Job Style

I've worked in a lot of offices in the DC metro area and what disturbs me more than anything in the workplace is a poorly planned office and "ugly" office furniture. Who can work comfortably in some of these environments? Did anybody give forethought to how people work before they threw a bunch of gray cubicle panels up in a large white room and assign it as a work space? Did anybody think about adequate lighting and noise reduction? After many complaints by employees nothing changes. I would like to tell every facilities manager...get a consultant to help you! Make a few improvements if a full renovation isn't in the budget. A little paint... a few stylish chairs, do some space planning . I won't give any specific horror stories but if you work in one of those panelled cubicles unite and speak up and out for.... Job Style.

Red energizes...how stunning in this library

image: Traditional Home

I could work all day and night here and stay inspired and productive. Style is not cost prohibitive. But it is thought provoking.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with recycling an old government issue swivel chair.


Can someone please teach this girl the calender management feature in Outlook?
Is the biggest priority the purple or the hot pink Post-Its?

Is this inspiring anyone to productivity? How many shades of gray can you count?

Gratitude

Gratitude - The state of being grateful; thankfull

I was talking to my older sister on the phone last week. I can't really remember the day because we talk every day.., it's nothing for us to talk 3-4 times a day and that's on a week day. But since I've been blogging on design I was looking for ideas from her that particular day...I needed inspiration! She suggested I do a post on gratitude..."Gratitude?" I said. The first thought that popped into my mind was; What does that have to do with interior design? I didn't say that, but, I thought it. How ungrateful would that have sounded coming out of my mouth,as though it were some totally foreign concept. Yet, since then, I've been quietly contemplating and now I'm ready to talk.

If gratitude is the state of being grateful then I confess I cognitively live in a grateful state of mind. At the core of my being is the certitude the hand of God wakes me each and every day I rise. For that I'm eternally grateful. When I contemplate the history that's come prior to my existence and the struggles I won't have to face; I'm grateful for the time and place I've entered the world. I'm grateful for the people in my life that have given to me, shaped me, and loved me. I'm grateful that I can do the same for others as well...Grateful for being confident, trusting, loving life and have a heart to love others and encourage them to their fullest potential and highest good. I'm grateful... that I can be grateful.

Drapes

Although I have a strong affinity for the use of natural elements in interior design and don't like rooms to look "made up" and stiff, I do have leanings toward a "proper"southern sensibility, that won't allow me to feel comfortable about a room unless the windows are properly dressed. I absolutely love drapes. It's the long flowing swooping fabric in lush silks, damask and heavy linens, always lined. Fringe it. Bead it. Embellish it the more. Then there are tie-backs, and decorative drapery rods, topped off with finials in an abundance of finishes. A well dressed window is like a well dressed woman of a certain age on her way down the red carpet. Glamorus, sophisticated, fabric flowing behind her as she strolls down the aisle....what a statement!

images: Traditional Home

Sources:
One
Drapery Fabric: Florio Collection,Butterfly Vine/Moss and Lady Slipper Vine
Cabinets: Chinoiserie
Two
Drapery Fabric: Translucent Muslin
Three
Drapes: Real Simple Design
Walls: Painted by Design Red
Interior Designer, Gail Plechaty, Real Simple Design
Four
Drapery Fabric: Red, Highland Court and Yellow JAB
Chandelier: AF Lighting, Candace Olson #6772-6H
Five
Silk Drapes: Florio Collection
Chair & Bench Fabric: Nomi Fabrics
Black Leather Chair: John Rosselli & Assoc
Six
Drapery Fabric: Raspberry Silk, Jim Thompson #3159104
Area Rug: Masland Carpet
Seven
Drapery Fabric: Robert Allen, "Hearts Journey/Shadow"
Daybed: Sutton Place
Chair: Baker, Thomas Pheasant #7841

Why is it Green?

Sunset Magazine's first urban Idea House project is in San Francisco's Mission District. It's built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) principles. LEED is the U.S. standards organization that measures sustainability. That's why this project is green. The interior scape is contemporary in feel but not the cool beige/taupe minimal contemporary seen in far too many shelter magazines. The interior design by John Lum Architecture is full of texture, color, and new ideas. The rich aubergine velvet seat cushions on the sofa are unexpected and work beautifully with the texture in the frieze area rug. That's just a start. With such surprises in the use of color throughout the house, pattern and color on flooring and tiles, and the digital fabric designed accent wall in the bedroom, this design project opens wide the door in contemporary design. It's a serious delight!

images: Sunset Magazine

Sources:

Living Room
Sofa: Propeller, Drop In
Coffee Table: Propeller, Munro
Area Rug: Room & Board, Oasis Shag
Chair: Design Public, Blu Dot
Floor Lamp: Room & Board, Spun, white
Bar Counter: Concreteworks

Master Bath
Counter: Concreteworks
Tile-Wall: Marin Designworks Glass Tile, Raindrop, Aqua
Vanity: Kohler, Purist wall mount vanity

Sycamore House

If there is one house that represents the style and environmental thoughtfulness of how I would like to live it would be the Los Angeles house by architect Russell K. Johnson known as Sycamore House. Nestled in a fire prone canyon of the Angeles National Forest the house is built to withstand the southern California natural disasters of earthquakes and seasonal wildfires. The interior is built to take advantage of passive solar heating as well as radiant heating in the floors. Mr Johnson incorporates stucco and tempered glass for the exterior. These materials provide excellent fire resistant and insulation. The floors are ground and polished concrete and the kitchen counters are Caesar Stone, a quartz product. This eco wonder is contemporary, stylish and environmentally sound.

the house skeleton is steel
double paned tempered glass-southwest facing

polished concrete floors

porcelain tile walls and floors -no need to paint

images: LA Times

Sources:
Light Fixture: Artemide
Countertop: Caesar Stone
Propane Fireplace: Heat N Glo

propane fireplace on a Caesar Stone pedestal

guest bedroom - takes advanage of natural light all day

ironwood decking is termite and fire resistant
Sycamore House is surrouded by native plants and Syscamore trees

images: NY Times

The eyes have it

Cheers for the nifty juxtaposition at Stanford Art Spaces. You've got the compelling, slightly creepy faces in paintings by Kenney Mencher (one of my favorite local artists), and the compelling, slightly creepy faces in paintings by Lynn Rubenzer (one of my new favorite artists). It's like hooking up two wild friends you just knew would get along. Ha. Then they burn down your house.

People are always telling secrets in Mencher's paintings. In Rubenzer's "The Inquiry" (above right), it looks like the secret is too ooky to tell -- but the gang is still leaning in with horrified fascination in case someone decides to confess.

It's a pleasure to sidle up close to these paintings; you can feel the whisper tickling your ear in Mencher's "Art Amnesia" (above, detail), and sense it in the warm, almost embarrassing glow suffusing the woman's face.

Rubenzer must have had fun with "French Doors" (above, detail), in which a warren of a city crowds onto the panels of two windows-slash-doors. It's a sort of reverse-Magritte realism that gets another dimension here: This work is up between two yellow windows in a nanotech facility. As you walk along the long hall, you catch glimpses of workers in bunny suits, more workers, Rubenzer's city, and more workers. Double-take.

Upstairs, Rubenzer's "House of Spades" (above, detail) gets the prime position in a break area cluttered with tables and chairs. Prime? Yep: It's across from a tall window that lets in cool natural light, bringing out the generous, thick, dig-your-fingers-in texture of the paint. Maybe no one will notice if you touch it.

Photos by Rebecca Wallace

The love of Teak

When I think of teak I think of far off tropics in southeast Asia. Teak is used extensively there as a wood for furniture. I love its use in an outdoor environment where it takes on a soft patina as it ages. Its highly resistant to termites and rot and takes on a soft gray in color with weather exposure. Reclaimed and recycled teak have become extremely popular in the US and Europe. It's a highly durable tropical wood that only gets better with time.

The teak deck adds a place to relax among this Indian garden pool.I understand why this homeowner in Oakland, CA preferred reclaimed teak for a backyard gazebo over using wood from a big box store.
image: NY Times

Reclaimed teak from Indonesia is used for floorboards in this Minnesota house. The weathered boards add to the old world charm.
image: NY Times

Teak is a popular wood for Indian furniture makers. I would use these chairs in a sun room, patio setting or any room where I want to add a rustic element. White cotton canvas cushions add sophistication or a floral print for a casual feel.

Time to Spring !

Now that we've officially sprung into spring and the days are a bit warmer, at least they are in the mid-Atlantic, I'm feeling the need to see more green and florals in decor as well as plants and flowers. Yes, trees are showing the tiniest of buds and the smallest of shoots are coming forth in the garden so there's nothing tangible yet to bring inside. In a few weeks I'll be able to force a few branches and clip a few daffodils.

What I've loved to do for years is decorate with plants and visit my favorite wholesale floral shop in Alexandria. Decorating with plants is a year round way to take the edge off the sparseness of winter. It's a great way to commune with living things inside when its gloomy and cold outside. The great benefit of decorating with plants is improved air quality...you're creating a micro climate. Air quality is increased the more plants you have in a space. But, don't create a jungle! Trim, water, feed and displace to visually enhance your environment. Cut flowers can also add color and warmth to a room like nothing else....they're the accessory that adds the greatest impact for the least cost. Think of cleaver and creative ways to table scape and pull it all together with flowers and plants!

image: NY Times

A little night music

We were happy to spend a recent evening with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra in Palo Alto -- a free concert, well worth a Saturday night.

I already knew conductor Ben Simon is a hoot to interview (for instance, musicians' bios can be staid, but his gives the alias "Boris Slowbowsky" and says he was once arrested smuggling plutonium out of Kazakhstan). Nice, too, to see the satisfying melange he can stir together: a velvety flute of Vivaldi; a hearty helping of Bach; a dash of salty Roberto Sierra; and some spicy-sweet Joaquin Turina.

Guitarist David Tanenbaum was featured, and his strains were a powerful surprise in Vivaldi's "Guitar Concerto in A Major," originally written for the lute. They brought a sprightly kick to the Allegro, while Simon swayed like a dancer before the orchestra.

I had more trouble with Sierra's "Pequeno Concierto for Guitar and Five Instruments," which is distinctly modern (1998). There was too much dissonance for me, too many jagged rhythms; it was hard to find a foothold. But my father, sitting in front of me, listened with rapt interest, and later pronounced the piece his favorite of the night. He's a painter, and for him the music conjured up visions of abstract canvases.

In Bach's Piano Concerto in F Minor, seventh-grader Audrey Vardanega captivated on the piano, playing with a composed maturity so fluid that I could practically feel the keyboard under my own fingers.

I also enjoyed Turina's "La Oracion del Torero," in which the composer captures the excitement, fear and fervency of bullfighters praying before entering the ring. Its end reminded me of why I'm so passionate about the performing arts -- and why nothing can compare with seeing a performance live.

The last note was ethereal, providing a perfect resolution to the highly emotional piece. As the note died away, some people in the audience sighed, "Ahh." That was exactly how I felt, and knowing I was sharing the feeling with fellow music lovers made the moment all the richer.

Pictured: Audrey Vardanega. Photo from the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra's website, http://www.sfchamberorchestra.org/.

Foyer

The foyer is more than a place to enter, gather oneself before proceeding on. The foyer is a place to be welcomed, greeted... a place to anticipate what happens next and you observe your surroundings. That's why a foyer should always be warm and inviting... a place to tell your guest you're in a safe place, you can relax. There's more in store for you to enjoy as you're invited in.... welcome.

Time Out

Doesn't it always seem extra special when you attend an event outside? Whether under a canopy, a safari tent or under the stars, just the thought of dining outdoors sets the expectation of an event full of grandeur and simple elegance.

image: NY Times

image: NY Times