Everyone agrees that Hula girls are the trademark of Hawaii, and as a result, I wanted to find a Hula Lamp for my house.  I went to a local shop, Hula Lamps of Hawaii, and found exactly what I was looking for.  Their showroom is up in the hills of Kailua Kona, in an industrial park. They have antique-inspired lamps and can tell you the history of each design, and how each dancer’s movements tell a story.  Not only can you choose the pose, but you can select custom shades and automated skirts as well.  Founded by Charles Moore in 1997, Hula Lamps is not only an Island favorite, but has become the world’s premier hula lamp manufacturer.

“Each lamp is painstakingly cast and finished, resulting in something special and unique that will be cherished for generations.  . . .  Charles’ current efforts focus on designing and creating his own more detailed and contemporary styled hula girl lamps. His bronze lamps have become one of the most sought after treasures by visitors to Hawaii wishing to take home something truly special and unique.”

For more information, go to www.hulalamps.com to see their wide array of choices.

Many years ago, I fell in love with a rug in our hotel room at Hualalai, and our hotel was kind enough to forward me to the store that made it, Indich Collection. Indich Collection is a local boutique that uses traditional hand-made techniques to produce innovative rug designs and custom sizes.  “Inspired by the beauty of Hawaii, Indich Collection is one the most artful hand-woven carpet collections of the world. As direct importers with the largest inventory in the Pacific we have stock on hand to meet your interior decorating needs from fine Orientals to dhurries.”

Be sure to visit Indich’s online showroom at www.indichcollectionhawaii.com to see their selection of deep, plush rugs featuring beautiful tropical themes and colors. One of these custom carpets would be a great accent piece to bring a touch of Hawaii to your home.

No trip to the Big Island would be complete without visiting a coffee plantation. The owners of Watson-Kabei Coffee Estate supply their 100% Kona coffee to the Four Seasons Hotel on the Big Island.

“Dale Kabei and Gretchen Watson-Kabei established their 5-acre Kona coffee farm located at Hualalai Farms in Holualoa, Hawaii in 2004.   Their premium Kona coffee is a 464 degree Fahrenheit dark roast, rich in flavor.  Until recently, their Kona coffee was only available to select clientele.   Watson-Kabei Coffee is presently being served at a number of fine restaurants on the Island of Hawaii, and to many connoisseurs of great coffee across the WORLD! “

You can place your order online at www.watsonkabeicoffee.com. I promise you will not regret it!

Another unique food item native to the island is honey, and Big Island Bees Honey is the best I have sampled. Their honey is unique, because it is a single-source honey, meaning the bees collect the nectar and pollen from only one type of flower.  Each of the three honey flavors has its own distinct color, texture and taste due to the blossom’s soil, rainfall and temperature in which it grew.  Big Island Bees sells three different varieties: Wilelaiki, O’hia Lehua Blossom and Macadamia Nut Blossom.  Orders can be placed online at www.bigislandbees.com.

On the off chance you decide to drive around the island, check out Hawi Town.  This small town on the North side of the Big Island is full of interesting shops and art galleries.  I stopped in an interesting boutique, Elements, owned by John Flynn.  “[He] opened Elements in 1999 as a showcase for locally handmade art and fine crafts, including his own niobium, silver and 14k jewelry.  Elements has grown to be a local favorite for its unique collection of colorful, high quality jewelry and art, educated and friendly staff, commitment to artists and superb customer service.”  Visit their website, www.elementsjewelryandcrafts.com to see just some of what Elements has to offer.

No matter if you’re relaxing in the sun on a tropical island, or visiting a hectic metropolis, be sure to set aside some time to explore the local shops and businesses. You may discover a unique memento to take back home with you to remember your experiences.

From left to right, top to bottom:

1. A tree planted in a Fiat 500 to emphasize the consistency of design, sustainability and mobility. That will get your attention.

2. Reception of Qubique – Note the magazines circulating on the baggage loop. Berlin Tempelhof Airport.

3. Demonstration of handmade wallcovering.

4. Love these organic light fixtures from Lampensitz.

5. Great idea but not very comfortable outdoor table with umbrella by Extremis.

6. Meet Oppo designed by Stefan Borselius and manufactured by Bla Station.

7. Trip the lights fantastic – literally. House of Oled demonstrates their LED lights.

8. GRRRR Bommelcat rug by MYK-Berlin.

9. Giddy-up Cowgirl on these fun chairs. Mary Helen Pratte and Leslie Fossler demonstrate their riding technique.

10. Pluma Cubic feathered lamps paired with beautifully veneered bedding.

11. Foscarini presents their latest pendants.

12. Plateau seating designed by Erik Magnussen offers flexible seating options.

[before]

The original layout of the kitchen failed to encompass the area it was allotted. The back peninsula made the room feel cut off and blocked functional access to the glass doors behind it. Without an island, the room was left with an illogical amount of square footage in the center and lacked counter space and storage. The finishes were a bit outdated and rustic for the Clients’ European design style.

[3d model]

The original peninsula was removed, giving the space a more open plan for ease of use. The bar area, that was previously incorporated into the peninsula, is now more accessibly located at the entrance of the kitchen. A large island was added in the center of the room to house the new cooktop and range hood, increase storage, and create a focal point in the room. To appeal to the Clients’ love for European design, the cabinetry and hardware are low-profile and minimalistic. Cool tones of the sleek white cabinets and perimeter quartz countertops combined with warm tones of the zebra wood and gray quartz countertop at the island to convey a fresh, well-rounded, and comfortable environment.

[after]

Tarrytown Residence [Before]

Tarrytown Residence [After]

The back counter was removed from the the original kitchen layout to gain better access to the patio doors and allow for seating at the new central island with cook top. The original shaker style wood cabinets were replaced with modern white cabinets. Can’t wait to see the finished project!

Should any of the images below intrigue you or inspire you [and they will!], feel free to contact us for further information.

Special thanks go out to Flooring Solutions, Brian Lamkin, Kyle Sanguinet, Shaw Contract, Bridget Harris, Mobilia, and Gail Means for making this trip and it’s events possible!

What are some of your favorite details in designs you’ve seen?

Registered Interior Designers are responsible for how our choices affect the lives of the public who use the spaces we design. We must be well versed in the Texas Accessibility Standards [TAS], Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA] and the International Building Code [IBC]. These laws are an integral part of our space planning process and guide us on how to design spaces that do not obstruct those with disabilities or impede safe travel to an exit in an emergency situation.

Even as I compose this blog entry, a bill [HB 3167] is being discussed in the Government Reform Committee of our Texas Legislature that proposes deregulating Registered Interior Designers. The author’s reasoning behind the bill’s creation suggests that because Interior Designers do not affect the health, safety, and welfare [HSW] of the public there is no need for it to be a licensed profession. Clearly we take a fair amount of offense to this proposition as HSW is a large part of what we do every day.  If you read the seminar summary below I think you will agree that what we do reaches far beyond the ‘purely artistic’ label we have been given by one of the bill’s supporters:

I recently attended a seminar about the updated IBC codes where I reinforced my knowledge of the Code as well as learned a few new things I wanted to share with our readers to give them a better idea of the full scope of what we do as Designers.

In any design – for exiting alone – we must first  determine the number of exits required for the space which is based on both “Occupant Load” [how many people are allowed to occupy the space at one time] and “Occupancy Type” [classified by the type of use of the space].  There is a table in the IBC [1004.1.1] that provides the allowable ratios of people to square feet in any given space.

For instance: if your space is a Business occupancy [typical office scenario] the maximum occupant load for a one exit space is 49 people. If you exceed this amount two exits are required. But it goes even further.  If you need more than one exit you must determine the distance between the two exits by calculating by the maximum common path of egress travel distance. You are allowed 75′ to travel [in a non sprinkled building] to reach an intersection which either gets you to the exit or allows you two choices of path towards exits. The addition of fire sprinklers will raise that distance to 100′. You must also consider the distance between the exit doors themselves. In a non sprinkled area the exits must be equal to or greater than one half of the longest diagonal measurement of the space or one third of the longest diagonal of the space for sprinkled buildings.

An exit itself has many parts. A few definitions that may be helpful include: “Means of Egress” that consist of the “Exit Access” (Rooms & corridors),  the “Exit” (Exterior Exit Doors, Exit Enclosure, Exit Passageway, etc), the “Exit Discharge” (Exterior of building or Egress Courts) and the “Public Way”.

Not only do we need to consider the careful placement of the doors but also which direction they swing. Doors must swing in the direction of egress in spaces that serve an occupant load of fifty people or more. [It makes sense for people not to pile up behind a door that they are trying to get out of by pulling it towards them, right?].

The building corridor configuration also effects exiting locations. If you cannot meet the distance requirement for exits, another option is to create an occupancy separation wall. This separates two spaces into “smaller” exiting compartments. This will allow more flexibility in the space plan.

These are just a few key items that we take into consideration while planning a layout. Once we have satisfied all the needs that are both required by the IBC and that are a good solution for our client’s functional needs – only then do we move on to the Design Development phase that researches and identifies the best finish and furnishing applications for the project.

We then take all of the information gathered and compile them into the sealed Construction Documents [blue print type of set] that Contractors use to price out the job and that the City uses to review and ensure all the planning is code-compliant for permit approval purposes.

Much more complex than just paint, pillows, and purely artistic results, right? We hope you will agree with that statement and join us in telling our representatives that you, as an educated consumer, are against HB 3167.

Hopefully this post will clear up a little bit of the confusion as to what a Registered Interior Designer can accomplish. I would say, maybe one day we’ll have our own Barbie model but, in reality, all the accessories would be just about the same with maybe the addition of a paint deck just for fun…

Later this year, Mattel will introduce a new toy that caught our attention. In the 52 years that Barbie’s perky self has been around, she has had over 125 careers but this year she will be hitting the streets with blueprints and hard hat in tow. That’s right – Architect Barbie will be released in Fall of 2011 and it got us thinking…

You’re probably wondering at this point why dolls have anything to do with Building Codes and you’d be right to question us. What made our gears start turning was the fact that an Architect’s role is, at least, well known enough to have kids understand what this Barbie would do on a day to day basis in her career. But could the same be said for our profession?

Though the role of Interior Designer is still under debate in many states [including ours], Texas currently has a Title Act for Registered Interior Designers. It applies to those of us who have proven competency in the knowledge requirements of our field through licensing examinations.  It allows us to use the Title “Registered Interior Designer” and provide sealed Construction Documents for any non-structural work that falls within our scope. However, if you asked anyone on the street what they believe we do each day at our offices the responses are, typically, only partially correct…

Most think that what they see on HGTV programs is the full extent of our abilities but in reality many Registered Interior Designers do not do any residential design or mix residential in with the many commercial projects they do throughout the year. The selection of paint, fabrics, furniture, and accessories is definitely part of what we do but it’s actually a smaller percentage of the work than you’d imagine. Before we ever get to ‘the fun stuff’ we listen to our clients needs about how their business functions to get through the Programming and Schematic Design phases.

Our next post will go into detail about some of the processes we go through as Interior Designers – above and beyond what you might think we do…

Photos courtesy of Nick Blackhall

From left to right, top to bottom:

1. Looking out into the apartment courtyard – Bourbon Street, New Orleans

2. Impressive costume engineering for the St. Ann Parade – Bourbon Street, New Orleans

3. St. Louis Cathedral – Jackson Square, French Quarter

4. Vintage cast iron hitching post adorned with Mardi Gras beads – Bourbon Street, New Orleans

5. Mardi Gras Day Celebration – Royal Street, New Orleans

6. Lady Godiva’s Ride – Bourbon Street, New Orleans

7. Four legged festival attendee – New Orleans, LA

8. Costume contest entrant – St. Ann Street, New Orleans

9. Lone scooter – St. Peter Street, New Orleans

Aside from the celebrations in New Orleans, we have something to celebrate a little closer to home! We would like to congratulate Jeri Rosenthal and her husband, Jon on the recent addition to their family; little Dean Hayd’n Rosenthal!

Last week marked Kelle Contine’s final days here at PPDS. She devoted ten and a half years to our organization and made a remarkable and lasting impact on our social marketing efforts and graphic standards. Kelle recently welcomed her second child and has been feeling the tug of her heartstrings at home. She is a person that can excel at anything she puts her mind to and, at the moment, that is to raise two beautiful boys. We will greatly miss her but we all wish her the best!

On a brighter note, be on the lookout for our upcoming press in Design Guide magazine! One of our biggest residential projects; a residence at the 2010 Rough Hollow Parade of Homes will be featured in their upcoming issue and was recently highlighted in their latest blog post. Check out their blog here and be watching for the Austin-San Antonio Design Guide Edition 9 issue to hit the shelves to see more about the success of the project.

Dining Room and Kitchen at the 2010 Rough Hollow Parade of Homes Residence