Worth Repeating 

Written by Laurie Lehrich

Visual Rhythm is one of the most powerful principles of effective architecture and design.  It has been described as a timed movement through space.  It strengthens a concept, gives weight to a design, and I find that there is something reassuring and solid about a predictable pattern or detail.

One can achieve rhythm in several ways: through repetition, linear rhythm, alternation, and gradation.  I see these methods employed daily in architecture,  kitchen design, and interiors.

This is one of my favorite New England photos that illustrates how soothing a repetitive design can be.  This fence may be found in Bennington, VT.

Another effective use of rhythm in the tile pattern, the wine shelves, and the even in the wood grain. 

 I have no idea what this is; I liked it because it reminded me of a similar project way back in college.  Fun times. 

Another method for creating rhythm is by way of alternation. M.C. Escher was a master at this technique.

Gradation Rhythm in wood slats created as a room divider.

Two lovely examples of linear rhythm. 

Written by:  Matthew Quinn

Polygonal blocks:

Kitchen Island  

Written by:  Lou Guerra 

Function:  Noun

An unattached counter in a kitchen that permits access from all sides

1)  A zone or area resembling an island

It’s often said that the kitchen is the heart of the home.  I don’t think I’ve met anyone who would disagree with that notion.  But I also think that if the kitchen is the heart of the home, the island is the beat of the heart from which all the warmth flows.

Ever since we started our blogs here at Design Galleria a few months ago, whatever the word, whomever the writer, however the tie-in to design, I find myself visualizing my own house, and how the writer’s ideas and photo depictions can transform the spaces of the little sanctuary I call home.  I can not put into words the dreams these blogs have inspired.

I’ve lived in my home for eight years, and from day one, I have fantasized about the perfect island for the center of my kitchen.  To this day, my kitchen is missing this centerpiece.  It’s missing the beat.

You probably think there is something wrong with me that I can’t find my fantasy island after eight years.  I have many personal design challenges (which is why I’m an accountant and not a designer) and I tend to over think things.  My house is older and traditional, but I tend to have modern tastes.  Getting those two things to meld well is not easy.  Here are some of the things that bounce around in my head when I think about an island for my kitchen:  I’m torn with how the side profile of the island should look as I enter into the kitchen from the dining room.  Should the island be the same height as my countertops?  Higher? Lower?  Round? Square? Some other shape? Neutral in color? Provide a splash of vibrant color? Do I have enough space to fit a few bar stools on one side?  How long is too long?  How wide is too wide? Should it have a more open base or one closed for more storage?  Will my ultimate choice add to the flow of the room or will it impede it?  

The beat of the island should be rhythmic and smooth, not clunky or bothersome.  All of these choices/decisions and all of my personal challenges will keep this fantasy and search alive for much longer. Of that, I’m sure.  But I can tell you this…when I finally find one, it will be absolutely perfect.

Written by:  Brian Buchanan

 Induction Cooktop

Induction- in·duc·tion

Function: noun 

1 a : the act or process of inducting (as into office)

 b : an initial experience : initiation 

c : the formality by which a civilian is inducted into military service

2 a (1) : inference of a generalized conclusion from particular instances — compare deduction 2a (2) : a conclusion arrived at by induction 

b : mathematical demonstration of the validity of a law concerning all the positive integers by proving that it holds for the integer 1 and that if it holds for an arbitrarily chosen positive integer k, it must hold for the integer k + 1 —called also mathematical induction

3 : a preface, prologue, or introductory scene especially of an early English play

4 a : the act of bringing forward or adducing (as facts or particulars) 

b : the act of causing or bringing on or about 

 : the process by which an electrical conductor becomes electrified when near a charged body, by which a magnetizable body becomes magnetized when in a magnetic field or in the magnetic flux set up by a magnetomotive force, or by which an electromotive force is produced in a circuit by varying the magnetic field linked with the circuit 

d : the inspiration of the fuel-air charge from the carburetor into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine 

e : the process by which the fate of embryonic cells is determined (as by the action of adjacent cells) and morphogenetic differentiation brought about

With the introduction of smart phones along came instant email, texting, status updates on Facebook, tweeting on Twitter, checking in with foursquare and on and on. Our daily lives are quickly becoming a bit hectic.  Any professional organizer will tell you in order to help relieve the clutter in our lives we must eliminate the clutter in our homes.  Kitchens are no exception.  

One way to reduce kitchen clutter is the use of induction cooktops.  These sleek cooktops can help visually clean up your counter top, eliminating the need for knobs and grates, allowing a smooth surface that virtually disappears.  They are the iPads of a kitchen.  

Induction cooking is the use of high-frequency electromagnets, which generate electromagnetism energy into a pan, causing the pan to heat.  This, in turn, cooks the food.  The pan is the only thing that is heated, allowing the cooktop to remain cool.  

This photo from the St. Regis Atlanta Symphony Showhouse is the perfect example of a cooktop that virtually disappears.

Here are other photos showing the use of induction cooktops.

Written by:  Rachel Martin 

Freedom

Function: Noun

1)  The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

2)  Absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government

3)  The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved : the shark thrashed its way to freedom.

4) The state of being physically unrestricted and able to move easily

In our culture we enjoy the freedom to express ourselves through words, music, fashion, art, architecture, design, literature, and in many other walks of our lives.  We have been given the gift to freely grow and demonstrate our styles, our tastes, and our accomplishments in art and design.

This is not the case in many parts of the world.  There are many oppressed peoples who need for food, water, shelter, medicine and the most basic freedoms we experience in our day to day lives.  Yet, so many of these peoples continue their rich and vibrant art forms.  Many of the worlds talented artisans struggle to simply feed their poor or nomadic families.  

As a society we do have opportunities to help, to teach, and to learn side by side with artisans throughout the world.  We can bring some of our freedom to their lives and to their art forms and to their economic situations.  There are many philanthropic arts organizations that teach communities how to generate jobs and and create income with their skills.  They teach business skills and make connections between retailers and artisans.  Our ability to help brings more art forms into our vocabulary and helps nourish the people of our world. 

Written by:  Mary Kathryn Timoney

Plutocracy- plu·toc·ra·cy 

2. a government or state in which the wealthy class rules. 

Plutocracy is rule by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth…” - wikipedia 

Before the equal voting rights movement managed to end it in the early 20th century, many countries used a system where rich persons had more votes than poor. A factory owner may for instance have had 2000 votes while a worker had one, or if they were very poor no right to vote at all. Even artificial persons such as companies had voting rights. In the US, it would take until 1945 before persons living on welfare and persons in personal bankruptcy would get voting rights.”

So, how does this relate to design? 

Not so long ago, choices for items that were “designer inspired” were few and far between for those of us on a budget.  Over the past few years, our choices have been increased exponentially. Wherein we only had “one vote” when it came to finding high design, i.e. that lucky find at a flea market or garage sale where the seller had no idea of the item’s value, we now how numerous “votes” broadening our opportunities.

Today we see designers’ collections at outlets such as Target, Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware, as well as affordable items that are inspired by very expensive pieces.

Given today’s economy, even the finest designers and shelter magazines are regularly giving tips on how to include luxury in our homes on a budget.  Here is an example from an article in “Traditional Home” Magazine. 

How are you weaving luxury into your designs during a recession?

Joe: It's all in the editing I think. We learned early on that good design doesn't mean that everything needs to be expensive. We try to infuse a "high-low" element in all of our designs. Thrift store finds or auction house steals get re-imagined while at the same time we invest in a few choice pieces that the client (or us) just "have to have." Luxury is what you make of it. To one person it might mean having a silk velvet sofa. To another it might be as simple as that perfect throw pillow that brings all the colors in a room together.

Parrish: Our clients seem to be the happiest when they are comfortable with their family and friends . . . in these hard times, that is a luxury. So we make them feel as comfortable with our designs.

http://www.traditionalhome.com/design_decorating/marketplace/20YoungDesigners_ss9.html

And from “House Beautiful”…

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/ideas/easy-home-decorating-0610

12 Easy Decorating Ideas You Can Do in a Day 

Small decor changes make a big impact in a home's look. Here are fast and inexpensive quick fixes from five interior designers.

Display Children's Art

Display drawings in a colorful frame, or in a white frame with a colored mat. Hang them in an otherwise unimaginative space. They're full of spirit — and meaningful. —Eric Cohler

Paint the Lampshades

Buy an inexpensive paper shade and paint it red — Farrow & Ball's Blazer is a gorgeous scarlet. A red shade makes the light incredibly romantic and flattering. —Joe Nye 

Bring on the Branches

Put branches in a container. You could even then go to Home Depot and get a small spotlight to light them from below. It casts fantastic shadows into empty corners. —Jean Larette 

Accessorize with Books

Stack art, design, gardening, travel books — whatever you collect — on a table. Books are my favorite accessory because they're so personal — they reflect your interests. —Joe Nye

Written by:  Diane Baumeister

nonconformist

Function:  noun

1) One who does not conform to, or refuses to be bound by, accepted beliefs, customs, or practices.  

And so we have here a word that is near and dear to my heart...

The Bauhaus school in Dessau, Germany, was probably the most important school of art, design, and perhaps architecture of the 20th century. Its avant garde designs made a radical break with the antique past and pushed German furniture design firmly into the Modernist camp.

The school, the "Staatliches Bauhaus", existed from 1919 to 1933. The term is based on the verb "to build" and the best translation is probably "Architecture House". The Bauhaus movement artisans emphasised function over form, decoration was discarded in favour of fairly strict use of clean lines, a characteristic of much modernist furniture.

The nonconformist chair and adjustable table by Eileen Gray

Written by:  Kelly Hamiltion

Father 

Function:  Noun

1.  a male father

1.  a male parent. 

2.  a father-in-law, stepfather, or adoptive father. 

3.  any male ancestor, esp. the founder of a race, family, or line; progenitor. 

4.  a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; paternal protector or provider: a father to the poor. 

 5.  a person who has originated or established something: the father of modern psychology; the   founding fathers. 

6.  a precursor, prototype, or early form: The horseless carriage was the father of the modern automobile.  

For today’s blog I want to focus on above definition #5 and pay tribute to the great “Fathers of Design” who paved the way for those of us working in this industry today.  Since this is supposed to be a blog and not a design history encyclopedia I have highlighted my one favorite design from each man.  It was really hard to choose just one...  

Frank Lloyd Wright:  Falling Water, Bear Run, Pennsylvania 1937

 

 

 

 

 

Louis Sullivan:  Wainwright Building 1890  

 

Frank Gehry  (Living Legend): Dancing House 1992-1996   

Written by: Dawn White

Nest

Function: noun 

1.  A bed or receptacle prepared by an animal and especially a bird for its eggs and young; a receptacle resembling a bird's nest

2.  A place of rest, retreat, or lodging 

3.  A group of objects made to fit close together or one within another

I am aware that I can take only a fraction of the credit, but my greatest designs will forever and always be my three kids whom I affectionately refer to as my baby birds.  That began when the very first would quietly open her mouth and ever so slightly tilt back her head when she was hungry- of course if nothing was inserted within a moment or two it would no longer be a quiet gesture.  Interestingly enough that was the one and only personality trait that all three shared in their early days.  

Various aspects of life are often referred to in terms associated with winged creatures.  One in particular, “nesting”, is used to describe how mothers-to-be create a suitable environment to shelter their eggs and where they will feed and nurture their young until they take off on their own.   

I can attest to being the most non-maternal of all mothers [in all of history I’m sure] and yet having an uncontrollable urge to tidy up and make ready shortly before each of my deliveries.  So, in honor of my own 3 little birds, Tori (which by complete coincidence means “bird” in Japanese), Jordon & Tylar and all of you who have personally experienced and/or witnessed the nesting phenomena, I thought I’d share some interesting nests. (Feel free to queue up/or sing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” before continuing)

Josef Albers (Bauhaus) Nesting Tables & reclaimed White Ash nesting bowls by Sons of Saturn… vibrant & colorful! 

Written by:  Jonathan Sturdivant

Mother

Function:  noun

1 a woman who has given birth to a child

My mother was born into a family of six with two sisters and an older brother. Her mother (my grandmother) was born into a family of thirteen children! They were all born and raised in Alabama and never ever really have any extra income. All of the younger kids got the older kids clothes once they had grown out of them. My mother eventually moved to Georgia where she met my father and got married. The saying in our house was that we had a roof over our heads and food on the table.