This morning our upholsterer stopped by to drop off a pillow; last week, our framer advised us on how to show off a photo we'd had blown up at Icon; and yesterday, we spoke to our handyman to schedule a time to hang it. We have a posse of people we rely on for their expertise, their numbers carefully collected over the years. Our relationship with them is as important to the upkeep of our home as our relationship with our doctors is to the upkeep of our person.

• Ask around: Get recommendations from friends. Ask shopkeepers for advice. Use the search feature on AT. Remember, AT was originally designed to connect you with resources for forming your own group of experts.
• Start the relationship out small: Begin with something easy (a pillow in the case of our upholsterer) and ask a lot of questions while you both learn each others visual language.
• Be prepared for mistakes and misunderstandings: Handle them with grace and be forgiving.
• Start with those you trust: A resource can be someone you already use. Your neighborhood hardware store has a list of reliable handymen. Ask your drycleaner to hem a piece of fabric and voila, a curtain is born. The bodyshop that made your car look brand new may also be willing to paint that piece of furniture Hollywood Regency slick.

RELATED LINKS

• LA Store: West LA Plating Company


• LA Store: Cane and Basket Supply


• Good Questions: Local Curtain Experts?


• Good Questions: A Good LA Upholsterer?

[Image via home bug]