Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:02 And we also start PIM words. We have, uh, probably a hundred private pin boards, um, on ours that we start to pan and we get our clients to pin two, and then we share them with each other. And we'll have another meeting where we sit down and we'd go through the pins to make sure that what they like to go to a certain pen is what we are capturing on repin. So I've had the experience where I thought I knew what the pin was. I missed the Mark. So I, now I make sure we sit down and ask them. So what was it about this particular image that captured your attention? Right. So that's how we start it. And then we like to take the design and run with it ourselves. And we take approximately six to eight weeks to design a space because, you know, we have budgets, we have aesthetics. Um, we have in stock, um, all things that COVID are affecting right now, um, trying to make sure that we can get something designed in a timely matter. And then if we have to re-select and we have to reflect, but we try to keep it to a minimum. Okay. Yeah. Well, so it's quite the process. It's quite the process. Yes. But most of my projects are at least at the least amount, four months to, um, a year and a half. Wow. Yeah. Wow.
Speaker 1 00:01:11 Well, if they turn out, like the one that I saw turned out, Hey, take as much time as you want.
Speaker 0 00:01:14 It's a, it takes some time, but it's worth it. Running is worth it.
Speaker 1 00:01:18 Now there's something that I, you you've shortly mentioned it before, when you're living in Moscow, two children, you have three kids now
Speaker 0 00:01:25 I do. Yes. We've got Eva. Who's 13 Harlow. Who's 11. And then Hendrix. Who's six. Yes. That's a handful. They keep us very busy. They're very active. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:01:35 Yeah. So the pandemic, obviously the kids have been at home more than they've ever been at home. What are the things that you were doing in the community or maybe in your house that kind of burning your kids' energy? Because I know you fall into the bracket of a lot of parents and teachers.
Speaker 0 00:01:50 Um, you know, we try to get them outside as much as we can. It's been a very mild winter, so that's been great. Um, we try to go and, you know, get them go skiing, you know, anything that we can get them outside. Um, but honestly, they're inside my six-year-old is literally turning my couches into trampolines. I think if you follow me, you'll see this sometimes where he's flipping and you know, I'm afraid I'll be at the hospital soon. Yeah. He's definitely giving me a heart attack a few times. Um, but you know, they're running around my house going stir crazy. My house is not clean. You know, it used to be more clean, but it's certainly not though. You just gotta let it, let it happen, right? Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:02:28 Yeah. Yeah. My six year old boy, Keegan's the same way he thinks that dad's bed is a trampoline. Basically. That's all it is.
Speaker 0 00:02:35 Hendrix asked for a bigger bed last night, so he could do his flips. Right,
Speaker 1 00:02:39 Right. Yeah. So, okay. We have two, six year old little men. What is he watching on TV right now? Or is he even watching TV? My kid is only like YouTube. God, YouTube, YouTube, YouTube.
Speaker 0 00:02:52 He's out. Yeah. YouTube is in just crazy. Crazy. I know. I don't get it. It's it's overrun our house. I'll be like, okay, Keegan,
Speaker 1 00:03:00 You can have the big TV. You can watch Netflix. Like we have Disney plus he has options. And he's just like, no, I just want to watch YouTube. And I try to like curb how much time he gets on it. Just because of attention span. But what's your kid looking on YouTube,
Speaker 0 00:03:14 Spider man. It's all about Spiderman. And then anyone who's, you know, doing karate or, um, Ninja moves. Um, he's obsessed,
Speaker 1 00:03:24 Right? Yeah. Has your kid found out about this kid named Ryan Ryan's world? Ryan's toy review? Yes. Yes. Have you seen this show? Okay.
Speaker 0 00:03:33 Aye. Aye. Mark has seen it. Um, but yeah, they, they watched them other kids playing or other kids opening up these toys it's I don't get it.
Speaker 1 00:03:45 No, it's it's awesome. I looked into this, the Ryan kid, he made 20 mil last year.
Speaker 0 00:03:51 I guess we gotta get a YouTube channel. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:03:53 20 mil off like Ryan's tour review. Yeah. This kid is playing with toys. His family does like a little show, but it's mainly like toy review and he makes his own toys. So for Keegan's birthday, he's like, I want some of Ryan's toys. I'm like, whatever, man,
Speaker 0 00:04:09 You're looking it up. You're like, okay, what do I need to find?
Speaker 1 00:04:11 Yeah, that's exactly it. So it's not just my six year old who is like addicted to YouTube. Right. Okay. All right. Cool. Now, in regards to the business that you just spoke about, you actually have a very interesting path or past in regards to your education. So let's talk about that because yeah, we were talking a little bit before the show pretty diverse.
Speaker 0 00:04:33 Um, well I started off going to state for computer science. That's not something I should have went into, um, learned my lesson. So then I went back to U of S I went to, um, university of Saskatchewan and got my psychology degree. Um, then, you know, traveling around the world, having kids, all of that, um, then we moved here and decided to get into real estate Hartigan names, kind of in the real estate market. So got my real estate license. That's when I got pregnant with Hendrix. So I never really got to practice. Um, actually before that I got my mortgage license. So I thought I could do possibly with all the traveling, maybe get my mortgage license and do that abroad or wherever I was living at the time. So, um, yeah. Psychology degree, real estate license mortgage.
Speaker 1 00:05:21 Then you turned your passion into your career basically. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:05:24 Yes. Um, I don't have any formal education in it, but it's definitely the career choice that I should have gotten into being from Saskatchewan. Um, you don't really know that interior design is actually a career path, right. So it's not like it was coming to you in these smaller towns that this could be an option for you. Um, the irony is that when I was going to state, I actually lived with an art student, um, who was in art school right beside state. And I was like, wow, I didn't know. You could go to school for that. So that was kind of an, and it had an interior design, but I, at that time, didn't realize what my options were, but I've always had interior design. I think traveling, living in different homes, always wanting to make my home as comfortable. And, um, as I could for our family, it's just been something that's been a passion of mine.
Speaker 1 00:06:13 Yeah. It's kind of crazy when you go to school, um, you don't know what the options are out there. You have no idea. Like when I was in high school, if anybody told me like, Hey, you're going to own like a marketing company and make YouTube videos and talk to people on Sweetgreen couches. I'm like, yeah. All right, sure. Yeah. So it's amazing. Like what opportunities are out there if you just like follow your passion basically.
Speaker 0 00:06:37 And, and we kind of just fell in my lap on, you know, the fires happened in 2016 and, um, I was kind of dabbling with the idea of, I should start to do something and you know, the fires. I was like, I think I can help with that. So I didn't know where it was going to take me. I certainly didn't know that it was going to be what it is today. Um, it just kept growing, but it was just, uh, something. I was like, I can help with this. I can help people with their homes and it snowballed.
Speaker 1 00:07:05 All right. Now you're killing it. This is just a good conversation in general, but we're going to put you on the spot now a little bit. So it's that time of the show. We're going to do the Mac city minute. If you haven't seen it before, Tanner's going to ask you five questions. Just wrap it off. Like anything off the top of your dome, just all right. You ready? All right. Tanner hitter. Would your five questions,
Speaker 2 00:07:26 Question number one for you today is what is, what is the place you've been with the most interesting interior design style?
Speaker 0 00:07:34 Um, I would say Riga Latvia. And I say that because old town is old town Rio, which is very, uh, Russians buyer. And then they have the new parts of the city, which is very modern. So the diversity that's, I was really intrigued with because you could go in one part of the city and see all the old hundred and a hundred years old infrastructure. And then you'd go to the new parts and it's severely modern, clean lines, blacks and whites, you know? Um, it just, I just love that diversity. So I would say Rica.
Speaker 2 00:08:07 Cool question. Number two for you. How has being in Fort McMurray been unique compared to all the places you've lived?
Speaker 0 00:08:14 Um, I would say it's unique because of, uh, the support, um, living a very transient lifestyle. You don't, um, open up, you don't get to meet and know people very well. So you're always kind of just up and leaving Fort McMurray has a great community. I would say that's, that's the best part that I love it. People are always willing to help each other out.
Speaker 2 00:08:38 Question number three for you today, other than for McMurray, what was your favorite place to live?
Speaker 0 00:08:44 Um, people might be shocked, but I really loved living in Minneapolis. It's like little Canada. The people are amazing. Um, the city's amazing. It Lake life. It has city life. It has, you know, just all everything in one. It's like all the cultures. I loved it.
Speaker 2 00:09:06 Question number four, when you're at home relaxing, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 0 00:09:11 Uh, I love to read, um, if I can sit down with three kids not coming in at me, I love reading.
Speaker 2 00:09:20 And your last question, what was it like constantly moving around North America and the world?
Speaker 0 00:09:26 It was a great experience. Um, I do miss it at times, but I think when we stopped, I was ready for it to end because never knowing where you're moving, um, where you're going, that you have to pack how many suitcases in two days, um, that, that I didn't miss, but it was exciting. Very exciting, but I was ready for it to end at that time. There was a venue, five questions.
Speaker 1 00:09:51 There you go. Good. Five questions Tanner. Thanks. I try. I liked him. All right. So you said people would be surprised about Minneapolis. Why do you think that would be like, does it have a bad rap? I've never heard anything about
Speaker 0 00:10:04 Bad rap. I think that people just assume that because we've lived all over, um, that the Midwest isn't where I would probably choose, but we had great relationships, their friends, um, the, the community was really great. We really could. Um, when we moved back from our stint overseas or wherever we were, we felt very at home and comfortable. Like it felt like it felt like Canada. So that's why,
Speaker 1 00:10:32 All right now in regards to books, like, I don't want to say on for everybody at home. I know I'm going to get grief about this. I love to read books, but I don't read books physically. Like I listened to them on audio books. So I know it doesn't count as reading per se. I digest knowledge differently in regards to the books that you read though. Um, like what kind of genre are you into?
Speaker 0 00:10:55 Um, well I loved, you know, drama, murder, mystery, but right now I'm kind of absorbing a lot of business books. Um, self-improvement books. I just read Jessica Simpson's book. Alicia keys is what I'm working on right now. Uh, but everything. I just love the knowledge. So it's more of like self-improvement biographies. Cool,
Speaker 1 00:11:18 Cool. Very cool. All right. Well, unfortunately we're at the end of the show, but this was easy. So I told him people always get nervous when they come here. There's nothing to be nervous about, but, uh, I've got some news Tanner, and I think we're going to have to start a countdown here on February the 15th. Uh, you and I are going to be doing an on location show, thick wood barbershop next to the black horse pub. That's going to be a fun time for us. That will be so Allie and the boys have invited us into their shop. So February 15th, family day, we're going to be at thick wood barbershop next to the black horse. We're going to try to replicate what we have here in regards to the camera equipment. Anyways, we're not bringing the couches, but February 15th, black horse, or sorry, the good barber barbershop next to the black horse. Get ready for it. Cool. All right. Well, well, so thank you so much for coming. Feel free to come back anytime you want. I tell all my guests that this is a fun now, you know what it's about? So nerves totally gone. Yes. There we go. Awesome. Now, before you leave, one more time. Can you just pitch who you are? Self shameless plug shameless plug,
Speaker 0 00:12:23 Right? It's Melissa Hardigan design. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, my website, Melissa harden, design.com. Check out what we've done, the work we've done. Um, follow our stories. We'd love to have you.
Speaker 1 00:12:36 There we go. All right. For McMurry, once again, my name's LEPs. This has been the Mac city morning show. Thank you very much for tuning in today. And I guess we'll, uh, we'll see you tomorrow. Peace.
Speaker 3 00:12:48 <inaudible> talk about quenching your ugly thirst.
Speaker 1 00:13:17 The one thing that we were talking about, I know, because I'm remembering now is a story that I saw on Instagram that you did a house in Calgary, Edmonton and Edmonton man. You got to get a second time,
Speaker 0 00:13:29 You know, so it's very, the oiler was Edmonton Oilers was definitely our aesthetic in the sense of the colors and that sort of thing, but it sounded nice district. Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:13:40 It was gorgeous. And so you're explaining that, um, your client wanted to be totally hands-off with that. So like, how does that work? Like, I can't imagine being like, just come to my house and just,
Speaker 0 00:13:50 Yes. Um, it's certainly not our main client. Um, but with this particular clients, you know, they're very busy and they wanted us to design the space, um, to their aesthetic and what the downtown and that kind of what, what the condo looked like. So we knew we wanted it to be a luxury condo, downtown living, but homage to the Edmonton Oilers with the colors and how, you know, it's going to be used because it's going to be an entertainment space. So when we, she said, hands off, we just ran with it. And you know, we did show her mood boards and what our selections were and where our budget were landing. So she wasn't completely in the dark cause we always have to make sure our clients are aware of budgetary and all of that. But when she walked in, um, both of them, when they walked in, they had never seen any of the furniture or the decor or, you know, the layout in real, they must have been blown away. I hope so. Yes, I think so. I believe they, they loved it. So it was, uh, it was an amazing experience to walk them through
Speaker 1 00:14:54 No doubt, like it was it's seriously gorgeous. Cause you had before and after photos and like you got built in shelves and custom units and like, you couldn't even tell it was the same space.
Speaker 0 00:15:05 That's why we love before and after it's like, they're so gratifying. So you start with a blank slate and when you're complete, they, they don't even recognize the space. So we love the Duke portrait before and after, same with rhinos, you have something that does not look good at all. And then we transform it to a livable space.
Speaker 1 00:15:22 Yeah. Cause that's what blew my mind about it. Cause uh, when I saw the pictures, I'm like, Oh, it's a condo. Like what can you really do with a condo? You know what I mean? You figured it out a lot. Yeah, no doubt. Yeah. All right. We were also talking about a COVID and you do business, not just in Fort McMurray, but also Edmonton Colona, other other places. How have you found working with the pandemic? Not always being able to be in the physical location, um, where you're actually doing.
Speaker 0 00:15:50 COVID just, everything just takes longer, you know, um, finding right products. Um, if something's in stock, then it's not in stock the next day. So we've run into a lot of re selections right now. And, and, and timelines are timelines are being pushed and pushed. Um, working with clients that are, you know, not in Fort McMurray, we just get them to send us all the measurements, all the, everything that we send on a little piece of paper, it's a little document that we put together. They fill it out with all the things that we need to be able to start the speech planning and the floor plan. And if we have any questions, you know, we'll get them to send that information. So I just did that actually yesterday I had a FaceTime call with a client down in Colona and got him to send me some measurements that I had missed, you know, on the initial sheets. So I was like, okay, can you send me this? And the clients are more than willing to help you.
Speaker 1 00:16:40 Yeah. I think everybody in this current world and situation we live in has been, become a lot more flexible for sure, because we're all in the same boat. So it's understandable. You know what I mean? I've been on tons of conference calls now with kids crying in the background and people aren't even embarrassed anymore. You're just like, it's my kid. I'm like, yeah, I get it. It's been like a year now. Yeah. We're all doing it. Yeah. That's exactly it. All right. So I think that was, that was it sweet. So if you're at home, uh, so we don't talk with any audio, we're going to try to correct that issue. Cause it happened for a bit yesterday as well. Uh, message us in and don't text me because I have my phone off. So message Tanner or the Mac city morning show, but everybody who tuned in and listened to it with no audio. Sorry about that. Uh, hopefully we, we got everything we missed, but uh, yeah. Sorry about that technical difficulties. We'll try to improve on that once again. My name is LA Pierre. Thank you for coming in today, Melissa. I really do appreciate it. And uh, this has been the Mac Sydney morning show. Have a great day.
