This Georgetown manse in Washington, D.C.  was the venue for the Global Equality Gala hosted by the HRC on the evening of July 23, 2012.  I accepted such challenge with great enthusiasm and the desire to help in this great cause.  The short notice and time allotted to complete this task was challenging but not impossible to accomplish.

I immediately  contacted Mr. Todd Martz , the owner of American Eye Showroom, who graciously accepted to help. His showroom is located at the Washington Design Center, where I normally do my furniture search for my clients.  The rooms needed to be quickly assembled and to follow protocol in their lay-out and set up. I was given about 48 hrs from the time I was contacted to the time I had the last piece of furniture placed down.  One room was to welcome Sir Elton John and Ms. Clinton, the other was to welcome Ms. Sharon Stone and one was set to hold  “open conversations” and to be located on the main level.

I hope you enjoy these quick phone shots I took before security swept the place.  I set up these rooms with a lot of care and in hopes that my humble contribution could further help in making this a great event.  Always looking forward to better living………..Ricardo A. Ramos

When it comes to interior design, qualified professionals hold degrees from accredited colleges and Universities. In order to obtain these degrees, interior designers must study at an accredited university for 4 years. In addition, bachelors and doctorates degrees in interior design also require the completion of an internship. This internship is supervised while working in a large design firm or under the direct supervision of an individual practitioner. This provides a structured, corporate environment either for residential or commercial practice, while the student learns under the supervision of other professional designers or architects.

However, some individuals call themselves “Interior Designers”, even though they lack educational training on the subject. To be fair, I am not trying to downgrade or discredit practicing decorators, as they provide useful services in many aspects of decorative design.

Interior Designers vs. Decorators

Those who do not have a degree from an accredited university are called decorators. They do not hold a diploma that gives them the “interior designer” title and have not completed the requisite education level.

No one questions whether or not these decorators are capable of creating beautiful and elegant spaces. However, due to their lack of the required professional practice education, it is hard to believe that they have the knowledge to make decisions regarding local laws, regulations, codes, safety and use of materials application. They might not understand the elements of design in areas of sustainability, ADA requirements, BOCA codes requirements, HVAC systems, electrical and mechanical, estate/county regulations, toxic emission knowledge from surface applications, as well as, structural understandings between a wood frame built space or a concrete/steel construction. A decorator does not have the educational background to decide whether or not you can move a wall without compromising its structural safety. These are some of the many responsibilities we undertake when making a big decision for your home, retail space or office. In short, safety, regulations and codes are a big part of practicing interior design. Thus, the client must always ask questions beyond the color, chair or fabric they would like to have in their home. The years in practice a design professional has under his belt is as valuable as where they obtained their degree and internship experience.

This fabric is great in a home with pets and children! Sauces, Cranberry juice or even a Merlot spill will be taken care with a brush and mild soaped water, yes, soaped water, even Spray cleaners such as Fantastic or “Carbona” will not damage this fabric.

Although, this wonder of a fabric is not available throughout retailers, only your professional designer or architect can get it for you; it is well worth its price. Remember, it will save you a fortune in replacing the entire fabric from your 98″ long sofa or from your family heirloom chair. It comes in great patterns and hundreds of solid beautiful colors. Also, patterned and metallic looks have been introduced very recently.

Give it a try and remember that you heard it first from me, your designer……Ricardo Ramos

Thanks for visiting my Blog……….Ricardo

Welcome to Fall everyone! This is one of my favorite times of year. The weather, the colors and the scents all add up to an amazing re-birth here in Washington. Along with my excitement for this welcome change in seasons, I could not be more proud to announce the arrival of my 2010 SR Home Collection this Fall. In this collection of 8 pieces, my transitional style and tasteful elegance has been brought to life through the classic designs and robust fabric offerings in this year’s collection.

The SR Home Collection includes sofas, chairs, lounges and benches – all of which fit perfectly with most any style of home interior. To create this year’s collection, I drew from the vibrant and eclectic neighborhoods of our home here in Washington, D.C., naming each piece after the great historic sections of the city. I believe that the rich history and the legacy of the city’s great residents lend each piece its own identity.

So please click here and view our furniture gallery, thumb through the fabrics and of course, feel free to place your order request today!

As always, I would love your comments and feedback on the collection, the fabrics and anything else you’d love to report back on.

Have a great week!

- Ricardo

I’d like to welcome you to the Studio Ramos blog. Here you will find an array of information from me ranging from examples of designs I like, news updates on my latest venture the SR Collection, to sample design concepts that I’ve created specially for this blog.

Be sure to stay in touch with us on Twitter @StudioRamos and on our Facebook Page as well.

Check back often to see and read more!