Written by:  Robin Pittman

Cooperative

Function:  Adjective

1)  working or acting together willingly for a common purpose or benefit. 

2)  demonstrating a willingness to cooperate. 

3)  pertaining to economic cooperation 

4)  involving or denoting an educational program comprising both classroom study and on-the-job or technical Function:  Noun

5) a jointly owned enterprise engaging in the production or distribution of goods or the supplying of services, operated by its members for their mutual benefit, typically organized by consumers or farmers. 

6) Also called co-op , cooperative apartment. 

a. a building owned and managed by a corporation in which shares  are sold, entitling the shareholders to occupy individual units in the building. 

b. an apartment in such a building.

By now we’ve all seen the farming co-ops popping up around town where groups join to tend to the garden, and quite literally – reap what they sow. Taking home vegetables you have grown yourself must be such a rewarding feeling!

I think of kitchen design being somewhat of a “design cooperative”.   The combined efforts of myself, the interior designer, the architect, the contractor, the homeowner, and the rest of the team involved in the development of the kitchen project – we are all “working or acting together willingly for a common purpose or benefit”.   Clearly that common purpose is to exceed our client’s expectations with the final installation of their new kitchen!  We all work together on materials selections, the implementation of the client’s needs and wants, as well as the technical details and specifications that make every aspect of the design come together cohesively.  

One could compare kitchen design to gardening...the initial design meetings are equivalent to planting the seeds, the following meetings for design development would be the watering/fertilizing – watching the plans “grow”, the fabrication and installation stage equal the harvesting of the plants, and finally the end product – the client enjoying their beautiful new kitchen would be like sitting down to a delicious meal created from these beautiful vegetables grown from your own hard work!

Written by:  Brian Buchanan

Father

Function:  Noun

1) One who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter, a male parent.

2) One who performs the offices of a parent by maintenance, affectionate care, counsel, or protection.

My Dad is a designer. He designs furniture; rustic, outdoor furniture.  He is quite talented.  He has shown his work in art shows and builds custom items for both permanent and seasonal homeowners in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

Written by:  Diane Baumeister

Father

Function:  Noun

 1) One who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter; a  generator; a male parent.

Dad & Design 

Ok, I’ve thought a lot about this combination and since my Dad isn’t one to think much about aesthetics or design, I do know one thing that he likes a lot and that is golf. So it made sense to me to take a look at golf courses and explore the beauty of  these man made landscapes.

Written by: Robin Pittman

Dad/Father

Function: Noun

1) man who has begotten a child

2) one related to another in a way suggesting that of father to child

My dad is hands-down one of the greatest men on the planet.  He makes no qualms about letting my brother and I know how much he loves us, and we know who to call should we ever need any advice or guidance – we know he’ll steer us in the right direction!

As for design, spending the day perusing the treasures at Scott’s, or exploring off-the-beaten-path antique/consignment shops – well, let’s just say that’s nowhere near the top of Dad’s list of “ideal” weekend activities. He’ll leave that to me and Mom.  You’re more likely to find him on the golf course or burrowed down in the “Man Pit” watching some random sporting event on the big screen.

Where Dad undoubtedly encouraged my design career was by instilling in me the love of travel and appreciation of the wide and varied world we live in!  Growing up I was so fortunate to have a family that loved to travel and take family trips every year, whether that was to the beach, skiing out west, or someplace more exotic and international.  

Some of my favorite places my family has visted:

Hilton Head Island, SC will always be a special place to me – my family spent 2 weeks here every summer, and as a kid, those were the greatest 2 weeks of the year!

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

 Florence, Italy

 

Mother Earth

By Laurie Lehrich

Mother Earth: a common metaphorical expression for the Earth and its biosphere as the giver and sustainer of life

When I think about my own mom and design, I sometimes think these two couldn’t be further apart.  My mom, a bookkeeper by trade, was a young woman during WWII and went to work instead of finishing school while the men were off at war.  She didn’t know much about architecture or design as I recall, and didn’t really know how to ‘accessorize’.  In retrospect, our modest home was a hodgepodge of furnishings and items that were simply perfunctory, perhaps with a few sentimental items mixed in.  Our home was embellished with a lot of “kid made” decorations and art projects to fill in the voids.  

What she lacked in a sophisticated design palette, she made up for in encouraging our creativity by keeping us in a seemingly endless supply of Crayolas, Elmer’s glue, and construction paper.  Further, she continually pointed out how we could embellish our “artwork” by the use things around the yard, the nearby woods, or beach.  Flowers, twigs, stones, seashells, and a myriad of other “finds” on our walks could be consumed into our art.  She proudly displayed our creative efforts as fine works, and encouraged us to keep expressing our individual selves without reservation.  

Thanks Mom, for all those boxes of sharp new Crayola-64s with the “built in” sharpener.  Simple pleasures and broad smiles to be sure.  (I bet you smiled when you saw the picture!)

As an adult and a design professional, I realize now that my mom’s influence comes back to me in many unexpected ways.  Some that I bet would surprise her as well.

Because of my mom, I have a huge appreciation for Mother Nature as an influence on both architecture and design and I look to the great outdoors for inspiration more often than not.  I love natural materials; colors and textures that bring the elements outside in.

My own bathroom reflects natural elements.  The serenity of this space, for me, comes from the representation of earth and water in the color and material selections.

A view of the interior shows the highly polished “watery” slate floors that bridge the interior to the exterior without visual interruption.  Note that the corner windows have no vertical mullions at the bend for an unobstructed view to outside.

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:  Mary Kathryn Timoney

BalancE

Like so many others, I have always found it such a challenge to find balance. As a new mom, I am plagued with this even more than ever before.  Be it balancing social time and “me” time, work and play, finances, relationships, and even nutrition, it seems that achieving balance becomes a life-long challenge and goal.

Upon researching the definition of balance, I found 32 definitions at www.dictionary.com alone!  It’s no wonder finding balance is such a challenge when even the definition of the word itself is so multi-faceted.

…And what is it really that we are seeking? What is our reward for this constant toiling for balance?  Without hesitation, I have to say it is equilibrium, peace, and calm.  

As related to design, I find that the best designed spaces evoke a sense of calm. These interiors are those inviting spaces in which we can imagine ourselves living versus those that leaving us feeling as though we should look and not touch. This is perfectly embodied in this room by Womack Interiors.

In kitchens, balance is achieved through the use of scale and symmetry. This is perfectly illustrated in this kitchen, featured in the 2006 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Decorators’ Show House. The massive hood is balanced by the two tall elements on the left and right walls of the room.  Had the less weighty choice of wall cabinets been implemented, they would have been dwarfed by the mass of the hood and it would have overwhelmed the space.  The visual weight afforded by the tall elements, symmetrically balanced with their mirror image on the opposite wall, creates a wonderful sense of balance in the room. 

While I find creating balance in design to be more easily achieved than in life, I realize that I need to give myself a break. After all, as defined by Wikipedia, balance is “a desirable point between two or more opposite forces”.  That in itself sounds pretty daunting.

Written by:  Lisa Anderson

Azalea-  a·zal·ea  

Function:  Noun

1)  Any of various shrubs of the genus Rhododendron having showy, variously colored flowers.

Written by:  Lou Guerra

Cherry blossom

Function:  Noun 

1. A cherry blossom is the name for the flower of cherry trees known as Sakura (Japanese kanji : 桜 or 櫻; hiragana: さくら) in Japanese. In English, the word "sakura" is equivalent to the Japanese flowering cherry.

2.  Cherry fruit (known in Japanese as sakuranbo) comes from another species of tree.

Images of Cherry Blossoms can serve as simple accents in almost any room of your home, regardless of whether or not the room has a specific Asian theme to its design. 

Written by:  Heather Paper

Heather

Function: noun

A common Eurasian heath (Calluna vulgaris) of northern and alpine regions that has small crowded sessile leaves and racemes of tiny, usually purplish-pink flowers and is naturalized in the northeastern United States.  

Although “purplish-pink” is the most common color of heather, it can be found in various tints and shades—from magenta and amethyst to lavender and, yes, even mauve. Its naturally cool hue is calming, making it a particularly good choice for the bedroom. The bed and Roman shade in this young girl’s retreat look as if they were pulled right from a field of heather:

Designer:  Amanda Nisbet 

This master bedroom, on the other hand, is based on a lavender hue: 

Designer:  Robin Bell 

But there’s no need to limit heather-like hues to your sleeping quarters. Living spaces are just as appropriate for purplish tones, whether you want to use just a little…

Designer:  Summerour and Westbrook 

…or a lot.

Designer:  Bob Brown 

Come to think of it, maybe it's no coincidence that--in the past--I've had kitchens splashed with aubergine, bedrooms wrapped in dusty plum. With a name like Heather, I'm bound to be attracted to the purplish hue!