BoutiqueDesign.com - Boutique Blog

Melissa Dosier: Moving forward with no regrets.

Posted by Sipco News Network

8/21/2008 12:57:47 PM

Melissa Dosier, ASID, is a designer with the ForrestPerkins team. She spent a few minutes giving us the goods on her job. Learn more about her here:

Why I love what I do:

The most rewarding part of the design process to me is actually seeing the project that I have visualized from the beginning concepts come to fruition in front of me. Our job as interior designers is to help others understand our vision for a space and it is exciting for me to be able to unveil the finished product. I love being able to create an environment that is not just a place but an experience for the guest.

What I'm currently working on:

I am currently working on the Salamander Resort and Spa which is a five star boutique in the famed horse country of Middleburg, Va., set to open in early 2010. I am also working on a new Westin in McKinney, Texas, also to open early 2010, which has the regional flare of north Texas within the renewal experience for Westin Design.

What I wish the world knew about interior design:

Interior design is not only about aesthetics but also the coordination of architecture and life safety for those that inhabit the space. An interior designer is set apart from decorators by the extensive knowledge that we possess about requirements to meet building and ADA codes, criteria for LEED certified projects, and the ability to coordinate all of these details with the different disciplines that are apart of a project such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

What fascinates me:

I am fascinated by the constant evolution of design with advancement of technology and the focus on sustainable materials.

My mantra is:

Always moving forward with no regrets.

Something you don't know about me:

I love getting back to nature every chance I get. There is nothing that compares to the serenity of a beautiful sunset.

What I'd love to do before I die:

Travel the world. We have so much to learn from other cultures that will expand our ideas and make us more well-rounded designers.

Gary Koerner: Better to burn than to fade.

Posted by Sipco News Network

8/14/2008 10:56:44 AM

The Peninsula in Beverly Hills. The Fairmont Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico. The Ellington in Asheville, NC. These illustrious projects and more belong to designer and three Architecture president Gary Phillip Koerner. He founded the firm more than 20 years ago with the principles of a commitment to excellence and attention to detail � values that have helped make his projects some of the most celebrated in the world.

Koerner spent five minutes with BD's Q&A. Get to know more about him here:

Why I love what I do:

I have the opportunity to travel the world on someone else's nickel.

What I'm currently working on:

I am currently working on a boutique hotel for the old Pearl Brewery site in San Antonio, TX.

What fascinates me:

Always how many first-time developers there are of luxury hotels.

My mantra is:

It's better to burn out than fade away.

Something you don't know about me:

I attended a county elementary school with six grades, 70 students and three teachers.

What I'd love to do before I die: Play Golf Digest's Top 100 golf courses.

08.08.08 -- Submissions Due for the Boutique Design Awards This Friday Best Hotel. Best Spa. Best Restaurant. Best Nightclub. Designer of the Year.

Posted by Sipco News Network

8/6/2008 5:35:57 PM

Hey there all you last minute folks--there's a deadline to make, and it's this Friday. The Boutique Design Awards are still welcoming submissions for Best Hotel, Best Spa, Best Restaurant, Best Nightclub and Designer of the Year, but for just a couple more days.

It's easy, and free, to submit. And as they say, you have to be in it to win it.

Just follow these simple steps:

1. Fill out the form

2. Provide us with information on the project. The who, what, when, where and how.

3. Send us these documents, along with high-resolution interior shots (minimum five), via e-mail or CD.

Contact rebecca@sipco.net with any questions.

Best of luck!

Wendy Mendes practices restraint on her Harley Davidson Sportster 1200.

Posted by Sipco News Network

8/5/2008 5:28:12 PM

Give us five minutes and we'll give you the scoop on Wendy Mendes, the vice president of RTKL Associates. Check out her thoughts on what's going on in the design world in this month's article "Global Giants," available online.

Why I love what I do:

Because you get paid to have fun�.

What I'm currently working on:

Renaissance Club Sport Houston, Trump Cap Cana

What I wish the world knew about interior design:

It's more than a designer's opportunity to make a visual statement; understanding the project's target audience and reaching them through design is key.

What fascinates me:

The opportunity to create a tangible and visceral experience for my prospective clients; the people who visit and live in the spaces I design.

My mantra is: Restraint�exercise it!

Something you don't know about me:

I ride a motorcycle, a Harley Davidson Sportster 1200

What I'd love to do before I die:

Take a barbeque tour of the country, and take ballroom dancing lessons!

Getting to Know: Kevin Patrick McCarthy

Posted by Sipco News Network

8/1/2008 2:51:33 PM

A purist is hard to find. We think we found one.

Kevin Patrick McCarthy discovered his muse, product design, after finding a lampshade on the street. He studied it, applied his knowledge of the retail industry and then built his company around it. The result is an intricate and modern piece of lighting that is engineered--with the state of the art technology, string--to add warm light and depth to a room.

Here's what the man behind Kevin Patrick McCarthy light & shade has to say for himself.

Tell us a little about yourself. I went to Arizona State University where I received a degree in marketing. My career began in the retail industry where I found I enjoyed how quickly things came and went and how people, while shopping, really liked to touch everything. After moving to New York, I spent many years in visual merchandising and store design where I came across a void in the types of lighting fixtures that were available. One day while walking home I came across a discarded drum lampshade hand-strung in string. I immediately tried to recreate it and found I appreciated the technique and the quality of light emitted.

What do you do? I make light fixtures out of unique materials not normally associated with lighting. I try to combine my appreciation for the tactile while trying to understand how it will look while lit- either internally or not. My shades are hand-strung in lanyard, monofilament, yarn and most recently clad in glass balls and have the quality of looking beautiful either on or off. While on, they cast shadows on the ceiling, wall and floor making the observer feel as if they are living inside. While off they hang more like sculpture.

What was the first thing that you designed? Miniature chairs made out of unused staples. I was 10.

What was the last thing that you designed? A series of stacked pieces that will be available as a lamp base or light sculpture. I am experimenting with porcelain and cork.

Who are your idols? Kate Spade, Kenny Scharf, Ralph Pucci, Amy Sedaris

What would you like to do that is unrelated to your current profession?I think that everything I pursue somehow related to my lights. I sincerely like what I do so I hope that this is it.

Where do you go for inspiration? Photographs. With my digital camera I shoot everything in my path. The world looks different to me in a snapshot, which gives me the chance to really study it later.

What is your favorite thing? My copy of the Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book from 1956. It is a real joy to flip through and I appreciate how it succeeded in allowing the layperson to understand interior design and decoration.

Kevin Patrick McCarthy light & shade

What I Do: Kevin Patrick McCarthy

Posted by Sipco News Network

8/1/2008 2:46:16 PM

A purist is hard to find. We think we found one.

Here's what the man behind Kevin Patrick McCarthy light & shade has to say for himself.

What was the first thing that you designed? Miniature chairs made out of unused staples. I was 10.

What was the last thing that you designed? A series of stacked pieces that will be available as a lamp base or light sculpture. I am experimenting with porcelain and cork.

Who are your idols?Kate Spade, Kenny Scharf, Ralph Pucci, Amy Sedaris

What would you like to do that is unrelated to your current profession?I think that everything I pursue somehow related to my lights. I sincerely like what I do so I hope that this is it.

Where do you go for inspiration?Photographs. With my digital camera I shoot everything in my path. The world looks different to me in a snapshot, which gives me the chance to really study it later.

What is your favorite thing?My copy of the Better Homes & Gardens Decorating Book from 1956. It is a real joy to flip through and I appreciate how it succeeded in allowing the layperson to understand interior design and decoration.

Kevin Patrick McCarthy light & shade

Trivia Answers

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/31/2008 3:33:06 PM

So...how well did you do?

1)D

2)B

3)E

4)C

5)A

Drool-Worthy Product of the Week

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/31/2008 3:24:48 PM

Gold has long been revered as the color of the gods, as a vision that has been blessed upon us from a world beyond our own. From ancient Egyptian civilizations to the modern day, this hue captures our eye and wonderment wherever it appears. Galana, by Sahco, is no different. Alone, it strikes upon you the fabled feelings of the ancient Lyre and paired, it becomes a jewel on the fabric it graces. Sure to catch a glance from the ever so wandering eye, this trimming would impress Cleopatra herself.

What I Do: Clare Page and Harry Richardson

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/31/2008 3:20:34 PM

Born in Northampton and London, respectively, and trained at the Liverpool Art School, Clare Page and Harry Richardson claim that they explore every day with a mixture of �pragmatism and imagination.� At their studio, the designers hoard thousands of objects bought in street markets and antiques shops: a colorful assortment of pottery animals, figurines, boxes, vases and other nick-knacks. This week we have got the inside scoop on their latest designs.

What do you do? Why?

We take objects which supposedly have already fulfilled the function they were created for and give them new life. That's what Committee, our Design team within Lladro, is all about.

What makes your work so distinctively unique among the other products out there?

Each piece is a true work of art when you consider the number of hours invested in its creative process. The detail is different in each piece, too.

What new pieces is Committee working on or finished?

One very uniquely designed collection that gives insight to couple relationships is Evolution of Love. This series pays tribute to the various phases of love with three couples in which the characteristically delicate flowers of Lladr� symbolize the evolution of the feelings bringing lovers closer to each other. We wanted to empower the message of the pieces in a poetic and evocative manner. The first couple is seen kissing passionately and catches the ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding the first encounters between two people. The second couple of lovers appear intertwined, signifying their intimacy. The final piece in the collection shows the two lovers completely covered by more than 1,000 flowers, with only their faces visible. This is the most mature phase in the existence of a couple, when the two lovers share the same path through life yet are now conscious of the rest of the world.

Another series is our Animals in an Unreal World collection. It is inspired by the animal kingdom. We created a fantasy world in which the spirit of the pieces is further enhanced by using golden tones. Elephants walking is one of the figurines customized by Committee, who have used green tones to suggest a dream-like scene. The golden color creates a new image of the animals, as if simulating a jet of water sprayed by the elephants over their backs from their trunks. This detail is different in each piece.

Overall what is the ultimate goal of Committee?

We wanted to create original compositions thematically focusing on the values and feelings evoked by Lladro, but with a change in the language used. Curiosity and the adventure of life are the themes around which these creations revolve, depicted with imagination and a touch of humor.

We Saw the Sign

Posted by Kelly Hushin

7/29/2008 5:07:51 PM

It couldn't have been better timing or a better place.

After a successful Hospitality Match event in Pasadena, CA, a few of our staff stayed in sunny California for some extra days to relax and also get some top-secret important work done. (Ok, our next cover shoot � you got us.) At the very end of the trip, we decided to take a much-needed stroll down Hollywood Boulevard and saw the infamous sign atop the Hollywood Roosevelt.

With our issue on the Thompson Hotel Group just released, we wanted to share the whimsy of the sign and the Thompson design ethic with our web community. We hope you all got a copy of the latest BD so you can finally get what this whole �nomad� thing is all about. If not, e-mail us or keep checking the web for all the issue's articles.

Cheers.