Owner - Hope Herring has been providing residential kitchen and bath interior design services in the MD/DC/VA area for over 26 years. These services have included design consulting, sales, project estimating, and stone and tile installations. In 1983 Hope Herring became the first woman in the state of MD to be licensed as a general contractor specializing in tile installations. For the next ten years, she was the owner and president of Home Design, Inc. based in Montgomery County, MD. In 1992 Hope Herring was recognized for her outstanding work receiving a Contractor of the Year Award from the Maryland Improvement Contractors Association for the Best Tile Installation. She was a founding 1989 member of the Montgomery County, Christmas In April program; over the course of nine years, she volunteered her time regularly in many capacities including serving as house captain, area coordinator, site selection committee, logistics coordinator and as a planning board member. In the late 1990s, Hope Herring began to focus her efforts more towards becoming a creative working artist. During this time she encountered many talented local artists, each with their own unique style, striving to do the same. In 2002, Hope Herring established a new company, Creative Designs, in order to share the beautifully detailed artwork created by all these gifted people with the general public for their own personal use and enjoyment. She is now employed FT with Marblex Design International, Inc as a project manager. About the Product - Most artists use durable artist quality acrylic paints, a few use oil paints, both mediums work well on any tumbled, honed or antiqued natural stone. We apply a clear primer, hand paint the tiles, then heat set them before applying one coat of silicone impregnating sealer for protection. Our process does not change the color of the natural stone or paint, nor does it affect the original matte finish of the tiles. We apply the same preferred product commonly used on all natural stone installations to provide the painted surface and natural stone resistance to surface and deep staining. This provides a durable finished product. It requires only gentle cleaning. Care must be taken to protect the paintings from harsh chemical or abrasive cleaners. A top coat of poly-urethane can be applied whenever additional protection is deemed necessary. However, doing so will brighten the color of paint and stone, rendering a slightly aged look and reflective sheen to the entire finished surface. Hand painted tiles are not recommended for use on floors, counter tops or in water saturated areas. Design Consultation - For all custom projects requested the first hour of my time design consulting with you is offered as a local only free service. However, for any area beyond our immediate location in Vienna VA which includes only Fairfax County VA, Montgomery County MD, and NW Washington DC, a reasonable travel fee including the estimated travel time, all travel expenses and/or a fuel charge will be quoted to you upon your request for an appointment to any location as it may apply. This fee is required to be paid at the time of your initial appointment. Or in the case of longer distance travel requirements, in excess of 3 hours, an advance deposit may be required. A minimum Design Consulting fee of $85.00 per hour, including any portion of an hour, for any additional time you require for this or any other design consulting project as requested will be charged. Pricing - Our pricing is quite competitive. We do our best to provide an affordable product everyone can enjoy. You may find our pricing to be slightly higher because the product that we provide is a one of a kind original artwork designed just for you. You will receive a verbally estimated range for any custom project as discussed. How It Works - I will meet initially at your home or at the intended installation location. I need to visually see the space to put together a design concept idea with you. You will choose the artist you prefer based upon the Photo Gallery pages you have viewed on this website. You are required to provide all color samples of counter tops, cabinets, paint colors and whatever else you require to be color matched. Sometimes this will include digital images of places, personal items or people that you may want to include in your custom design. We  require a verbal agreement from you of the estimated cost range as quoted and the basic design concept elements before proceeding. Rough Draft - You will be provided with a rough draft sketch completed by the artist you designate showing basic composition, artistic style and content of the proposed concept for your consideration, improvement and approval. This draft is typically completed within 1 to 3 weeks of the initial appointment and can be received via e-mail or regular mail. Special Conditions - You will be responsible to provide to us the stone tiles required for painting your custom project from the actual tile lot of material that you have purchased. The natural stone material is sold by full cartons and has color variations dependant on the lot. This ensures a perfect color match to the rest of your installation area. It becomes particularly important when some stone areas within a painting are left untouched by the artist to soften the transition between areas or to highlight the natural color variation inherent in the natural stones. A 50% non-refundable deposit is required at contract signing. This is a simple document outlining the exact scope and pertinent details for your custom project with the approved draft drawings attached. Your contract will contain a firm price, the payment requirements including any applicable sales tax, all terms and conditions and an estimated delivery date for your custom project. Lead time - Typically ranges from 3 to 12 weeks for an average size kitchen project, once the contract is signed. The 50% remaining balance will include any applicable sales tax and must be paid at the time of product receipt. All payments must be made by cash or check only. No credit cards are accepted at this time. Installation specifics, additional stone sealing instructions for your qualified installer, as well as your use, care and maintenance instructions will be provided at the time of your receipt of the final product only. No warranty of any kind has been extended or implied. Start the planning process well ahead for your custom artwork to be ready when you are.