Nature and Art

One of the many benefits about living in Los Angeles is the abundance of wonderful art galleries and regular exhibit opening receptions. Generally at these events, a DJ spins music, beverages and light snacks are served and some interesting characters are scattered throughout the crowd (and can be almost as interesting to watch as the art!). Tonight I had the pleasure of attending one such reception for 4 artists at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. I was invited by one of the artists, Sarah Folkman, who I know through our friend, Artist and Art Instructor, Amy Lay. After entering the Gallery and arriving at the second level, I realized I was there once before, last year at the Culver City Art Walk. The Art Walk is here again tomorrow and this year there are even more restaurants in this newly hip neighborhood to keep you nourished and energized all day long.

Anyway, Sarah's work is just lovely! She presented a group that was painted on wood and a few pieces on canvas. I love her wood painted pieces which are a nice small size, about 5"x5" and are painted delicately with subtle colors and are very calming. If you take a close look at the woman's profile above, you may notice that the outline of her face mimics the grain in the wood. It's brilliant!

Inside Look at UCLA's Interior Design Studio Critique

sorry for the absence in writing but i was out of town with family and was completely distracted by my adorable 2 year old nephew.

anyway, before i went out of town last week, i had the honor of serving as a guest critic for the mid-term of Bruno Bondanelli's studio II class, part of UCLA's FIDER accredited Interior Design Certificate Program. i was a little nervous at first since i knew that the accomplished instructor, founder and principal of the architecture and interior design firm Bondanelli Design Group, and his students would be counting on me for words of wisdom. i would have to immediately analyze a student's presentation and spontaneously offer helpful suggestions and thoughtful critiques. it was also a 7pm class so at a time when i'm usually winding down from the day, i had to catch a 2nd wind and come through for this class. thankfully, my starbucks soy chai latte kicked in and i really got into it and could've easily stayed longer than 10pm to discuss their projects more. since they invited me back for their final, i think they found my insight helpful. though i'm not sure they know how much i learned from them!

HD Expo Treasures

this entry offers a list of some of the cool products i discovered at hd expo in vegas, one of the largest expos and conferences for the hospitality industry with over 1,000 exhibitors available over 3 days as well as numerous panels, workshops, networking opportunities and award ceremonies.
sensitile systems

• diffuses a single point of light into thousands producing a luminous surface
• light-emitting translucent polymer panel
• integrates a surface with a light source creating new possibilities for defining space

ecotech by florgres

• made from at least 25% baked by-producst, 20% raw by-products, 20% industrial water and 5% sludge
• textured with speckles creating a melange effect
• maintenance-free
• long lasting
• awarded the ecolabel, recognizing the reduced environmental impact of this product

ecobeams

• hand-crafted for authenticity like real wood
• no rotting or mildew
• easier & safer to install than real wood
• 100% warp free
• termite resistant
• cfc & hcfc free
• made from at least 30% recycled content
• fabrication by-product is 100% recyclable
• ecobeams are recyclable
• non-toxi, zero voc
• manufactured in the us with locally acquired materials
• smooth finish, standard grain, rustic grain and rustic with cracks

ecotop & ecoclad by kliptech

• ecotop for countertop, tabletop, walls and floors
  
• composed of 50/50 blend of fsc bamboo fiber and recycled wood fiber from salvaged from demolition sites
• bound together by water-based, petroleum-free and voc-free resin formula
• can earn up to 6 points for LEED
• won't fade
• highly scratch and stain-resistant
• compressive strength of 50,000 psi
• check out their exterior cladding too!

architectural systems

• ecotextures are architectural panels with no urea-formaldehyde, made from environmentally friendly osb
  
• placage veneer collection with pefc certified material (program for the endorsement of forest certification)
• bamboo plywood
• eco-linea is douglas fir harvested according to csa (canadian standards association) and in accordance with sfi (sustainable forest initiative) and formaldehyde-free upon request
  

malabar fabric

• eco-friendly fabrics for more than 20 years!
• an organic cotton collection
  
• made by hand start to finish
• made in karala, south india
• traditionally produced fabric
• ethical production using small cooperatives, preserving the principles and skills of their forefathers

sensuede

• 100% high-purity post-consumer/post-industrial recycled polyester
• eco-efficient with an advanced chemical recycling process
• exceeds industry standards in strength, pilling, colorfastness and wet/dry crock tests
• meets industry standards in tear resistance, fire test compliances
• also flannelesuede and silky sensuede
• this pillow is from emma gardner's collection
  

bella-dura fabric

• some of the best green fabric i've seen!
• used under many different fabric labels including hable construction and mokum textiles
  
• inherintly and permanently stain-resistant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal and bleach-cleanable
• exceeds 50,000 double rubs and 1,500 hours' lightfastness
• only fiber on the market that begins as a by-product of post-industrial waste and ends its life as a fully 100% recyclable product
• requires much less energy to process
• uses only a small amount of water during production
• produces no harmful industrial waste
• drapery line that is inherently flame-retardant

Wales Artists & Craftsmen at HD Expo

this entry continues my experience at hd expo in vegas, one of the largest expos and conferences for the hospitality industry with over 1,000 exhibitors available over 3 days as well as numerous panels, workshops, networking opportunities and award ceremonies. after about 5 hours of walking through both floors of the hd expo, i stumbled across a wonderful surprise. there was a group of artists and craftsmen from wales exhibiting their metalwork, textiles, hand-painted tiles, unique clock art, and textile art. it was a nice surprise and contrast to the many mass produced products i had seen all day.


it was exciting to meet some of the artists who created these magnificent items like award-winning woven textile artist and designer Laura Thomas. her delicate textile constructions and intricately laser cut patterns on fabrics like leather are encapsulated in acrylic to make striking wall panels and freestanding sculptures. i love the contrast of a delicate textile trapped in a sturdy case. it's also a clever method for preserving antique textiles and i'd love to collaborate with laura someday for an interior design project. i can picture her work in so many spaces, especially hospitality, like a spa, restaurant or boutique hotel lobby.




the lovely award-winning duo of mike and carol francis who both studied fine art and after graduating from prestigious art schools, moved to a thatched cottage in east anglia (how romantic!) and in 1980 started francis ceramics. they focus on hand-painted tile using traditional methods including delft tile done in cobalt blue and manganese magenta. their work is installed in over 30 countries resulting from collaborations with architects, interior designers and individual clients.





other work represented there included wool weavings from melin tregwynt including throws, blankets, pillows, slippers, accessories and clothing in a wide range of weights, patterns and colors! the company is family owned and was established in 1912 and is located in a white washed wool mill in a remote wooded valley on the pembrokeshire coast. there has been a mill on that site since the 17th century! in addition to their stock items, they offer custom options and have collaborated with talents like comme des garcons, birkenstock, descamps and martha stewart living and have worked with many top hotels.



there was also an award-winning blacksmith, ann catrin evans, with her striking objects that appear initially as art, but after closer examination, their function is revealed. she focuses mostly on doorknobs and doorknockers but also creates lighting, utensils, trophies, furniture, and jewelry. the work is done by hot forge or fabricated, or a combination of both. one of her latest and largest commissions includes 250 items of door hardware for the wales millenium center in cardiff bay. the key was given hand to hand to around the world to link cultural centers together before returning to opening the door for the opening ceremony. so cool!

thank you for all the artists and others who made this exhibit possible. it was worth me walking the whole show floor just so i was sure to get to the back corner to experience some hand-made beauty from wales. perhaps next year at hd expo we will see more artists and craftsmen from other countries.

stay tuned from more from hd expo!

HD Expo is Green, Sustainable, and Eco-friendly

i have been looking forward to writing here again but have been busy with hd expo in vegas last week. it's one of the largest expos and conferences for the hospitality industry with over 1,000 exhibitors available over 3 days as well as numerous panels, workshops, networking opportunities and award ceremonies. their sold out 'green day' was a good indication that more and more of the industry is serious about greening their properties. there were also many more vendors this year who offered sustainable and eco-friendly products covering many categories like fabric, furniture, lighting, carpets, flooring, tile, countertops and even beams!

for my first day of hd expo in vegas, i participated in part of 'green day' which concluded with a cocktail reception offering organic beer from mothership and samuel smiths and sustainably farmed wine from benton lane. the party highlighted some green hospitality products including a chair upholstered in valley forge fabric. i love how they paired a somewhat elegant-patterned and textured fabric with the organic and more casual look of kirei. it was the first time i heard about valley forge fabrics and i'm so glad i learned about them. they are the largest supplier of fabric for the hospitality industry. in 2007, they established a company-wide program called FRESH which stands for 'fabrics redefining environmental standards (for) hospitality'. per their website, their fabrics are "synthetic yarns derived from post-industrial and post-consumer recycled products which are made at a low impact manufacturing platform. FRESH fabrics are 100% recycled content - no blends. because of their unique construction, FRESH fabrics are recyclable and there is an established reclamation service that will transport FRESH fabrics to a recycling facility at the end of their life cycle. way to go valley forge!

the cool material on the arms is kirei board which is an engineered panel product made form the stalks of the sorghum plant. after harvesting these plants for food around the world, the stalks are heat-pressed with a non-toxic adhesive to form lightweight and strong panels.

many other companies presented wonderful green options like the natural carpet company who has perhaps the largest selection of natural fiber carpets including bamboo fibers which produce very soft finishes. they also teamed up with the prestigious wynn designer, roger thomas, to create elegant, unique carpet designs.

earlier that 'green day', we discussed the importance of green interior elements. even though a building or space may be deemed green and/or have earned plenty of LEED points, it is still important to include as many green interior elements as possible. we agreed that it's silly to create a green structure that allows a guest to inhale toxic cleaning products or off-gassing from interior materials. fortunately there were plenty of vendors at hd expo with beautiful options for sustainable or eco-friendly products.

stay tuned for more treasures from hd expo including a group of artists and craftsmen from whales!

Venice Surprises

i'm still getting used to the different architectural surprises i discover out here in LA versus my hometown in new england. instead of charming and well-maintained homes marked prominently on the front with dates in the 1600s to 1800s, i see much newer architecture here. the mix includes craftsman bungalow, spanish mediterranean, modern, cape cod, and ranch. the oldest homes i think i've seen here were only built in the 1900s!

however, there are incredible treasures that are unmatched in new england. for example, venice has a small residential neighborhood with canals and walking paths along both sides, small bridges, dinghies and many ducks! originally built in 1905 to copy venice, italy, most of the canals were filled in to accommodate the automobile in 1929. i take all my out of town guests through here so they can experience the magic of this very special place.

tonight, i was down the street from the canals, at the beach end of venice blvd and saw beautiful tiles at the entrance of what appeared to be an apartment building (see images above). i'm not sure of their history or true style, but they're similar to some hispano-moorish reproduction tiles at solar antique tiles, www.solarantiquetiles.com (see below left). another great tile resource is lascaux tile, www.lascauxtile.com, an example of which is shown in the image below right which is from a project by michael s. smith, my prior employer.

Check out these cool SoftService pillows below that are hand-painted, hand-embroidered and made sweatshop-free in LA, www.servicestudio.com. The same talented company, Service, also make t-shirts with a similar technique designed by the talented founder, Michael Sy. He is architecturally trained, and also has an impressive identity and environmental business including display, video, web and signage with more info at the same website. Many of his clients are architects, landscape architects and interior designers.

Green = Quality + Beauty

I just returned from a terrific training to become a Certified Green Building Professional through Build It Green (www.builditgreen.org), taught by Marc Richmond! Marc is an extremely knowledgeable green builder and consultant (www.practicaconsulting.com) who made both days extremely entertaining, engaging and most of all, informative. The Green Point Rated guidelines is only available for California residential buildings and is a bit less stringent than LEED, but requires less paperwork to get a home certified. It was wonderful to see so many builders, designers, subcontractors and Realtors there to learn more about green building. The biggest lesson we learned was that GREEN BUILDING means buildings and spaces that are BEAUTIFUL, HEALTHIER, COMFORTABLE and constructed with QUALITY materials INSTALLED CORRECTLY. The ENVIRONMENTAL component is merely a bonus benefit! With this additional knowledge and certification, eTTa designs looks forward to working on many more eco-friendly, sustainable and green design projects!

Biomimicry and Structural Design

I feel extremely fortunate to live in LA with such wonderful opportunities and thrilling experiences. I don't mean the Hollywood kind where people get discovered and become stars, but something deeper. Every day in LA there seems to be an event or activity where the community comes together to meet each other and learn about and appreciate a variety of topics like art, literature, design, music, culture, technology and the environment.

Last night was a perfect example of one such LA treasure, only a mile away from my home! I attended a fascinating lecture at an impressive furniture studio tucked in a residential neighborhood. A group of about 30 people gathered to hear Mike Leneman present 'Biomimicry and Structural Design' in a cool space made out of a container known as A.N.T. Gallery (for Art, Nature, Technology) at Ilan Dei Studio, a magnificent furniture designer's shop and showroom, off Abbot Kinney (http://www.ilandeistudio.com/home.php).

Mike is a Professor of Oceanography and for the past 35 years he has been racing, cruising and building multihulls. He is also the most winning multihull sailor on the West Coast! Mike's sincerity and enthusiasm for geology, sailing and teaching captured the audience's attention. He covered a lot of territory and there is no way I can do his instruction justice here. So I will just summarize a few points. Michel explained how the evolution in nature relates to the evolution of design and in this case, boat design. He also presented examples of the relationship between nature and boat design and how nature inspires design. Some of the correlations were the strength of hollow bamboo stalks and boat masts, the shape of fish fins and keels, and the structure of bird wings and sails. You can learn more about Mike and his boat design business at www.multimarine.com.