Design Styles/Part 1 of 3

Every thing you always wanted to know about design styles, but were afraid to ask.

Art Deco


Streamlined, geometric style of home furnishings popular in the '20s and '30s featuring rounded fronts, mirrored accents, sleek lines and wood furniture with chrome hardware and glasstops. Design by Erinn Valencich.

Arts and Crafts


Arts and Crafts style furnishings became popular in the United States between 1910 and 1925. The focus was simple in form, without extraneous decoration, often showing the way pieces and materials were put together. Architecturally speaking, Arts and Crafts covers Craftsman style, work by Frank Lloyd-Wright as well as the bungalow style popularized by Greene and Greene. "Truth in Materials" was very important to Arts and Crafts designers, who often used local materials. Design by Thomas A. Conway.
 

Asian

Inspired by the design elements from Japan, China, Vietnam and Thailand. This look fuses natural fiber elements, bamboo and colors taken from nature to create a serene, calm environment. Furnishings may be lacquered or handpainted with ornamental designs, punctuated with brightly-colored accessories or statues of animals or mythical creatures. Design by Erinn Valencich.

Coastal

This look is inspired by the ocean. It evokes a light and breezy feel by way of airy fabrics for window treatments, and the emphasis on nautical or beach-themed accessories such as lighthouses and seashells. The classic Ralph Lauren-inspired palette of navy and white with gold accents is a striking look for any home. Design by Layla Palmer.

Edible Living Wall

Restaurants love the idea of growing their own vegetables. But in an urban environment where space is tight, the typical garden has to be rediscovered to operate in a small footprint. Tournesol Siteworks is a commercial-grade sitework company that manufacturers irrigation systems, site furnishings and planter systems. A recent example of their work can be seen in Los Angeles, at Pizzeria Mozza. The living wall grows lettuce, peppermint, celery, parsley, sage, and other edible plants. The area of the wall is 10’ by 12’ and protrudes roughly 15 inches from the surface. Apparently the staff is enjoying the wall so much, they have picked some of the plants clean.

Tournesol VGM Modular Living Wall consists of recycled plastic planting modules and powder-coated hanging rails. The wall comes pre-grown to provide instant coverage for any vertical surface, and can be used with a variety of plants suited to any climate or situation. Each VGM module has a possible depth of 4.5” or 8.5” of soil which promotes healthy plant life. The modular planting boxes take from one to three month to grow prior to installation.

The concept of having active plan life integrated into architecture and design is common. Tournesol’s edible living wall is exciting for its ability to provide not only aesthetic value, but also healthy sustenance.

Entertaining/Creamy Tomato-Basil Pasta

Ingredients

3 cups Farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked
1/4 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
1 lb. uncooked peeled deveined medium shrimp
1 cup Fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. each garlic powder and black pepper
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese
2 cups Grape tomatoes
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese
8 Fresh basil leaves, cut into strips


COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until shrimp turn pink. Use slotted spoon to remove shrimp from skillet; cover to keep warm. Discard any drippings in skillet.

ADD remaining dressing, broth and seasonings to skillet; cook 2 min. or until heated through. Add Neufchatel; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted. Stir in tomatoes; cook 1 min.

DRAIN pasta. Add to ingredients in skillet. Stir in Parmesan and half the basil; top with shrimp and remaining basil.

Paris Art

Eiffel_Tower

Notre_Dame_de_Paris

One of my sons travels with his firm, as a Senior Consultant for Cooper Design Group, based in San Franciso.

Chris Noessel is a senior consultant at Cooper. His industry experience ranges from owning a small, museum-focused company in Houston to working with Microsoft's futures prototyping group in Seattle. For marchFIRST he was Director of Information Architecture, conducting research and design for notable web sites such as Apple, SEGA, and Harmon Kardon. He was one of the founding graduates of the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea. He is currently writing and speaking about a work being coauthored with Nathan Shedroff about how science fiction and design influence each other.



Chris, sends me gifts from many of his travels from around the world. He will be leaving for Asia soon, OH, do I love...Asian anything!!!!! FYI, he also designed the logo for "Serenity In Design" which you see at the top of my website.

I had the art framed at a local frame shop in Charlotte. Judy Horn at, fast frame, was able to assist me by selecting a matt that would not cover the signed writings and brought the colors together beautifully.

Be sure to click all of the links in the article for a little history of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. The other links allow me to introduce my son to you. If you live in Charlotte the link for the frame shop will show you directions and services at Judy's website.

Minimalist Kitchen

What are you looking for in your kitchen? The sublime new shapes and styles of La Cucina Alessi? The eco-durability of new materials as in Silestone’s Countertops and Kitchen Surfaces? Or perhaps you prefer the modular disappearing trick of the Logica Kitchen System? If, however, you’re after a subtler kind of prestidigitation (as in shrinking costs), you should have a look at Pedini’s Magika. This kitchen was conceived with an eye to the easy balance between a buyer’s bottom line and the demanding aesthetic imperatives of what some might rightfully claim as the birthplace of the modern kitchen.

Magika is handsome minimalism on a budget. The kitchen combines the sleek lines and handcrafted finishes of Italian cabinetry with economical production and fast delivery times, thus making the divine and desirable touch of designers like Domenico Paolucci more accessible to the masses. We last saw the work of Paolucci back in October with the extraordinarily colorful and highly-textural Outline Kitchen. That scheme—with its dashing touches of rich green and deep wood striations—spoke to me of autumn change. Magika, to the contrary, is light and lithe like a summer breeze. It’s so efficiently arranged as to be all but invisible. Because Magika knows that, in the kitchen, negative space means room to roam—room to coordinate the particular choreography of your culinary magic.

Optional features for Magika include vertical handle or hand-less channel openings with an aluminum profile. Choose your finish from textured melamine (white, red, cream, or dark grey); wood (grey oak, dark brown pine, or teak); or glossy white lacquer. Cabinetry plinths come in white, gray, black, and matte silver. These attractive options enable a great degree of personalization, but the bottom line with Magika is its admirable fusion of affordability and aesthetics: “featuring simplicity with a high degree of practicality and quality, Magika combines innovative features with conventional uses, representing a synthesis of inspiring form and rational layout solutions.”

Cottage Style Decor

Creamy white wainscoting, painted shutters, sumptuous linens, and an upholstered headboard make this Southampton master bedroom luxurious. Get this look!!!

I love this fresh feeling, the colors are cool and the setting is sumptuous!!

Entertaining/Spaghetti with Creamy Spinach

Cream cheese melts in the heat of the pasta to form a luscious sauce. The fresh spinach called for here provides a delicate flavor that frozen spinach just doesn't duplicate. For speed, we recommend the prewashed kind available in supermarkets.

Servings: 4


Ingredients

10 ounce prewashed spinach
2 tablespoons butter
3 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried tarragon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound spaghetti
5 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Remove any tough stems from the spinach. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add the scallions and tarragon and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and salt and stir until wilted. Simmer until the liquid evaporates from the spinach, about 5 minutes.

2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the spaghetti and toss with 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, the spinach mixture, the cream cheese, parsley, Parmesan, and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add more of the reserved pasta water.

Spinach Options: You can buy fresh spinach in various forms, depending on how hard you want to work.: · Salad bar: Weigh out 10 ounces of spinach from your supermarket's salad bar, and you're ready to cook--no rinsing or stem removal required.: · Prewashed bags: Supermarkets carry 10-ounce bags of spinach. This has been cleaned of all visible sand, but we would still give it one final rinse before cooking.: · Bunches of fresh spinach: You will need 1 1/2 pounds to equal 10 ounces of packaged cleaned spinach. Remove the stems and then wash the leaves several times to get rid of the grit.

Wine Recommendation: Chenin blanc grapes make a wine that is fruity but bursting with acidity--an excellent match for tarragon. Try either a bottle of Vouvray from France or one of chenin blanc from California.