It has always fascinated Victoria how art can be such a wonderful journey down memory lane. “I love to travel and I have this tradition of sourcing artwork when overseas that I bring back and put into my home. I like having artwork around me that’s representative and reflective of my travel experiences. The artworks featured in my home are reflective of these trips and amazing memories of these places I have seen.”
Bali was one of those places in Victoria’s memory lane. It was during a trip with her partner that she saw this amazing, huge and heavy-looking wooden wall sculpture made of mangrove wood in the hotel they stayed in. Immediately drawn to it, she decided she wanted the piece for her upcoming special birthday.
Have you ever seen something while travelling, maybe a grand piece of sculpture or a symbolic cultural piece, that immediately draws your attention? You wish you could buy it back home as you’ve no idea on how to find it whilst on holiday or if you do, how to then get it home? That was Victoria. She couldn't find it anywhere for sale in Bali and it was impossible for her to bring that sculpture home even if she could locate it. “I knew that trying to find that piece of artwork I saw in Bali back in Singapore would be really difficult. So that's when I reached out to Julie.”
And this was what happened…
I couldn’t find what I wanted in Singapore and I had absolutely no time or the local contacts to source it from overseas.
Victoria had considered trying to source the Bali artwork herself initially. But she couldn't find the wooden sculpture anywhere in Bali, and time was running out. “As a busy executive and a mother of two, I'm pretty time-poor. To find that artwork in Singapore, or overseas would have taken me a lot of time and Julie from Lazuli was keen to help me. I shared with Julie my budget, however, I was prepared to pay that little bit extra for the sake of outsourcing the time and effort to her.”
So, Victoria approached Julie with her idea. Julie went to Victoria's house to see the area where it’d be installed. She took measurements and photos, then created a hypothetical version of what the end product would look like in the space that Victoria was envisioning for this special piece. “When someone comes to your home and invests that time to talk to you in person about your project when they bring out the measuring tape and personally measure the room, that’s really appreciated.
Julie could have just said to me, “Look, can you send me a measurement of that space and a photo of that area.” But she didn't and those actions and her professionalism strengthened my confidence as her client. That’s definitely one of Julie’s strengths—her personal touch.” Fast forward to today, Victoria has completed three art projects with Julie and is now considering a fourth one. Clearly, this speaks volumes about Julie's service and ability to deliver.
I was beyond stoked at this Amazing Labour of Love!
“I was very relaxed about the whole thing. I'd said to her “Here’s my budget, I need it landed into Singapore and hung over there.” Julie worked the budget and then came back saying yes, I can do this or no, I can't do that, etc. It was a labour of love.” The custom-made project took roughly 2.5 months to complete. Julie's progress updates, which included photos highlighting the artwork’s stage of development, enabled Victoria to remain hands-off during the project. Then there was the delivery to Victoria's house and installation (which was incredibly difficult). The entire artwork weighed about 100-120kg. And it required one of those professional lifting machines and four workers to instal it with special bolts. Definitely not your average installation, however that too all went to plan!
I’ve never regretted choosing Lazuli and of course, meeting Julie.
“When I do business with someone and they do a really good job, I like to show my support via repeat business and referrals. Yes, we are friends, however, I also see Julie as a true professional, talented art curator and really good at what she does. So when referring her to others, I do so with confidence.” Victoria's advice to anyone considering buying art, whether for themselves, friends, family, the workplace, is to always choose a trustworthy partner whom you know has your back, and where it’s not just a transaction.
There needs to be synergy, understanding, customer service and warmth. Choose the perfect match for your art and you'll go a long way, as Victoria has with Julie and Lazuli on possibly more art projects. “We know that reliability in a partner or supplier is really important. Julie’s customer service is excellent and her follow-up is exceptional. You never have to chase her. I mean the fact that I'm going back possibly for my fourth project speaks to that right, you don't keep going back to someone if you don't have that level of confidence.”
If you desire Art (in any form) we are your perfect match! Having trouble finding the Piece of Art you want? We can make this happen for you with a Hassle-Free Time-saving & White Gloves Approach!
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