Detail, The Green House, Santa Barbara, CA (1983)

  What’s going on?   

The dismaying dearth of intellectual rigor in our popular culture has been parried with an overly- zealous esotericism among the architectural elite. This clique of influential architects has been given a much louder voice by their precocious benefactors than befits their numbers and yet their stamp upon the contemporary architectural landscape has been profound.Fine Arts Magazine   

The last McDonald’s restaurant in classic 1950s style, San Jose, CA. A Stanley Meston design

 Just as our built environment is littered with construction that is bane and banal, the contemporary detritus is a plethora of factious forms that have been generated by sophisticated software and technological zeitgeist. These visually enticing, yet vacuous assemblies, have appeared in great numbers on the choicest of urban and rural site, as if they’ve come to existence in a vacuum, with wanton neglect of their context and past architectural achievements. The brazen new work seems to have rendered the architectural old-guard meek and humiliated by the new, brash neighbor who’s just made its grand entrance to the scene. After the initial fanfare, these awkward juxtapositions serve only to disrupt the architectural continuity and further diminish the cultural fabric.   

Has the architectural universe been distilled to a choice between another fractured Frank Gehry, or a Kentucky Fried drive-through? Probably, the answer is yes, but if there is a way to be modern, smart, sincere, and beautiful, and to offer the promise of contemporary architecture deemed worthy by future generations, it’s worth some observation and introspection to understand how we can improve the current state of affairs.   

Justification for the current paradigm:

With sheer determination that mistakes wealth for truth, and truth for beauty, the collective sense of being modern purveyed by certain acolytes coupled with the desire to being ‘different’ has ambushed our ability to distinguish between good and that which is simply unique. When Modernism embraced the machine and its physical manifestation, represented by the Bauhaus School of design, how neatly did the philosophy fit with the need to re-build Europe after the destruction wreaked upon the continent during the First World War? The economic advantage of being modern begs the question as to what is serving whom? Did the style follow economic necessity or was it just a happy coincidence that a financially friendly form just so happened to fall upon the architectural scene when society could no longer afford to build the way it used to before the Great Wars? Form follows finance?   

(above) Jackson Heights: Queens, NY- a laboratory for new ideas in 20^th C. housing. This planned community introduced several modern planning ideas in 1920’s. ‘Towers’ designed by A. J. Thomas (1925), illustrate ‘Garden Apartment ‘ planning- open space and suburban amenities – within confines of city’s grid.   

What was left behind and lost was not only the tradition of a tightly-woven architectural fabric but, almost entirely rendered to the waste heap of knowledge was the language of western architecture, developed and refined over the past 2,500 years. Perhaps the formal architectural predilection that we understand to be modernism evolved to suit manufacturing methodology and then continued to develop to the present day where even more sophisticated machines not only build the physical components and assemble the project, but then these machines are again employed to actually create the design itself.   

Even if there were a place for the language of architecture as we once knew it, how would we know it if we saw it anymore? Willful negligence and inexcusable ignorance regarding reference, context and a lack of reverence for appropriate precedent has resulted in the jettisoning of architectural and cultural context—so essential to the success of any architectural response. Have we lost for an eternity the architectural landscape that embodies those cohesive qualities of a built environment that were once taken for granted but are today only packaged and preserved in precious “historic districts”? Or is it possible to be both modern and reverential at the same time?   

Justification for trying something else:

This image and those below: Details of the Green House (1983)

 Not only is historical and cultural reference a valid, honorable, and completely modern point of departure for the design of a new building, but only an edifice that is fundamentally relevant can be considered truly modern; because its very nature embraces qualities that pay attention to its context, heritage, materials, culture, and its essential nature to be a product of the current time.   

The understanding of purpose and place and the difference between here and there are primary factors that warrant a project to be deserving of construction relative to one that is better left on the computer monitor because it didn’t know any better. Is there any reason that “Stupid” should be substituted for being “Smart” just because it’s been purveyed and then consumed as being “cool”?   

What I did:

The Green House, a single-family, three-bedroom house in Santa Barbara, California, is a construction that was commissioned by my mother, Norma Green, in 1981 and completed in 1983. As a Promethean effort for a newly-minted architect, this project provided the post-thesis culmination of idea, idiom, and execution. This writing is an investigation of concepts that are timeless and a retrospective of a specific architectural response that intends to be modern even though the last brush stroke of paint was applied nearly twenty-seven years ago.   

The design inspiration point of departure for the Green House arose from the Southern Californian Mission Style of architecture and surrounding Mediterranean landscape. The goal was to deliver an innovative, yet historically-informed design, into the ongoing diatribe of current taste and classical virtue; thereby making it essentially ‘modern’.   

The dissection begins with its composition. Modern convention insists on the arrangement of pure geometric volumes, planar screens and linear exclamations, celebrated to the exclusion of ornamentation, which would otherwise distract from the purity of sheer form. The assembly of these elements is both additive and reductive, creating a variety of dynamic forms that are perceived by mass and void and by the changing play of light and shadow.   

One experiences this architectural object through time and space and an unfolding view that cannot be fully digested in one sighting, but only fully appreciated by collecting immediate visual perceptions and combining them with a collection of previously digested memories of the edifice, giving power and life to this form. Inspired by spatial ‘surprises when touring through an Italian hill town, sightlines are designed to be abbreviated, changing, and without repose. Vistas open up to the viewer as the culmination of a lengthy approach. The banal and anticipated are vanquished in favor of the unexpected and varied, enjoining the relationship between landscape and serendipity.   

The courtyard, with its galvanizing point-of-focus, provided by the single palm tree, finds its precedent with the atrium house of the Vettii in Pompei. While the steep hills of Sycamore Canyon have been employed as a substitute for the “fourth wall” of the atrium space, the quality of this private/public outdoor vestibule remains true to the function of its predecessor. Openings to the house and garage are screened or framed according to the desired visual access deemed appropriate for these specific functions.   

The interior of the house seeks to provide a seamless play of the same compressed and expansive volumes that are experienced outside, only with a ceiling involved. Saltillo tile, a commonly found mission-style paver, is used at the exterior and then carried into the house as finished flooring so as to further interfere with standard conceptions of outdoor and indoor spaces. White stucco walls… monolithic, common, and ordinary to the region further support the sense of place and yet are the binding surfaces that transform the geometry of the structure to a uniform and cohesive composition.   

Could this house exist anywhere other than in Southern California? Perhaps so, but I would like to think not nearly as successfully. Can its design be traced to a specific date in time? I would hope that it could because only the honesty of a detailed design response that is acutely aware of its specific time and place of creation warrants the brand of being modern. It is also true that only the qualities of the design that are steeped in the context and tradition of this specific project will spare the house from appearing as dated. That fate would be a failed miscarriage of conception that places a preconceived form ahead of its influences, instead of the design of an architecture that gathers its strength and integrity out of respect for discovering the truth, without fear of finding it and with confidence that the journey will end with a design that is beautiful and consummately modern.   

William Green, RA, Contributing Writer   

To see more images of this project and others by William Green & Associates, Architects, go to www.wgaarchitects.net

Knoll Associates showroom, Madison Avenue, NY, NY. Florence Knoll, Designer, 1951; Robert Damora, Photographer, 1951

November 10, 2008

In this, the last interview Robert Damora gave before his death in March, 2009, I explore his work as an architectural photographer and learn more about his commitment to his craft.  Honed by training at Yale and his unfailing attention to the minutest detail, Damora was once described by architect, Walter Gropius as, “the best photographer of architecture in this country.”  Here then, is his very personal story, told by Damora himself and by those who cherished him and his remarkable work.

Ilse Gropius relaxing on second floor terrace, Walter Gropius House, Lincoln, MA. Walter Gropius, Architect, 1938; Robert Damora, Photographer, 1948

During the course of our conversation, I learned that Damora, born in 1912, was inspired by stories by his father (himself an architect) and had, in his own lifetime, known and worked with all the great figures of mid-century architecture and design. Since graduating from Yale School of Architecture in 1953, he practiced his craft during a period when visionary architects and designers were actively shaping the look of America’s landscape, as cities and suburbs burgeoned in the years following World War II. What Damora found in his new profession was the opportunity to meld a long-standing interest in photography with his emerging passion for architecture.

Damora came of age in an era when science and industry were defining Western culture. His father, who died when Robert was two, was an architect, musician and inventor. “Maybe it runs in the family”, he said. Ever the photographer himself, he served in the Navy during the war with the Bureau of Research and Invention. While there, he worked with fellow enlistee, Edward Steichen, already recognized as a renowned photographer. Together, they mounted a show at the Smithsonian Museum of Science and Industry after the war, exhibiting technological advances that were the result of military research. Given this technological background, Damora received his bachelor’s degree in architecture with a new appreciation for how the mechanical and structural heart of a building can combine with the aesthetics of the design process to create an object of beauty.

Architect Walter Gropius: visionary, leader, teacher (1883-1969); Robert Damora, Photographer, 1948

He devoted the rest of his life to capturing that blend of heart and soul on film.

 Architecturally, modernism was in full flower in the early ‘50s. The major schools of architecture were being heavily influenced by a well-known group of architects and designers who had emigrated from Germany prior to the war. Among them was Walter Gropius, then the director of Harvard’s architecture department. At Yale, Damora studied under another giant in the field, George Howe who was chair of the department at the time. After graduating, Damora went to work for U.S. Steel on an exploratory design project. But, in addition to working for many years as an architect on this and other projects, his love of photography and his desire to document structures being completed by himself and his colleagues, meant that his catalogue of carefully-planned images would continue to grow.

Damora reflected back on that period: “Gropius often said that the conditions that existed for the faculty at the Bauhaus School in Dessau, Germany in the 20s and 30s, allowing for free-ranging and creative thought in design, were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”, he said, “In spite of the fact that many critics said he was out to recreate the purity of the European modern design style in the U.S, he knew it would never happen again or happen here. Gropius, who had an intuitive understanding of architectural space, turned his attention to what the next generation needed and trained his students to be forward-thinking, while continuing to analyze history.”

*Cape House”, 1962. See detailed citation at end of story

“This influence produced architects in the late 40s like Philip Johnson and Landes Gores, two of the group that became known as the ‘Harvard Five’. Gores was trained as a ‘modern’, but had a sincere love of history—and it showed in his designs. Johnson came out of Harvard a modernist, too; but eventually adopted the historical influences in his work.” He felt that “Johnson’s best contribution to modern architecture was in the area of promoting and popularizing architecture as a whole, first at the Museum of Modern Art and then, in his continuing ability to expand interest in architecture through teaching, the media, support of the work of other architects and his colorful personality,” Damora explained.  “Johnson’s work was influenced by his great love for and understanding of art.  He had impeccable taste and was an expert on scale and placement; but from a design perspective, he seemed to be influenced by the current tastes of the times”

As Damora continued to talk about the architectural work of others, I got the clear impression of his love for line and form and his inherent understanding of the skills needed to achieve them. “As an architect, I can look at a building and understand the intent of the designer. A good building is like a person who impresses the hell out of you. How they express themselves on the outside helps you to understand what they’re made up of on the inside. Good architecture stretches the essential elements of the human spirit to the highest point.”

Damora would spend hours or even days in the presence of his subjects, waiting for the moment when the light, sky and surroundings would show off the designer’s intent to maximum effect. The result would be an image that captured the essence of the building, with all its character and personality, as though it were a human subject sitting in front of the camera lens.

Hancock Building, Boston, MA, Henry Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Architects, 1976; R. Damora Photographer, 1977

Damora also saw the construction of many buildings of his own design. He embraced the concept of “Total Architecture”, meaning design that goes beyond form alone to include function, strength and beauty. “I believe that beautiful design should not just be the province of the elite—architecture needs to be democratic—that is, it belongs to everyone; to the general population. He made good on this commitment in his design work with U.S. Steel and its subsidiary, Universal Atlas Cement Company, whose, ‘Seeds of Architecture’ project raised the aesthetic of high-grade cement and steel-reinforced concrete to an art form. Projects commissioned by Paolo Soleri, I.M. Pei and Paul Rudolph are considered iconic examples of modern design using these products and garnered Damora national recognition for his work.

His project, ‘Better Homes at Lower Cost’, in the early ‘60s, also brought Damora’s vision for simplified construction techniques, using fewer components and factory, pre-assembled elements to the job site, into the public arena. This forward-looking approach to design met his goals of making homes both affordable and visually attractive. Examples of projects completed during this period are extant today and remain striking in their use of line and form to create a dramatic architectural statement at reasonable cost.

In parting, he said, “I am always thinking about new ways to do things…I don’t put on my shoes in the morning without thinking about new ways to solve old problems. The search for innovation is not easy, but I have learned how to do it through years of trial and error. Good architecture is as much structural components as it is art—and art is not logical—it comes out of the heart and soul.”

* * * *

June 10, 2009

Rockefeller Guest House, NY, NY. Philip Johnson with Landis Gores andFrederick C. Genz, Architects, 1950, Robert Damora, Photographer, 1950

Passion, precision, stubbornness, an eye for detail, patience, a reverence for beauty…these are all terms used to describe the late Robert Damora as I sat with his wife and children, Jesa and Matt, in the living room of their home, recalling the man whose life’s work we all so admire. With humor, fondness and just a touch of frustration, they fondly recount the times when each stood in as photographer’s assistant, model or Sherpa on various photo shoots around the country.

Museum of Modern Art, NY, NY. Philip L. Goodwin and Edward Durell Stone, Architects, 1939; Robert Damora, Photographer

Bob Damora was a perfectionist, waiting endless hours for the clouds to frame a shot correctly, manipulating his multi-plane camera to eliminate distortion and depth-of-field issues and focusing each shot with the help of his family and assistants. The irony of Damora’s work was that, as a photographer, his sight had been failing for years. The family explained that, without their assistance, he was unable to determine the final focus on a shot. But prior to that last adjustment, he would work endlessly underneath the black drape that shielded the ground glass plane of the camera’s-eye view from daylight. With a napkin over her head, Jesa offered a loving imitation of her father’s head and shoulders weaving and dodging erratically beneath the camera’s cloth, all the while flailing his hands to make adjustments on the device itself. Given that the image, from his perspective, was upside down and the detail was muted by the glass plate, he nevertheless succeeded in capturing the subject with a perfect balance of light, form and drama. She went on to tell me that if the elements did not align themselves that day, he would stake the tripod’s spot on the ground, make a note of his settings and return the next day to do it all over again!

General Motors Technical Center, Warren, MI. Eero Saarinen, Architect 1956; Robert Damora, Photographer, 1956

Sirkka recalled that her husband loved to teach and to challenge his students. “He wanted to communicate his ideas with his students, she explains, “It was part of his belief in the democracy of architecture…that they should know how good design works and to be able to bring it out into the world for others.” Ingeniously, he took a lesson learned from Edward Steichen many years before and would mask the center of an image with a piece of cardboard. “In design”, she relayed to me how he would say, “take care of the middle and the edges will take care of themselves.” He believed that this lesson would apply equally to design, as well as the photographic image.

In his career, the family told me, he had interacted in the company of all the greats: discussing with Mies van der Rohe his theory on structural resolution; Philip Johnson and his views on the placement of a building in the landscape (Johnson- “A tree in the wrong place is just a weed that needs to be pulled.”, Damora had told me); Gropius and his intuitive understanding of architectural space; Louis Kahn and his theoretical lectures that students had trouble grasping; Frank Lloyd Wright, whose lectures might last all day; Ballentine beers in the front yard with ‘Bucky’ Fuller as they regaled one another with architectural tales of the fanciful and the futuristic.

But, in the end, Damora will be remembered for his graphic images of the work of all these men and more: Paul Rudolf; John Johansen; Eero Saarinen; Victor Gruen; Edward Durrell Stone; Marcel Breuer; furniture designer, Florence Knoll and many more. His reward for time spent on a project was to discover the spirit and energy of a building through the eye of his camera. “The more he sat with a building”, Matt Damora told me, “the more it opened up to him, allowing him to see things that others didn’t. My father had the ability to study a space and then train the camera lens to that precise spot in the room where he wanted the viewer to be standing. The ability—to create a third dimension and to figure out where you, the viewer, would be— was his gift as a photographer.”

“He knew his equipment and its capabilities, even though some of it was cumbersome and labor intensive”, Jesa told me. “His camera was an extension of his intuitive understanding of architecture. He had an instinctive understanding of what to do, but planned painstakingly, nevertheless”, she explained. “There was a clean quietness in his photographs, many of which have long been considered iconic.” A careful and intimate review of two dozen or more of his most important works, there in the Damora living room, certainly proved the point beyond a doubt.

And the iconic images of Robert Damora will endure like the buildings he portrayed, because as Gropius writes, “He has an intuitive understanding of architectural space…, a most acute vision, and… knows how to bring out the best…” of the world of architecture

by Richard Friswell, Editor-in-Chief

Olive Branch Dish: 2" high; 4.5" dia.; Stainless Steel, Oxidized Bronze

On arrival, his senses were first piqued by the distinct, yet odd aroma of baking molasses! He would soon learn that this unusual ingredient was used in a sand casting process. He sought out one local craftsman in particular, who spent hours turning metal into utilitarian objects like scissors or buckets. The beauty of the finished products and the creative process used to create them caught him completely by surprise. The skill of these local artisans reflected a hand-wrought aesthetic often hidden by the locals to disguise the fact that each piece was, in fact, crafted by hand. Aram recalls these early, seminal experiences as ‘mind-blowing’. Over a period of weeks, he wandered the streets of New Delhi, visiting craftsmen, watching the casting process, listening to the sounds of metal being hammered and experimenting with simple designs. Soon, India would become a second home to Aram and the craftsmen’s ovens would serve as crucibles for his own imagination.

Michael Aram and the 'Last leaves' Collection at Bloomingdales, New York City

Working among local artisans with a series of drawings, Aram guided the creation of dozens of different objects. His first: a shoe horn scratched with a stick in the dirt, for a local artisan to craft using time-honored techniques. To his amazement, Aram soon held a faithfully-rendered version of his concept in his hands.

 Returning to New York City in the late 1980’s, he was delighted to discover that these hand-crafted pieces, in fact, had strong commercial appeal. A mere twenty-five years old, Aram got a ‘lucky break’ when Neiman Marcus chose his artisan twig cutlery for the cover of its Christmas catalog. He sold 16,000 sets; establishing him in his first year of business as the premiere American artist to intersect decorative metal arts, utilizing organic forms. Other early successes quickly followed: retailers like Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney’s. “My heart has always been in organic forms– twigs, flowers, leaves,” notes Aram, twenty years after his first commercial breakthrough. Encapsulating his love of nature in stainless steel, copper and bronze was ‘cutting edge’ then and quickly became Aram’s design  signature.

Aram's Twentieth Anniversary Tea Service: Nickelplate, Carved Amethyst, Carved Jade

 Today, twenty years later, Aram divides his time between New Delhi and New York City, living and working in each city from homes and workshops that embrace his signature style. Fluent in Hindi and well aware of the needs of local artisans, Aram’s influence there cannot be underestimated. Twice voted Indian Designer of the Year, he is as happy working on private commissions as he is creating affordable pieces for a worldwide base. Asked what drives him artistically today, Aram responds that, “New projects jazz me up. I love working in fine jewelry. Mixing precious and semi-precious stones with gold brings beauty to my daily experience. Communicating the design is my over-arching preoccupation. I never want to become complacent,” says this talented and gracious man. “I always desire to find things of beauty and to try to re-create them for mankind. I want to bring up the next generation to desire the same”.

And that first shoehorn, silently yet skillfully rendered with a stick in the dirt of New Delhi in 1989, is still sold in boutiques and retail establishments around the world, hand-forged in the metal that defines Michael Aram, Inc.

by Carolina Fernandez, Contributing Writer

 To learn more about these and other objects in the Michael Aram Collection, go to:

http://www.michaelaram.com

Laura Bohn

Darren Henault

As the movers and shakers of the handmade rug industry, the interior design trade plays a pivotal role in shaping the end consumers’ purchasing decisions. After focusing on the greenness of the handweaving process from the manufacturers’ standpoint (See “Special Green Report—Handmade Rugs—The Original Green Floor Coverings,” ARTES (Oct. 13, 2009), this article takes a hard look at what the country’s most reputed and green-attuned designers and other members of the design community are thinking. Do they view handmade rugs as an eco-friendly floor covering as compared to machine-made?

Clifford Tuttle

Mary Douglas Drysdale

For many members of the interior design trade, any interest in a handmade rug’s eco-friendly attributes is clouded by the challenge in finding the esthetically perfect rug for the project. Explains Carl D’Aquino of D’Aquino Monaco, a premier Manhattan-based and internationally reputed design firm: “It’s so hard to find the right texture, colors, and patterns that adding the green parameter makes it even more difficult.” Continues the award-winning Jamie Drake of Drake Design Associate: “I’m aware of handmade rugs as being greener relative to their machine-made alternatives. However, at the end of the day, the green aspect is more of a bonus in addition to a rug’s quality and esthetics.”

Jamie Drake

Why is the design trade’s awareness of the greenness of handmade rugs so limited? For one thing, green floor coverings are not yet the primary concern for a majority of clients. “If residential clients were educated, it might help,” states award-winning and LEED2-accredited professional (AP) designer Clifford Tuttle of ForrestPerkins with offices in Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Dallas. “However, in the hospitality sector, the demands and constraints are such that handmade rugs, however ecologically desirable, are not viable.”

Alejandra Dunphy

In residential projects, Washington, DC interior designer and environmental design consultant Alejandra Dunphy of A/D Studio, Atlanta, GA, who also manufactures handmade rugs in South America states that clients’ understanding of rugs’ greenness “depends on how much you educate your clientele on the eco-friendly attributes of the rug production process.” Ideally, adds Ms. Drysdale: “Good designers are thoughtful people who educate their clients on the consequences of their decisions.”

Michael Larocca

In many cases, allergies to machine-made rugs have triggered designer awareness of the greenness of their handmade counterparts. Ms. Drysdale’s pulmonary reaction to the “toxic” off-gasing in her wall-to-wall carpeting was such that she could not move into her new home until it was removed. “Thanks to my little health problem, I became aware of carpeting’s toxic load and what it can do to us which most of us don’t realize.” From this unfortunate physical reaction was born an avowed passion for handmade oriental and decorative rugs and for their eco-friendly benefits.

Thom Banks

Those lucky few designers who have had the opportunity of traveling to the countries of origin and observed the hand weaving process first hand have fully grasped handmade rugs’ sustainable attributes. When in Egypt, internationally acclaimed New York-based designer Michael LaRocca of Michael R. LaRocca, Inc. discovered the fascinating process of hand dyeing wool and concluded that handmade rugs were far more desirable from a green standpoint than their machine-made alternatives. Early exposure to weavers in her native Ireland and travel to looms in Armenia and Nepal have made Clodagh passionate about handmade rugs’ greenness. “Oriental rugs are produced using human energy which is renewable,” states the legendary internationally known designer who has made sustainability her mantra. The handmade rug production process—from the spinning to the actual weaving—is part of “an energy circle that creates a win-win situation for all” which has a positive and humanizing effect on the craftsmen. Indeed, she notes: “Despite their poverty, they were singing while they were working!”

Clodagh is among the few designers who have expressed a true avocation for things green before it became trendy. “I was green long before the term even existed!” she exclaims. However, for a vast majority of interior designers, education will be key to their awareness of handmade rugs’ greenness. Is the rug industry responding to this educational need? The designers interviewed for this article responded with a resounding “no” and voiced the need for immediate action. States Mr. LaRocca: “It’s the moral responsibility of the [rug] industry to take the bull by the horns and educate people on the handmade alternatives in floor coverings.” Advertising, public relations, direct mail campaigns, and educational seminars offered by handmade rug vendors are among the key measures designers endorse. Moreover, Mr. Tuttle suggests that the handmade rug industry develop a type of green certification program3 as has been done by the Carpet and Rug Institute for machine-made carpeting.

Annette Stelmack

Clodaugh

Meanwhile, there are opportunities through the design industry for educating its members and ultimately the end user. ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Deputy Executive Director Thom Banks in Washington, DC has been involved in the creation of the Regreen Program (www.regreenprogram.org), a partnership between the ASID and the U.S. Green Building Council whose goal is to develop the best practice guidelines toward the implementation of sustainable building and design projects. While their guidelines do mention the desirability of area rugs versus wall-to-wall carpeting, Mr. Banks feels there is a vital need for an additional educational program delineating the attributes of the various handmade products versus the machine-made. Meanwhile, Ms. Stelmack mentions initiatives such as the architectural 2030 Challenge—the global undertaking designed to transform the U.S. and global building sectors into becoming carbon neutral by 2030—as being key to raising awareness of handmade rugs’ green properties. Most critical, she remarks, is the Council for Interior Design Accreditation’s recent policy change dictating that interior design schools’ curriculum will soon have to include courses on sustainable design in order to remain accredited. Hence, the new generation of interior designers entering the workforce will be all ears for the green attributes of oriental and decorative rugs. “Manufacturers in the handmade rug industry will need to properly educate interior designers-it’s a matter of survival!” insists Ms. Stelmack.

Carl D'Aquino

Judy Swann

However, many designers believe that no matter how educated clients may become, they will still resist waiting six months to a year for custom wall-to-wall handwoven goods. According to Mr. LaRocca, this creates a problem in Manhattan buildings for instance which dictate that most floors be covered for noise. Installing sisal while you wait is a solution this designer has resorted in these situations or with impatient clients. Other designers point out that not all clients have the budget—particularly in these lean times—for handmade rugs and opt for the cheaper and faster machine-made alternative. However, these obstacles do not deter Clodagh who is convinced that people will listen if properly educated. In effect: “It’s simply a question of good planning and organization. If you order the rugs at the beginning of the project, they will come in on time!”

While still in early days, consumer awareness of things green is growing. Judy Swann of Green Interior Consultants (ASID, LEED AP) of Westport, CT, who advises the interior design trade on implementing green design, has seen the tide shift in the sustainable direction. “Up until last year, most designers would say ‘go away’ to me,” she notes. “People are starting now to ask questions on what’s sustainable,” adds Mr. Tuttle. “Ten years from now, this new awareness should enhance the growth of the handmade rug industry.” Indeed, concludes Mr. Drake: “Many residential clients will be demanding these sustainable products.”

1 Foster, Kari, Stelmack, Annette, and Hindman, Debbie, Sustainable Residential Interiors. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley (2007).

2 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Green Building Rating System, a certification program and nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings.

3 The Oriental Rug Importers Association (ORIA) is currently developing a green certification program. Details will be announced in 2009.

Photography by Blaise Wayward

*Reprinted from the Fall 2008 issue of AREA Magazine, courtesy of the Oriental Rug Importers Association, Inc. http://www.orientalrugimportersassociation.org

With the explosion of the green movement affecting everything from automobiles to furniture, rug importers and manufacturers are taking a fresh look at their production methods only to discover that their industry has essentially been green all along. Others are developing ways to enhance the green credentials of their handmade rugs in terms of dyeing, washing, and recycling the waste generated during the production process. While significant strides have been made by the machine-made carpet industry towards making it more eco-friendly, carpeting is still mainly produced from non-renewable petroleum products which ultimately account for up to an estimated 5 billion tons of discarded product—up to 1% of U.S. landfills—most of which is non-biodegradable.

The Verde Collection, Design, Ve-06 OAT. Courtesy of Momeni, Inc.

While nylon can be recycled, the availability of such facilities is still limited. [2]Moreover, from a health standpoint, carpeting would appear to incur a greater incidence of ‘outgassing’ due to their higher chemical components and irritants namely dust and molds. Most offensive from the green standpoint are carpeting’s chemical treatments and synthetic backing. As for handtufted products, they are dismissed by most industry experts from being green despite their wool content because of their latex backing.    

Vegetable-dyeing Tibetan wool in Nepal. Courtesy of Tamarian Carpets.

In contrast, states Reza Momeni of Momeni, Inc, Carlstadt, NJ: “Oriental and handmade decorative rugs are the greenest products ever made.” As remarks Teddy Sumner of Michaelian & Kolhberg, Summit,NJ, the handmades are generally produced with wool, a renewable fiber, and free from adhesives and petroleum- based products, the latter of which is “the biggest issue in 2008.”

Going back to the basics of handmade rugs, antiques are the most ecological of floor coverings, according to David Basalely of Eliko Oriental Rugs, New York, NY. Indeed, he comments: “They have an almost infinite lifespan as they are used until they’re worn out and still have some life to them…Antique rugs are as green as a handmade product can possibly be.” Their “greenness” is attributed to their being manufactured with ecologically sustainable components, primarily cotton and wool, natural dyes, and with minimal, if any, machinery involved. When questioned about the “greenness” of chemical dyes, including aniline, in antique pieces, Mr. Basalely comments that when used, they were generally applied sparingly particularly when compared to machine-made carpeting and fabrics.

Trimming a finished rug in Nepal. Courtesy of Tamarian Carpets.

Dyed wool drying in eastern Turkey. Courtesy of Woven Legends, Inc.

In addition, antique rugs can literally be recycled as Mr. Basalely observed: “Not only are you reusing the rugs but giving them new life.” Case in point: Eliko has developed a line of Turkish natural wool and hemp flatweaves, produced from recycled raw materials from 60- to 80-year-old grain bags. When assessing antique rugs, tribal pieces are generally the purest, he reports. The pioneers of the vegetable-dyed rug renaissance that began in 1980 with the DOBAG experiment in Turkey under the auspices of chemist Dr. Harald Böhmer are at the forefront of the greenrug movement although not by design. George Jevremovic of Woven Legends, Philadelphia, PA, was one such pioneer who started his vegetable-dyed production in western Turkey in 1982 and moved to eastern Turkey in 1985 where he employed thousands including spinners, dyers, and weavers.

A Folklife carpet woven with handcarded, handspun vegetable-dyed wool in eastern Turkey. Courtesy of Woven Legends, Inc.

In an effort to reverse the commercialization of the production process and recreate the esthetics of antiques, Woven Legends began using hand- or machine-carded handspun wool from eastern Turkey that is hand colored with natural dyes such as indigo, safflower root, and cochineal. “When we started doing these rugs, I was thinking more ‘art’ as opposed to ‘green,’” he comments. According to Mr. Jevremovic, the creation of a green rug depends on respecting the core principles of organic rug making namely handspun wool and natural dyes. However, when a specific look is desired, purism can only go so far. For instance, the wash can range from a neutral soap and water solution to a chlorine- based bleach. “Bleach in itself is not a bad thing,” he adds. “It’s a cleansing agent.

With the renaissance of handmade rug production of the 1980s in India, Pakistan, China, Armenia, Egypt, and Romania, the “greening” of rugs took place long before it was trendy. Indeed, art and green go hand in hand. Comments Mr. Sumner on Michaelian & Kohlberg’s introduction of vegetabledyed rugs from India in 1990: “When I revived natural dyes, I was primarily intent on using dyes native to India and on creating a complexity of color with abrash while paying homage to tradition.” The fact that these rugs happened to be thereby green is an “ancillary” advantage. Today, however, importers are much moreaware of the potential environmental impact of rug making processes. Steve Cibor of Tamarian Carpets, Baltimore, MD, is among those taking steps to production more environmentally friendly in Nepal. For instance, when washing rugs, the discarded water is collected and shipped in trucks and later reused by cement companies for mixing cement for buildings.

Among other interesting recent green initiatives is that of Megerian Brothers Oriental Rugs, Inc., New York, NY, in Armenia where the ecological aspects of production are taken into consideration not only with respect to the rugs themselves but also with the weavers who make them. All components of the rug-making process are local from the natural dyes extracted from roots, flowers, and plants (e.g., pomegranate for the tobacco hue and walnut skin for yellow and brown) to the extra virgin wool free from exposure to toxic materials. Equally important, according to John Megerian, the air at the weaving facilities “is always purified and harsh chemicals and solvents are never used.” Employees are offered milk and yogurt at the end of the day to purify their digestive system of any dust. Meanwhile, new at Michaelian & Kohlberg’s facility in China are adjoining fields whose plants generate all the dyes for their Hamadan Collection.

Weaving a rug in Armenia. Courtesy of Megerian Brothers Oriental Rugs, Inc., New York, NY.

Washing a rug in Nepal. Courtesy of Tamarian Carpets

Moreover, in the countries of origin themselves, attitudes are gradually becoming more vigilant about the proper handling of by-products of dye residue to prevent their filtering into the ground. Experts report that even China, notorious for its environmental record, legislation regarding dyeing facilities is becoming more stringent with respect to the use of non-toxic elements and recycling. Experts also comment that the developing countries’ infrastructure, while improving, still needs more work. “It would help if the producing countries took some initiative,” notes Mr. Jevremovic. There is some controversy regarding the “greenness” of the more widely used chrome dyes. From a strictly purist standpoint, the most organic rugs are of undyed natural fibers, such as wool, nettle, and hemp. “However,” remarks Mr. Cibor, “these rugs are popular because of their look rather than their greenness.” While natural dyes are held in the highest esteem, the imperatives of continuity often dictate that they be combined with chrome dyes or that they be made of chrome only. Tamarian’s manufacturers in Nepal have recently converted to Swiss-made metalfree chrome dyes (Clairnet) which do not “out gas” as one walks over the rugs. “Regular chrome dyes have metal substance,” notes Mr. Cibor. “They are not bad but not great.”

Meanwhile, comments Mr. Momeni who has recently launched the handknotted 100% natural- dyed hemp Verde Collection from the “Naturally…Momeni” group of products: “Chrome dyes have been used for generations without any negative health impact. I think the big advantage of their being present in hand-knotted versus in machinemade rugs is that hand-knotted rugs are washed and sundried thereby limiting any negative chemical impact.” Adds another industry observer: “Having chrome dyes doesn’t make them not green.” Still, continues Mr. Cibor: “Research needs to be done on these to evaluate them more precisely.”

An antique Ferreghan Sarouk handknotted with natural dyes, 4.3×6.5 c. 1900. Courtesy of Eliko Oriental Rugs, Inc.

How aware is the end-buyer of the “greenness” of rugs? Members of the interior design industry – the prime ‘movers and shakers’ of retail sales and increasingly involved in the green building and design movement—see untapped opportunities in the oriental rug industry. “The handmade rug industry could be doing more to educate the public on how rugs are being manufactured,” states interior designer Annette Stelmack of Stelmack & Associates III, Denver, CO, and co-author of Residential Sustainable Interiors. Echoes Judy Swann of Green Interior Consultants, Westport, CT, an ASID interior designer who consults with the design trade on implementing green design: “It is atypical for designers to realize that handwoven rugs are green. This message has not yet reached the public.”

An example of Eliko’s all-natural wool and hemp kilimcollection handwoven in Turkey with recycled materials from 60- to80-year-old grain bags. Courtesy of Eliko Oriental Rugs, Inc.

Yet, despite her green background, this former Marketing/Business Development Manager at DuPont who was key in developing the company’s textile division’s recycling program in the 1990s, admits that esthetic considerations pre-empt green concerns, i.e., she might opt for a machinemade over a handmade product if esthetically it better suited the project. Like most members of the design trade, she is not yet fully aware of the “greener” attributes of handmade products; clearly, there is a need for the industry to better communicate the green advantages of handmade rugs. Adds Michael Mandapati of Warp & Weft, New York, NY, which primarily services the design community: “If clients don’t like a rug esthetically, they won’t buy it whether it’s deemed green or not.” Still, Ms. Stelmack comments that clients would veer toward green rugs adding: “The education level of designers on the green value of handmade rugs will evolve. However, it is really up to the manufacturers to educate them.”

by Alix Perrachon, Contributing Editor

Recommended reading: Foster, Kari, Stelmack, Annette, and Hindman, Debbie. Sustainable Residential Interiors. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.  They note that Oriental and decorative rugs are unparalleled in their ‘green’ properties, when compared to their machinemade counterparts. Indeed, there is “a wider selection of styles and fibers to choose from that fit eco-friendly specifications in area rugs than with wall-to-wall carpet,”

1.Kari, Foster Stelmack, Annette and Hindman, Debbie, Sustainable Residential Interiors (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), p. 369.

2.Ibid, p. 223. Reprinted from the Fall 2008 of AREA Magazine courtesy of the Oriental Rug Importers Association, Inc.”

3-story rear view is unexpected, given low-profile entrance (above). One of the great challenges of this project was building a home on an extremely sloped site. Contractor Mark Sweet did an excellent job of making these plans a reality.

A glass bridge takes people from the garage to the main house. This space is used as a gallery and features an LED installation of ever changing light.

Conrad Sanchez’s bold, progressive architectural style blends seamlessly into the landscape for a look that is both subtle and sculptural. His use of sustainable materials shows that a home can be environmentally sensitive, while being visually welcoming and architecturally timeless, as well. Builder, Mark Sweet’s drawings and specifications were then translated into a solid, livable space situated on a challenging, steeply sloped lot

Conrad Sanchez’s bold, progressive architectural style blends seamlessly into the landscape for a look that is both subtle and sculptural. His use of sustainable materials shows that a home can be environmentally sensitive, while being visually welcoming and architecturally timeless, as well. Builder, Mark Sweet’s drawings and specifications were then translated into a solid, livable space situated on a challenging, steeply sloped lot

One of the great challenges of this project was building a home on an extremely sloped site. Contractor Mark Sweet did an excellent job of making these plans a reality.

Lighting specialist, Randall Whitehead teamed up with the team and owners to design a lighting system that was both dramatic when desired and functional for day-to-day living. Taking advantage of the latest products, this is the first house in the country to use Lucifer Lighting’s square recessed adjustable low voltage fixture. The shape really plays off the cubist feel of the architecture. These fixtures were specified with an electronic transformer to eliminate any of the characteristic hum that might be magnified from the hard surfaces incorporated into the project if a standard magnetic transformer was used. The Lucifer housings are also airtight and rated for insulated ceilings to meet California’s strict energy codes.

The first impression of the home from the entry is that of a of a wide one story structure. In reality, the house is built into the side of a steep hill and extends three stories. Mark Sweet took on the challenge of this unique lot and helped create a home that appears to float off the landscape at times.

Square aperture recessed adjustable trims by Lucifer Lighting highlight the horse sculpture by Deborah Butterfield and the large wall installation by David Maxim.

From the front door, made of translucent vermillion red glass, guests walk across a glass enclosed bridge to the main part of the house. On one side of the bridge are a series of paintings Deborah Oropallo while on the other side guests can look out at the natural vegetation. In the center of the bridge’s ceiling plane is a custom LED light installation designed by Randall Whitehead and fabricated by Mar Sweet. An ever changing colored light show is hidden within a custom metal trough which fills a forty foot long reveal in the ceiling. This can be set to a single band of saturated light or a dazzling array of moving color.

Four flotation pendants by Ingo Maurer help define the living room space in the architectural open plan of the house.

Once across the bridge, guests enter an enormous gallery space where two large scale pieces of art by David Maxim are hung. In the center stands a Deborah Butterfield horse which appears to greet arriving guests. In fact, the house was designed around these two impressive collages. This gallery space became the axis for how the rest of the house would be laid out. On either side of the main partition, Whitehead created with Mark Sweet, a vertical slot with a hidden light source. This little detail adds an intriguing slice of glowing energy while helping take away some of the visual weight of the structural element.

To the left of the gallery, people are invited into the living room and open kitchen area. Floor to ceiling windows look out onto planted fields and the Stanislaus River beyond. Interior designer, Nicki West, created a seating arrangement using furniture that has clean lines, luxurious fabrics and in a scale that works beautifully for these grand rooms. She also picked the finish materials that help visually warm up these enormous rooms. Whitehead selected four “Flotation” pendants by Ingo Maurer to create a more human scale to the space and lend a sculptural element that compliments the owners’ collection.

This large art piece by David Maxim is given added dimension through the use of 3 Lucifer fixtures set at an acute angle.

If visitors go to the right of the gallery, they enter into an open space that includes the dining room and the family room. Sanchez designed a large curved wall, projecting out from the structure that feels like a monolithic work of art, offering some privacy for both the owners and their neighbors. West’s selection of furniture pieces play off the undulating feel of the wall. Here an Ingo Maurer “Oh Mei Ma” pendant fixture appears to float in the space. A vent-less fireplace, using ethanol as a source of fuel, provides both focus and warmth f

Translucent shades turn the shadows of the live oaks into a chiaroscuro painting while a free form pendant fixture helps draw you into the space.

or the family room.

The spacious master closet appears playful with the installation of Ingo Maurer pendants and sconces that appear to be winged light bulbs. The architect’s design concept included four niches featuring both two and three-dimensional works of art from the owners’ extensive collection. West designed a five-foot diameter round leather ottoman as part of the look for the overall space that is both dramatic and surprisingly functional.

Above the main floor of the house is a roof top retreat that has a whirl pool tub, a gas fire pit, and a spacious area for seating or reclining. Here the owners’ and their guests can enjoy the setting sun as the sky turns from day to night.

This project was truly the team approach to design where ideas flowed freely between all those involved. The spectacular result says it all.

by Randall Whitehead, Contributing Editor

______________________________________________________________________

Visit the innovative web site of international lighting company Ingo Maurer at:

www.ingo-maurer.com

Find low voltage and fiber lighting like that pictured in this story at: www.luciferlighting.com

See the varied works of artists, Deborah Oropallo at www.wirtsgallery.com; David Maxim at http://www.queer-art.org and Deborah Butterfield at: www.gallerypauleanglim.com

Contact the California Design/Build Team:

Building Contractor- Mark Sweet 209-544-0840 m.sweet@sbcglobal.net

Architectural Designer- Conrad Sanchez- 209-522-4882 conrad@bluesi.com

Interior Designer- Nicki West 209-604-2345 nickiwest@sbcglobal.net

Lighting Designer- Randall Whitehead 415-626-1277 rdw@randallwhitehead.com

Photographer- Dennis Anderson 415-971-0722 (dandersonphoto@gmail.com)

 Window Technology: The two most important terms to know when buying windows are the U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient; both are measures of the window’s energy efficiency. The U-factor rates heat loss. The lower the U-Factor, the better the rating. The Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient measures heat gain by how much UVA and UVB light can pass through the window. Generally, the lower the number, the better the rating – depending on where you live.

While the Energy Star rating of a window starts at a U-Factor of .35, the current tax stimulus credit is for a U-Factor of .30 or less and a Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient of .30 or less. Those lower numbers are best in warmer climates. But in the Northeast, a Solar Heat Gain Co-efficient of .35 is more cost-effective because the cold-weather season is longer than the warm-weather season. In turn, more heat gain equals lower heating costs.

The construction material of the window is also important. The most energy efficient material is fiberglass because of its inherent ability to be a non-conductive material. The next best material is natural wood. Avoid vinyl and aluminum products, which transmit temperatures directly through their materials.

The type of window, whether encasement or double hung, contributes to energy efficiency. Encasement windows have a better seal than double hung windows.

Window Film: Window films block up to 99% of UV light that comes through windows, helping to cut down on heat gain. In summer, the ambient inside temperature can be up to 15 degrees cooler with treated windows. In winter, the window surface remains warmer, reducing the amount of heat lost through convection. Depending on the window film, there is a 15 – 25% difference in heat loss.

Window films can be tinted or clear, giving them the ability to block heat without blocking light.

Window Coverings: Like windows, window coverings have a rating value. The energy efficiency of window coverings is measured in R-value, like insulation. The higher the R-value, the more it will protect your home from heat loss in the winter. Shading Co-efficient is an important measurement for summer cooling, and it indicates the window covering’s ability to shade against heat gain. The lower the number, the more effective the shade.

Draperies and fabric Roman Shades create thermal resistance, with R-values ranging from 3.0 to 6.0. The R-values depend on fabric, lining, pleating and fit. For fabric, look for a tighter weave and thicker fabrics. Also, certain materials are inherently better at insulating. For example, wool insulates better than sheer fabric or cotton. Adding lining and interlining can significantly increase a shade or drape’s energy efficiency. There are many lining options, but thermal lining is created for energy efficiency. With a layer of acrylic foam, thermal lining keeps rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Some thermal linings are also UV resistant and provide a degree of opacity to block sunlight. Consider pleating the curtains. The closer the pleats, the better insulation.

Finally, custom-fitted or air-tight shades and draperies are more effective because they create a dead air space between themselves and the glass.

Whether you plan on using window technology, film or coverings to reduce energy costs, consulting a professional will help you make the right decision for you and your home.

by Carrie Purcell, Contributing Writer

Special thanks:

Regina Sirico from Essential Glass Coatings, LLC,

www.essentialglass.com 866.264.8468

Matt Schardan from A.W. Hastings & Co.,

www.mschardan@awhastings.com 203.814.2236

Grace Horelik, from Window Expressions by Grace, LLC., 860.674.0587

Things To Know About Energy Efficiency

Understanding these common terms will help you select the right windows and doors.

U-factor – This measures the rate of heat loss and how well a product insulates. The lower the number, the better a product is at keeping heat inside a building. The U-factor is key in the winter months, and important to consider in choosing a window.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) – This measures how well a product blocks heat from the sun. The lower the number, the better. In southern climates or high sun intensity areas, you might actually want to keep the sun’s heat out of your house. Windows can help do that.

R-value – This measures resistance to heat loss. Many people are familiar with the R-value because of its use in home insulation. But actually, for windows and doors, U-factor and solar heat gain coefficient are more important measurements.

Design Pressure Rating – The “DP” measures the amount of pressure a door or window will withstand when closed and locked. Each DP rating also establishes other performance factors such as water penetration; air infiltration; structural pressure; forced entry; and operational force. The higher the DP numbers, the better the performance. Look for the certified hallmark of the Window and Door Manufacturers Association.

Thanks to Marvin Windows at www.marvin.com and A.W. Hastings for the images used in this story and for this list of terms.

‘Country French Kitchens add color and style to the American Home’

left: A touch of eclecticism, whimsy and a touch of joie de vivre for a home’s most important room

We Americans possess an enduring fascination with French culinary arts, French design, and indeed, the French art of livin  g. Joie de vivre tugs at our heartstrings and continues to pull us, inspire us and motivate us to infuse it into our own living spaces, lifestyles and families.

                                                 This chandelier shows off the homeowner’s prized copper collection, illuminating the counter sitting area

No singular room in the home moves us towards joie as does the kitchen. It is the heartbeat of the home, the room where roasts are basted and hearts repaired, where recipes are filed and homework checked. The kitchen serves purposes as varied as our family members’ personalities, yet requires our earnest attempts at infusing joie de vivre—the cheerful enjoyment of life—into those human beings whose lives we are nurturing.

The French have always embraced this notion of infusing joy into everyday routines and personal spaces. They have long recognized the value of nurturing: with nurturing meals and conversations; with loving preparations and presentations. And we desire to impart this to our home and families, regardless of how far we live from authentic French culture.

As we seek to make our kitchens the most nurturing room in our homes, we desire to impart joie not just through those things that are not things at all: candlelit ambiance, uplifting conversation, laughter amongst friends. We desire to impart joie through good design. Architectural brilliance. Designer know-how. We want all of those tangible things that add gravitas to the kitchen “experience.”

Evoking Country French Style

Roosters deux infuse joie to a blank wall in this playful detail.

The differences in the ways that Americans and the French evoke Country French style into their kitchens are so distinct it is glaring. While American homeowners desire their kitchens to be showy and magazine-quality picturesque, Country French kitchen designers—who are, in many cases, the homeowners themselves—abhor the notion that homes are ostentatious displays of wealth.

Collection of antique copper pots, bowls, watering cans and tubs cluster on an antique baker’s rack, lending warmth and provenance

After the French Revolution, the population withdrew notions of eye-popping drama and opulence, and instead, relied on the warmth drawn from simplicity and understatement. The French country folk prefer their homes to possess similar ideals of restraint, warmth, and functionality. Beauty will always play the starring role. But French houses of the southeastern Mediterranean region rarely promote themselves; indeed, even landmark houses known for their exquisite architecture or proximity to the sea, boast little of the prized possessions held inside.

Handmade Santons de Provence line a niche, reminding the homeowner of her French roots and infusing the space with charm and authenticity.

The French prize possessions for their provenance. The idea of purchasing something new for the home without any connection to one’s heritage is foreign to them. Authentic Country French style has as its fundamental theme the notion that ties to the past represent lines to a family’s future. Pieces incorporated into one’s kitchen need to reflect family histories, connections and stories. Threadbare fabric-covered chairs would hold a greater place in the home than would new upholstered pieces with no sign of wear or tear. Country French style exudes evidence that families are busy living life—that they don’t operate in design vacuums, but function in the daily activities of hustle-bustle life. The tug of the family pulls like an umbilical cord back to places of origin, to birth homes, to churches where important ceremonies took place, and to familiar shopkeepers and artisans. It is this desire to impart meaning and warmth—indeed, history—into living spaces that fundamentally separates authentic Country French style from uniquely American style.

Defining the Country French Kitchen

My response to the question: “What makes a kitchen Country French?” comes from my gut. One knows it when one sees it. A kitchen looks and acts authentic or it doesn’t. So let’s look at a few fundamentals.

Hand-carved limestone sink, signed by the sculpteur sur pierre, juts out from the abutting stone counters-- a conscious design element by homeowner and artisan.

The commonly accepted “rules” of American kitchen design, while nearly sacrosanct, are generally ignored in authentic Country French kitchen design. Because the French have different patterns of preparation and gathering, a propensity to incorporate disparate objects, and design executed by the homeowners themselves, fundamental differences remain. For example, a Country French kitchen might incorporate an antique table covered in marble for daily rolling of the dough. The height of the table might be completely incongruous with that of the nearby range or countertop to which it abuts. Yet the French will prefer it to something newly constructed and with perfect alignment if the surface does not match the task at hand.

So, too, the American predisposition for encumbering kitchen islands with cooktops or sinks is decidedly not authentically Country French. Indeed, the concept of a kitchen island is more distinctly American than it is French. The Country French kitchen would happily place a solid antique table with perfect functionality in the kitchen and leave it that way. It would remain an empty work surface because it is needed for just that: work.

Many homes across France do not possess separate dining rooms, so tables and other large pieces of furniture in Country French kitchens typically serve multiple purposes. The kitchen table might be the place where meals are enjoyed . . . and it might also be the area where children do painting projects. As long as the table has clean lines and quality wood and craftsmanship, it will honor the French longing for form and beauty.

Chairs might be priceless heirlooms or chaises pliantes—metal bistro chairs—brought in from the garden. A fully matched set bears no greater enjoyment for daily use than do mismatched ones. The French juxtapose disparate objects, placing old next to new, prized next to inexpensive and large scale next to small. It is this give and take that brings joie to homes decorated in Provençal style.

Buy Organic—Buy Local

Inexpensive antique Turkish copper sieves complement hand-forged door latches, in the matching classic French gray-blue paint of the hand-planed cabinets.

A Provencal tablecloth in a cheerful yellow and red pattern tops the antique farm table in the eating area of this expansive kitchen. The homeowner’s original fruit painting adds brilliant color to the cozy corner.

Authentic Country French kitchens always use native, “of the earth” building materials. This emphatically defines its style. Homeowners do not look far from their own village for materials. They use indigenous stone, excavated from local quarries and masterfully cut by a local craftsman, or tailleur de pierre. Authentic French kitchens incorporate native soapstone for their sinks, unless they prefer indigenous limestone. They use wood from native trees for their armoires and cabinetry. Armoires, used in the kitchen for storage of linens and china, rather than as entertainment centers or clothing wardrobes as we do in the States, remain a staple in authentic Country French kitchens.

A local craftsman—compagnon—is chosen to produce wares for living spaces. Locally produced faience brightens shelves and locally produced stemware holds wine. Fabrics from the local mill are used for curtains and table coverings, large checks juxtaposing toile de jouy, and delightfully so. Even the humble rooster, locally raised and kin to most natives of rural France, takes its place as the official beckoner of each new day!

Function Intersects Beauty

The classic La Cornue enameled range in French blue is not only the hardest working piece in the room; it is the piece de resistance!... perfectly complementing the 200 year-old hand painted French tiles and well-worn Mauviel copper pots and pans hanging above

An authentic Country French kitchen is utilitarian in nature, for it serves as the workhorse of the home. Marble tops tables where pastry dough is rolled; soapstone imbues sinks where vegetables are washed; and limestone or earthen terra-cotta supports legs that stand in preparation of each day’s meals. Materials serve function and are chosen for durability, practicality and accessibility. Yet they are always prized for their inherent aesthetic qualities. For example, for hundreds of years, hearths have been built into exterior walls. This filled the practical need for ventilation. While we are no longer constrained in our design for this purpose, its wisdom remains timeless. The French will intersect this functionality with the sheer beauty of an enameled, brass-trimmed La Cornue range. The piece de resistance!

This kitchen takes open shelving seriously: a niche holds daily stemware; an antique plate rack stores service for twenty-four; and an open nook keeps red wines within arm’s reach.

Cabinetry: The $64K Question Americans love brand new cabinetry in abundance. We view cabinetry as the ultimate trophy item in our kitchens, and use it to both store and hide all of the contents therein. We want our expensive, custom cabinets to hide everything from our beautiful, handpainted dinnerware to our stemware, serving pieces and groceries! We even hide those items in common use: jars of flour, measuring cups and mixing bowls. But authentic Country French kitchens prefer the accessibility—and creative opportunities—inherent with open shelving. Bearing a propensity for things in full view and within arm’s reach, the French cook likes to quickly grab a spoon when the pot of stew needs stirring. Open shelves hold glassware and cassoulets, hanging plate racks hold daily dinnerware, and countertops hold buckets of utensils. The French find wide appeal in these tools and gain creative energy from artfully arranging them. Never mind the dust; the objects are used with frequency, prohibiting dust to find the time to settle! Never mind the clutter; the artistic possibilities drive the charm factor and therefore make it all forgiving!

Approaching design as exploration into your soul and creating nurturing environments for your family is, by its very nature, authentically Country French. It can be easily implemented by simply training your eye—and your heart—for looking for joie in the everyday moments of life. Exploring the simple things in life with verve and creativity. Appreciating beauty and history. We need to seek it and re-create it in the corners—large and small—of our lives.

by Carolina Fernandez, Contributing Writer

Carolina Fernandez is the author of, Country French Kitchens (Gibbs Smith Publishers, 2008). She serves a niche clientele of art and design professionals in a financial advisory capacity in Fairfield County, Connecticut, where she lives with her husband and their four children.

You may purchase the author’s book, Country French Kitchens, through Amazon.com.

Bringing color to life and life to color in the fascinating world of color planning

Leslie Harrington wants you to believe.

As a color expert, she sees the difficulties people have in putting color into their lives. “It’s a risk to move in the direction of bold or lively colors,” she says, “because color can be intimidating. Many couples come to my studio having reached an impasse—particularly older couples. Because they can’t agree, they reach a compromise—a non-color for the walls or fabrics in a room.”

Leslie observes that younger couples and individuals (under 40) have less difficulty making color choices. “They see color commitment like so many other aspects of their lives—dealing with constant flux in their careers and living situations means they are more comfortable with a risky color choice because it can always be replaced. Twenty-to-forty percent of all paint is purchased to cover a mistake,” she explains.

Leslie is no stranger to the world of color planning. Working with her mother in an Ontario, Canada, Benjamin Moore paint store, she can call herself a second-generation paint and color specialist. She went on to become Benjamin Moore’s director of color for the company, where she redesigned their entire paint line to make it more reflective of current tastes and trends. In addition to her color studio in Greenwich, CT, Leslie also heads the Color Association of the United States (CAUS). “We are thought leaders for home design, fashion and manufacturing organizations,” she explains. “This commercial side of my business takes me to drug, car, packaging, furniture and other corporations, to help them contextualize color choices with their design teams. By this, I mean fusing product ideas with function and helping them choose the right colors to enhance and ultimately sell the product.”

“[For corporations, I fuse] product ideas with function [to help] them
choose the right colors to enhance and ultimately sell the product.”

Benjamin Moore color samples. "Learning to live with color is the first challenge"

Color matters in durable products, too. The Color Association works with catalogue furniture companies to develop more evolutionary, rather than revolutionary color stories for their interior palettes; since new furniture-buy decisions are anchored in past purchases which may remain in the home for years, in some cases. “Other products, like cell phones,” she says, “are more ‘throw-away’ and so can be marketed using more current color trends, without fear of a major fashion error on the part of a buyer. The right color choice, at the right time, for the right product, might mean that it will either sell briskly or languish on the retail shelf. Millions of dollars are at stake in many cases.”

“[Color choice] is a complex process that involves both psychology and science.”

But caveat emptor! A bright yellow laptop computer may not sell well, but a canary yellow off-road vehicle may. How to decide what market forces drive the ‘buy’ decision on each side of the product equation is the job of the team of experts who confer frequently under the banner of the CAUS to offer their carefully-considered forcasts on the topic. “Color is contextual,” Leslie explains, “We ask ourselves: How does this product function in the lives of its user and what trends and brand identity issues are going to come into play. It is a complex process that involves both psychology and science.

Returning to her role as a consultant for individuals and couples making color decisions, she points out that, “Color choice should be a process of elimination, not selection. It is important to know what room is being considered, since color affects behavior and attitude in that space (e.g.- red for a dining room stimulates appetite; red in a bedroom may produce tension). Color choice should be a strategic, as well as an aesthetic one, since the uses and mood of a room help to guide the color-choice process. In my work with clients, I often help them move from an emotional connection to a color to an objective decision about what color will be best for that space. A client may ‘like’ a certain color for all the wrong reasons. In my role as a color consultant, like is not part of the equation.”

___________________________________________________

To learn more about Leslie Harrington’s work, go to http://www.lhcolor.com

For architects and designers (and others!), download a Benjamin Moore color palette or order Color Pulse 2010 at: http://www.bejaminmoore.com

To learn more about the work of the CAUS, go to: http://www.colorassociation.com

EDITOR’S LETTER: Preserving the past for future generations…

In ways that were not entirely planned, this issue of ARTES is about preservation of our cultural resources, in the broadest sense of the word.  The green design movement has done much to increase public awareness about the treasures of a planet that seems to grow smaller and more fragile each day. Our Departments (now called Categories) will continue on the theme of discovering and appreciating treasures that are within our reach at museums and galleries and a wide variety of other stories on art and collectables that might just arise from unexpected sources.

But, we did not stop there…

Frederic Church, Autumn in North America, 1856 (Vassar)

For a Features story, I undertook a ‘working vacation’ and headed up the Hudson River to learn more about the community of 19^th century painters who lived and worked there in the, capturing the natural beauty of the river and the surrounding Catskill mountains.  I discovered that they, too, harbored deep concerns about the impact that industrialization and population expansion would have on the environment, as early as 1825!

Henry David Thoreau, well-known for his part in an active environmental movement during that same period, spoke for an entire group of painters, writers, poets and philosophers of the time, when he famously wrote, “In wildness is the preservation of the world”.  His call for a “direct experience of nature” propelled artists like Cole, Church, Cropsey, Bierstadt and others to travel the world and portray the wonders of nature and, through the use of light, color and scale, to illustrate our diminutive place in what they believed to be tangible evidence of God’s hand at work here on earth.  As I navigated the rough trails and steep climbs that brought me to some of the very sites pictured in their now-famous works, I recognized the extraordinary physicality they must have brought to their mission—recognizing that they painted miles from home, while relying on portage of all equipment, good weather, basic tools-of-the –trade (paint tubes had not yet been invented!) and the means to carry freshly-painted studies of a scene back to the studio, safely (as a painter, I can attest to the fact that this last step is no easy task).  They were rewarded for their sacrifice, however, as their dramatic images have moved many generations to view the gifts of the natural world as both sacred and awe inspiring.                                                                                                          

This month, ARTES will present a comprehensive field report on the Hudson River Valley and its inextricable role in the development of the preservation movement, as well as our self-image as Americans. See: River of Dreams- In search of the American Identity in literature, poetry and art                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Robert Stern, Dean, Yale School of Architecture

As a unique feature, representing a first-step toward becoming a multi-media resource for our readers, ARTES presents an expanded interview with Robert A.M. Stern, Dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University.  In streaming video format, my conversation with him regarding the sources of inspiration and objectives of architecture are explained in his own words. On the preservation theme, he too, points out the importance of learning from the past.  Once again, we are pleased and honored to have this eminent architect

as part of our offerings to readers (and now, viewers!).

California-based, Randall Whitehead has now joined the magazine as a feature editor and this month, his story on the conversion of a traditional residential dwelling to a dramatic Transitional beauty once again demonstrates how skillful design and lighting can make all the difference—conservation at its best!.                                                                        

attrib. to Buoninsegna, Virgin and Child Enthroned with Four Saints 1305-10

ARTES also presents Part II of a story by Alix Perrachon on another art form– Oriental rugs– and their ‘green’ features during production.  In addition to their environmental sustainability, their beauty, range of styles and versatility make them one of the great treasures of centuries past and a precious addition, worth preserving, for any décor today.

Together with these Feature stories, ARTES continues to build its Department offerings with experts in their respective fields providing insights and information on topics related to fine art and design, where care and stewardship of artifacts from the past become the common  thread that runs through their stories.  With those themes in mind, we also welcome Stephen Vincent Kobasa, as this month’s contributor to Opinion Poll, with a piece entitled, Showing Time: Can art be saved? Should it be?

Thanks for being part of our growing family of readers,

 Richard J. Friswell, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief