Meeting with Atlanta Designers Makes Big Impression

Last week, I seized the opportunity to step away from my desk and meet with a talented group of Atlanta designers at Redefined Home Boutique in the charming West Midtown Design District. The event was organized by marketing guru Barbara English, of Atlanta business-to-business marketing firm To The Trade Only, host of this year’s wildly successful Next Cool Thing event. As the new editor of Atlanta Home Improvement, I, along with the new editor of The Atlantan, Stephanie Davis, shared tips with members of To The Trade Only on what an editor looks for in a magazine story pitch or submission along with strategies for getting published.

Here are the main tips I shared:

• Get projects professionally photographed, or at the very least make sure they are high-resolution for best print quality.
• Demonstrate your expertise with well-researched ideas, examples and details.
• Focus on local Atlanta area or an Atlanta-area connection.

The event received such a great response, and I am thrilled about this new collaboration. I look forward to bringing you more from the local design industry very soon. Here are a couple photos from the event:

Me (center) with Robin from Digital Arts Studio (left) and Margery Caruana Farr from To The Trade Only.

Designers read Atlanta Home Improvement magazine too! I met Connie Raines (right), of CF Raines Interior Design in Decatur, in the parking lot before the event and reconnected after on Facebook.

David (far left) and Tracy (far right) from Redefined Home Boutique with representatives from Maison Atlanta.

Check out our design feature on interior hardscapes from the April 2011 issue of Atlanta Home Improvement.