I attended my first HD Expo, the largest design expo I, personally, have ever attended. The venue was at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and I had a hunch it was going to be a good experience from the minute I got there. The kind gentleman at the reception desk upgraded me to a Penthouse my first night at no additional cost. Talk about studying hospitality interiors. I got to take in an incredible environment, first hand.
Here are a few photos of my decadent pad on the 62nd floor, the top of Mandalay Bay overlooking The Strip:
After switching gears and meeting up with my travel mate, Shannon, I wandered the three day show that welcomes over 10,000 designers, architects, and hotel owners and features more than 800 hospitality design manufacturers and vendors. It was a productive venture. I opened new accounts, learned about innovative products, services, and solutions, developed existing relationships, and gained an incredible amount of inspiration.
It’s an exciting time for lighting. I discovered a couple of made-in-California companies I am happy with, as well as familiar stand-by companies.
Innovations in materials and great geometric looks in tile:
The sky is the limit in wall panels, made of nearly anything and everything, creatively adding interest, texture, lighting accents, and acoustic performance:
And my favorite plumbing fixture at the show. I read about American Standard and their innovative new faucets that are made through a 3D printer in Metropolis Magazine on my way down to Las Vegas. The water actually flows through each tiny channel creating a great flow and look:
I had the pleasure of creating a serene master suite for a wonderful couple that live hectic, stressful lives. We began by closing up an office that was adjacent to the bedroom, then allowing access to that room from the master bedroom. The master closet was originally located in the master bath, so I moved the master closet to what used to be the office, making an enormous master bath and master his & hers closet located on either side of the master bedroom. I designed and locally commissioned two barn doors to separate the spaces. My design concept was inspired by the landscape of Montana in the winter: white, grey, light blue, and straw colors and a lot of texture, with the goal of achieving a peaceful, serene, and elegant retreat. When I found the marble, aptly named, ‘Winter Cloud’, my heart sang and it served as the hub of the wheel, with each design decision a spoke off of the hub from there. Marble, wood, stone, hand-forged iron, wool, and organic cotton were important contributors in making this interior rich. I put a lot of thought into lighting, layering ambient light, directed light onto the stone accents, and task lighting throughout. Have a look:
Here are some images of Becky Broeder Design’s most recent completed interior design project, a large remodel in Montana. Inspired by Montana’s High Line, where the client was born and raised, this forested mountain home recalls the airiness and beauty of the prairie. Becky designed every detail: custom cabinets, trim, crown, locally-made doors and much more. Each detail was hand-drawn then masterfully crafted by Montana’s finest. Careful thought went into multi-layered lighting, functionality of spaces, and adherence to the consistent design aesthetic of Montana’s serenity. Becky relied on her signature texture-driven approach, using natural elements such as stone, wood, and metal to create a peaceful and beautiful interior environment. Balancing public spaces to entertain guests and family with private spaces to relax and recharge were important considerations. Every opportunity to make this home highly functional on a technological level were also taken.
These images show the kitchen, breakfast nook, and dining room, featuring a wall of custom built-ins:
Last week I took the opportunity to attend the Las Vegas Market. I went because, over and over, I hear, ‘I want what is unlike what everyone else has.’ I saw some really amazing things. And spotted lots of trends. As a designer, I don’t put much thought into trends, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. There are design elements I kept seeing, some of which I have always had an affinity for: warm-toned metals (brushed and shiny brass), rose quartz colors everywhere (blush pink), horns are prolific (Montana’s contribution to style?), lots of African prints (seems like this is an every other year thing), high-gloss lacquered furniture seems to be taking the place of mirrored furniture, more tufted furniture than one can imagine, and raw wood case goods and accessories abound. I love looking at what’s new, hot, trending, for the same reasons I love Fashion Week. That said, I aspire to set trends versus follow them. The most exciting part of attending Market for me was thinking about what I wasn’t seeing. Gathering inspiration, especially where furniture is concerned.
I had a serendipitous moment, happening upon Design Icon, Thomas Pheasant. He spoke to our fairly small group about his plight, his talent (yes, he’s not ashamed to admit that he’s a supreme talent, and in the most endearing way), his career, and his process. I was thinking as he was talking, ‘I am exactly where I need to be’, which is something I questioned after 4 hour delays and three lay overs to get to a place I could drive to in a day. Thomas is an incredible interior designer who truly enhances the interior architectural environment. I’d say he’s modern neoclassical, but in the most approachable and modern, crisp, comfortable way. He’s the master of making neutrals divine, and even makes color a neutral beautifully. And he designs furniture. Really nice furniture, for Baker and McGuire, and his Studio collection makes my heart sing. Take a look: http://www.thomaspheasant.com/interiors/
He spoke heavily about finding your aesthetic, staying true to your creative self, and practice. He’s encouraged me to look elsewhere for custom or vintage sources and to regularly draw again. I have always felt particularly drawn to designing furniture, even before I could create an entire interior to house it. My Grandpa was a furniture maker and I was his shadow from a very young age, living right next door to his shop. It was impressed upon me in the best way. I made my first monstrosity of a piece, my own design, out of pine then stained my two least favorite colors now: golden, then red which turned it orange, in 1987, when I was 14 years old. I loved that thing, even though it was out of square in so many ways and a horrendous color.
I’ve had the incredible opportunity to be able to design furniture and have it made locally. We live among world-class artisans and being at Market reminded me to continue to use them. My collaborative efforts in designing and creating furniture will never bore me. I find a lot of joy in delivering something ‘unlike what everyone else has’. It’s been so fun for me to be inspired by what I’ve seen, yet reinterpret it, tailored to my client, influenced by what my head chews on.
Here are a couple of photos of some showroom eye candy. I LOVED Christopher Guy, in particular… Enjoy!
I discuss the impact of the built environment on human health and wellness a lot, and I do so because where we use our bodies is just as important as what we put into our bodies. The construction industry is seeking to meet new demands to improve, or at least not diminish, human health and wellness. Focusing on building materials and finishes is a great place to start.
An emerging concern is whether or not a material contains toxicants. Toxicants are chemicals synthesized or concentrated by manufacturing that are harmful to our health. They may negatively impact the functioning of respiratory, neurological, endocrine, and other bodily systems. And even though we’ve come a long way in reporting data that relates to recycled and regionally sourced content, we still know very little about a materials ‘ingredients’ and how they will affect an occupant’s health. We now know, after decades of delay between science and practice, that lead and asbestos are not to be used at all costs. We are, however, still in the incubation phase of regulating toxicants. And beyond that, it’s rare that a product even declares what it is actually comprised of. The newest version of LEED rewards projects that source at least 20 materials where the manufacturers have fully disclosed the ingredients it contains. This is proven through third-party entities and published on the Health Product Declaration online database. It is my hope that just like the FDA requires compositional data from food manufacturers, we will have the same access to a product’s ingredients in the building industry. And just like those that choose to eat artificial, bad-for-you ingredients, there will be consumers / builders who will still opt to go the unhealthy route, which is unfortunate.
As a LEED AP, it was drilled into me years ago to be aware of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in products such as paint, the presence of formaldehyde in particleboard, and the toxicity of flame retardants on furniture and stain guard on carpets. However, we’re learning more and more every time I turn around about the real threat of a lot of common building products and finishes to human health and wellbeing. A recent study showed that minimizing VOCs in an office environment significantly improved cognition. This isn’t just great for the inhabitants, but for business’ bottom lines, as well. Healthcare environments have eliminated formaldehyde, which in turn has led to a reduction in asthma symptoms by over half. These types of measures have been shown to be more cost effective than clinical treatments of related illnesses.
What can you do? If you’re embarking on a new project or remodel, early planning is key. Hiring a qualified design or building professional who knows how to navigate through the threat of ‘green washing’ is a good route to go. If you go it alone, research, research, research. There is information available that is trustworthy. Here are a couple of third party organizations that certify, report, or catalog healthy materials: Cradle to Cradle, Pharos, and GreenWizard. In my own practice, there are times when it’s unavoidable to source some less-healthy products because of durability, code, availability, cost, but when I have the opportunity to substitute a ‘good’ finish with a ‘bad’ finish, I feel it’s my obligation to my clients, family, and friends to do so.
It’s important to know that there are options. Many manufacturers are preparing themselves for the inevitable trend of consumers requiring more information on products’ impacts on their health and wellbeing, and are taking strides in providing more data for us to make informed decisions.
I chose interior design as my passion and life work because I love to help people live happy, healthy, productive, peaceful lives. My education has drilled into me the importance of designing for health and safety, which is paramount to the decisions we make as designers every day. Taking this a step further, I believe in designing for mental health and safety. In our society, bombarded by negative stimuli and inundated with bad stuff, it’s imperative to our mental and physical health to find peace and quiet. The American Society of Interior Designers, ASID, states on their website that ‘in addition to designing environments that reduce stress, promote healing and are safe, trained and qualified interior designers need to apply their skills to create spaces that foster self-realization and unleash human potential.’ Personally, I think the best antidote to the noise of anger, greed, and narcissism is in training myself to think positive, loving, and helpful thoughts. I’ve been thinking a lot about the proven power of positivity and how I can apply that to my professional practice.
Much of my work is on residential projects, where I’m working very closely with clients to create sanctuaries that are comfortable, inspirational, restful, peaceful, and provide a healthy balance between solitary spaces to recharge and gathering spaces to stay connected with loved ones. Barbara L. Fredrickson wrote an article entitled Open Hearts Build Lives: Positive Emotions, Induced Through Loving-Kindness Meditation, Build Personal Resources, which scientifically asserts that people’s daily experiences of positive emotions compound over time to build a variety of consequential personal resources: increased mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, and decreased illness symptoms. The long term result was proven to be increased life satisfaction and reduced depressive symptoms. So how can we adopt this practice and achieve these results in our own environments at home or work?
As a designer, it’s my job to get to know my clients well enough to anticipate and design for their needs. This involves designing for things they may not even know they need, but I know they will appreciate on a conscious AND subconscious level. The answers aren’t universal, they are very personal, but there are things that I know about humans in environments that can be applied to most people. Among universal design elements that feed our positive side are increased day lighting, getting outdoors daily, movement, and exploring & implementing that delicate balance between quite contemplation or mediation with social engagement or interaction. Finding a way to allow yourself to make these things a priority, then asking yourself what makes you feel your best you are important steps in being mindful about how your environment either aids or inhibits positive thinking.
I will be looking further into design elements that help aid in quality of life in coming posts. Thanks for reading and think positive!
