Sustainable Living : Green Design in Connecticut

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:50:00 +0000

We have completed our new website including a blog on sustainable living and design.
You can find out website at http://www.cm-interiordesign.com and our blog at http://www.cm-interiordesign.com/wordpress

Please come, visit, and say hello!
Richard

The Cycle How Single Stream Recycling Works

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:11:00 +0000

The Cycle recently won a best in show award at SXSW in the education resource category.

Earth Hour -1 hour 3.28.09 For the Planet

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:09:00 +0000

My Family will be enjoying a candle light dinner at home and a walk to the Connecticut River for a block party. How will you spend your 1 hour for the Earth?

Fun in the Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:52:00 +0000

Some of us love to play in the kitchen. It is the place where we gather as families for meals, or for homework, or even the place to hang out during parties. It is the heart and hearth of our homes.

It is also one of the places where we can practice sustainable living every day.

That sustainability starts with the design process.
Using technology today we can:

Conduct meetings online, saving travel expenses.
Construct 3d models giving clients a better feeling for space and details.
Save time and money on the construction phase by eliminating errors.

I hope that you have as much fun playing in our spaces as we do creating them. In the comming months we will be writing more about the changes in sustainable living in areas starting with energy conservation, and carrying through to home energy generation and home automation.

If you have any topics you would like to suggest, please feel free to leave us a comment.

Peace

Repower America -Keep it moving

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:02:00 +0000

We need your help. Climate change is real.

At this critical time in our nations history, we are faced with an awesome opportunity. We can work to stop the climate crisis and simultaneously rebuild our economy with clean green jobs, and reduce the money we send outside of our country possibly funding terrorist organizations.

Please visit We Can Solve It at http://wecansolveit.org/content/whyjoin

OOPS A Little Interior Design Humor

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Have you ever had a potential client question your design fees?

Building the Green Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:01:00 +0000

(In the spirit of full disclosure, I am an advocate for clean energy and a member of the Pickens Army.)

The Meeting

Underlying the strength of the Economic stimulus package is the idea of a "Green Economy and Green Jobs" It sounds good doesn't it? But what does it mean? What kind of jobs? Although the details are being worked out as I am writing this, they general outline was discussed today, February 22, 2009 at a Coalition meeting titled "National Clean Energy Project: Building A New Economy " at Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. In this article I want to talk about who was at the meeting, a little background information about Green Energy, and the things that were discussed surrounding the development of the Green Economy and Green Jobs.
In attendance were some of the brightest and most respected minds people in the world including John Podesta, President Bill Clinton, Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, Senator Harry Ried, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of Energy and Nobel Laureate Steven Chu.
Others in attendance included:

• Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar
• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
• House Energy Independence and Global Warming Select Committee Chair Ed Markey (D-MA)
• Senate Energy and Water Subcommittee Chairman, Appropriations Committee Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Acting Chairman Jon Wellinghoff
• Former Governor George Pataki (R-NY)
• Owens-Corning CEO Michael Thaman
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and Former CEO Lee Scott
• American Electric Power President & CEO Mike Morris
• Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope
• Riverkeeper Alliance Chief Prosecuting Attorney Robert Kennedy, Jr.
• American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode
• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners President Fred Butler
• Green for All Founder and President Van Jones
• Service Employees International Unions President Andy Stern
• U.S. Green Building Council President & CEO Rick Fedrizzi
• Sea Change Foundation President Nat Simons

From the federal government to the states, to industry, environmentalists it seemed that every constituency was represented.

Green Energy, What is it?

Green energy is often used interchangeably with renewable energy, clean, or alternative energy. Green energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro. They are considered "green" because the have a very low negative impact on the environment. Green energy is considered to be "renewable." At times the energy is harvested and used directly like the old water wheels that were used to mill grain and other times green energy is produced on a commercial scale. Sources are considered renewable because they are not consumed. Their production can vary with factors like weather. Like all energy sources they can be consumed, transmitted, stored or converted to another form and even transported (like converting solar energy to hydrogen). Unlike fossil fuels, they do not produce carbon emissions which harm the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.

Definitions and examples of green energy

1. Solar energy is the energy that arrives to earth from the sun in the form of light and heat. At the basic level it can be "saved" in a thermal mass. An Example of this would be the heating up of water in a large tank during the day and allowing the built up heat to radiate out at night when it is cooler. In more sophisticated systems like Photo Voltaic (PV) panels, solar energy can be converted to electricity and stored or transmitted through the power grid.

2. Wind is a source of energy that can be used to rotate turbines and converted to electrical power. The United States has a huge wind corridor running form Texas to the Canadian border.

3. Geo Thermal is the heat of the earth. Because of its mass, the earth retains the heat of the sun, and also is very hot at its core. Even in cooler climates like the Northern states, the temperature underground stays a pretty consistent 50 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Geothermal power plants can produce electricity on a mass scale and geothermal can also be used to heat and cool homes. Many people are familiar with heat pumps. They are popular in the Southern United Sates where the winters are milder. A heat pump works similar to a refrigerator, only in reverse. Most heat pumps work by cooling the outdoor air a few degrees (and they cool a LOT of it ) The couple of degrees that are extracted are then used the heat the smaller volume of air on the inside of the home or commercial building. Geothermal heat pumps use ground water which has a higher mass than air. The Water is cooled a few degrees and the extracted heat is used to heat the home. Because the ground water is a fairly consistent temperature, a ground water heat pump works better for heating buildings than air to air heat pumps, especially in cooler climates. Heat pumps can also work in reverse to cool the interior of a building. For more information on geothermal tri http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_energy#Geothermal_technologies

4. Hydro power
1. Tidal Energy comes from the rotation of the earth and the gravitational forces of the moon and sun in relation to the earth. Harnessing that power comes in different forms including harnessing the kinetic energy which works like a windmill, or in the form of the potential energy or the Rise and fall of the water level.

2. Wave Energy. Waves are created by the wind passing over the surface of the water. Wave energy varies around the world, but one of the stronger areas is in the Northwest United States. The energy is harvested in a number of ways at or near the surface of the water. For More information visit http://ocsenergy.anl.gov/guide/wave/index.cfm
3. Hydro power. Waterfalls or dams are used to convert the movement of water due to gravity to turn a turbine. The turbine can produce electrical current for homes or neighborhoods, or on a large scale basis like the Hoover Dam. For more information visit http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html

5. Biomass is basically organic material. It is a renewable energy source, and is generally thought of as carbon neutral, it does contribute to global warming through the off gassing of Carbon Dioxide when in decay. There are companies that are experimenting with algae and using it to produce cleaner burning bio fuel. I have included it here for discussion as its green or clean status is up for debate.

The Ambitious Agenda

The underlying theme throughout the meeting was the idea that the United States can achieve three important goals while developing the new green economy even though on the surface they seem to be in conflict. The goals are:

1. To stimulate the economy through investment in technology and infrastructure while creating jobs in the production and distribution of clean energy.

2. To increase National Security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil imports from countries who are not supportive and are sometimes even hostile toward the U.S.( The United States imported over $450 Billion dollars in foreign oil in 2008 alone and that amount is increasing. By reducing that amount we would stimulate our own economy.)

3. To reduce carbon emissions and therefore our negative impact on the environment. Clean energy is free, but the infrastructure to harvest and deliver it is not. We need a plan to take down the barriers, establish standards and then let private companies take over the implementation.

These are lofty goals and will take time to implement. In the meantime during the time it takes to resolve some of the questions, there are some immediate things that can be started.

President Clinton made the point that energy conservation is one thing that can be done immediately and conservation is an important part of the plan. Lee Scott of Wall Mart noted that when consumers are offered the choice and shown the value, they will make the cleaner energy choices.

What Else Besides Conservation Can Be Done Now?

The closest we have to a comprehensive plan at the moment is an interim plan put forth by T Boone Pickens, an oil industry mogul. His Plan called "The Pickens Plan", calls out practical solutions to cover the transition time it will take to build the harvest centers and distribution systems. Pickens open states that he has profit motives as well as an interest in helping this country reduce its "sending 485 billion dollars a year to countries that are not all that friendly." There are several Pillars in the Pickens Plan:
• Create millions of new jobs by building out the capacity to generate up to 22 percent of our electricity from wind. And adding to that with additional solar capacity;
• Building a 21st century backbone electrical grid;
• Providing incentives for homeowners and the owners of commercial buildings to upgrade their insulation and other energy saving options; and
• Using America's natural gas to replace imported oil as a transportation fuel.
While dependence on foreign oil is a critical concern, it is not a problem that can be solved in isolation. We have to think about energy as a whole, and that begins by considering our energy alternatives and thinking about how we will fuel our world in the next 10 to 20 years and beyond. From the Pickens Plan Website. Visit http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/

Difficutlies to Overcome Distribution of Power

Building a Smart Grid

Secretary of Energy Secretary Stephen Chu made a good analogy at the meeting of a water tower and the plumbing pipes delivering the water to users. The power is generated at a power plant and sent in one direction to the business, government, or residential consumer. This one way nature is one of the most difficult problems to overcome in making the transitions to clean energy. Photovoltaic cells producing power on the roof of a home during the day when no one is home needs to be either stored in batteries or directed back to the power grid where it can be consumed by businesses. There is an ebb and flow that needs to be managed. Decisions on where to divert power need to be made in fractions of seconds requiring switched that can monitor supply and demand and manage the flow. Wind Energy produced in the wind corridor and wave energy produced off the western coast needs to be distributed to the urban centers where it is needed. The system will need "Intelligent" switches and there is currently no industry standard on which technology to use. It will take government intervention to get people together and develop the standard. Otherwise power companies will be reluctant to invest the money. They will worry that the technology they invest in today will be outdated if another standard becomes adopted in the near future.

There are other areas of difficulty that will require government intervention including the location or sighting of transmission lines. There will be arguments that will need to be settled. There will also be educational and funding problems that will need to be overcome. It was pointed out that if it is going to cost Americans more money out of their pocket right now, there will be resistance because the money is just not there. The budget of the average American is stretched to far as it is. Most at the meeting acknowledged that along with the knowledge that in the long run it will be cheaper to take the right steps in the right directions now and to avoid every possible error.

Where are the Jobs

So, where will the jobs be in the new green economy? In the immediate future they will be in the implementation of conservation efforts. Better weatherization of homes and businesses, energy audits to highlight where power can be saved. They will be in the conversion of fleets of trucks from Diesel to Natural gas from domestic sources. There will be jobs in the construction of the new smart power grid and installing power generation centers like windmills, hydroelectric plants, wave and tide systems. There will be new jobs in training employees in theses systems. There will be jobs installing photo voltaic panels on homes, government and business buildings.

Conclusion

It seems like it would be impossible to convert the US economy to clean, green, renewable energy, increase security and take care of the environment all at the same time. But that is exactly what is happening in the United States at this very moment.

Re-Purpose

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:44:00 +0000

One of the basic tenents of Green Design is the re-use and there is no better example of re-using a thing than re-purposing. The concept is simple. You can take a piece of furniter like a desk and turn it into a Vanity, and old tub into a flower pot, an old window sash into a mirror or piece of art. The ideas are only limited by your imagination.

Economic stimulus- Our day in the sun?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:35:00 +0000

How will the new economic stimulus package effect the construction industry? Very well I think if we are ready for a little enlightenment and willing to make some changes. Those of us in the industry will need a new mindset including and a new tool set. Those who embrace these will do very well.

There will be opportunities to add local power generation to homes generally on the higher end. Systems like solar and geothermal. This can stimulate huge numbers of jobs if we take advantage of the opportunities.

There will be opportunities to do the same thing in a collaborative way for cities and towns. Even better resources can be combined to create communities that share the benefits of solar and wind generation. The new model will be decentralization. One hidden benefit will be the added security of not relying on central power generation and distribution. It will be much harder for terrorist to attack a decentralized power grid.

We will need new information distributed to the masses on how to design and implement these new systems. We will need to train electricians and plumbers on the installation and integration of these new systems. We will also need new service people to manage these new systems.

Finally, as more and more of these systems are designed and installed, we will see the benefits of lower costs as manufactures compete and new more efficient systems come to market.

This is the direction of our future. The time is now to embrace it. The time is now to get ready to benefit from the new enconomic stimulus.

Connecticut Green Building Council

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:48:00 +0000

August 27
Connecticut Green Building Council

One of the greatest challenges businesses face is demonstrating value to the potential client. As designers, sales people, business owners and other industry professionals, how do we create, demonstrate and them deliver the greatest value to our clients? Today, the buzz words surround Green Design and Sustainability.

In our area, and across the country new standards are being developed to help guide us and through us, our clients to make better design decisions that will improve the quality of life initially as well as through the years.

We no longer have to sit on the sidelines. We have new tools and resources to learn about and then promote the building of of more energy efficient, less water using, healthier homes.

The Connecticut Green Building Council has recently become the local chapter of the US Green Building Council. The organization website is htp://www.ctgbc.org From the organizations website,

"The Connecticut Green Building Council is a non-profit 501(c3) organization that seeks to improve the quality of life in Connecticut through the promotion of intelligently designed and constructed high performance energy efficient buildings.
Throughout the year we hold a series of workshops on green building topics, networking opportunities, membership meetings, educational forums, seminars on green buildings and periodic CT based LEED™ training in connection with the US Green Building Council. The CTGBC also monitors activities in Connecticut related to high performance green buildings and maintains a speaker’s bureau."

This news coupled with the development by the USGBC of "LEED for HOMES" makes this a good time to check out more about this local organization. According the the USGBC Website http://www.usgbc.org ,

" LEED for Homes is a voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high performance "green" homes. A green home uses less energy, water, and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants. Benefits of a LEED home include lower energy and water bills; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and less exposure to mold, mildew and other indoor toxins. The net cost of owning a LEED home is comparable to that of owning a conventional home."

You can contact and join either or both of these organizations to stay on top of learning opportunities and help to improve and demonstrate the great value you offer your clients.

Richard Allan Marti Jr

Design | e2

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:25:00 +0000

PBS Series titles Design |e2
a Must see if you question the viability of green design

I would love to hear from YOU!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:36:00 +0000

Feedback is so vitally important. I would love to hear back from the readers of this blog so I can provide you with the content you love to read. Please drop me a note and let me know what you think, what you like, and maybe, what you don't like.

I promise I will respond directly.

Richard Allan Marti Jr.

Blog Action Day 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:05:00 +0000

You can help change the world. Please join us on October 15th.

Green Design Series Issue 3 - Wall Finishes

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:11:00 +0000

It is becoming easier to specify green products for interior design. The options available are growing and more companies become aware that consumers demand both high quality materials as well as performance from suppliers that meet the clients core values and concerns for creating a healthy home environment while protecting the macro environment and preserving our natural resources. In part three of our Green Design Series we take a look at some wall finish options including milk paint, clay plaster, and low voc latex paints.

Milk paint is a beautiful functional and durable wall finish but not the only option for wall low VOC green wall finishes anymore. A variety of extremely high quality and beautiful finishes like clay earth plasters are joining the challenge while the big players including Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams get in the game to stay.

Milk paint, or casein paint has been around for over a century. Historically this paint was made from natural organic raw materials including milk protein, lime and pigments were added for color. The mixture has a short life span ranging from 1 day to up to two weeks. Newer formulation are similar with some variations of the filler materials and pigments. Milk paint can be made at home or the dry materials can be purchased pre-mixed from various sources. You mix the dry materials with water to the right consistency and paint on. Milk paint does not " flow out" like industrial coating produced today. The texture of the brush strokes remain creating a pleasing effect. The Pigment also is not as consistent as a manufactured paint. This inconsistency provides a pleasing variety when dry adding to the hand crafted look.
The finish is "breathable" allowing air to pass through it. When used in areas like kitchens it is advisable to seal the finish with a varnish.

Unfortunately some companies have reproduced this effect using manufactured paints and have labeled the resulting finish a "Milk Paint Finish." These finishes are NOT Green and have added some confusion to actual milk paint finises.

Resources for these finishes include:
The Real Milk Paint located in Quakertown, Pa. http://www.realmilkpaint.com/

Clay-
American Clay Enterprises is a U.S. company based in Albuquerque, NM uses plaster as a base to create a variety of textures from matte to suede to "rustic organic textures." and can be applied by troweling or spraying. Colors for these finishes have a "natural" feel. The clay plaster also has a longer open time and unlike other plasters, it can be crushed and reconstituted with water.

(Sample Images from American Clay Enterprises Website)

The Company also claims that Clay plaster also helps produce negative ions in the air creating an environment more conducive to human life balancing the positive ions given off by electronic equipment found in most offices and homes today. According to the company website, "Negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy. Normal Ion count in fresh country air is 2,000 to 4,000 negative Ions per cubic centimeter (about the size of a sugar cube). At Yosemite Falls, you'll experience over 100,000 negative Ions per cubic centimeter. On the other hand, the level is far below 600 per cubic centimeter in an office with computers."

Benjamin Moore recently donated more than 300 gallons of its new EcoSpec interior paint for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Headquarter office in Washington, DC. According to Benjamin Moore, "EcoSpec products are 100 percent acrylic latex paints with quick drying time and no lingering paint odor. The low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's) make EcoSpec ideal for architects and designers interested in attaining LEED certification."

(The LEED Green Building Rating System is the standard of green building criteria developed by the USGBC. The new USGBC office suite opened in February 2007 and earned LEED Platinum Commercial Interiors certification, the highest level attainable.)

Sherwin Williams has two product that meet or exceed LEED's GS-11 Standards. First is it's Duration Home® Interior Latex offering a low voc options and second it's Harmony® Interior Latex offing a no-voc option. Sherwin Williams also claims to have developed a standard for Green coating that goes even "farther than most 3rd party certifications and calls it " GreenSure. More information can be found on the company website.

Richard Allan Marti Jr.

Decision to Boycott goods from China

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 13:26:00 +0000

It is time to take the RIGHT steps. Green Design and Geen Living must start at home.

I have been studying Green Design from many different pespectives over the last 10 years. My Wife Laini and I have started writing articles and are working in our community to promote conservation of our natural resources, energy and live in harmony with our environment.

While thinking and discussing green design within our own family, we have decided to make a commitment to purchase our own goods from local sources and in that process we made a further commitment to avoid any items made in China. The reasons are many including:

1. The terrible environmental impact of Chinese companies.
2. The amount to fossil fuels used in transportation of goods from such a great distance.
3. The poor working conditions of Chinese workers
4. The lack of quality controls for Chinese companies.

We think others will be arrive at this same conclusion and we fully support it. We also know that it will not be very easy. Even now, as I sit here writing with my warm cup of coffee basking in the morning sun pouring into our Connecticut home, I notice that everything I am wearing is made in China ( with the possible exception of my wedding band.) From My Nike socks, my Nike shorts, my Timex Ironman triathlon watch/heart rate monitor, to even my LIVESTRONG yellow bracelet, all are marked "China."

Is globalization really better for the whole world? So many macro economist say yes. I have even beleived them in the past. At the moment, at least for my family, I am rethinking that belief. In the opinion of this humble man I have to say no.

Timex, once a huge employer based right here in my home town, is now reduced to hollow shadow of its former self. What is my benefit in that part of the story? I have a cheap electonic watch that will last about two years before I need a "new" and "improved" model. Meanwhile, hundreds of jobs are lost here in my home town.

The time is now. It is the time for myself and my family to act,to live, grow and learn locally. This includes supporting local farmers and local businesses. It includes using local materials as much as we can. It also includes using less energy and finally as designers it includes promoting these ideas to our clients so we can all live in harmony with our earth.

Richard

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 00:09:00 +0000

New Spaces to Use Cabinetry

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:17:00 +0000

New ( or slightly used.. ) ideas for custom cabinetry in the 2007 -2008 Season.

Some of the fun ideas that expanding in every market from the luxury end to the practical include using cabinetry and custom furniture in traditionally utlilitarian areas including garages, mudrooms, potting areas and closets.

Many cabinet companies are expanding markets by making slight changes to their product offerings and engineering them for other purposes. New companies are also getting involved by creating new products. As our clients lives ( and our own) become more and more complicated, we strive for solutions to organize and simplify. The solutions can be as beautiful as they are functional.

In Garage Storage systems, companies like Rubbermaid have introduced components and cabinetry to organize just about everything you can imagine. From Bicycles to tools to all those containers of oil, antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, care care products, etc. The solutions create a space that is much calmer and visually appealing, not to mention how easy it is to find what you are looking for. In Connecticut a new Company, Garage Cabinets of Connecticut, has started and will provide planning, products and installation of compontents.

As we move from the garage and into the mudroom we find a smooth and functional transition. WHen we arrive home from work and school, our kids will have benches to remove their shoes, or cleats or boots before entering the more formal living spaces. They will have their own storage compartments for storing all the seasons sports equipment as well as their backpacks from school and their currently used jackets or sweaters. Some mudroom systems will even include sinks and showers to clean up in. We wont forget about the family pets. Our new Mudrooms have planned spaces for cleaning and pampering our pets and storing their food and supplies. The new mudrooms become sophisicated entries into the santuaries of our home lives. New Cabinetry offerings from many designers and manufactures complete these spaces but providing beautiful, long lasting quality components that stand up to the rigourous use of everyday life.

Potting areas- Occasionally Potting areas are included in mudroom spaces, but even more often now they are allocated spaces of thier own. The old potting shed has found a place in our hearts and homes. Updated with provisions for storing the tools and materials needed to creating flower arrangemetns for the dinner table, repotting plants and even starting seedlings for the next seasons garden or growing a crop of our favorite herbs.

Closets, especially master closets have grown up and become far more sophisticated. Instead of the typical 60" Closet with bi fold doors or the the upgraded 60" closet with bifold doors and a storage system inside, the new Master closet is a room perhaps with an island and organized storage spaces for Ties, Dress socks, pullouts for shoe storage, build in safes for valuables, sitting areas to put on shoes and even beverage stations including refrigerators, coffee makers and even dishwashers and sinks. The new master closet completes the master bedroom suite and transforms it into a santuary for weiry parents or a retreat for amourous couples to escape to.

Whether the style of these spaces are on the utilitarian side or much more sophisticated, opportunities exist to use cabinetry to make these spaces far more functional and help us create beautiful spaces.

Couture kitchens

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:08:00 +0000

Notes on CNBC's "High Net Worth" show on Couture Kitchens Aired Sunday August 12th 2007 at 8:00 PM

Hosted by Tyler Mathisen, "High Net Worth" provides avenues for viewers to extend their wealth and get the most out of the assets they have. Simply, there is no other program like this on television. This is a program that speaks to the ultra-affluent. Mathisen and his guests celebrate the very best life has to offer, from exclusive golf resorts and elite boutique hotels to incredible real estate and choice art. Mathisen reports the very latest news on investing trends and opportunities as well as news on taxes, trusts and estates. ( CNBC Website )

In the First Segment of the show Mathisen opens with, " Kitchens to die for that are taylored to your epicurian taste. These new high end kitchens frequently come with a 6 figure price tag." The show highlights some beautiful projects from Christopher Peacock and other luxury designers.

Spectacular spaces typically can encompass over 900 square feet. Prices for these luxurious spaces can range between $200,000 to $300,000 and up. Fast becomming the nerve center of the home, with internet access, and electronics embedded in appliances, luxury kitchens are increasing in functionality as well as looks and feel. "Kitchens must be show stopping, fabulous places to hang out in." says Christoper Peacock . Some of the trends to watch for; Over the next 4 years 300,00 people will have a private cook and by 2015 it is predicted that outdoor kitchens will be standard in high end homes.

The show did an excellent job romanticizing the idea of well designed and executed kitchens. There was also some discussion about multiple kitchens in single homes as well as separating kitchens for entertaining and separate kitchen for the personal chef to work in.

"The Kitchen is where everyone likes to hang out." Tyler Mathisen

Green Design Series Issue 2

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 11:35:00 +0000

Take care of two evils at once! I know that I am a tech geek who also knows, I am not alone. I am on my 24th computer over the last 2o years and close to that many cell phones.

If all that plastic and heavy metal was ending up in a dump instead of being reused and recycled I would hate to think of the waste. Add mine to yours and multiply that by a few hundred million and we have a real mess to clean up. The actual numbers are mind blowing. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that over 5.5 Billion pounds of electronics were tossed out in 2005. ( This number includes TV's, Stereos, Phones and computers.)

This is only half the story. Identity theft is something that is on many peoples minds. When you throw out that Hard Drive with all your personal information on it, or your cell phone with all your numbers stored, it is a pretty tempting and valuable asset to identity theives. I hope you don' t actually beleive that deleting that information provides any protection. It does not.

So, what can we do with this electronic stuff? Ill give you the juicy ideas first. You can actually make some cash back on those old cell phones stuck in your junk drawer ( and free up the space as well!) Visit www.greenphone.com and you can get paid for that little piece of plastic. Also for every phone sold the company will plant a tree. Nice and green.

Just so I don't forget to pass along the other info, those nasty cell phone batteries are full of nasty chemicals hence the notice on them, "Please dispose of Properly." BUT, what is "Properly" how do we get rid of them? Many people don't know that the store or site that sold you those electronic pieces must take them back to be recycled.

Computer monitors, the older ones as us middle agers will remember were called CRT's which stood for Cathode ray tube (I am starting to feel old enough to be recycled myself!) This older technology was also used in Televisions and the tubes used lead which can be reclaimed and recycled instead of poluting our ground and ground water. There are companies that can refurbish and resell computers and Televisions or recycle the components. Some of these electronic items are donated to schools or sold. A good resource for this is http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycling/donate.htm. The EPA site has links for donation possibilities. You may even get a tax deduction.

There are also companies like Creative Recycling who serve small to large businesses is asset tracking and can provide services to completely destroy data and insure the safety of your precious information. Another way to reuse old components is Recycles.org. This is a posting site where you can list the equipment you would like to dispose of and readers of the site can connect with you to pick it up. In Connecticut the website is: http://www.recycles.org/states/Connecticut/ I have to caution you that you will be responsible for cleaning your data off the hard drives.

As I was writing this article I learned that Connecticut Govenor Jodi Rell signed a Manditory Electronics Recycling Law.

WWW.Environmentalleader.com for those of you who want to take your participation to a new level.

Richard Allan Marti Jr.

Green Design Series Issue 1

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 22:56:00 +0000

You can join the Green revolution! How, and How can we help? By stimulating converstions between designers while facilitating the flow of information back and forth. To start, we must ask the quesiton, "what is Green Design?" The answer is one of being thoughtful and raising more questions. The answer is a change of mindset and toolset. Through this series of articles we hope to illuminate the mindset and stimulate discussions and thoughts about how to leave a smaller footprint on this earth. We at the same time want to help develope a new toolset that designers and suppliers can use to carry out fanstically beautiful as well as highly functional green designs. The mindset will be one that encourages new questions and new answers, the toolset will include resources for learning about green design, it will include material sources and where to find materials, it will include resources on how to dispose of old materials so that they complete their useful lifecycle. For those of you hardcore designers that are ready to jump right in, there is a Green + Design Conference and Expo on October 1 and 2nd in Atlanta, Georgia at the Hyatt. You can click the link for more information.For the rest of us who want to explore this great project a little at a time, please join me for this and future article and discussionsThrough this series of articles we will include resources that you can use today to talk to your client about Green Design and where to find answers when they ask questions, and they will ask some tough questions. Most of the basic questions are well, basic and that is a great place to start. Most people have heard the phrase, "Reduce, reuse, and recycle." After that, the questions becomes, "well, how does that apply to design?" In our case it is even more specific, how does this apply to kitchen design? Lets take a closer look at reduce. It can mean a lot of things. The first that comes to mind is packaging. (Probably because I hate purchasing veggetables in the grocery store packed in plastic. We take one of natures most beautifully naturally packaged foods and wrap it in something that is made from crude oil.) So, do our cabinets come packaged in plastic and cardboard that ends up in the landfill? Or do they come blanket wrapped? Another question would be do they come from a local source who builds with local materials or are tehy produced in China or Mexico with lumber that is harvested in rainforests and shipped across oceans using tons of oil to get there only to be worked on in factories that use a ton of energy, and then shipped back across the ocean to a dock and across the country in a semi. You get the idea. Buy locally, or as locally as you can to reduce transportation costs. Speak to your supplier about packaging materials so they are easy to unpackage and be sure the packaging can be reused. ( how about asking them to pick up the cardboard boxes to reuse. It can save them money and reduce your landed costs. Before we get off the topic of reuse, there is one more consideration I think is worthy of thinking about, product design. Some of us design the actual products ( as opposed to designing the kitchen, we design the cabinet construction. ) Here too we need to think about the idea of not over designing. We can design very high quality products using less material. Re-Use. This one is easy in our market ( Connecticut and New York.) we have wonderful charity companies that will come to a clients home and remove the old cabinetry, appliances and countertops. They sell them for re-use in other projects or use them for Habitat homes, etc, and the best part is that our clients get a prety nice tax deduction for their donation. This system also saves demolition cost too. Two of the companies in our area are Restore ( a Habitat for Humanity program) and Green Demolition.Recycle- It is better to recycle than to throw items in our landfills. One obvious reason is as global warming increases and carbon in our atmoshere increases, we are using more and more trees to produce paper. Recycling paper is so easy to do there is little reason not to. Another great resource for finding recycling places for all kinds of materials is the Northeast Recycling Council.Today we took a look at some very basic ideas on the design and implementation side of executing a design. The same principals apply to the way our clients will use their new kitchens. We are called as appostles to talk to them about these ideas as well as suggesting that they too may want to buy food with less packaging and to plan for recycling ( I am amazed in out area how many people pay 5 cents per soda can, bottle and beer can and still just dump them on the side of the road or in the garbage.) To plan to install a water filter instead of buying bottled water ( it probably comes from a better water source anyway.) I have to admit, I have purchased a LOT of Poland Springs bottles - When I really think about having that water pumped to a truck, driven to a bottling plant, shipped to the warehouse then the store, then driven to my home and placed in the refrigerator...WOW that is a lot of energy. Yes, it is convient, no? Is it really easier than taking a glass out of my cabinet and filling it from my Water filter? As the popularity of the Green design has taken flight, the profitability has also risen. A win/win for everyone including designer, producers, installers, clients and most importantly, our children and the future of our planet.Please stay come back often for even more ideas or better yet, subscribe to the RSS feed, or ATOM feed and these ideas will be delivered right to you're desktop.Richard Allan Marti Jr.

KBIS Las Vegas 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:30:00 +0000

Notes on our Trip to KBIS ( Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) May, 2007

What a Trip! From the accomodations to the food, entertainment, atmoshpere, and of course the KBIS show, everyting was top notch. Watch for more news, pictures and reviews to come.

Richard Allan Marti Jr.

What's Next in Kitchen Design

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 14:13:00 +0000

Very often times when talking to new clients I am asked, " What's the new thing in kitchens" or " what's next?"

From a designers standpoint it is a difficult question. Is the client asking "what is the trend that will hit the mass market next?" Or is she asking, "what is on the cutting edge of high end design?" Two Very different questions. By the time a look has hit the mass market, many designers are bored with it. It has been overdone and is about to be burnt to a crisp.

Classic designs with excellent proportional detailing, the right lines and textural relationships coupled with a great color palette will always be very classic. It is when the design community takes elements of great classic design out of context and plants then into projects haphazardly that creates chaos. The occasional accidental application may at times create an element of surprise which can be fun. It is the repetitive use of elements in a haphazard way that leaves this designer with the feeling of enough already. The idea that if one is good 10 is better seems so appalling in our over-consumption driven world.

The waning trend seems to be the over ornamentation of spaces with elements like corbels and is being replaced with application molding with clean transitions selected in subtle but perfect proportion. Cleaner lines, clearer centers of visual interest, more attention to balance and harmony. It seems our world is fraught with chaos. We long for more harmony, more peace.

This will be the next trend: away from over consumption and over use and toward more harmonious spaces, warm spaces. Places that beg us to enter, places we long to live in.

Richard Allan Marti Jr.

The Cult of Mac: Will The Home Be Steve Jobs Last Big Hooray?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 15:13:00 +0000

The Cult of Mac: Will The H Save as Draft ome Be Steve Jobs Last Big Hooray?

This is a noteworthy new product introduction. I think for Professional interior designers who like to stay on the cutting edge will love this new introduction.

Kitchen Design: Space Planning VS Decorating

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 19:34:00 +0000

In design, the first questions can be paired down into two categories: Form and Function.
This is the age old question in design, which comes first?

The answer really lies with the client. Is the client remodeling or building a space? How will he or she use it? Do they order in and simply reheat and make coffee? Do they have staff? Do they entertain? Is status an issue? Do they want that new La Cornue because they love to cook up a storm or because they love to impress their friends and business associates?

Perhaps the client is a family with young children and mom (or dad) stays at home managing the household.

Either way, the best place to start is where most seasoned interior designers start. That is with a complete "program". These questions, along with others must be answered. A professional designer will want to know all the facts and will create a "Design Statement" as well as help develop the clients "Budget" before they ever start the first cad drawing.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact me at Richard@richard-allan-marti.com

Curved vanity design ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Allan Marti Jr) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 19:06:00 +0000

Here is an example of a Curved front vanity.
Working with curves persents some awesome opportunities as well as some challenges. Not all cabinetmakers can execute curved doors and properly mount them to the frame. Even more important is to insure that the curved doors remain stable permanently.

This project was completed with Mahogany cabinetry and Mirror frames with fully integrated medicine cabinets behind the mirrors, silver plated hardware, faucets and lighting. The beveled glass mirrors are mounted on concealed freeswinging hinges and touch latches. ( be sure your client knows there will be finger prints on the mirror!)

If you would like further details, please contact me. mailto:Richard@Richard-allan-marti.com