BoutiqueDesign.com - Boutique Blog

Brooke Pearsall: Go big or go home.

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/10/2008 11:31:07 AM

As managing director of design for HVScompass, Brooke Pearsall is bringing more than 10 years of experience to the table as lead designer on a number of hotel projects. Learn more about her and her latest, the George Washington Hotel, here:

Name: Brooke Elisabeth Pearsall

Title: Managing Director of Design

Firm: HVScompass Interior Design

Why I love what I do:

I love the energy of design. I love surprising people with design by creating original spaces and experiences, and I love helping owners bring their visions alive.

What I'm currently working on:

We are currently working on more than 50 projects in our office, with a wide range in services, including new construction and renovations, from limited service to boutique.

My favorite project is one of our recently completed hotels: The George Washington Hotel by Wyndham in Winchester, VA. This is a truly beautiful historic property with an interesting past and a great design story. The hotel's owner wanted to revive this property, which had been operating as a hotel on and off for more than 80 years, but which had recently been abandoned.

I worked with three senior designers, each of whom tackled different areas of the hotel. Our goal was to incorporate the historical elements of the hotel into a sophisticated design that provides modern luxuries and highlights the hotel's unique past. The ballrooms and guestrooms were completed first, setting the tone and concept for the balance of the property. The design team embraced this hotel's concept right from the beginning, and with collaboration from the ownership and architect, we strategically transitioned the design tone from light and airy traditional in the ballroom and guestroom areas to a moody, sophisticated feel in the lobby bar and boardrooms.

Our entire team collaborated beautifully and each designer invested herself completely in the project. The end result is a property with integrity and a soul, ready to welcome yet another generation of guests.

What I wish the world knew about interior design:

Even with the latest technological innovations, design takes time, care, vision, thought and talent.

What fascinates me:

Perceptions. Everyone experiences color, pattern, lighting and environment instinctively and individually.

My mantra is: Go big or go home.

Something you don't know about me:

I love adventure � from reading adventure novels to jumping out of planes!

What I'd love to do before I die:

I want to scuba dive off the coast Australia.

Michael Schneider: Our Very Own Most Eligible Bachelor

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/9/2008 6:11:06 PM

Many of you know our dear publisher, and company president, Michael Schneider as one of the most eligible bachelors in the design industry. Well ladies, he's also one of the most eligible bachelors in Boutique Design's hometown--Westchester County, New York. The title is now official.

We learned a few things about Michael in the article that appeared in The Westchester Wag (viewable here). Many of these details were no surprise to the staff of BD as we know him well. Yet, we finally solved the mystery of his nickname, Sha Sha.

So, if you'd like to snag Michael, you should share the following traits: Design snobbery. Wanderlust. Dedication. Interest in saving the environment (hell, why not the world). Health consciousness. Excellent conversationalist. Penchant for Starbucks.

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/9/2008 6:01:49 PM

Boutique Design Editor Holds Exclusive Networking Dinner for 12 for NEWH Great food, great company and a great experience for designers, hotel owners and vendors.

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/3/2008 3:22:56 PM

Join Rebecca Goldberg, editor-in-chief of Boutique Design magazine, on July 10 as she hosts Passport Dining: Ethiopia for the Greater New York Chapter of NEWH.

The dinner will be held at Merkato 55 in New York's Meatpacking District (at 55 Gansevoort Street). Ethiopian cuisine created by celebrity chef owner Marcus Samuelson will be served. If you can't afford the trip to Africa, this is the next best thing.

RSVP to Rebecca@sipco.net ASAP as seats fill quickly.

The cost of dinner, $130, includes wine, tax and gratuity.

NEWH is a hospitality industry networking organization that awards hospitality students with scholarships.

Raefer Wallis: Big picture first, details after. Landscape first, people after.

Posted by Sipco News Network

7/3/2008 1:29:31 PM

Even if you don't know Raefer Wallis of A00 Architecture, you know his work. Wallis is one of the great minds behind China's first carbon neutral hotel, URBN Shanghai. We caught up with him to see what's next on his project horizon and learn a little more about what drives him. Can't get enough of Wallis here? We talked to him more for our URBN Shanghai coverage in this month's issue.

Full name: Raefer K. Wallis

Title: Director

Firm: A00 Architecture

Wallis in his own words: I was born in Quebec with Kiwi heritage, and obtained a masters in architecture from McGill. Life being short and Montreal being slow, I headed for the world's busiest place right after obtaining my degree: Shanghai. Seven years and 60-ish built projects later, I would do it all over again. Experience is everything.

Why I love what I do: Many architects are people for whom one skill set is not enough, who have many passions and interests. I am one of those. Architecture allows me to pull most of them together across an incredible range: from the deeply abstract to the hard-edged real. I love balancing that spectrum.

What I'm currently working on: A couple houses in Sri Lanka, a modern, high-end rammed-earth Eco retreat, half a dozen modern conversions of historic homes in Shanghai's French Concession, GIGA (a free online green products database).

What I wish the world knew about interior design: How lethal interiors typically are... and how easy it is to swap out standard materials for healthier ones. Better yet is to strip out most of the materials we use. Both our favorite daily spaces and our favorite inspirational ones are those that focus on volume and light.

What fascinates me: Learning, testing, pushing boundaries.

My mantra is: Big picture first, details after. Landscape first, people after.

Something you don't know about me: Like many others in Canada, I grew up in an environment where landscape was far more present than people. Although I now live in one of the world's most populated cities, this remains the natural order of things.

What I'd love to do before I die: I should already be dead. I've already been clinically dead. I've skimmed death half a dozen other times. I've held death in my arms. It has become almost trivial.

I'd like to be doing more of what I'm doing now.

Drool-Worthy Product of the Week

Posted by Tracey Wallace

6/30/2008 2:42:53 PM

The mysteries of the catacombs have nothing on the head-turning power of these skulls. Esque Studio has truly outdone itself with beautifully hand blown glass adult skulls that are sure to be pieces of mind-blowing conversation. On top of the aesthetics, sustainable savvy shoppers do not be wary! Esque Studio prides itself on using cutting-edge technology to reduce waste and gas consumption. Each day, approximately 100 pounds of excess glass is recycled by the company making these heads as eco-conscious as yours!

In their Words: Hellman-Chang

Posted by Tracey Wallace

6/30/2008 2:37:46 PM

They say every soul has a story to tell; each person his or her own novelist, if you will. Here at DREAMbook, we embrace such a belief, but offer, that each company uses such an ability to make light of all creative and original genius before them. Where there is fable, there is truth and where there is a design company, there are people relentless in writing chapters all their own.

Daniel Hellman and Eric Chang are not your typical designers. Their educational background, though not in the usual design concentration, spans quite an array of interests, from classical guitar to marketing and finance. Its safe to assume that as young men, these two working endlessly in a garage would only lead to another one-hit wonder band, but you know what they say about assuming. Instead of working on lyrics for songs only groupies would know, these two were teaching themselves how to build, how to craft and how to make a life doing what they love.

Recognition for Hellman-Chang was almost immediate and they credit that to their unique background.

�It's definitely helped that both of us come from education backgrounds that were outside of design to help us see things from a fresh perspective,� said Chang �We don't have any learned rules and boundaries when coming up with new designs.�

High-end hospitality has always had an eye out for the aesthetically pleasing, but Hellman-Chang saw an opportunity to embrace an area of expertise they felt was being over-looked. Other designers create products that are bold, interesting and intense creating an atmosphere for the client like none other, but Hellman-Chang argues that perhaps all a client wants is the feeling of home.

�You wouldn't necessarily find (these bold accents) being used extensively in a living room or bedroom,� Chang said. �While we think they're absolutely exciting and necessary for the evolution of the industry, they sometimes ignore the fact that much of the clientele still want these products to be comfortable for their home.�

Comfort ranks number one on this company's list, such much so, that many of their designs are created specifically for clientele, in an almost made-to-order fashion. These pieces fit the personality of the customer so well that many are named directly after them.

�Right now we're working on a dining room set we designed for a client, who wanted something very unique for her new home,� says Chang. �We came up with a custom design for her that's definitely unique, but still distinctively a 'Hellman-Chang'.�

In the end, sometimes all it takes to invent a story all your own, or even a passionate career for that that matter, is a garage, a past-time and an eye for understanding the wants of the people whose support has always had your back.

Drool Worth Product of the Week From the Ground Up

Posted by Sipco News Network

6/13/2008 1:48:43 PM

Moore and Giles celebrates their 75th anniversary this year, but the road there hasn't been so smooth. Beginning as a leather shoe company specializing not only in leather, but in everything associated with creating the footwear, the company saw a major shift in their industry. China and Brazil were rising competition and as the years progressed, the leather shoe industry found itself in international hands. Such a transition was yet to stop the growing Moore and Giles team. They changed their expertise from footwear to upholstery. Though even from here, the road was still rocky.

The hospitality industry had, at the time, no interest for the company's natural leather and was instead booking with the competition. Moore and Giles kept their idea that good leather need not be about the processes it went through, but rather about the look�about the feel.

�You don't have to know anything about leather to feel it and love it,� said VP of Hospitality, BJ Kavnaugh, Jr.

Through thick and thin, Moore and Giles has stood its ground on what it believes good leather should be. Their take on the hospitality industry is the same they have for the residential.

�Beautiful things go across all boundaries,� said Kavnaugh. �Why not have a beautiful piece in a hotel and in your guest room?�

So drool on readers, this company is working in your favor to bring you leather that not only looks fabulous, but makes you fall in love with that first touch. No need for decorative or glitzy items, Moore and Giles presents you with natural leathers that span over three-quarters of a century. Using their heads to transform what they know and love from the bottom up. Literally.

The News from NeoCon

Posted by Kelley Granger

6/12/2008 5:55:01 PM

It was a lovely few days in Chi-Town for this year's NeoCon. We saw some really great products and are excited to report on them in future issues, but we won't keep you in too much suspense. Here's a roundup of some of our favorite spottings:

--Amtico's new Back to Black flooring is even hotter than its pin-up girl marketing campaign. The collection includes four sultry shades named Envy, Desire, Vamp and Poison in a durable 40 mm wear layer perfect for hospitality's high traffic areas.

--Ask a designer what inspires them and they'll probably say something like nature or travel. We think it's a lot harder to find the remarkable in more ordinary things. Stephanie Moffitt, the designer director for Loop Textiles, introduced us to their Everyday Objects collection, textile patterns inspired by the staples, paper clips, matches and bubble wrap we see in everyday life. The patterns seem to have double lives depending on whether you view from near or afar.

--Wolf Gordon introduced its collaboration with Gensler called Kit of Parts, a modular design which features the interchangeable pieces in the City and Nature line. Designers can place different panels according to their taste to create a signature wallcovering. The City wallcovering has two patterns, Cityscape and City Lights, and the Nature collection offers Nature Stripe, vertical lines with varying width; Nature Blossom, silhouettes of flowers; and Nature Tree, a blossoming tree.

--We got to check out Clodagh's partnership with Bentley Prince Street, carpet design which is based on the theory of biophilia � that we feel better when surrounded by natural elements. Clodagh says that her inspiration for Summer Shadow, Saguaro Shade and Canyon Rapids developed from photographs of the desert. The carpets have a feeling of life, whether subtly invoking water rippling or cast shadows, that create �action on the floor,� Clodagh says. The designer is eyeing wallcovering as her next possible endeavor.

--Jane Hamley Wells moved into her new showroom at 230 West Huron Street the Friday before NeoCon. The space, which she shares with a luxury kitchen and bath supplier, is decked out with new offerings by her namesake line and pieces by LCC Italia and Martinez Otero. We loved the Spanish company's line of fully lacquered products, including the modular Loud storage system.

What I Do: Jane Humzy

Posted by Tracey Wallace

6/13/2008 4:41:38 PM

Jane has always had a personal interest in architecture and exterior and interior design. Throughout her professional career she has been lucky enough to work alongside creative professionals of all kinds, be they photographers, graphic designers, artists, art directors, copywriters and musicians. After working as a project manager for the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, she decided to put all of her business knowledge to good, creative use. In 2004, Jane started her own business, Jane Hamley Wells, and made it her mission for her company to be that of making exceptionally good contemporary furniture design accessible to designers and architects.

Just like when reading a good novel, a point of view can change everything. This week we take a step outside the designer box and present you with a woman whose ideas inspired a company.

Tell us about what you do.

What do I do: I am in charge of the overall direction of the company, such as choosing the brands and product portfolios we work with; I am involved at a very hands-on level in all of the importing and/or exporting we do; I manage and implement our trade show exhibits and I am also responsible for taking care of any/all order fulfillment and after-sales service issues .Why do I do all this: because I love beautiful design and quality and am determined to make more of it easily available to people here who appreciate it.

What was the first thing you designed?

I am not a designer, I am someone who has a pretty good eye and a vision for this company that I'm striving to reach. So for me, that "first thing I designed" was the idea and the motivation behind this company - which is to become the primary source to the design trades for contemporary furniture design by emerging brands from around the world.

Who are your idols?

Anybody who has rock-solid personal integrity and is strong enough to stand up for their ideals. That is an inspiring person.

What would you like to do that is unrelated to your current profession?

Save the world.

Where do you go for inspiration?

To sit and daydream in my garden � on the comfortable outdoor sofas I have there.

What is your favorite thing?

Apart from the Dreambook??