Portfolio Show

Frantically working on preparing my project for the Portfolio Show March 24th. My Thesis project is the Morada BrewPub. I have been working on it for six months now and I am so excited with the results. Please come and check out my work!!
http://www.aiportfolioshow.com/sacramento

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.

3D Modeling

This 3d model of the living room was made from 3/8" and 1/8" foamcore, balsa wood, Patty Madden wallpaper samples, Knoll textile samples, travertine samples, beads, and lots of paper cement, hot glue and photo mount spray. The greatest elements of this model are the replicas of iconic furniture pieces from legendary designers: Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair, Ray Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, Noguchi IN50 coffee table and Breuer’s Wassily sofa and chair. The model was photographed with one strobe light directly in front of it and two light stands to each side all about 6 feet away to artificially simulate daylight. The exterior scene is a photo of the yard and adds realism - and oh, Marshmellow, the white cat.

BleuTrout Restaurant Design

One of my latest projects was a restaurant design for my Hospitality Design Course last quarter. The task I was given was to design a seafood restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. Since Lake Tahoe is about 200 miles from the ocean, a seafood restaurant seemed odd to me.


I researched the indigenous fish to Tahoe and my concept became to create a supper club that is a dining destination where patrons go to spend the whole evening, from cocktail hour to enjoying night club style entertainment after dinner. Bleu Trout is located in South Lake Tahoe within the MontBleu Casino and Resort.


The design concept is inspired by the crystal clear blue waters of Lake Tahoe and the abundant varieties of trout in the creeks and streams. "Bleu Trout" brings fine dining with a casual vibe to a casino of South Lake Tahoe.



"Bleu Trout" will have cool blue backlit transparent columns mirroring the lighting effects in Montbleu. White faux finished walls will draw upon the pristine crisp winter snowfall common in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. All this crisp, cool blue and white will be warmed by a cedar canopy on the ceiling undulating like the waves of the lake, adding texture and volume. Seating textiles in dark brown leather will be utilized to additionally balance the cool blue and white.



I drew these perspectives in SketchupPro and did the photrealistic renderings where in Podium.

No Pink Please

When you think of a little girls’ room you instantly think of all shades of pink. I wanted to design a room with no pink. Starting with a duvet of black daisies with yellow centers, my inspiration began. I have wanted to try a paint technique where a stripe is applied with the same hue of color, but with two different sheens to create a faux moiré effect. We applied it to the walls and ceiling drawing the eyes upward to our petite glass chandelier. I reupholstered a chair that I salvaged from the garbage years ago with black and white houndstooth and yellow welt. Yellow legs are the finishing touch that makes this chair a real charmer. The metal daybed is from IKEA. Trying to find an affordable Bombay chest was easier than I thought. I searched several antique stores, but lucked out when I found this one on Overstock.com. Adding yellow paint and glass knobs makes it fabulous. An inexpensive picture frame is transformed with a mirror. The whole room is summed up with a shaggy yellow carpet. Viola – a little girls’ room with no pink – gotta love it!!

Eco-Friendly Design

I have finished my project for my Contemporary Residential Design Course. Our assignment was to select materials, finishes, and furnishings for a cottage using eco-friendly products. There is so much information about "green" and what it means and who is doing it, but I realized that almost all my research brought me to the macro impact to our environment, but I found scant documentation about the micro environment. What about the effect of toxic compounds in our own personal environment - our home? How about a new catch phrase - "eco-digs" - the place where one resides with the purist materials possible. So many people suffer from allergies, headaches and general aches and pains. They don't even realize their micro environment is the cause.

Happily I found MANY products that are friendly to our personal space. Products that are made with natural ingredients. Here is how I specified the products for this eco-dig.

Wallcoverings: Formaldehyde-free paper from managed sustainable forests. Printed with water-based inks and coatings. Installed with wheat, cellulose, or starch based adhesives.

Paint: Zero VOC based containing no ammonia, formaldehyde, ethylene glycol, or crystalline silica. http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/

Flooring: Marmoleum flooring is made up of linseed oil, rosins, and wood flour, calendered into a natural jute backing. It has bactericidal properties; prevention of household mites; and anti-static properties. http://www.forbo-flooring.com/

Wood Flooring: Plantation-grown eucalyptus from sustainable, managed and PEFC-certified forests. It is a smooth and refined grain wood more durable than oak. http://www.duro-design.com/index.cfm/european-eucalyptus-flooring/

Carpet: Flor Carpet Tiles are made with renewable and recycled content and are recyclable. Content is corn, recycled water bottles and natural fibers like wool. The great thing about tiles is that when you have a problem you just remove one square, not the whole room. http://www.flor.com/

Kitchen Cabinets: Crystal Cabinets Green Quest is constructed with plywood and particle board which is made with a patented soy-based resin and no added urea-formaldehyde. www.crystalcabinets.com/greedproducts.htm

Furnishings: Viesso furniture is made with natural elements like jute webbing and cotton seat decks. http://www.viesso.com/the-viesso-way/extreme-green.php

And lastly - why not used furniture? My sofa selection comes from Consignment Plus Home Furnishings in Walnut Creek and re-upholstered with a 100% wool chenille.

Hope you like my eco-digs.