San Francisco Design Center Student Career Forum

Attending the Forum on Friday March 4th. I entered in the IFDA (Internationl Furnituring and Design Association). competition. The design requirement was to design the lighting for an empty-nest active couple. The 2008 California Title 24 energy regulations have to be incorporated in the lighting design. I design a home that is streamlined, yet sleek and stylish for Morgan and Emily who are recently retired from their high powered professional careers. While their children are away at college, this active couple intends on traveling extensively and downsized their residence seeking a fresh, simplified and hip space. Creating a new space using iconic furnishings and modish textile epitomizes the 20th century vernacular of smart and fun that mimics the flowing graceful character of Morgan and Emily.

Slow Food Chapter - Poire Convivium in Courtland California

I first heard the term "Slow Food" when I went on a behind the scenes tour of the Citizen Hotel and Grange restaurant. So when I was designing for the "LiveWell. Design Well ASID Competition" I thought the Slow Food concept was perfect. Poire Convivium is a Slow Food Chapter. Slow Food is a movement striving to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and promotes farming of plants and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. Poire Convivium supports an innovative approach to taste education based on the reawakening and training of the senses and the study of all aspects of food.

The three tenets of Slow Food’s approach to food and production are: Good - a fresh and flavorsome seasonal diet that satisfies the senses and is part of our local culture; Clean - food production and consumption that does not harm the environment; and Fair - accessible prices for consumers and fair conditions and pay for small-scale producers.
Poire Convivium organizes events, ranging from dinners and tastings, visits to local farms, conferences, film festivals, taste education courses for children and adults, and promotional events. Poire Convivium also has an Earth Market that is a community run farmer’s market where local producers offer healthy, quality food directly to consumers at fair prices and guarantee environmentally sustainable methods.

Poire Convivium is situated in a pear orchard along the Delta River in Courtland, California. Creating a fresh and sustainable design for Poire Convivium incorporates the fresh colors of green, yellow, white, and red like those of a pear tree in blossom, abundant daylighting and utilizes sustainable materials that contribute to an indoor environmental quality that is less harmful. Vertical interior landscapes on the fireplace wall and booth walls create living art that is soothing and relaxing.