Natural Light
The best lighting is natural light, so if your home has large windows and lots of light, you want to make sure you preserve it. Choose sheer curtains and light window treatment to showcase the natural light. 

Artificial Light
Artificial light is also good. You can use a combination of ceiling lamps, floor lamps, table lamps and tasks lamps. They are really great for creating an ambiance. Proper lighting helps create a relaxing atmosphere. Now days, we have dimmers, soft lighting, full spectrum light bulbs and energy saving light bulbs.

In this example, a simple pendant is used several times to create a very architectural look.

An up lighting, like this flood light located on the floor, also creates drama and character to a space by grazing the brick wall at the back of the sofa. 

So lots of options are possible with lighting. It is a way of creating great energy and a sort of magic because it enhances colors.

Light Enhancers
Mirrors are also great light enhancers as they reflect every bit of light you get. The light bounces on them to create more space. They are esthetically appealing. They make rooms, and especially corridors look wider, and they support your life. According to Feng Shui, they bring great energy. In fact, a mirror represents the water element in Feng Shui. It supports your journey and your career. Imagine a beautiful river that brings in new opportunities such as a new job, new connections or relationships in your life…

Also use Crystals for displays by your windows or even chandeliers. They diffuse beautiful rays of light when hit by light and sun.
 
For more information on Feng Shui and Interior Design and to book a consultation with marie, contact us marie@marieburgosdesign.com or call 917-353-9149

Here’s some recent ink wash drawings I made over the last week or so. I recently picked up a Sumie Ink Wash brush and was enjoying trying it out on some subjects close at hand. I often am painting in full color with watercolor, so working only in tones was a treat and very informative to me. With the Stones image, I found the ink wash behaved very differently on the 140 lb cold press watercolor paper than on the 90 lb drawing paper. On the heavier paper, it blended so nicely and moved through the sizing in very interesting and somewhat unexpected ways.

On the lighter paper, with the Flowers,the ink wash laid more on the paper surface with a more spotty, dappled light effect. I had to layer successive wash tones atop one another to achieve a greater tonal range, but very interesting still the same. What do you think? Any suggestions?

I often believe all I need are stones, trees and water as my subject matter. The compositional and conceptual opportunities with just these three are endless and continually inspiring. I find relief not to be thinking about buildings, but rather getting lost in elements of the landscape such as these. I spend a lot of time designing buildings and spaces. I look to natural influences like these stones and flowers to provide respite and renewal emotionally, creatively and professionally.

Island prepping

At first glance you may think, “Oh what a nice, simple kitchen”, but sometimes the most modest kitchens can perform the best.

Major kudos to the builder Johnson Building Company who made the “BEFORE” below, turn into a better functioning kitchen for a well deserving client. If you are looking to change your space to welcome a family member who may be living in a wheelchair, or simply ‘aging in place’, contact specialists like the Johnson Building Company, who know how to help.

With IPD the project delivery process looks kind of like the design-build process on steroids. The players all come together to work on the project at the very beginning. The voices of the owner, architect, contractor, subcontractors and others are integrated at the design phase, but their individual roles are much more meshed together than in traditional design-build. Right at the beginning, some sticky issues have to be dealt with that tend to force the participants apart.

Construction is often characterized as individual businesses focusing solely on their particular piece to the exclusion of everyone else. Contract and liability issues often encourage that mindset. With IPD the participants are asked to subordinate some of their self-interest in the interest of the common good, so the project can be accomplished more efficiently and cost effectively. I would be willing to suggest that another great potential outcome would be the fostering of lower-stress work environments. We could all use more of those, even those who thrive on high stress.

So the first step in IPD is to establish mutual respect and trust. This is a major departure for many in construction who see only their role and who have designed their processes to enhance only their role. I came face to face with this on one project with a subcontractor who had built multiple lines of approval into its change order process. The system was so time consuming, it began to threaten completion times on certain milestones. From the reaction I received when I questioned the procedures, it became clear it was more than an issue of just protection. It was an issue of survival, with a mindset of “us against them.”

Business, indeed anything to do with money, has within it the seeds of secrecy. IPD requests a change in thinking that encourages transparency, so that the common good can be considered at least as importantly as self interest. The idea being that they are intertwined enough to be equal in importance.

Whether or not you institute an IPD approach in your business, it could be instructive to look through the lens of your partners’ eyes to see where more transparency might foster greater trust in your business dealings. As trust increases so does sharing, and that in itself could lead to some efficiencies that will help all to stay competitive.

There is a guide for IPD here.

Ernestine the Switchboard Operator from Saturday Night Live

I don’t know how many of you remember or have seen the reruns of Ernestine, the silly Switchboard Operator who couldn’t get anything straight… but we liked her! Customer service, alive or dead, has prompted many of you to respond.

A good friend of mine and prominent Canadian businessperson sent me this felonious report. Apparently my friend has been doing business with this well known Canadian manufacturer of flooring products for 30 plus years.

While in the process of producing advertising material for her company, my friend said she needed some explanation on a product from one of the companies included in the material. She made her call, introduced herself to the switchboard operator, explained the purpose for the inquiry and asked the switchboard operator to confirm the company’s address and 800 number before the brochure went to print. Keep in mind, my friend is no stranger to the company, and she isn’t from one of those states that is notoriously rude… in case that’s what you’re thinking.

Anyway, even though the switchboard operator knows my friend, duh (my friend’s words), she quickly asked, “Did someone from our company tell you to call here?”  My friend replied “no”, to which the switchboard operator replied “Then I can’t give you the information.” Another duh!

According to my steaming friend, she (nicely) re-iterated her need and was told there was no way that she could get it. But in all her helpfulness, the woman replied she could go to the website. Meanwhile, I can hardly see the keyboard through my tears of laughter as I type away. My friend interpreted this as a “get lost”, and she found herself saying that she felt the woman was being rude. The woman, obviously not to be outdone, replied that she felt that my friend was also being rude.

(First rule of business, never miss an opportunity to upstage a customer.)

My friend goes on to explain that she was flabbergasted and asked to speak to the woman’s boss, whom she has had a great relationship with for many years. The boss came on the line, and he said that she (my friend) wouldn’t believe the calls that they get. One time someone ask for their address, shipped them a product, and then asked for payment!

To which my friend replied, “So what and who cares?” I am trying to advertise your company and your products to all architects across the country at my expense, and this is your response? Triple Duh!

All is well that ends well; the boss gave her the information she needed, apologized, and said he would speak to the switchboard operator… while my friend reshuffled his competitor to the top!

Some tips 

• Know your customers; somebody should know the 30 year-old customer. If not, get someone who does before you turn down their request.
• Treat all your customers special; sure some are crack pots, but if I want to do business with you “I’m special.”
• Give people leeway in their decision making; the key is to get customers to stay - not go!
• Send an apology note for the mix up, a bag of goodies and blog it. Go way beyond what’s expected, and turn the unhappy customer into a raving fan, as they say.
• Be easy on employees. Obviously this one had been instructed to do it a certain way. She was only doing her job. Maybe the job needed to be updated, or maybe she needs to get to know the customers better.
• Everyone has to care. There are only so many customers out there and more of you trying to get those customers. With fewer customers and more time on my hands, I can spend more time trying to steal your customers, if I’m smart!

In Feng Shui, Color is one of the easiest ways to shift the energy in your space. The ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui has been in practice for over 4,000 years.  It is a belief in using colors, the placement of objects, and creating a flow of positive chi to enhance a person’s environment for the best results of balance and harmony. Colors are incredibly important in this practice and each one represents different aspects of nature.  

The correct placing of these colors in the correct area of a home is essential for creating the right balance for success, happiness and serenity.  Using the Feng Shui color practice can revitalize the chi in a home or office and help the occupants find a deeper level of peace. 

The Feng Shui colors can also be broken down into categories of yin or yang colors. 

Yin colors are considered to be more relaxing and promote healing of the body, mind and spirit.  These colors are useful to use in bedrooms and nurseries.  Blue is a yin color.  It is thought to be soothing and restful.  For example, when you picture the ocean, you see a picture of serene, calm water. 

On the other side of the spectrum are the yang colors. These Feng Shui colors are considered to be a little more vibrant than the yin colors and compliment their yin partners perfectly. Red is the most obvious of the yang colors. It is excellent for creating emotional excitement. Red is also incredibly invigorating and for that reason should be used carefully to avoid over stimulating the mind and spirit. When used correctly, red has the ability to add energy to an environment.  

It is good to know the color’s meanings for decorating purposes. Most colors can be associated with a personality, and using colors that match your personality will make your house truly feel like home. 

As a Feng Shui Interior Designer, I always use color with a purpose.

• Warm colors can make people feel cozy, warm, cheerful, energetic or soothed.
• Cool colors can make people feel cool, calm, relaxed, comforted, creative, balanced or fresh.
• Neutral colors are stabilizing, comfortable, unifying and strengthening.

Some colors are too bright to be anything but accent colors. Some colors can be paired with other colors to look striking. Some colors can be used to help other colors stand out more. 

Using the Feng Shui color practice to enhance my client’s homes and lives proves to be incredibly beneficial.

Today, it’s different for some reason, and I don’t feel like the squeaks are as warm and inviting in my “own” home.  It makes my home feel old, and I tend to have the same feeling when I’m out showing property. I wonder if Buyers feel the same way when they walk across squeaking floors?

The good news is that there is a solution to squeaky floors and stairs.  Look for Squeeeeek-No-More screws at your local hardware store. They can remedy squeaking floors by enabling the tightening of the flooring to the joists, or stair treads to stringers. Then, you snap off the heads which leaves about a 1/2 inch hole in the surface.  These holes are hard to find in the carpet.

I want to share a little book which might positively impact your business and creative life. I just finished Dan Pink’s new book “Drive - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us“. It wraps together some new and older research on cognitive science, psychology and business process thinking. You can also hear Dan speak about his new book and his ideas at his recent Ted Talk. It’s captivating and illuminating.  

The main premise of the book is that what used to motivate us - the extrinsic carrot and the stick incentives of “If you do this…then you can get that” etc., or if you don’t, “this” will happen to you - are much less useful in today’s world where people are looking for more intrinsic motivators. In fact Pink proposes Motivation 2.0, based on this older view of motivation, needs to be replaced by Motivation 3.0, one which recognizes the rising importance of finding a sense of personal autonomy, mastery and purpose helping to fuel our motivations and personal drive.  

As Dan says, “We need an upgrade, and Science shows the way. This new approach has three essential elements - (1) Autonomy - the desire to direct our own lives; (2) Mastery - the urge to get better and better at something that matters; and (3) Purpose - the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.” 

The book sets up this idea of Motivation 3.0 by first examining Motivation 2.0 and making the case of how the carrot and sticks approach, while very appropriate during the 20th century and still useful as a base today, isn’t enough. He talks about Type “X” people, those motivated by extrinsic rewards, or motivators, like financial incentives, increased prestige, role power or getting your name in print. He then shares how, as we have moved into the 21st century, there has been a transition from extrinsic to the intrinsic or Type “I” with the rise in “volunteerism” - the phenomena of open source-fed, group-fed media like Wikipedia or the success of viral mass participation enabled by the internet through texting aid to Haiti as another recent example. People are plainly responding to more intrinsic motivations. They want more than just carrots or sticks. Dan illustrates how this “leads to stronger performance, greater health, and higher overall well-being”. 

During the section on Mastery, Pink speaks about the impact of “Flow” a concept championed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. We all know about Flow as it’s the feeling we experience when we’re in the groove on the court, painting pictures, playing music or working together where individual personalities disappear and the work magically gets done and done well. He theorized people “are most happy when they are in state of flow - state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situationl.” “The flow state is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, where the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing. This is a feeling everyone has at times, characterized by by a feeling of great absorption, engagement, fulfillment and skill - and during which temporal concerns (time, ego-self, food, etc) are ignored. ” (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mih%C3%A1ly_Cs%C3%ADkszentmih%C3%A1lyi) 

As a creative business person and someone who engages in high levels of collaborative design and interaction, whether in design charettes, business meetings or interactions with colleagues, this concept of flow is something I experience often. It’s a magical place twhere personalities disappear replaced by a focus on the design challenge at hand and finding purposeful and appropriate solutions. 

That’s one of the reasons why I want to share Dan Pink’s book with you and its ideas. Our work lives can be filled with a sense of fulfillment, excitement and yes, at times, rapture! Please let me know what you think, if you’ve experienced this shift from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation in your work, creative and personal life. Does Dan Pink’s Motivation 3.0 resonate with what you’re observing in your work and life? Tell me how. I’d be psyched to get your perspective and share it with others.

The Romans used lime and a fine volcanic ash (pozzolana) to create cement that would harden underwater. These builders also figured out that by using stepped rings of concrete, where each had a lower density than the one below, they could then create large domes like the one at the Pantheon. That one is about 142 feet in diameter.

During the last century in the U.S., pozzolans were incorporated into the Hoover Dam, the Los Angeles aqueduct, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Hungry Horse Dam in Montana, just to name a few. This cement also showed up in the tunnel between the UK and France, in France’s Puylaurent Dam and in the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt, Germany.

Today, everyone is getting on the pozzolans bandwagon, but not everyone has natural ones like volcanic ash, pumice, tuff, diatomaceous earth, and opaline shale just lying around. So, people are now using the waste products that are generated when coal is burned while making electricity. It’s typically called fly ash.

They are also using rice husk, brick dust, calcined kaolin, condensed silica fume and waste from blast furnaces. These are all defined as fine-grained materials that react with lime resulting in cement. The result is that you can use less Portland cement. Depending upon the pozzolans, that reduction can range from 15 to 60 percent. When you consider that the embodied energy of concrete is estimated to be 3 kWh per pound, and 90 percent of that is in the making of Portland cement, you can see how reducing the amount of Portland used can be a green thing.

There are also the added advantages of the concrete being lighter, more plastic and easier to work, and that it requires less water resulting in lower bleeding and lower heating.

Suppose you want to explore using pozzolans in the next or current project. Here’s a resource to get you started.

Write a clear and detailed brief. Know exactly what you are trying to achieve, who it is meant to appeal to, what the mood and style direction should be and what the functionality needs to be, amongst many other things. Only once you have a clearly defined brief should the design process begin. This is why ‘pitching’ to win a project is such nonsense. Designers, who ‘pitch’, do so flying completely blind without a detailed brief. I also take exception at designers giving away free intellectual property. Designers should be generously remunerated for their creative IP, but I digress. Even people designing their own home interiors or doing a touch of decoration should create a brief and share it with the other decision makers in their house. Set a budget and a timeframe and figure out how you or someone else is going to manage this project - Do you need a project manager? A design & construct consultant? Think about it now! It could save you whatever your version of squillions is.

Get accurate and up-to-date floor plans that are to scale.  If you don’t know what to scale means, you shouldn’t be designing the interiors. If there is an architectural plan in existence, that is all the better. If not, get out that measuring device [tape, laser or other] and start measuring accurately and to scale. If you are aren’t experienced in creating scaled floor plans, then get someone who is. Without an accurate scaled floor plan [and elevations too], you are going nowhere fast. Use your scaled floor plans for furniture selection and placement. For example, you don’t want to end up with a sofa that is far too big for the room for which it is intended. 

Set a clear ‘style’ and ‘mood’ direction. This is the high level creative, visioning part of the project where you and whoever else is involved in the project put a stake in the ground and make a firm decision to head in a particular design direction.  Is it minimalist, contemporary, Classic contemporary, Traditional, Tropical resort, On trend? If you can’t define the style, you’ll never be able to create one. Even if you decide to ‘make up’ your very own style, you’ll still need to be able to articulate it both visually and verbally. Every decision from this point forward is determined by this style vision. If you’re hazy, your design will look lazy, so be crystal clear on this one! Remember, form follows function.  Not only does your design have to look beautiful, but it also must be functional.

Identify your ‘starting points’. This is what I call them anyway. They’re the things that you can see inside the space that absolutely, definitely will not and can’t be moved or changed. For example, on a large scale project – even a new one – it will generally be architectural features and materials or even a company logo. It may even be an external material that will have a bearing on what should happen inside the building. For a small project – like your home – it might be items of furniture you’d like to keep, right down to the smallest of ornaments. Take note! These ‘starting point’ items are just that, starting points for the rest of your design. If your starting points do not belong to your vision from Golden Rule no. 3, make a choice - either change your vision or part with those starting points that aren’t singing from the same song book.

Develop your colour schemes for each room using your starting points. If you’re not a colour expert, you’ll need help because colour is one of the most fundamental elements of interior design. I’m not going to go into a whole lecture on colour theory.  Suffice it to say, that your colour schemes will make or break the design, so consider them carefully and document them using paint swatches at the very least. Stray from your colour schemes at your own peril. If you don’t stick to them – and I mean in every single item in the space – then you will end up with a MESS, which stands for Mediocre Everyday Sloppy Space.

Define the functional requirements. What are the technical and practical aspects of the space that must be met?  Is it light, heating, storage, anti slip, durability, strength, privacy, wet areas, weather proof, sun proof or snow proof? How many people does this space need to cater to? What about their comfort? I stopped for a coffee at a café yesterday. I decided to drink it sitting at a cool, outdoor bar on the side walk. I sat on a swivel stool and discovered that the pavement beneath me was sloping – away from the café! Do you think I could stay facing the bench? No! I kept swiveling in the other direction, away from my coffee, down hill toward the road – not good when I was really looking forward to that coffee! This serves as a very funny example of specifying a product that didn’t meet the functional requirements.  

Source your products & materials, starting with the ones that have the most limited colour palettes and moving to those that have the most flexible colour palettes [e.g. paint colours]. Do as much sourcing as you can via the net and over the phone unless you intend to spend the rest of your life visiting showrooms and being swamped by a plethora of fabulous choices. Remember, keep to your functional brief, keep to your budget and keep to your style direction. Remember that ‘style’ stake you put in the ground? Remember your colour schemes? Do not stray, or you’ll end up with a MESS.

Find really good suppliers. Rely on them for technical information about the products you are selecting, and cross check it with your builder. You will NEVER be an expert in all the technical nuances of all the products on the market. Accept this, take a deep breath and be willing to learn what you need to know for your project. Take your scaled floor plans with you and your colour swatches and your scale rule and your brief to remind you to stay on track and DO NOT COMPROMISE! It is better to walk away empty handed from a supplier if they don’t have the ‘just perfect’ item for your design and try somewhere else because the ‘just perfect’ item does exist. Why? There are millions of items out there for you to choose from!  

Document your design in detail. That means committing your choices to paper, in detail, and it includes floor plans showing furniture placement and elevations showing details for kitchens, bathrooms, custom joinery and the placement of artwork. Clear documentation will also help you budget for your project. For each and every item, you’ll need to know the following: price, dimensions, availability, supplier details, technical aspects and any other notes that the builder may need.  

Lock in the design before building. Brief the builder when you’re about 80% complete, not when you’re 100%, and you’ve set your design in stone. Why? Because good builders are exceptionally knowledgeable about the practicalities of implementing your design, they can often save you or the project very large amounts of money by achieving a similar outcome in smarter ways. Discuss the design with the builder, and be willing to make adjustments that are both tasteful and practical before locking in your design. And when I say locking in, I mean that’s it! No more meddling, no more last minute changes after the builder has begun, unless of course both time and money is absolutely no object. To make changes to the design once building has started and products have been ordered is very costly to you and very annoying to all and sundry working on the project. Your design work should be 99% complete before the building commences. The remaining 1% of the design work is simply to check for defects after the builders have completed the implementation of your design and to ask for them to be fixed.  

There is an 11^th Golden Rule, but it almost goes without saying. When the project is complete, do yourself [and everyone else who has worked so hard to bring the design to life] a favour and get together on site for a glass of champagne to celebrate! You’ll all deserve it. There are probably more than 10 Golden Rules, but these are the ones I think are the most important. I look forward to your comments. Happy designing! Ciao.