AbbeyK — on interior design

Thoughts on Kitchen Design

Architectural Digest asked some of the most influential designers and architects a series of questions in the January '08 issue. I thought I'd answer the same questions for my readers. Each question is its own entry and will appear Mondays through May.

In designing a kitchen what are your favorite materials, key considerations and biggest frustrations…
I like natural materials and good lighting and flow to workstations. I wish there were more affordable counter depth refrigerators on the market.

Greenwashing -- Biodegradeable Home Products -- come on!?

I read this interesting article in the New York Times from the May 8,2008 edition, called Biodegradable Home Product Lines, Ready to Rot.

Here's a new one....

Would you believe some furniture companies are claiming that their furniture will biodegrade. Scientists and other experts disagree.....in a closed landfill little if anything biodegrades.

“'I see a new generation of marketers who are looking at biodegradability as a panacea to solid waste,” said Steve Mojo, executive director of the Biodegradable Products Institute (bpiworld.org), remembering the “biodegradable” diapers and trash bags of decades past. Mr. Mojo continued, 'There is no data that I’ve seen to support manufacturers’ claims that any plastics will completely biodegrade under landfill conditions. Tightly packed, covered and relatively dry, landfills are not exactly designed for biodegradation,' he said.

To some industry observers, like Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com, which covers the “greening” of mainstream businesses, “biodegradability seems like a noble attribute but an irrelevant concept. You also have to ask, Is it reasonable to assume that a product will go into a system that will allow it to degrade? Is there a snowball’s chance it would be put on a compost pile?'”

According to the article, "Mr. Makower described a notorious experiment called the Garbage Project, wherein researchers from the University of Tucson excavated the contents of landfills and discovered layers of mummified natural objects.

'Hardly anything had broken down,” he said. “Carrots had been mummified for 50 years, and you could tell for how long because of the headlines on the newspapers, also intact, found alongside them.'”

An interesting article and food for thought.

My advice, as always for green home furnishings: Beware about claims about green furnishings. Do your homework and do not listen to sales pitches unless the information is backed up by another reputalbe source.

But the best quality furniture you can afford so that it doesn't end up in a landfill. Save unil you can afford good quality. But in general, buy products you don't have to throw out.

Color Advice

Architectural Digest asked some of the most influential designers and architects a series of questions in the January '08 issue. I thought I'd answer the same questions for my readers. Each question is its own entry and will appear Mondays through May.

If you could give just one tip concerning the color for an interior, what would it be...
Let color express who you are and how you want to live. Done right, color can have a major impact on your life. Don't be afraid of color though. There's nothing worse than an all beige home.

Inspiration and Interior Design

Architectural Digest asked some of the most influential designers and architects a series of questions in the January '08 issue. I thought I'd answer the same questions for my readers. Each question is its own entry and will appear Mondays through May.

For inspiration, I go to…
Sometimes inspiration comes from a favorite piece of a client's art, a view out a window, a favorite color, or vacation trip. Sometimes it's just a feeling. But I like to create this vocabulary with a client from the start.

What Do You Think?

When you run a business, you have a giant "to do" list. In addition to client work, there's the marketing, PR, advertising, accounting, all kinds of subjects to keep up to date on. But that's also part of the fun. You get to wear a lot of hats.

Right now, I am hard at work on my web site. It will feature an updated look and showcase new work.
My web guy has chosen a new font that he feels is more readable and fresh, so to clean things up here at the blog, I made some changes for consistency.

What do you think? Is it easier to read? Do you like it? Please do tell! I think there's some more I can do with color of the headings and all that but I want to sit on it for a while and see what you, my loyal readers think.

Overall goal? I want to make it readable and easier to see. As well as add consistency with the new web site. Any thoughts or advice is most appreciated!

Here's what the new web site is going to look like, more or less. (You can click on the image for a larger view.) There are kinks to work out and for some reason the nav is on two lines. My web guy is fixing that....Oy it's a lot of work. But fun, too. Change is good....change is good.....

Custom Cherry Cabinet, continued

Doug at Art Applications asked me to stop by to check out the finish on the cabinet. If you look closely you can see the applied some black detail for accent. We decided to paint the whole interior the blue but keep the shelves cherry with the black edge....Shelves are not shown as they are on the drying rack.

I cannot wait to see this all together.

Stay tuned.

On-going -- The Stain

I stopped by at a client's home to look at the stain on her sofa that somehow grew larger and darker after being professionally stain treated. We were not sure what the stain was to begin with, but something happened. The owner of the stain treating company thinks some kind of dye transfer happened.
I have no idea, but one thing I do know is that this 'aint good.

So we will be re-upholstering the sofa. Luckily the existing dye lot from the current fabric bolt seem to work with the fabric that's on the sofa so we'll be able to re-upholster just part of the sofa. (Designers can get cuttings of fabric samples and I always get one with each order but I wanted to check the fabrics in real life as fabrics can fade and this sofa sits in a window.)

Here is a picture of the sofa.

Essentials of Entertaining

Architectural Digest asked some of the most influential designers and architects a series of questions in the January '08 issue. I thought I'd answer the same questions for my readers. Each question is its own entry and will appear Mondays through May.

Three essentials for entertaining are…
Enough food and drink, good people and a welcoming vibe.
There's nothing worse than going home hungry!

Wonderful bookcases from Wisteria

Breezing through Wisteria catalogue this am, I came across these wonderful open bookcases.
What do I love about them? Large bookcases can look heavy when they have a solid back, but open them up and it's a new ballgame. I also like the heaviness of the wheels which contrasts the fly-away lightness of the shelves..... This design also comes in a console.

Tapes, Samuel and Sons

The technical word is passementerie. (C'est French.)

Samuel and sons sell all kinds of trims (in the category of passementerie there are also fringes and chords and tassels and the like, but today I am highlighting what we call "tapes" in the biz.) These tapes are by Samuel and Sons.

I have just one question. Can you ever go wrong with a Greek Key?

Here are more.

Some of My Influences

Architectural Digest asked some of the most influential designers and architects a series of questions in the January '08 issue. I thought I'd answer the same questions for my readers. Each question is its own entry and will appear Mondays through May.

Who or what has influenced my style...
My grandmother has a great sense of style and color. A painter, she believes that all colors can go together. Blue and brown? Of course: the sky goes with the ground. Intuitive and wonderful advice

Great Green Furniture, David Brunicardi

Check out these great case good pieces by David Brunicardi of DB furniture. They are green too. David is a San Fran artist who uses reclaimed wood.