory markets worldwide, as well as to many antique shows to keep up-to-date on design trends and new product introductions. 

“I truly focus on expressing each client’s unique individual style in my projects,” Richesin said. “Getting to know a client’s personality helps me to provide them with fresh ideas and one-of-a-kind designs.” 

Since early childhood, Todd has had a knack for interior design.  In fact, his first project happened by accident at the age of 7.  He selected an Oriental rug that is still in his parents’ home library today – even after the room has been redecorated three times.

Todd’s philosophy of design is simple — starting with personal collections or design elements that a client loves and building from there.

“More beautiful, more comfortable, more livable – that’s my motto,” Richesin said. “Design should be fun.  My goal is simply to take a client’s dream and make it a reality.”

No one in East Tennessee knows better about making their design dreams come true than Knoxville resident Melinda Story.  Melinda has worked with Richesin over the past 10 years on four different interior design projects, including a room-by-room design project for her main home in Knoxville; restoration and complete interior design of an 1840’s house in Key West, Fla.; design and furnishing of her mountain home in Highlands, NC; and a remodeling and interior design project for an historic loft in downtown Knoxville.

“We would not consider undertaking a project without the benefit of Todd’s consultation,” Story said.  “His vision, talent and creativity are gifts. You can see it in everything he does and everything he is.”

Doretta Sperduto, decorating director of House Beautiful, says Todd’s work speaks for itself.  “He is obviously talented and deserves to be featured in this article.”

Recently, Todd integrated social media tools to give back to supporters interested in gaining interior design knowledge, along with offering helpful decorating tips and answering design-related questions.  Todd’s blog, “On the Fringe,” hosts a variety of colorful blog posts.  Todd’s fan page on Facebook is also growing daily.

“Spreading design knowledge, along with providing the best customer service possible has always been my top priority,” Richesin said.  “I try my best to go above and beyond what a client wants to make them happy.”

About Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC
Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Todd Richesin Interiors, LLC , is a full-service interior design studio that utilizes custom furniture, antiques and luxury fabrics to express each client’s individual style.  The firm’s services include floor plan design; pre-construction analysis of floor plans and furniture layouts; flooring, plumbing, tile and lighting selection; selection of all interior finishes; cabinetry consultation and design; custom furniture, draperies, rugs and accessories; artwork selection and antiques. 

Richesin is also a business partner with Bobby Brown in Bobby Todd Antiques.  Founded in 1999 and located in the heart of downtown Sweetwater, Tenn. (near Interstate 75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga), Bobby Todd Antiques features unique furniture pieces, garden accessories and gifts as well as intangibles such as scent and sound to enhance the design of every home.

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