Green is the new Black, NOT!

Designer Nightmare #127: You’ve convinced your extremely open minded client to use a pre-dyed wood veneer on all the cabinets, doors and full height wall paneling in his project. This wood veneer when properly finished is stunning. You’ve wanted to use it the minute you flipped through the catalog. Everything is going along just swell. We have one of San Francisco’s finest General Contractors on the job: Dan Matarozzi, Managing Partner of Matarozzi Pelsinger Builders along with Doug Nomiyama Project Manager. With them at the helm, what could go wrong? 

One day while at a site meeting, Rich Anderson the very talented, patient and competent Construction Supervisor, catches you staring at the full height, floor to ceiling custom veneer clad cabinets that’s turned weirdly GREEN. Your heart sinks; is someone here just pulling your leg? NO, this is for real.

But every design problem has a solution. And you know just who to call: the awesome guys at Design Workshops! These guys are amazing, not only do they make the best custom casework in the Bay Area, but they have guys on staff like Randy Robinson (who knows more about wood than anyone I know) and Joseph O. Njoku-Obi who is the most incredible finisher you’ll ever work with and of course Rich Fanti who’s a Project Manager’s Project Manager. I’ve seen these guys do things with discolored wood that should get an award.

In less than two days they came up with a sample that was so close to the original control sample that we didn’t have to tint the entire project. Now they haven’t completed the project as of this writing but just knowing they’ve figure out the special tint formula to counter the green stain will allow me to sleep like a baby tonight.

Product + idea = ??? You be the judge…. Ch.2

Now that we have decided on the perimeter details, let’s discuss incorporating lighting, HVAC, & AV.  Since the Hunter Douglas system is linear, we have used linear lighting and multiple recessed downlights.  The linear lighting will be used in a similar width panel.  The panel will be cut on either end and the light will simply continue the line.  The multiple recessed downlights will be cut into a larger panel.  Two very different looks and used in two different areas of the space.  The linear application is above the dining /seating area, while the recessed downlights are above where customers are getting their food.

As for the HVAC, we didn’t want to see diffusers in the ceiling.  There is air supply in the soffit surround and we eliminated the filler strip between the panels for air return.  An acoustical blanket is laid on top to absorb sound.

The audio visual consisting of a projector and a screen, ended up in the linear metal ceiling late in the game.  Luckily, this system is apt for this situation.  The projector will be mounted with a 3” pipe, which will penetrate a ceiling panel.  The projector screen will be recessed and the panels will cover most the screen.  The area which the screen requires to be lowered will be preserved by removing only that portion of the linear panels.  So when the screen is up, it is hidden and when it is down, it is usable.

Click here to see the final outcome.  Tell us if you can find the location of the projector screen.

The Ultimate Mixologist

Back in July, I received an email about a contest for Mats Inc.  The contest was based on using their Mixology Floor Designer tool to create a one of kind pattern.  It took, about 3 minutes to create and send my pattern.  Once the contest went underway, I found that my pattern was a top 10 finalist.  At this point the winner would be chosen through Facebook “Likes”.  You may remember seeing a post from us to vote for me.  Well the contest ended and I am happy to announce that I won and become the Ultimate Mixologist with my design called “Hot Totti”.  Thanks to all who voted for me.  I plan on giving the iPad 2 to my mom in Indiana, so I can stay connected with my family back home through video calls.

Thanks to Mats, Inc., as well, for the cool contest and for the ipad 2!

Eduardo’s California License Celebration

Since I finally got my architectural license in this state, Gregg invited the team to celebrate the event. I decided for Local Restaurant & Wine Bar and we all went for lunch on July 27^th; I think it was the right decision and will tell you why. It’s very clear to me this team enjoys two things: good crispy Italian pizza and better yet, good wine (not necessarily in that order though). This place has both and the service is excellent, with great help from the owner choosing the right wine and getting your glass refilled.

Saying that’s the best pizza ever would be excessive, but if you’re a pizza lover, this is a place you cannot miss. We ordered four different pizzas (after some serious appetizers) and we all thought that three of them were out of this world:  Salsiccia (with house-made fennel sausage, fresh mozzarella, scallions, and Calabrian chillies) ,then Linguica (with linguica sausage, caramelized onions, red bell peppers and cheddar) and finally Local Pizza (with mozzarella, goat cheese, pepperoni, bacon and house-made sausage).

Besides great food and wine, the place has an interesting modern and clean design that’s worth seeing; nice atmosphere and easy street parking. I don’t think I will get another license soon, but I’m looking forward to going to Local again.

Get your Tomatoes, Red Ripe Tomatoes!!!

And so another year has come and gone. This year for my birthday, the gang headed over to Garibaldi’s in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights neighborhood for a little up-scale fare. At Garibaldi’s they had a watermelon and tomato salad on the menu that everyone wanted to taste. Now I have to tell you I’m a HUGE watermelon fan, more like a fanatic but not into raw tomatoes at all, just do something, anything to a tomato and I’ll most likely gobble it down.  This salad actually rocked, the watermelon was so ripe and the tomato was a nice compliment to the dish as a whole. I liked it so much I went home and scoured the internet for a recipe that was similar. I found it on Epicurious.com and have posted it here for you, enjoy!  Ingredients:

    8 cups 1-1/4-inch chunks seedless watermelon (about 6 pounds)

    3 pounds ripe tomatoes (preferably heirloom) in assorted colors, cored, cut into 1-1/4-inch chunks (about 6 cups)

    1 teaspoon (or more) fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt

    5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

    1-1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

    3 tablespoons chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as dill, basil, and mint)

    6 cups fresh arugula leaves or small watercress sprigs

    1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 5 ounces)

    1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted Preparation:

Combine melon and tomatoes in large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fleur de sel and toss to blend; let stand 15 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons oil, vinegar, and herbs to melon mixture. Season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired.

Toss arugula in medium bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Divide arugula among plates. Top with melon salad; sprinkle with feta cheese and toasted almonds and serve.

Thanks for the Awesome Seats, Cal Lighting!

Cal Lighting’s Patrick London was nice enough to offer us a pair of tickets to a recent Giants game, and I was lucky enough to snag them!  Patrick has been working with us on a very edgy lighting design that we are developing for Slap Company, which will be completed later on this summer.  The seats that Patrick hooked us up with were no ordinary baseball tickets….and I really had no idea until I got there!  We were two rows back from the dugout and it was definitely the most up-close and personal experience I have ever had at a ballgame.  We were on the Field Club Level and got to enjoy the perks of special food stands and restaurants that had little to no lines.  We were so close to the field that you could literally hear the players talking to each other.  I heard that my date and I were even on TV in the bottom of the 9^th inning!  Thank you to Patrick and Cal Lighting for treating me to such an awesome experience!

Just Do It!

On Sunday, July 31^st, I completed my 3^rd half marathon.  This time around, I took my training pretty seriously.  I hired a personal trainer, whom I worked out with twice a week at 6:30AM sharp!  This new schedule took a lot of getting used to, but I ended up really enjoying it.  There is something awesome about waking up when the rest of the world is still quiet to get things done and get your thoughts together for the approaching day.  I learned that despite the fact that it is very difficult to get out of bed when it is still dark outside, it is totally worth it!  I managed to not only improve my physical fitness, but I became a much more organized person because I was able to do a few chores every day before I started my work day.  I did a combination of cardio exercises, running and strength training to prepare for the half marathon.  My trainer taught me a bunch of fun exercises to get myself in shape.  My personal favorite was the side run because you can flap your arms like a chicken when you do it.  It definitely promises for some funny looks from people on the Embarcadero. I finished the 1^st half of the San Francisco Half Marathon in 2 hours 13 minutes.  My goal for next time is going to be to finish in 2 hours.  This is going to take a lot of work and I am really going to have to strengthen my muscles and improve my running on inclines. 

Stay tuned for my next half marathon story!

Product + idea = ??? You be the judge…. Ch.1

Hunter Douglas Linear Metal Ceiling - Hey, somebody has to do it. New products come on the market all the time.  Designers have to have a fearless approach when experimenting with new products in order to discover their possibilities. 

Here at DM+A, we wanted to try using the Linear Metal Ceiling systems; Box & Deep Box Series.  It’s a very straight forward approach.  Linear planks lay in one direction within a soffit.  But what if you use different plank sizes and depths with a random pattern?  On top of two types of lighting, different soffit connections, and a recessed projector screen?  Well it takes a lot of planning and preparation.   

One of the biggest challenges was how the perpendicular end of the panels would meet the soffit.   Typical details would have you use a wall angle, but since we are using different depths of panels, only some of the panels would actually be touching the angle (See Image 1B).  This is not a look we wanted.  Our answer … hold the panels off the wall 2”.

Another challenge is when the panel runs parallel and how it would meet the soffit.  Since there is always room for error between AutoCAD drawings and actual field conditions, we had to be flexible in the design.  So we decided to allow the panel to run past the soffit.  This will allow any width to be along the soffit.  We did decide to limit the depth at this condition.

So now the tricky one…What happens once the two conditions meet at a corner?  Not exactly a happy one, but we must make the best of what we have.  The only question is the open space at the 2” along the long side of the panel.  It will be left open and one can potentially see duct work, pipes, etc.  After further discussions, we conclude that the potential to see the HVAC will be minimized by the perspective.  But to be on the safe side, in the end we decided to include a 2” wall angle mounted higher than the panels which would hide any exposed ductwork (click here, then click on 2nd square from the right).

There will always be hiccups in the process, but if no one took the risks, what would our built world look like?  

Click here to see the final product and tell us what you think.

Rags to Riches....

…the Otis Winfrey story.  Meet Otis, the newest member of the DM+A family.  I discovered this little stray living in the parking lot next to my building over the July 4^th weekend.  He had sustained a pretty bad injury to his front left leg by the time we were able to trap him.  Since then, he’s been at the SPCA getting treatment and putting some baby fat onto his tiny bones.  Lil’ Otis has had a rough & tumble beginning, but we’re all dedicated to making sure his life is nothing but smooth sailing from now on.  As of this afternoon, he’s officially ours.  If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello.  He’ll be happy to see you. I can’t say enough about the San Francisco SPCA , the care he received and the amazing staff and volunteers who save animals every day.  Please consider making a donation on his behalf at http://www.sfspca.org/support

Funny Name, Sweet Creek

National River Clean-Up Day was such a success, thanks to everyone who came out with their family and friends to support the CRC Committee of CoreNet to help cleanup San Francisquito Creek on May 21, 2011.  This is the last South Bay creek running above ground as it flows into the Bay and is a refuge for many native species, including shorebirds and fish.  Water levels in the creek are dwindling as the creek is filled with trash every year.  So every year, we work with Acterra to make the Bay Area a better place to live and work.

We are ecstatic to report we collected over 1,000 pounds of trash including old dressers, tools, cribs, tires and the usual litter of fast food containers and bottles.  Without the help of our volunteers we could never have hauled away so much junk that otherwise would have found its way into San Francisco Bay.   

Special thanks to Tony Yado and Corovan for providing us with a yummy lunch.

Michelle’s 33rd B-Day!

This year we celebrated my birthday by having lunch at Zero Zero, a restaurant in San Francisco’s SOMA District that specializes in wood-fired pizzas and various other tasty Italian treats.  We all enjoyed the family style dishes and got to try several menu items.  We were very impressed with the hard root beer floats, which are basically a spiked version of everyone’s childhood favorite.  Zero Zero adds just the right amount of dark rum to their root beer floats to keep the celebration going!  We also enjoyed the build-your-own ice cream desserts, which allow you to get a little creative by letting you pick your ice cream flavors and toppings.  We had a great time and enjoyed trying out another new restaurant in San Francisco!

Caught on Camera

Jenga decides to hang out while I am redlining shop drawings.

Saga Swimwear

When I am not busy at my day job as an interior designer at DM+A, I am a freelance writer for MF Magazine, a music/fashion/entertainment magazine based in Portland, Oregon.  Recently, I interviewed Michelle Byrnes and Alex McCauley, two awesome girls that started San Francisco’s Saga Swimwear.  Check out my article to learn more about Saga and their sophisticated, sexy swimsuit designs! I have been writing for MF Magazine for four years and have covered several musicians, actors and fashion designers.  Read my article in our latest print issue (flip to page eight) on Sweden’s Peter Bjorn and John and their latest album Gimme Some .

It’s my b-day, yo.

Lollie's Bday 2011 with Friends, Frankie & Lucy

A lot has changed in the last year of my eventful life.  I am still enjoying my career as Official Host and Guest Services Coordinator at DM+A, although I’ve been accused of sleeping on the job lately.  In July, we moved (again) to a sort of sketchy neighborhood.  While my mom has been less than enamored with our new surroundings, I’ve enjoyed taking in the new sights and smells of the locals and have taken to adjusting my appearance accordingly.  As you can see, for this year’s birthday soiree, I donned my favorite street-cred hoody.  Don’t be afraid, though.  It’s still sweet old me underneath the attitude and threads. We munched on Goat Hill Pizza, cookies from Moulin Pooch and cake and strawberries.  All of my favorite peeps and homey’s Frankie and Lucy were at my party, which made it even more righteous.  Peace out.

AI Teaching - Here's a Lesson For You

Typically I teach building codes at the Art Institute of California – San Francisco.  Teaching Building Codes is a bit dry, but once a student “gets” it, it’s rewarding.  This quarter I have the opportunity to teach Programming and Space Planning 1 for the Interior Design dept.  It’s really fun exploring the different methods of programming.  In the real world, time is of the essence, so you don’t get to do every method of research.  The programming phase is when we as designer’s research, explore, and investigate the facets of a project.  It is the most important phase, because it can make or break the project.  By programming we define the client’s needs and prioritize the client’s wants.  There isn’t one clear path to programming.  Each job, client, and designer will require different methods. The goal is to be as efficient as possible with our time and make the largest leaps with the information at hand.

Sometimes as a client, you may think, “I can tell you all you need to know.”  But in reality, there are just some things you don’t think about, especially when it’s about the use of space.  As a client, your priorities are different than ours as a designer. You may want the design to be completed cheap and fast, when we want to take the necessary time to design, so the users can work efficiently.  Always remember that the Programming phase isn’t a phase you want to rush.  If something isn’t planned for, it will affect the rest of phases and in the long run take more time.

Fresh Meat

Hey everybody, we’ve pushed some new projects up onto our recently spiffed up website.  We’ve responded to great feedback and made our portfolio section easier to navigate and enlarged the images in this section for better viewing.  New projects include a gut renovation (Daly Mansion), a home office (SF Home Office), and an executive conference room (Oracle CVC).  We’ll have a few new projects to add in the months to come.  Stay tuned.

Drinks by Design Tsunami Relief Efforts

This Wednesday (5:30 pm), March 30, 2011 @ La Mar, we have a chance to be a part of the tsunami relief efforts in Japan.  Drinks by Design is contributing a portion of the proceeds from this months $10 cover to the American Red Cross, whose relief efforts are instrumental in helping Japan recover.  Thanks to the sponsors - Caesarstone, Fox Marble, Dwell Magazine and California Home + Design Magazine, your $10 cover will also get you a free drink or two.

Let's all do our part by joining Drinks by Design to network for a cause!

Heidi Contest

Well it’s official, DM+A has the second best Heidi look-a-like in San Francisco working for them. Yeah that’s right, I got runner-up in the Heidi look-a-like contest.  What would drive me to rent a dirndl and take a long lunch break to pretend I am Heidi?  Well a trip to Switzerland!  Even though I didn’t get first place, I still get a trip, but I fly economy.  I am not complaining.  I studied abroad in Switzerland five years ago and I am excited to go back.  They have a great blend of traditional and modern architecture. Keep a look out for my blog of the trip, I am sure I’ll have a lot to share!

Future Designers of America

I was recently invited to be a member of the Professional Advisory Committee for the Interior Design Program at The Art Institute of California – San Francisco.  Always ready and willing to offer my two cents on anything design-related, I happily agreed.  This involved participating in a Student Portfolio Review and a discussion about the program’s curriculum.  My fellow committee members included other industry professionals from firms such as BAR Architects, HOK and the Wiseman Group.  It was great to hear what different studios are looking for in junior staff and to observe what other design pros see when looking at the students’ work.  The general consensus was: show more process and basic design practices and focus less on the smoke and mirrors in the presentation.  So, okay kids, listen up.  Here’s a little free advice: Hone your design skills; develop proficiency in drafting conventions; practice your hand sketching; and have a point of view!  If you can’t demonstrate these things, all the overblown graphics in your presentation documents won’t make a bit of difference.  As the incredibly astute Louis Schump of HOK offered, “It’s hard to see what’s going on with the plan when it’s cloaked in a sea of baby’s faces or a bamboo forest”.  So true, Louis.  So true.

Big Thanks to Michelle!

I want to give a big thank you to Michelle for staying late to get the job done.  After a site meeting on Thursday I came back to the office with tons to do.  I had another meeting for my rowing team at 6:30pm.  Without her help I wouldn’t have been able to make it.