Empty Space

This week I am working on homes that have just been listed on the market. Many refer to this as staging. I refer to it as aligning the intent of home with the intent of its owner.

Arrangement of interior objects is a true art and one that requires not only vision, but the ability to see and experience the pathways of empty space. In balanced design the space element is the most important. It is the area that is not defined by “things”. Rather than looking first at objects and deciding how to arrange or “declutter” I take the approach of looking at the open space. Walk around, sit in it. Is there room to turn, twist and even dance?

We work hard to keep our bodies detoxed and healthy. We watch our thoughts and focus our minds. Removing the pollution from the interiors where we spend time offers the ability to breathe and move in alignment. I recently read the book, “The Diamond Cutter”, by Geshe Roach and it kept me focused on the fact that in emptiness lies hidden potential.

This week I am working with that hidden potential in two Connecticut homes. In a few weeks I will talk about the results the owners experienced. In the meantime the book is on my “must read” list and can be ordered from amazon.com.

Environmental Sustainability

Today is a very serious, very beautiful snow day. As the fire roars and I look out at the snow falling over the lake I am thinking how many people don’t quite understand the process of creating extraordinarily beautiful interiors that are environmentally sustainable.

My caring about the environment began in my childhood with my grandfather who taught me about natural food, feeding the wild animals, and … believe it or not, repairing old worn out clothing and furniture.

In my design projects I like to build years of satisfaction in each product I place in the environment. Because of this I work with craftspeople who are dedicated to creating products that last for generations. Together we design using excellent materials, custom options and innate intelligence. Much, but not all, of the furniture is made in the U.S.. I not only like to support local artisans and craftspeople, but I insist on having control over the quality and execution of the products placed on my projects.

Many of my suppliers have adapted their practices for social and environmental sustainability. Together we are committed to making changes in our materials, and where they are sourced. We put a lot of effort into sourcing recycled or salvaged materials. As often as possible we use non-toxic finishes and low or no VOC paints.

I prefer Italian linens made of very fine quality cotton with a finishing process that uses only non-chlorine bleach. Of course, I also have organic fabric linens available that are soft and luxurious.

My rug manufacturers mostly weave rugs in Nepal and carry the ‘Rugmark’ third-party certification guaranteeing the social equity in the relationship between the manufacturer and the craftspeople. These rugs are crafted with great care and love and offer an heirloom character that will last.

Our world is a shared responsibility. The concerns of my clients are my concerns and I will always look for ways to fulfill their requirements.

Classicism Engages All of the Senses

I am obsessed with classicism and Steven W. Semes eloquent expression of the architecture of the classical interior.  Especially take note of Pyramidal Organization – “mass concentrated at the bottom for stability and a diminishing of the apparent weight as the structure rises” “rising toward lightness and light is a common theme throughout classical architecture. Main objective of fictive structure is to make this movement both convincing and expressive” “The Pyramidal structure seems to dematerialize as it rises – until it breaks open at the top revealing the heavens” …  I love this. It is Vastu 101.

Even in our most contemporary designs classicism can exist as the concept of interior space. Space itself is the expressive element and the number one ingredient of an atom is empty space. The actual physical matter of an atom is minute. This gives us a world view that is totally different.

2010 January Working As A Team

I’m working on a project in Madison, Wisconsin with a team that is spread out all over the U.S. Are we ever connected, punctual on the dot and so very supportive and cooperative of each other’s efforts to bring this project to the full satisfaction of the owner.

There is such a difference between clients who work together with their designers and architects … and those that don’t. Even on the most difficult projects when we work together in balance there is that much more creative power and brain power to bring out a superb execution of a brilliant design. Thank you Stacey and Greg.

Hello world!

Lifestyle. Lifestyle design. I am focusing on this all the time in my design work this year.

Everywhere I go people are talking about the breakdown of structures that no longer apply in the world, how much information we are processing and witnessing, what the solutions are or can be for the challenges we face.

Very exciting. Especially as an interior designer with the ability to work with environments and their occupants in a way where we can design new balanced structures, remove old structures that aren’t useful AND remember structures from our past that can work again.

All of the symbols and materials we place in our environments are creating lifestyles that work!

Stay tuned …

January 9, 2010

It has been some time and since my last post I have moved my design base to New York, traveled to Costa Rica to begin discussions on a sustainable resort design based on Vastu calculations, been in Santa Fe, N.M. working on a renovation for a dental office, finished up the lighting design on an apartment at 15 Central Park West in NY (photos will soon be posted on the website) and begun a new residential project in Madison, WI based on Vastu design and Green Building … and a few extra adventures took place along the way.

Today I visited the Museum of the City of New York with my good friend and fellow designer, K.C. We viewed the Eero Saarinen: Shaping The Future exhibit. Very inspiring. The type of exhibit that affects me in such a way that within 15 minutes I experience an illogical and irrrational feeling in my body where my heart feels as joyous and huge as the room I’m standing in. Love this!

Saarinens drawings are a true art in themselves. His design of buildings not only expanded the concept of higher education, but had an impact of contemporary and innovative design experience that deeply moved and affected the human psyche into a realm that, in my opinion, brought about many of the changes in consciousness that those of us born in the 50′s firmly rooted into the modern world.

In the past few months I have been very committed and focused on the proportions of Classical Design. Space, Structure, the Orders, Elements, Composition, Proportion, Ornament, Decor, Light and Color, Character, Taste, Style, The Classical Tradition has been my obsession. It is the root and the grounding that my designs demand as a base for their extraordinary simplicity and creativity. Looking at Saarinens work I do not find a departure from Classicism, but an expansion on its interpretation that is awe inspiring.

In our present time I venture to say that these very principles and expressions of  design and architecture have established solid foundations for the rapidly evolving marketplace of green building knowledge and pure vastu alignment in new structures; and green building renovation and vastu rectification in existing structures.