Place de la Republique

On my bicycle tour around Paris, I am pretty sure we peddled around the Place de la Republique. I was really trying not to get run over or hit a pedestrian.  Heather Stimmler-Hall points out in her "Secrets of Paris" Newsletter that the large and noisy Place de la Republique hasnever been a place to linger. It’s a nightmare for pedestrians, a confusingintersection for drivers, and usually full of protest marchers at the foot ofthe Statue de la République or drunks passed out on the patches of grass at thecenter. But you may want to take one last peek (and a “before” photo) before amajor facelift project gets underway this winter to modernize this square whichhasn’t changed since 1883. Strategically located at the cross roads of the 3rd,10th, and 11th arrondissements, in January 2012 the square and its surroundingstreets will be ripped up and replaced with a pedestrian esplanade of over 2hectares (about 5 acres), a tree-lined square set up for public events likeconcerts, and rerouting of the street traffic around one side (instead of allaround). This should make the square more welcoming for cyclists, publictransportation users, and pedestrians. It will supposedly be done by Spring2013. I think the proposed "facelift" will be spectacular and on my next visit to Paris, I will definitely make a point to check it out. http://www.placedelarepublique.paris.fr

The Front Door

During my recent trip to England, we stopped in the villageof Lacock on our way to Stonehenge.  Lacockis a village in Wiltshire, England and is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust. It attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiledappearance and is the setting for many movies such as Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Harry Potter. Most of the homes were built in the 18^th century orearlier.

The village is absolutely adorable and is one of the highlights of my trip. Because it is owned by the National Trust, the structures ofthe Village remain in their heritage condition. But what fascinated me aboutthem were the front doors.

The cottages are almost identical, but each frontdoor is unique and special. I wondered what story it could tell about theoccupants, past and present. Not only are the elements of each door different, giving each cottage its own personality,but the faded jewel colors are fantastic.

Nurseries

I love designing baby rooms. But I hate the typical pink/butterflies or blue/trains. There are so many other motifs and color options, - but what to do with the baby furniture? First of all it is expensive and secondly after a few years the practical usage of it diminishes greatly. So when I visited the Stokke booth at Dwell on Design Convention last week I was so excited by their line of furniture because each piece is designed in way to literally last a child’s whole life. That is definitely a great example of sustainable design. For instance their Tripp Trapp high chair is adjustable to fit a child at each stage of their life. It is also very stylish and slender. The same conversion is available for the Sleepi (crib) and Care (changing table).



Some of my other favorite baby furniture manufacturers are:


Room & Board


Land of Nod

Conventions, Conferences and Seminars - Oh My!!!



Sasaki adding my heartbeat to his mural.

 Mention conference, convention or seminar and most people’s eyes glaze over, however, Photoshop CS5 Power User Tour Seminar, PCBC Convention, and Dwell on Design Conference were all fun times for this interior designer!
 The Photoshop CS5 Seminar, presented by Dave Cross, was an interesting and informative seminar where I learned many comprehensive tips and tricks. The Content Aware fill feature is going to save me so much time over manually cloning and painting. Did you know if you drag a file from the Desktop onto the tab area the file will open? Another timesaver! I don’t know if I’ll ever use Puppet Warp; although, it is fun to say.

PCBC is one of the largest homebuilding tradeshows in the U.S. and the ideal setting to collect facts about today's market from homebuilding industry professionals. PCBC displayed a lot of new products for accessible bathrooms and showers for the aging in place population and I got plenty of new ideas and literature on these products. The best part of the show, however, was keynote speaker Guy Kawasaki, author of Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. He presented innovative ideas about marketing and I can’t wait to read his book.

Mosconi Center, San Francisco

Dwell on Design is a home and design expo centered on modern designs ranging from food, prefab, and crafts to products and architecture. Besides seeing and touching many fantastic modern designs, I had my heartbeat painted by Japanese artist Sasaki. Yes! Sasaki painted attendee’s heartbeats by attaching an electronic monitor to their finger and relaying the heartbeat over a speaker which he interprets and then paints onto a canvas using red paint. Sasaki was collecting donations for tsunami victims in Japan.


The Seed System designed by David Trubridge

 One of my favorite lighting displays was this Mini-Coral Kitset by David Trubridge. Lightweight and minimalist, but a big impact, this light is stunning.

Condo Project

The condo renovation is almost completed. The bathrooms were completely gutted and put back together. All the doors, base and trim have been replaced. The holes were patched in the walls and a fresh coat of paint in Pratt & Lambert’s Dove Feather applied. The kitchen cabinets, doors, and trim are painted in Pratt and Lambert Gig’s Grey which is a shade darker than the walls and looks fabulous.  I was originally going to replace the kitchen cabinets, but decided to refurbish the existing cabinets. Primer and several coats of semi-gloss paint did the trick and when we added the new hardware on the doors the transformation is complete. Wood floors went in today and the finishing touches, like new light fixtures and window coverings will complete the project at the end of the week.

Assisted Senior Living - "Dandelion Landing"



ALLIUM GREAT ROOM: Energy, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Carpet: Shaw carpet tiles in Casco Punch; Textiles: Architex Angela Adams Spike Punch and Architex Angela Adams Hazel Pinot Noir; Light fixture Moooi Dandelion Chandelier.



In the book Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, the wine is a metaphor for packing all of the joys of summer into a single bottle. Life is like a dandelion, after flowering is finished, the dandelion flower head dries out. The dried petals and stamens drop off, the bracts reflex, and the parachute ball opens into a full sphere. Finally, the seed-bearing parachutes expand and lift out and the parachutes lose their feathered structure and take on a fuzzy, cotton-like appearance, often called “dandelion snow.” Once landed, they sprout and the cycle continues.

Dandelion Wine is the inspiration for the design for Dandelion Landing, an assisted living facility. Although the occupants have parachuted to their final dwelling, all the joys of life remain. Incorporating the therapeutic value of colors, sunny citron embellishes the common areas increasing confidence and joy. The great room and gaming room are awash with red punch - an emotionally intense color stimulating circulation and alertness. The library bubbles in blue tonality lowering stress and promoting intellect. And rich chocolaty browns and neutral waves of wheat symbolizing orderliness and convention adorn the dining rooms. Modern furnishings, bold patterned textiles, coordinating flooring, exuberant lighting and geometric patterned wall coverings complement the sphere of a home filled with memories and wisdom







   


CELANDINE COFFEE SHOP: Joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Carpet: Shaw carpet tiles in Haven Citron; Textiles: Architex Angela Adams Hazel Citron and Architex Angela Adams Munjoy Citron; Wallcovering; MDC Angela Adams Collection Casco.

  


PERENNIAL KNOWLEDGE CENTER: Trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, and intelligence. Carpet: Shaw carpet tiles in Jimi Bluebird; Textiles: Architex Angela Adams Ivaloo Dusk and Architex Angela Adams Teddy Robins Egg; Wallcovering; MDC Angela Adams Collection Betty Suede.

 

Hand Rendering - The Best Meditation

There are so many fancy ways to render on the computer, but the good old fashioned hand rendering is still the best. And on a raining day like today, there is no better form of meditation.