I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with Anna Solcaniova King, curator of Anka Gallery, on an original and unique art installation that might be a first in the Portland area. "The Interior's New Clothes" mixes the two worlds of fashion and interior design. The concept is simple, design the space as if it were a sophisticated loft and use fashion as wearable art to decorate the space. The resulting design is one in which couture and clothing accessories are seamlessly integrated into three room settings - a living room, dining room and bedroom. As a designer, my goal was to create three well-designed room settings in which the wearable art is used in such a way that it causes the viewer to pause and take note of each distinct piece as part of the cohesive whole.
This was part of First Thursday and we were pleased to be able to participate by providing some furniture for the event:
In September 2009, we posted about Libby Langdon, nationally known interior design expert. We were intrigued with here videos and with her homepage where you can see how she markets herself. Many interior designers we work with are fuzzy on marketing. Either they don't know how to market themselves or say they rely just on referrals. The latter may be true, but how do newcomers to our area find them?
Libby Langdon is the topic today because Libby Langdon, recently visited the High Point University campus as part of a regional meeting through "WithIt" - Women in the Home Industries Today.
Langdon, formerly of High Point, is a designer on HGTV's "Small Space, Big Style" and makeover guru on "The Rachael Ray Show." During her HPU visit, she presented "Libby's Wild and Wacky Path into the World of Interior Design," which included details about how she got started in her career, as well as learning experiences, struggles and successes, and more.
Yes, seems like only yesterday that we celebrated Bridget Otto Thursday. Once again the lovely Bridget writes about our friends in the interior design business in Fine Prints.
When is it okay to put together two different prints or stripes and prints? Bridget A. Otto talks to Jim Yockey at Linde Ltd, a to-the-trade-only designer showroom near the Pearl. He suggests taking the scale down of one of the patterns. Kimberlee Jaynes of Kimberlee Jaynes Interior Design advises using contrast to play off one pattern to the next. Sharon Tjader of Design Concepts of Oregon suggests using tiny muted prints that look almost solid in your design as a place for your eyes to pause.
Internet sales have been flat for the last couple of years and that's not bad because retail sales for most of us have been down substantially. Now, a just released new study from the US Census Bureau’s is estimating online sales to grow this year by 12.7%! Yowsers, that's good news. We all hope that brick and mortar stores do half as well. Here's the estimate for the years 2010 through 2014:
If you are a retailer you may be interested to know that online buyers have been trained well the last few years.
“During the recession, online consumers honed their Web research skills, searching for coupons, comparing prices and finding just the right product to fill a particular need. It appears these lessons are staying with them even as their personal finances begin to improve.”
That means that your clients and potential customers are more educated and street smart. Not only are they doing research on the web, but they are posting reviews of you and your shop. That also means that you need to be found online and you need to share what you know to achieve credibility in their eyes.
Here's how it worked for us. Just the other day a couple from Chile visited our store and when asked how they found us said, "Online!"
Bridget Otto writes about the commonality of good design in REVISIT the BASICS: Good interior design rests on principles. The article has opinions from Celeste LeDuke of Oregon Designing Women, Amanda Klash, owner of Montgomery Klash Interior Design, Sue Augustyn of SAID Interiors; and Emma Davis of Montgomery Klash.
"The Oregon Women's Report" carries Outdoor Living Spaces On A Budget by Erika Weisensee in which the author lays out some affordable ways to make your outdoor space more livable. I especially liked this tip:
• Have a focal point for your outdoor living space. Larger focal points might include a fire pit, or colorful shade umbrella, while smaller (and less expensive) ones might be a pot of showy flowers or a cool lantern.
While we're on the subject of outdoor furniture, I came across Andreu World which is introducing a very nice outdoor furniture collection.
We received an email from Anthony Garcia at New Era Portfolio which has a stable of artists creating original art work. He informed us that they've added two new artists:
Did you know come April of 2010, it's going to be more expensive to remodel or repaint your home? The EPA has established new regulations with regards to the removal of lead paint which will affect homeowners with homes built anytime pre-1978.
Our home is near Grant High was built in 1929. From now on sanding or remodeling will have to adhere to new rules. An overview is available at Homesavvi in a January article titled Lead Paint. Oregon.gov has TIPS FOR REMODELING AND FIX-UP that you will want to read before undertaking your next DIY project. Interior designers and contractors have been studying the new rules for some time.
Here are some tips that stand out for me:
The Oregon Lead-Based Paint Program certifies professionals who inspect homes for the presence of lead-based paint and others who can identify or remove lead paint hazards.
If you choose to hire someone to do the work, be sure you are dealing with someone who will use lead-safe work practices and who is registered with the Construction Contractors Board. Please see the list of certified companies to identify abatement professionals that test or work on individual residential properties.
DO NOT Power blast, dry scrape or dry sand because these practices create lead dust.
DO wear personal protective clothing and equipment, such as eye protection, rubber gloves, and a respirator.
This new law seems to be as stringent as the asbestos removal laws. Lead paint must be disclosed to potential buyers when selling your home.
I'm certain the painting contractor will charge me more to comply.
Oregon had a chance to protect our children by banning the use of bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles and sippy cups, but the effort failed in the Oregon Senate. BPA is a a potential endocrine-disrupting chemical found in baby's utensils. The FDA said it had "some concern" about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.
BPA has been banned in Washington. The chemical is used in the lining of canned products, and banning the chemical, opponents said, would hurt Oregon food processors. They said the market has already responded to the use of BPA. 90 percent of the bottles and sippy cups offered in Oregon now BPA-free. Proponents said said the state should err on the side of caution when it comes to children.
I am glad to see that the market has responded to family concern over the use of BPA and thought you would be interested in these new products from ZoLi:
ZoLi is a California manufacturer whose products can be found in Portland at POSH Boutique in the Pearl
Here's a blog I like: Need Plumbing Supplies. Not only does the site focus on the latest Moen kitchen and bathroom faucets, but offers great video advice on DIY projects. Frankly, Mike and I have just not been very good at fixing anything to do with plumbing.
We are the kind of people that find it easier to place a bucket under the sink in our basement than actually get in and repair the leak. We try to avoid Drano and Liquid Plumber for our drains on the advice of Sewer Rats, the people we call in Portland to fix the clogs. However, Need Plumbing Supplies has a nifty video that gives us confidence that we can be successful in this regard.
Reprint from Home Accents Today's The Landfair Retail Focus:
Market Street building in San Francisco, using terra cotta trim.
Earlier this month I posted about Elements International. The Portland company decided to open their "To The Trade" showroom floor to the public prompting me to ask on Linkedin "To The Trade Only - Is That Still A Valid Business Model?" I received a large number of responses and invite you read them and add your own thoughts to the mix.
I asked Karen Ingalls about her store and top sellers. She pointed out Gladding McBean (GMB), maker of Architectural Garden Pottery. I had never heard of the company and nothing has ever been written about them at "Home Accents Today."
The company began over 125 years ago when pottery clay was discovered in Califorrnia. Initially, the clay was used for sewer pipe, but over the years GMB expanded its line to include fire brick, roof tile, chimney pipes and ornamental garden pottery. To this day it still provides the red tile for roofing at the prestigeous Stanford University.
Today GMB is an maker of architectural garden pottery. "Gladding has combined the old world craftsmanship with new technology such as laser scanning and sophisticated computer aided design to provide customers with infinite creative possibilities." Ingalls has singled two pieces for you readers of this blog:
WEEK 1: NICHE/TARGET MARKETING: Why it is no longer helpful to be a generalist and how to find your niche so that you bring VALUE to your client.
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NUSA Furniture gathered design and manufacturing talents from around the world. "For over 10 years Nusa has been dedicated to the highest standards of quality, durability and design excellence importing, distributing and manufacturing hand crafted artisanal furnishings. NUSA strives to serve the most discriminating clients for both residential and hospitality projects."
That part about serving "the most discriminating clients" probably means a high price point, but look at these designs:
Thomas Paul! Born and raised in New York City, he's worked for such designers as Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, and DKNY. He started his own business with the Thomaspaul pillow collection in 2001. Since then his line has steadily expanded to include tabletop, stationery, and lamp shades. His ultimate goal is to have products covering every aspect of the home, all with thomaspaul patterns gracing them.
Now, following the success of his first print collection for Duralee, Thomas Paul expands his offerings of iconic patterns with Thomas Paul 2.
His progressive and intuitive design sensibility is highlighted with a movement from modern two-tone, large-scale motifs into refreshingly re-imagined traditional designs colored for a more transitional feel.
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery is proud to carry both Duralee Fabrics and fine furniture.
Here's something to check out! While searching HGTV.com for videos of World Market in Las Vegas, I came across Genevieve Tips and I thought this was good:
We just received David Giulietti's newsletter. He's the principal at Giulietti / Schouten AIA Architects P.C. on NW Thurman. In the newsletter I noticed that his firm has been busy on the Keates / Siker residence. Marilyn Soljaga of Soljaga Design Group,, was the interior designer on the project.
I also read that Jennifer Conway is now married to Jeff Guggenheim and she has started Fig Studios Interior Design.
Do you remember the story of the ants and grasshopper? The ants worked all Spring, Summer and Fall collecting food and building shelter for the coming winter, while the grasshopper played. When the harsh winter came, the lowly grasshopper was freezing and hungry. He had nothing saved to survive. He asked the ants for help, but they rebuked him for his carefree attitude. The story is used to teach the virtues of hard work and saving.
Humans seem to have an inner need to save, but they sure save things that are not overtly key to survival. My dad saved coupons in a shoebox from Raleigh cigarettes and was determined to save enough to get a nice present for himself. I learned well. I have saved matchbooks, stamps, and change from my pockets at the end of the day. I wish I’d been better at saving money.
I have a good friend who saves lovely limited edition Coalport figurines. Another saves wine bottle corks. Basketball fans save bobble head dolls. There are comic book collectors, playboy magazine collectors from the beginning of the magazine, baseball cards and autograph hounds. My daughter collects Pez dispensers.
Some of the things we collect will never have any value. Some get lucky and it turns out that their collection becomes valuable. Still others buy numbered limited productions that due to their scarcity rise in value. There is a whole industry dedicated to the collector that helps you identify rarities and charts values.
It seems we have strayed from the moral of the ants and grasshopper story. We seem to have forgotten why we save. We may find that when it comes time to survive in a harsh climate, we have acted the part of the grasshopper and had our fun saving, but accumulated little of value.
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PowerBlog Review: Landfair Furniture
