Get to know the team: Brandon

I've been having such a great time putting together this series to help you guys get to know the Accent Decor team better, and even learning so much about our crew, and especially all their cool hidden talents like cake decorating and artist management! Check out the rest of the series right here, and today I'm honored to introduce you to Brandon, our shipping coordinator. 

Name - Brandon E. Spearman, Sr.

Role at Accent Decor – Shipping Coordinator

How long have you been a part of the Accent Décor team?
I started as a temp in June 2012, and was hired on full time in September 2012.

Where do you look for inspiration?
My two boys are my inspiration. I have an inherent need to succeed and provide for my family.

Where is your dream vacation destination?
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with the family.

What is your current favorite Accent Décor product?
To be honest, I find a lot of gems in cash and carry. Right now, the Beachcomber Pot 20”x17” is my favorite.

Do you have any hidden talents?
Artist Management. I interned for 2 years as an Artist Development Representative for Universal Music and Video Distribution, and later on managed a rap group, a DJ and a spoken word artist.

What do you love most about what you do?
I love it when customer’s receive their shipments on time. Recently, a customer needed a shipment in South Africa by a certain date. When I was informed the shipment was delivered to the customer on time, it definitely gave me a feeling of satisfaction. To know that the shipment was once here in our warehouse and is now in the hands of people in South Africa. Pretty wild!

What is your favorite design trend right now?
My favorite design trend is modern design. I really like clean edges, sleek designs and softer tones. I like my home to look updated, fresh and new; rather than a rustic or classical setting.

The Latest at Accent Decor

Els Teunissen is visiting again this week, and once again our showroom is mid-transformation and dripping with gorgeous blooms. A quick peek behind the scenes for you today. . . .

A Lovely Workshop: In the Details

A few weeks ago, I had the distinct privilege of attending Elizabeth Messina's A Lovely Workshop. I shared some Instagram snaps a while back, but I'm finally able to share some of the pictures from my "real camera" from our time at the beautiful Sea Island Resort. 

As most of you already know, so much hangs on the details. A big part of the reason that the workshop and time spent at Sea Island was so special was a result of the details. An attention to the smallest corners and a commitment to presenting everything beautifully made all the workshop attendees feel really valued and cared for. Since the workshop, I've spent time thinking about all the different ways this bears much importance in my life (and yours, I think). All the ways we can pay attention to the details in our homes, workplace, putting together events, photoshoots, and more. I cannot thank Elizabeth (and her whole team - see below) enough for being generous with her time and talent and teaching me so much!

Because we spent three whole (fabulous) days at the Resort, I have lots of goodness I want to share with y'all. So much, as a matter of fact, that I am going to break it up into several posts. I know that many of our customers and friends are professionals in the wedding and event industry, so you can appreciate just how wonderful and dedicated and TALENTED this team was. Be sure to visit their websites to learn more and see more of their work. Seriously, I cannot recommend every single one of them highly enough.

Location - Sea Island Resort

Fabulous Stylist - Ginny Branch

Floral Designs - Amy Osaba

Vintage Rentals and Set Design - Krista Janos (Blue-Eyed Yonder)

Printed Materials - Wiley Valentine

Hair and Makeup Erin Skipley and Claudia Mejerle

Calligraphy - www.may-belle.com

Encaustics with Leah Macdonald

Albums - Velvet Raptor and Artifact Uprising

*I'll be sharing more links to partners, providers, and teachers in the coming posts -- I just didn't want to overwhelm you with more beautiful sites than you could possibly visit!

More Lovely coming soon! And visit the other attendee's blogs and/or websites to see more:
MARISA HOLMES
LINDSAY MADDEN
GREER GATTUSO
DANIEL PEREZ
KATHERINE EMERY
TRICIA WHITMER
LIZ ROBERTS
JULIE PAISLEY
RABIAH KHWAJA
VERONICA RAMIREZ
NICOLE MASON
KELLY SAUER
JESSICA MORRISY
SERENA SEVERTSON
TIFFANY BENDER
LAUREN ROSENAU
REBECCA STANLEY
SARAH PIRKRYL
GINA MOORE
*You can also see some of Elizabeth's inspired captures, and some more behind-the-scenes-looks at the Utterly Engaged blog and magazine. 

Wedding florals by Els Teunissen for Tony Graaf with Signature Floral Supply

It goes without saying that the flowers Els put together for a wedding are going to be gorgeous (she did the flowers for my own wedding nearly seven years ago, as a matter of fact). So I was excited to receive photos, and pass them along to you, of the stunning florals she put together for Tony Graaf with Signature Floral Supply. Enjoy and be inspired!

Thank you and looking ahead

We, first of all, wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for their support of the MS Society.  As a team we raised $7,250! Out of all the teams in Atlanta, we were 6th in the amount of money raised. We are grateful to each and every one of you who supported, encouraged, and walked alongside us.

Now that the weather is finally warming up, we are looking ahead to the summer that is lurking just around the corner. That means our showrooms are beginning to be transformed for the next round of show season, which begin with Dallas on June 19th. For our full summer show schedule, visit the Showroom page of our website. The talented artist/designers Jessica Hiemstra and Gerard Toh are here this week, and I seriously cannot even believe the amazing, out-of-the-box creative and inspirational ideas they are coming up with. I can't wait for you to see the final products this summer! For now, here are a few peeks behind the scenes at the work they're doing and the ideas they are bringing to life.

 Coming soon on the blog: a look at the floral stylings of Els Teunissen for Tony Graaf with Signature Floral Supply.

Jungle Book Inspiration Shoot

For those of you who received our last catalog, you know that one of our "trends" this season was "Jungle Book," featuring a lush and eclectic collection of jungle-inspired products and accessories. Building on this theme, we put together an inspiration shoot featuring some of our newest products (releasing in June on our website and in our showrooms). We hope you enjoy, and that you love all the new stuff as much as we do!