IN with the IN Crowd: The New High School Clique

IN with the IN Crowd: The New High School Clique: "Well I have decided that the iPhone is the ultimate Cool Kids Clique. If you don't have one, you are forced to wait your turn to be picked f..."

The New High School Clique

Well I have decided that the iPhone is the ultimate Cool Kids Clique. If you don't have one, you are forced to wait your turn to be picked for the Dodge Ball team. You're the kid that can't climb the rope, the one that doesn't want to undress in the locker room.

Devices don't make you cool. Did James Dean have an iPhone? Hepburn? Steve McQueen? The Fonz? Their persona made them cool. They didn't have to have an external gadget to be the ultimate. I don't have an iPhone. And since I backed over my Blackberry I'm just not that connected. And you know what? I sleep better. I don't get up at 3AM anymore to return a clients email about a cabinet concern or a counter top. I can do that when I get up. The answer will be the same at 3AM as it is at 6AM. I still care  about my customer, but can care more with a clear head.

I've decided that the real reason to have an iPhone and pay all those data charges is to be the Cool Kid. The one in the IN crowd.  I have an iPad.  With Kindle, and email. So maybe I'm not the Cool Kid with all the apps on my cell. But at least I can see Angry Birds better on a big screen. 

A Visit to the Amish Country

Every now and then I get the opportunity to visit a museum with an exhibit that not only expands my design sensibilities but rivals my level of understanding. Who could have thought the Amish quilts from the 1920's could pack such a punch? I mean WOW.

Saturated color in combinations that make you just  want to roll in them, these quilts are breaking the barrier of our cultural understanding. Amish farm wives and daughters and "women-folk" in the Depression Era hand stitched these incredible works of art using fabrics passed down from generations that were worn as clothing first. The fabrics were then given an artistic rebirth in the form of a quilt. 

Not just color - AMAZING color. Color that makes me giddy.

The quilts are part of the ESPRIT collection and were housed in the corporate offices in San Francisco in the 1970's. ESPRIT clothing, as well as their branding and marketing designs were based on a simple grid system. Mondrian in effect, the clothing was vibrant and color infused. These quilts hung in the ESPRIT offices as design inspiration and an ode to the dynamic  power of simple graphics. And to think they were made in little old Lancaster County on Amish farms in PA. 

And here is where the paradigm shift comes in.  We think of the Amish as a backward, quiet community that doesn't use electricity or drive cars.  They farm the land with horse drawn equipment, make their own clothes and don't have phones. An oddity in the iPad, iPhone gotten get in done world that we live in. 

We think of "Witness" and the Amish in a preconceived notion. We don't see the depth of color present in the human spirit. We don't cognitively give in to that fact that the people that made this art - these quilts - felt intense emotions, the strength of their convictions and beliefs as we do.

 If color is any indication of the human condition, it is worn like a banner in the confines of this museum.

If you have the opportunity to go to this wonderful exhibit in the center of the city of Lancaster, PA, take some time and take it in.  The quality in each piece is uncompromising. The stitch work - all by hand - precise, exacting and tedious. The color squares visually vibrate...imagine the hours of work that went into a single quilt.

Amazing what we mere mortals can do, can create - right smack in the heart of a Depression. 

http://quiltandtextilemuseum.com/qt/?p=73

Lancaster Quilt & Textile Museum
Lancaster, PA 17603
(717) 397-2970

info@lancasterheritage.com

So OK its' been written about before this blog. But I kinda think this is cool enough for another mention. Popped into Hunt Valley Tile & Stone the other day to see a wall that looked like an Andy Warhol montage. Don Werneke, owner, enthusiastically explained that the wall was made completely of recycled skate boards. Pretty out of the box, pretty stoked I'd say.

Recycling has presented itself in many different apparitions.  Recycled glass fragments incorporated into counter tops using Skyy vodka bottles or Alehouse Amber makes a statement, as does utilizing post-consumer wine cork stoppers for floor tiles. I think I could contribute to that cause. In any case, the skateboard tiles really caught my attention.

They're fun, fresh and produced locally in Hanover, PA. The goal of Art of Board is to keep broken or unwanted skateboards out of landfills. Why do I like this concept when I haven't been on a skateboard in - well, never mind. I like it because of the visual appeal and environmental impact. Art of Board also celebrates that each board is not only a graphic work of art, but that all recycled boards have their own story - their dings and their dents are preserved to show the beauty of wear, of use, of skills learned. 

They're thrashed and they're proud. Alot like those of us that are warriors of life. Celebrating everyday wear and tear, of blows to the heart and soul. Wearing it out loud. And given yet another chance to show our many colors.

Weaving its' way in a consumer savvy landscape, Art of the Board can create a wall or floor that works with your color palette. These tiles can be grouped into various color segments, still random in pattern but can accommodate the desire to have a wall of yellow boards. Or blue, or green. Cool stuff. This sent me into such a tailslide I almost did a wallie. Custom tiles out of random art. Now wrap your head around that. 

To see a wall or visit the site, click on the links below. I gotta tell you, Hunt Valley Tile is always on the cutting edge of whats' out there. Good people that work toward bringing you what you least expect. Experience, enthusiasm and a way of seeing things anew by utilizing products morphed into diverse and different functions. Makes me want to rockandroll into a 360.



http://www.huntvalleytileandstone.com/
http://www.artofboard.com/
http://www.vetrazzo.com/

New Age Design...: Serious Style

New Age Design...: Serious Style: "There's this rumor going around that 'Aging in Place' has to have an industrial appeal. That walls have to be white to match the s..."

Serious Style

There's this rumor going around that "Aging in Place" has to have an industrial appeal. That walls have to be white to match the shoes and belt, and that the feel should be that of a santarium. Well I beg to differ. 

In designing a space that increases functionality and ease of use for the client, the result doesn't need to be sterile. Incorporating elements of design that wow the senses can create a bath remodel that looks good - and FEELS good. I very much believe and practice the Japanese sensibility of bringing the outdoors in. A tactile experience complimented with a soothing color scheme can create a customized space that simply allows a sigh of contentment. And what a better retreat than in a bathroom - where our day starts and ends.   

By utilizing natural elements like a wispy soft porcelain tile, pebble stones, teak and granite this recent bath remodel allows for accessibility with some stylish assistance. Oil rubbed bronze grab bars, taller vanity cabinets and ADA compliant comfort height commode assist in creating user stability without giving up fashion. The door was removed that enclosed the WC, the existing tub and shower replaced with a walk in glass enclosed shower. A hand held shower wand as well as a shower head on the opposite wall creates options and good looks. 

Streamlined and functional, two niches were created to house necessary soaps and shampoos and are treated with the same pebbles for visual appeal. Plenty of counter space and a framed mirror to reflect the window on the opposite wall expands the space and mind. The unusual pop of khaki green on the ceiling brings warmth, soothes the spirit and softens the hard surfaces. 


I feel an "ahhhhhhhhhh" coming on.  My client said she couldn't ask for anything more.

To hear a client say that at the end of a project - well, neither could I. 

Project partners' websites are below. How wonderful to work with succinct professional people that know how to have fun.  I love it when a plan comes together....

http://greenleafbaltimore.com/
http://huntvalleytileandstone.com/
http://franksgranite.com/
                                                                

Take a seat....: When is a chair not a chair?

Take a seat....: When is a chair not a chair?: "At a recent gallery opening at The Art Institute of York, PA, I was amazed to see how the mind can take an object that we utilize every day ..."