Design 'N Architecture

  As mentioned in an earlier tweet, I (and 400 others) attended a conference call with Nika Stewart and Sydni Craig-Hart. During the hour-long call, the two successful businesswomen outlined five steps design professionals should take to attract more clients. Here we go (my favorite is under # 4 but you need to implement all 5 to reap the benefits of the synergy): 1) Discover Your True Value What do you bring to the table? What sets you apart? What is your expertise? What is your niche market? Who do you serve? Who is your ideal client? I suggest jotting...

What should a chair or sconce look like?  Should its use be obvious or something to decipher and discover?   Today, I want to write about furniture and lighting that interact with and enliven their surroundings.   I'm talking about design that goes beyond function to become art, objects that have a distinctive personality and point of view.   They evoke humor and emotion; they offer innovation without over-complication. Scott Burton, who died in 1989 at the age of 50, is best known for creating public sculpture that walks a fine line between art and furniture.  Purchased by museums, corporations and collectors,...

If you are looking to build or remodel a home that is more energy efficient, healthier, and uses more renewable and recycled materials, then build it "green." Green homes are environmentally friendly and cheaper to operate. There are many resources and organizations that focus on green building and give consumers tips. The U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) is the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. This non-profit organization has the LEED for Homes program in place to certify homes based...

Studies after studies have highlighted the benefits of art in interiors but for Lisa Bayne, CEO of The Guild/Artful Home, Art is what she found in her dream work environment during a visit to the Level Playing Field Institute in San Francisco. "Wherever you turn within LPFI's offices", Lisa recalls, "there is art, all of it extremely tactile. At the entry gathering spot, rather than a traditional corporate coffee table, the founders have placed a Josh Urso "Knoop Table", letting you know immediately that this is no cookie-cutter sterile office experience." So why don't more companies share Lisa's vision...

In the art world, museums are trying to change the game by hiring new directors.  Jeffrey Deitch, a New York art dealer, has been hired to lead the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.  At the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, they hired Bill Mosgridge, a design practitioner, industrial designer and businessman.  These museums are trying to shake things up. The simple act of turning a developer owned condo into a gallery for one night is gaining popularity, bringing creative types into contact with those looking to buy a place.  Developers get foot traffic while artists...

This post on art and residential architecture starts with an example about accessibility.  Over ten years ago, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas (Office for Metropolitan Architecture)designed a house in France for a client who was confined to a wheelchair.  The three story house has an elevator platform, 10' x 10.75', that moves freely between the floors.  The 'room', with its permanent wall of shelves, travels up and down through the house transforming the architecture of the house, becoming part of the kitchen, living space or enclosed as an office.    Thinking about rooms as elevators or even rooms on tracks...

"It is an immutable law in business that words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises but only performance is reality."~American Businessman Harold S. Geneen Throughout this entire series, I've been speaking about "business promises." While it's important to have a "promise" to build your business on, the vital thing is to deliver on that promise.  This alone is what the customer will remember. As a close to this series, I felt it best to conclude with a short list of statements/questions that you should keep top-of-mind:• NO AMOUNT OF MARKETING CAN OVERCOME CONTINUAL POOR COMPANY PERFORMANCE.    • If you promise...

To renew their license, Minnesota-licensed interior designers, architects and landscape architects must have completed 24 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) during the two-year period immediately preceding each biennial renewal date, which falls on June 30 of each even-numbered year (2010, 2012, etc). Professional development may include technical, nontechnical, regulatory, ethical, and business practice content provided the education help safeguard and promote the public's health, safety and welfare. Source: Minnesota Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design Post comments or questions on this blog or contact Design Arts Seminars, Inc. For a list of continuing education opportunities...

Nevada-registered achitects, interior designers and residential designers are required to complete 8 health, safety and welfare CEUs annually, of which 2 must be code-related. The Nevada continuing education requirement went into effect January 1, 2010.  Registrants are responsible for tracking courses and maintaining supporting documentation in case of an audit.  A CEU Tracking Log must be completed and sent with each registrant's renewal for 2011.  Transcripts and other back-up information will not be accepted by the board, unless a registrant is audited. Source: Nevada State Board of Architecture, Interior Design and Residential Design Post comments or questions on this blog...

Most people think of art as something to be inserted into architecture.  While art as an addition to architectural space as well as the mechanics of display are discussed in the seminar, I am interested in the dialogue between art and architecture.  The two influence one another; art can be an integral part of architecture rather than an afterthought.  Art and architecture are often most effective when conceived and executed jointly.  I recently attended a lecture by Joseph Kuspan, AIA, who is the director of design at Karlsberger Architects in Columbus, Ohio.  (www.karlsberger.com)  The topic was the LEED platinum-level...