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Drama by Design

There’s no design room drama, or selections scandals, or stolen swatches to report. There will be no name calling, sudden outbursts or profanities. No, the Judge Johanna Show is the complete opposite.

This show the annual OBIE Awards hosted by the Greater Atlanta Builders Association.

Almost all Builders Associations nationwide host annual awards programs. In most cases, this a grand celebration with awards given to recognize outstanding achievement in the new home building, marketing, remodeling and personal achievement categories.

For all, it is a meticulously orchestrated program, organized in two parts. The awards and the celebration ceremony gala event. For the associations and its builder members, the annual program is considered to be the equivalent of The Oscars. Atlanta is no different, except the way they handle judging entries from the homebuilders, community developers, and remodelers.

The program invites high-caliber industry experts to a 3-day Judging segment. During which, judging in teams of 3 or 4, they are escorted through the builder models and communities. In addition, the judges review entry materials containing the facts behind the design. They judge several entries: categorized by size, price, location and must follow a well-defined scoring criterium.

Johanna’s Advantage

From Johanna’s vantage point, the experience is invaluable. Builders and their model decorators, (be it in-house or outside design firms) know how to merchandise their models. They often have tight schedules, are under strict corporate guidelines and fixed budgets. Theming should reflect their buyer’s demographics, price point, and the neighborhood lifestyle. Plus, take into consideration the hundreds of visitors to walk through the home over its lifespan. These models will be open to the public for at least 18 months. The designs, features, architectural elements, color, and theme need to be as memorable as timeless.  Vivid imaginations combined with visionary talent and business savvy produce some exceptional homes. They are especially adept at creating stunning designs that are budget-conscious and can be easily and efficiently installed and reproduced for their buyers.

While Johanna is aware of many new trends and emerging product such as new stains, tile, flooring, decorator paint and wall-covering applications, lighting, plumbing fixtures and so on; this is a golden opportunity for her to experience them firsthand. Touch, feel, test. Ask questions about the installation methods. Understand how complex the designs may be, how much is customizable. See how treatments are used within spaces, how effective or, in some cases, simply impractical. She garners a wealth of knowledge. In turn, Johanna can draw upon her experience and expertise to evaluate both the interior and exterior selections for purpose, practicality, level of design, quality of product and installation. And the win-win is Johanna can now speak from experience – not a catalog description or specifications – when presenting customized designs to her clients.

No Objection

Johanna, a highly-respected and participatory member of the Tampa Bay Builders Association, regularly receives invitations to be a judge from other statewide and southeast region associations. Occasionally Johanna has no alternative but to overrule an invitation, but there is never an objection to participating in Atlanta.

In fact, it is quite the honor to be regularly called upon by industry-wide peers. So, perhaps we should be all stand and refer to her as Your Honor.

Contact Johanna today for your initial consultation.

Johanna G. Seldes, ASID IDC/Interior Design Consulting is a full service, award-winning Tampa-Bay interior design firm that works with custom home builders, remodeling companies and individual clients. We provide interior design project management services throughout the entire construction process, including preconstruction design, selections, and installation.