As the Let’s Colour Project continues its journey around the world with its initiative to transform grey spaces with vibrant colour, it’s finishing up in it’s first four communities located in Brazil, France, UK, and now India.  In part one of my flagging this fun, fascinating and colorful project, I highlighted a film clip by  Adam Berg, an award wining music video and advertising director, of a charming young girl in Brazil and a Grandmother as they witness and partake in transforming their grey neighborhood.

While I LOVE all of the short documentary films (I really can’t wait to see the documentary in it’s entirety) I wanted to share the film clip from India in this post.  It’s from the fourth chapter of the Let’s Colour documentary and recaps their time there. This film delves into the deep relationship the people of India have with colour. The way they embrace it in every facet of their lives is inspiring, especially considering the neutral natural surroundings of Jodhpur.

I personally have a fascination with India.  I’m a meditator and can’t WAIT to travel there and explore both the spiritual side and this thriving and re-emerging culture and country!  It speaks to my heart, my soul and my love of the exotic…which I think is the essence of India anyway.  I was particularly struck by this quote from the narrator of this film clip:

With colour life is full of joys…without the colour it looks so of the sorrow…there is no joyfulness, there is no throbbing vibration, there is no symbol of life…”

I think he perfectly captures my inner most feelings about color.  I believe there definitely is a vibration to color and that we as humans feel better with color in our lives!  To view the other documentaries you can see them on the Let’s Colour blog site.

What is your feeling about color?  Could you live without it?

As is wont to do, a couple of things changed along the way.  First of all, I didn’t glaze my walls.  I love the color as is.  And, I didn’t end up angling my desk.  I didn’t like sitting under a beam and there was a lot more floor space with the desk head on.  It also hides a lot of the functional parts of my business, ie; printers, faxs, files etc.  from my seating space.

The re-cap:

• I have my light and airy space
• We only used what we had between the two of us, no new pieces
• The color feels warm, uplifting and is definitely stimulating
• I set my office up with feng shui principles ;emphasis on strong wealth, relationship and career corners, and all with strong visuals that are meaningful to me
• I have a great place to meditate, and space to invite friends over to meditate as well
• Plenty of shelving, filing and work space
• The lighting is great, both during the day and at night too.  Even on a rainy day it’s light, and with sunlight, it actually glows
• And, I got rid of a lot of clutter and pared down, clean up and out with this move as well!

Check, and re-check…The energetics of space™ is great!

Ron’s office is coming along.  I’ve done about as much as I can do to help.  Now it’s a matter of him hooking up all his recording equipment, hanging his guitars and storing the small stuff.  But it’s looking good, and the room definitely looks bigger then when I was in it with all my big furniture.  It’s a win win.

In general, it’s done…for now.  Of course I already have plans for the next stage.  But that’s later, when we build Ron his real sound studio in the room above the garage that has yet to be built!  Don’t tell Ron…I find it’s better to spring my plans just a bit at a time!  You can see the details and all angles of my new office in the video below.

So the question is…are you happy with your office space?

…you have to give life to the things you create…Peter Crompton

Sunday I went on a spring garden and house tour here in West County Sonoma.  A fund raiser for a great local organization, Food for Thought, I was inspired and stimulated creatively by each and everyone of the fabulous gardens I visited.  But by far, my favorite was the Sculpture Garden.

Peter and Robyn Spencer Crompton are the creators of these hidden treasures that rise out of and are part of mythical and magical gardens designed by Kamala Crompton.

Peter is a sculpture and freelance theatrical designer. His body of work includes Ballet, opera, musicals, contemporary and period drama, experimental works, and several world premieres.  As one of the most sought after designers in the San Francisco Bay area, He works for many Bay area companies including, Festival Opera, Marin Theater Company, Revels, Napa Valley College Lamplighters, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Opera San Jose and Willows.

Robyn is an internationally exhibited quilt maker and theatrical costume designer. Robyn has found mosaics to offer the physical manifestation of the mythological spirit that inspires her. Her garden sculpture is created to give voice to the “mysteries of life that have no other language”.

Together and independently they create these magnificent sculptures. Peter sculpts the forms and together Robyn and Peter create a concrete surface strengthened with polymer fibers and additives. Then it’s up to Robyn to clad the forms in mosaic materials utilizing glass and found objects. To her it is the part she likes best. “It’s where meaningful content and glistening surfaces join elegance of form creating something significant as well as beautiful.”

All I can tell you is that I felt transported by the beauty and the fantasy, and totally rejuvenated by the sanctuary of this garden.  Thanks to Kamala, Peter and Robyn for a magical afternoon!

Photo by John Burgess, Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Come and take a walk through their own personal garden…the story starts 37 seconds in.  Their art is also available for sale.  Enjoy!

The word ‘volcano’ comes from the little island of Vulcano in the Mediterranean Sea off Sicily. Centuries ago, the people living in this area believed that Vulcano was the chimney of the forge of Vulcan – the blacksmith of the Roman gods. They thought that the hot lava fragments and clouds of dust erupting form Vulcano came from Vulcan’s forge as he beat out thunderbolts for Jupiter, king of the gods, and weapons for Mars, the god of war.

In Roman mythology, Vulcan, the god of fire, was said to have made tools and weapons for the other gods in his workshop at Olympus. Throughout history, volcanoes have frequently been identified with Vulcan and other mythological figures. Scientists now know that the “smoke” from volcanoes, once attributed by poets to be from Vulcan’s forge, is actually volcanic gas naturally released from both active and many inactive volcanoes.

From Vulcan, to Pele, to Llao and Skell, myths have abound about Mother Nature’s volcanos.  Since the devastation in Iceland I received this series of pictures from a friend in Switzerland.  While horrific in it’s effects, these photos are stunning in their depiction of the smoke and ash, and beautiful in capturing Mother Nature’s power and glory.  Take a look…I particularly like the photos of the horse against the dark background with man.

For more interesting facts on volcanos see Live Science!

Like any client we have perimeters we need to work with-in:

• We have to be able to do it ourselves
• We have to use what we have between the two of us
• We can change the color of my new office, Ron has promised to paint!
• We have to be done with all of this in two weeks before my cousin comes to visit from Germany

1. The most important aspect for me as the designer is to understand the needs of “my clients” and the way they live in order to propose a plan where the  Energetics of Space™ in the two new offices will completely support each of us personally, functionally and beautifully.

Ron’s needs:

• A small desk to set up his laptop
• A table for his sound studio equipment
• His collection of guitars, at least some of them
• Shelving and filing space
• He likes the color in my current office so there is no need to paint, and the color helps brighten the space up

My needs:

• Lighting and color affect me a lot!  So this is crucial
• My large desk as it is also my work table currently
• I have a futon sofa that’s important as a “second guest” room
• A place to meditate
• Shelving and filing space

2. Next I drew up a floor plan to scale and placed the important pieces:

3. Then I got to choose the color for my office!  I want it work around a large piece of art that is a focal point.  So I went hunting for inspiration in magazines, blogs and books and found it in Tobi Fairley’s blog post on color inspiration thats just peachy.  I chose my version from Benjamin Moore, Coral Rock #32.  I’m changing out the drapes from his office (deep red velvet) with the curtains from our guest room (iridescent peach silk taffeta).  Because I love this iridescent effect, I am going to be bold and try glazing the wall with a bit of pearlescent/gold glaze…never having done this before it will be an experiment.  Here is the inspiring picture from Tobi’s post, by Katie Ridder.

4. Then I wrote up a timing and action plan for both my husband and I.  As Ron is really busy right now, his time is at a premium, so he’s a real trooper to help me out with this!

And we’re off!  Stay tune for Part 3…the outcome

Here are a couple of pictures of both Ron’s and my office as they are now, not bad, but will be fun to see the after pics.

Ron’s Office

My Office

]]> http://energeticsofspace.com/blog/2010/05/home-office-part-2-the-plan/feed/ 8 http://energeticsofspace.com/blog/2010/05/gutsy-gals-inspire-me-not-just-for-women/ http://energeticsofspace.com/blog/2010/05/gutsy-gals-inspire-me-not-just-for-women/#comments Tue, 04 May 2010 15:31:57 +0000 Irene Turner http://energeticsofspace.com/blog/?p=1758 As a woman, did you have a female role model as a child?

I didn’t.  I mean, other then my mother.  I didn’t really grow up with other female relatives and I didn’t know a woman who inspired me and who I wanted to be when I grew up?   No.  Unfortunately, there weren’t many women I was exposed to, or historically that we were taught about in school.

I skipped the mother role myself and went straight to the grandmother role…yes, it can be done, marry someone with children of their own and become a grandmother!  So, now that I have this beautiful grand daughter …I want her to grow up inspired by all the women in her life, and know that she can do and be anything she wants to be!

From a friends post on Face Book, I heard about Gutsy Gals Inspire Me.  It is an inspirational media company that honors women of the past and showcases women of the present to provide positive, female role models to children and adults.  They collaborate with industry veterans, as well as up-and-coming talent. Their vision is one where women of all ages, no matter what their situation or circumstance, feel confident to live their own lives through examples of possibility.

“I believe in the word ‘possibility.’ With possibility … can’t becomes can. Complicated becomes simple. Challenge becomes opportunity. I believe in driving your destiny, realizing your dream, and if the rules don’t work—challenge them.”  Deborah Hutchinson, Founder of Gutsy Gals

Deborah is teaming up with a cadre of leading media professionals and she plans to inspire people of all ages—with a special emphasis on girls and women—to follow their calling and promote positive female role models for all!  Now this is an idea I can get behind!

My grand daughter has three Grand Mothers, three Great Grandmothers, an aunt, and of course her mother, all with in 20 minutes of her.  She will be surrounded by female love and role modeling.  I want her to be inspired by us all…and, to be introduced to Women Role models across the world…other then Disney princesses.  Gutsy Gals Inspire Me provides valuable media tools with their untold legacies of women in history and of today who impact our lives, and tells their stories in a way that educates, inspires and entertains! They do this through:Animated Films, Middle Grade Novels, Collectible Biographies, Children’s Picture Books, Teaching Guides and Games.

It’s a beautiful thing to mentor or role model for a young child, in my case, my grand daughter.  And, when I have grand sons…I want to do the same for them, so they will feel comfortable with, and choose Gutsy Gals for themselves!

Do you have a young person you could introduce to Gutsy Gals…besides yourself?

This all began when I asked my husband if he would trade home offices.  We’ve been in our home 6 years…he has the renovated double car garage as a office and sound studio…I have the smallest and darkest room in the house.  Hmmmmmmm… Recently my husband opened an office out of our home.  It’s bright, cheerful, good sized…AND he still has the 2nd largest room in the house as his part time home office.  Somehow, this real estate equation isn’t working any more.

I truly believe that “space matters”…it affects your mood and productivity.   AND…

He agreed!  He gets that my productivity will shift and increase as his has, when I increase the size of the room I sit in most of the day!  The new room is lighter and has…vaulted ceilings…a large french door to the outside…an expanded view….and of course moving means fresh paint and a whole energy shift.  If you really listen to the words, you  get it.

The result of all this…I get to contemplate exactly what I want to create.   How do I want to feel?  What do I want to produce?  In essence…I am my own client, and get to go through the design process.  As I’m really into creating the best space possible to move forward in, I begin with research…reading and researching some of my favorite web sites and blogs as further contemplation, inspiration, and a reminder of what I want to include.

One of my favorite blogs and a good source of information is Elizabeth Chamberlain’s Space Lift.  She is a feng shui and green consultant.  Recently, I received her weekly newsletter (I signed up for them on her site) regarding the set up of your desk according to Feng Shui principles…perfect!  She states that the most important areas to pay attention to with Feng Shui are the places where you spend most of your time. For me that is my office!  Her tips will help not only to kick-start the energy cycle in my surrounding area, but it will help re-enforce my goals as well.

And, from another of my favorites, Marie Burgos blog post on Feng Shui for the perfect Home Office Design…with her list of what to think about and do.  Such as:

1. Defining your goals
2. Get Rid of Clutter
3. Display Inspirational Visuals
4. Locate your desk
5. Keep up to date with all equipment and tools
6. Good light

Read more…

So, I’m ready to start planning…It’s good to re-inforce and re-fresh my knowledge base from other experts in my business, inspire my creativity with beautiful visuals and uplifting thoughts, AND to remember what it’s like to be the client!  I will definitely keep you posted as to the state of my new office…In the meantime, here are a few visuals that have inspired me!

part 2…will be the plan!

I’ve always had a fantasy of being able to see music.  I once was involved with stage set design for a program that included music.  I wanted to assign a color to each note and then actually see what the music would look like on a big screen.  I guess it comes from being a visual aficionado.  Recently this thought cropped up again and I started perusing the internet to see what was out there.

I found everything from esoteric sites that talked about HARMONY as the state recognized by great philosophers as the immediate prerequisite of beauty. (You gotta know I love this one!)  To the use of Color and Sound as healing frequencies.  There are even people who do actually experience sound as color…they have a rare neurological condition called synesthesia.  Stimulation of one sense produces the sensation of another.  A number of famous composers appear to have been synesthetes. They include Franz Liszt, Alexander Scriabin, and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov.  Doesn’t that make sense?  I mean, music is emotional, and so is color…it would make sense to me that a person with a creative gift would link two forms together.

Color and Sound, two of the most important aspects of our life, and yet rarely do we stop to really think about them, and realize that in fact, they are directly related to one another.  Both are frequencies or vibration, only manifested in different form.  I think this has great potential in the world of interiors…both for entertainment, and as mobil art forms.  Envision a flat screen TV…music piped through your apple TV from your computer…with a software program that allows your favorite music to dance across the screen in living color!  I’m on the hunt for that software program…I’ll keep you all posted when I find it!

In the meantime, I came upon this video on youtube from Olafur Arnalds…an example of what is possible, and I recommend watching it full size on your screen.  It’s worth checking out on your next beauty break.

Couldn’t you just see some of your favorite songs in color?  Enjoy!

As a designer I am torn on the subject of water features as a design element.   With the evidence of the water crisis continuing to mount it seems irresponsible as a professional to propagate this issue.  Yet…I love the sound of trickling water, the feel of water in the environment, the visual beauty of water walls, and am guilty of having designed them!  However, I think there is an option.

Vertical Gardens.  Yes, a green wall, instead of a blue one.  We’ve seen them…mostly on the outside of buildings or on roof tops.   Patrick Blanc has been touted as the inventor of the concept of a vertical garden and is famous for his many large scale installations.  You can see his work in the video below.  But, on a smaller scale, in the home or office?  Yes, it can be done there too, and quite beautifully.

Think of these lush green walls or table tops as both practical and as living art.  Plant a living picture by framing them, or…

grow your favorite cooking herbs in them (by the way, this helps your whole kitchen smell good too),

create a feature wall

hide an ugly balcony wall…

There are many creative ideas and ways to incorporate them in the inside and outside of a living space!  Not only are they visually exciting, garden walls also help purify the air, and in dry climates help keep the humidity up.  They are also quite easy to make with the help of planting panels.   So get creative yourself…and to get inspired…take a look at some of Patrick Blanc’s beautiful work!

While the media and many people are touting all the negative issues and events that happen in our world, I personally am quite optimistic and inspired by the positive  movements I see happening at a grass roots level through individuals, projects and organizations.  Some I’ve already talked about such as Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, David de Rothschild’s expedition the Plastiki and the Global Let’s Colour Project by AkzoNobel .  These are all agents of change and transformation.

Recently I came across another change agent, Four Years.Go who’s purpose is to change the course of history.   Really.

Their creed is that we are living in a time of unparalleled opportunity. And, that while there are tremendous dangers it is clear that we already possess all the technologies and practical solutions required to resolve the crises confronting us.

There are powerful transformative trends that are emerging and shaping a world ripe with new possibilities, such as:

• Communication technology that is connecting people globally, creating the beginnings of a global consciousness
• We understand and are re-establishing a deep inter-connection with all of nature
• Our sense of preservation and self interest has elevated sustainability to an everyday concern

These trends fundamentally change the playing field and open up endless options for the future.  What they feel is missing is a collective sense of possibility, and the political and popular will to act collectively and globally!  Their belief is that there is a limited window of opportunity, maybe just four years, to execute a turn around; four years for people to get motivated and involved; four years to apply solutions we already know; four years that can determine the quality of life on this planet for the next 1,000 years.  2014!

FOUR YEARS. GO. is a campaign to get humanity to take its future into its own hands, to wake up, and to motivate oourselves into action. And to do it now!

FOUR YEARS. GO. is a rallying call asking us all to…

• Wake Up to the profound opportunity we have now to create a future to match our deepest longing and greatest dreams
• Become change agents in redirecting humanity’s current path into one of sustainability
• And, to Do it now!

You can join this campaign and help spread the word;  You can join WiserEarth, a free online community space connecting people, nonprofits and businesses to work toward a just and sustainable world; and you can follow both FourYearsGo and Wiser Earth on Face Book and Twitter.

Please help spread this movement by sharing with your friends and on Face Book and Twitter!  Uplifting our World is a beautiful thing!

Are you a change agent?  And what does a change agent mean  in your industry?

Every now and then I work on a project that really stands out in one way or another for me.   This one is all about happy color!  A bit closer to home this time, this project is located here in the East Bay of San Francisco.  My client was born in India.  While being completely Americanized, he and his daughter did want to maintain a bit of their culture while bringing in a comfortable and modern American feel for their home.  This was a decorating project only, meaning we did no renovation or construction, save changing out the counter tops in the kitchen.

The most enjoyable part of the project for me was their appreciation and love of color which is found all over India.  I combined lush colors of mango, red, orange, fuchsia (for the daughters room) and a deep cobalt blue. You would think that with all this vibrant color that the energy would be overwhelming.  But there is still a meditative and quiet quality to this space.   It’s all about creating space with a clear intention of what we all wanted the outcome to be.  That’s what I call the Energetics of Space™.

Art also played a part in creating this colorful space, both from nature as well as wall art.  Of note from nature are the streaked sodalite countertops we added in the kitchen and the magnificent crystal placed under a photo by David D. Livingston.  The rich stone countertops we found at Dennett Tile in Santa Rosa who did a great job of fitting 10 different slabs together to create a stunning stone landscape for the kitchen.  And as a last mention is the large modern work of art we placed as the focal point in the dining room by Linda Mayne.  The colors of this piece was the inspiration for all the colors of the living space and tie the rooms all together.   It can be seen from every vantage point when walking from one part of the house to another.  Linda is a master at expressing the joy of color through her work.

Check out the video below…could you live with happy colors like this?

Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture, an award winning architecture firm based in Göteborg, Sweden, plans to turn one of Sweden’s old, ugly mental hospitals into a sustainable apartment complex. Dubbed Parkour, it not only addresses the “green” aspects of re-use rather then tear down, but also addresses another major social issue by offering a sense of community to residents.  They feel that in Sweden (like much of the rest of the “civilized” western world) people are actually dying of loneliness as they miss that sense of extended family, community or tribe.

So their plan is to redesign the hospital into a series of apartments for families and singles. With common areas (spa, lounge, pool, gym, theater) running through the building.  The building will also be fitted with solar cells, solar panels and small wind turbines to harvest renewable energy sources. Local food production on the roof reduces needs for transportation and adds a safe and organic source for residents food. Rainwater is collected to be reused for the irrigation of the greenhouses and for flushing toilets.

Each  apartment is designed in two parts to create flexibility.  The first part is a static and compact area that includes kitchen, shower, toilet, laundry, some storage, ventilation, electrical installations, media outlet, sockets and switches. The second part is built up of super-flexible zones that grow, shrink, disappear and come back depending on daily needs and desires through the use of movable walls.

Personally I think this is a great idea on all fronts. As a designer who works with Energetics of Space™, it is clear to me that the re-use of this space is a great service. In an era of re-use, re-cycle, it’s better then tearing it down…A thoughtful and beautiful design and use of the space will uplift all who live there…and community is a key trend as we move further into the 21st century. It’s quantum physics that says while energy will never go away, it can be transformed. And this project sounds like a great way to transform what was once perceived as a “bad, ugly & negative” place into something truly inspiring. Good job!

What do you think…would you live in an abandoned Mental Hospital?

Baby Boomers are hitting retirement age, lending standards have tightened, consumers have swallowed a slice of frugal pie, houses are getting smaller or people are downsizing, and the number of single households – particularly single women – is rising steadily. All of these ingredients are feeding a demand for smaller, more budget-conscious kitchens with a heavy emphasis on beauty, style and universal design.  The kitchen still remains the hub of the home, and with renewed focus on good, clean and homemade meals, the kitchen is king!  Here are some key trends as we move forward in this new decade:

1.Universal Design & Ergonomics:

• includes work surfaces and storage at various heights to accomedate both young, and old in wheelchairs
• drawer appliances and under counter storage
• Multi-utility counter tops…ie; table- tops, counter tops, and islands.

2. Space Savers-maximize space usage in our smaller kitchens

• skinny, vertical pantries
• pull-out cabinets and spice racks
• wine cubbies that fill odd cavities
• pull-out wastebaskets and recycling centers
• organizers for drawers and cabinets

3. Appliance Trends

• still stainless
• high styled and sleek ventilation hoods
• hotplate / warming drawers
• larger range – all in one
• technology is in-all in one coffee makers,  baking, grilling, toasting or kneading; also, with the trend back to eating healthy, fresh and homemade foods, crock pots and gourmet non-stick electric skillets are in again.

4. Multi-tasking areas-now included in many kitchens

• a hidden laundry room or area
• a condensed home office or workspace for both busy mothers, and kids
• casual dining either in a nook or at an island

5. Green your kitchen

• energy star appliances
• water sense plumbing fixtures
• reclaimed & re-cycled finishes for countertops and floors
• eco friendly cabinetry ie;  Aya
• purified Water is a must whether under counter or counter top
• good ventilation and air filtration

6. Budget Conscious approach to kitchen design

• while on a budget, high style, ease and beauty are still important
• use at least one special design feature whether a back splash, special furniture piece or artifact to highlight design
• splurge on expensive accents that give your kitchen personality
• details are king,  for organization and style

7. Countertops are key to the look and feel of a kitchen, and there are many options today…these are my personal favorites!

• glass countertops, while expensive, can provide an alternative and sexy light source; are completely heat, mold, mildew and because of ease of cleaning bacteria resistant
• cement counter tops while requiring some maintenance, they are truly beautiful and can add both color and texture
• recycled glass as noted in my green bathroom trend post, such as Vetrazzo and Ice Stone
• engineered Stone such as Ceasar Stone, Silestone and Samsung also adds a modern edge
• granite.  It can truly add natural beauty to any kitchen.

Jamie Oliver…Can this 34 year old man from Essex, England change the way people here in America eat?

The medical profession predicts that this is the first generation that will live shorter lives then their parents!

So, what is he doing to combat this?

FIFTEEN: In 2002 at 26, Jamie took one of the biggest risks of his life by ploughing his life’s savings into a charity venture. His goal was to create a business with a strong social heart; a place that offered young people in need of opportunity a chance to train as chefs and carve out a different life for themselves.

SCHOOL DINNERS: In 2004, shocked by the food that Britain’s 8 million school children were being fed every day of the school year (around 190 days), Jamie took over the kitchens at a school in Greenwich, southeast London. He was determined to transform the way the pupils ate. From there, he took over the rest of the school kitchens in the borough of Greenwich and launched the associated Feed Me Better campaign.

MINISTRY OF FOOD PROGRAM: Jamie believed that if he could show non-cooks how easy, fun and satisfying cooking could be then get them to share their new knowledge by ‘passing it on’ to their friends and family we could all make a real difference to the health and happiness of the country.

JAMIE OLIVER’S FOOD REVOLUTION: Through the abc reality TV show Food Revolution, produced by  Ryan Seacrest and supported by branding Queen, Oprah on her show, Food Revolution is definitely that…a revolution.  You can support this wave of positive change by signing his petition.

With your help, we can get better food into homes, schools and communities all over America and give our kids a better future.  Between Michelle Obama’s healthy food campaign, Jamie Cook’s  Food Revolution, and these other nine most inspiring people in the sustainable food movement we have a chance of changing our children’s future.  Good Food and Healthy Children…it’s a beautiful thing!

Simple, tasty and fun food!  I urge you to please sign his petition and help bring good food to our children.

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