Take a seat...and have a drink

I am posting "To do" Tuesday's a bit early. This week I thought it would be great to spotlight a new chair that only just made its debut last week in NYC, San Francisco and Atlanta. Made from 111 recycled plastic Coke bottles, the 111 Navy Chair is the result of a collaboration between Emeco and Coca-Cola.  I saw this today when I perused my DWR catalog. I love it, not only is it made from 65% recycled materials, it comes in 6 colors and is not badly priced. This took 4 years of research, design and testing, and an update to the original 111 Navy Chair out in 1944, that was made in aluminum(it is still sold today and made of 80% recycled aluminum) . You can only purchase from Design Within Reach, right now there is a 2-4 week lead time. 

Photo courtesy of dwr.com

Austin is lucky enough to be one of seven locations around the US to launch this chair. There are launch parties this Friday here and in Portland from 6-8pm, with a LA being last, next week. RSVP for the launch via www.111navychair.com/austin/     See you there!


Another chair with recycling in mind is the Adirondack Collection launched 2 years ago from Loll Designs, and is sold by their site and DWR. Another iconic chair, this is a new take on the classic Adirondack chair, typically made of wood, but in this case is now 100% recycled polyethylene. They estimate that 8 recycled milk jugs go into each pound of their chair, which in itself is recyclable. The material is fade-resistant, waterproof and maintenance free(which you can not say for the original). They also ship the chair flat to save on packaging materials, and the plant sends 90% of their waste to a recycling plant. Now thats taking recycling to a whole new level. The chair comes in 7 fresh colors. 

Photo courtesy of lolldesigns.com

**Take a peek at Loll Designs website, they have many awesome designs, all made of recycled materials.** Have a super Tuesday!!

Gavin & Stacey

They make me laugh and smile as much as Glee. I have a love affair with Glee, along with millions, but many may never have heard of Gavin & Stacey on BBC America. I am an anglophile, probably helps my mum is from over the pond and my family is there. Season 3 is now airing and has only 4 episodes left(darn them and their small amount of episodes, a true season in the US is like 21.) Basic premise is this...

Gavin is a guy from Essex who falls for Stacey a girl from Wales on the internet and talk for months before they meet (technically 2 different countries within the UK, both have different accents, different families,etc.) Its a sweet, but funny story about just that, everyday living with their bffs(Smithy and Nessa) and families in the mix. I can get the humor most of the time, but even I have had to look up some jokes and references that most Americans would not get. Its award winning and are each half hour in length. Watch them all when you have some time...

I LOVE this show, sadly they ended it after 3 seasons, and have tried twice to make a US version, but nothing has stuck. The writers James Cordon and Ruth Jones, play Smithy and Nessa, and they are brilliant!! You should rent season 1 or watch online, they are really great and put a smile on my face.

p.s. -Dot or "Doh" as she is called, is the elderly neighbor lady to Stacey and she has some of the best lines, and then I can't say enough about Stacey's Uncle Bryn..

Have a great rest of the weekend!!

Zen...

Here is the photo of the bathroom we did utilizing the Delta Brizo Vesi widespread lavatory faucet. Hope you like it, we were privileged enough to win an ASID Legacy Award for this design. My other favorite part of this bathroom was the glass tiles installed in a vertical "broken joint" design. The white carrera marble top had a pearlescent glass backsplash also. 

             Photography Courtesy of Robert McGee

A day late....

Sorry for my delay in posting my "To Do" Tuesday on a Wednesday. We were gearing up for our install in Belton, for it to get pushed a week at the last minute, so I have had no time. So I am actually posting a 2 page article from a green issue of Western Interiors by Bruce Greenlaw, published in "gasp" 2008. One reason is laziness, and I had no time to prepare,and the other is that we used the Delta Brizo "Vesi" Channel faucet in a project we did actually a few years ago, it was the same year that Delta starting selling the Brizo line, which was in 2006. 

I believe these are great water saving tips that we can still use today. 

I will post pictures of the Brizo faucet in the bathroom we designed in the next day or two. 

~~~Have a great rest of the week~~~

"To Do" Tuesday-Rebates and Incentives

I spent some time this afternoon attending a webinar to understand(or at least start my education on) the ROI(return on investment) of green purchasing practices. WOW, is all I can say. There are so many acronyms and steps to this..man it will be a lot to learn, but I plan to do so... if I learn anything interesting along the way, I will share.

So for today's post, I am focusing locally on Austin, Texas. If you are fortunate to live within the city limits, as part of the Power Saver™ program, there are residential rebates for certain products or improvements to your home. There are even rebates for commercial buildings/businesses. If the home is over 10 years old, and you replace an old air conditioner(with a 14 seer/11.4 EER or greater unit), do duct repair and sealing, add insulation to attic, or add radiant barrier/reflective materials,you can apply for a rebate that will cover up to 20% or $1575 of the total. Other items such as solar screens, window film or low-e glass replacements(most new windows are low-e standard) are covered, as well as little things like caulking, additional weather stripping are listed.
For the purchase of solar photovoltaic(or solar panels/energy systems) or solar water heaters, there are rebates also.

There are also programs to help those with lower to moderate incomes that may find it more difficult to afford these updates. These are via Austin Energy and they will provide materials and installation for things like attic insulation, duct repairs/sealing, caulking around plumbing penetrations, weather stripping and solar screens. There are qualifications to be met, but spread the word, these are things that can help  a great deal.

Remember three "R"s reduce, reuse and recycle. :)

Its the week's end.....

TGIF!! Hope everyone made it thru the week unscathed and not too stressed. I had a great week, we had a ball looking around antique stores looking for those vintage items needed for a project we will be installing in the next 2 weeks(fingers crossed). So that would be the highlight of my week, I forgot how fun it can be looking at items from childhood,etc. Well its HOT outside, this week began our start of summer(it just officially was the start of spring) but its Texas. It got me to thinking where I would not mind being this weekend and I thought of another "desert-like" locale, Palm Springs...

I would stay at The Parker. Gene Autry lived here in his heyday(you can even stay in the house on the property), and was opened in 2004. The interiors were designed by one of my fav's, Jonathan Alder. His quirky style along with the very cool modern touches, make it onto my list of "have to stay at least once" places. Hey, its meant to be when they have a restaurant named "Norma's"(my aunt's name). The area has so many outdoor activities,  and the architecture of the area alone would be a reason to visit, but I could stand just sitting by the pool with a book or having a drink on the patio.

 Photo via latimes.com

Photo via latimes.com 

Photo via latimes.com 

What a view, reminds me of 1960's Doris Day movies.

Photo via  theparkerpalmsprings.com

A fruity drink, my book,ipod, and sunscreen, that's a great weekend!

Photo via  theparkerpalmsprings.com

Have a great weekend!!  

Rants and Raves

Well I have some time so I thought I would talk about a couple of the things that I am excited about, well its Tuesday, so you know what that means, GLEE!! Heck yes, and tonight brings Molly Shannon and Olivia Newton-John as guest stars, I love them both, so even if I cannot catch it on the tube, my dvr will record for me, since I will be out and about later today.(I will also record the results show for Dancing with the Stars, yes I watch that Mondays, as I love me some dancing, I bet that Niecy Nash will dance for the last time, or maybe  Pam Anderson,but we will see...)

Movies...summer season, its just upon us and there are several that I want to see. One of which you probably have not heard of, but its on my list(along with SATC 2, Twilight New Moon(sad, some may say, but I have read all the books.) and others.)
Here is link to the trailer-I Am Love Trailer via the official website.
This is being released in the UK I believe before the US(September 9th, I believe). I have seen several Tilda Swinton movies and she is one of the most unique actresses out there today. The movie is set in Italy and the scenery, sets and cinematography looks breathtaking. There is an article about it in June's Town and Country magazine, in their Arts & Culture section (on page 63). So thus starts another obsession with visiting Italy.(Florence/Tuscany and Capri) I am not ruling out seeing Letters to Juliet(though its cheesy and the whole plot shown in the trailer) but Italy again, is a formidable character.

So speaking about magazines, another love of mine, and the more the better. I worry that this format will go by the wayside with all the electronic media. I wonder if the publishers are worried too, as they have ads now in magazines, where they are are stating that more than 300 million is made in subscriptions, and there is really "Power of Print". Design magazines have really felt the crunch, as Metropolitan Home and Domino folded in the last year or so.
I do hope that the printed magazine does not go away, so keep buying them(they are even available at places like the library or half price books), better yet, subscribe, though its not necessarily cheaper to subscribe to our foreign faves.
I have a B&N nook, but there is something to be said about flipping thru the pages on the beach, and thats one place, I am not sure my nook needs to go(we will test that sometime.) The ipad will test those limits, as you can read pages in color(unlike the Nook or the Kindle). Something to think about.......

ps (one online magazine to check out: Lonny its an online design magazine, has many great articles, photos and contributors from folded magazines, and its free, via facebook you get the heads up on the next issue prior to release :) )

"To Do" Tuesday-Go Green with eco friendly paint

Our first "to do" post is about paint. The next time you decide to paint or repaint(in many cases), think about the type of paint before you agonize over color. Most household finishes off gas(this includes paint, carpet, the mastics/grouts/sealants used in tiles, wood,etc.) these can affect even those without allergens to these things and they are harmful for our health via the air quality.

There are several large paint companies and these days each will have their own "green" paints. Today I want to give you some information on two in particular, Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore(this is not an advertisement, most all paint companies including those sold at home improvement stores have more "green" paints). First, 3 letters-VOCs,Volatile Organic Compounds, are the toxic emissions(or off gasses) that release into the indoor air via paints and finishes, these can last for years after application. These compounds are what you want to minimize, so look for these when you look at the products you are interested in. Most paints are water based, so this helps with easy clean up and disposal is easier, since they will not be considered hazardous waste, which will help reduce landfill, groundwater and ozone contaminants. 

Benjamin Moore-They are have their "Green Promise" paints, they are designated as such due to be low odor, are quick drying and available in all their available colors. They state that you can use the rooms again within the same day as painting, this is usually unheard of with typical paints. 

They have the Natura© which is their completely zero VOC's paint, considered their greenest paint. They believe this is the lowest VOC paint on the market and includes zero VOC colorants, and is available in primer, flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes.

 Aura© is their next best paint, low VOC, low odor, this to has zero VOC waterborne colorants, available in the above finishes and is considered better than Natura©  for deeper colors.

Sherwin Williams-Under their "GreenSure Initiative"  they use natural materials, such as soy and sunflower oil, reducing the amount of solvents they use, so that there are less VOC's. Their paints will have the GreenSure seal and they even carry the "Good Housekeeping" seal of approval(who does not feel better with that!!).In addition to paint, they carry caulks and sealants that are GreenSure,also.  

Duration Home© and Harmony© carry this seal.They too, have low odor and zero-VOC formulas(Duration Home© is low-VOC), in addition they are anti-microbial, and are available in primer, flat, eggshell and semi-gloss finishes. 

I have not compared pricing for these, with your "normal" everyday paints, but I believe that the payoff will be in the better air quality for yourselves, your children and our pets(we cannot forget them, they spend more time indoors generally than we do!) There are many websites with smaller, lesser known brands(Real Milk Paint, LIvos, Greenplanetpaints,etc.) Kelly Moore, PPG, ICI, Devoe, Dunedwards(ecoshield) are some larger companies with zero or low VOC paints also.

Happy Painting!

The unglamourous life...of two gals and a truck

We are within weeks of our first installation for a client just over an hour out of town. Generally most designers would purchase items, store them and then have items installed all at once, in our case this project will be done in stages, and we have items stored in our garages and storage site, as well as a 3rd party two hours away. In order for our install to go smoothly items here, had to be taken to our 3rd party two hours away. Normally this would be a no brainer, you either have an employee that will organize, load and drive everything there.(someday maybe)Until we can hire that employee, this would be "our" job, as we are a small firm of two, and do all jobs required.  One never thinks about the "behind the scenes" work it takes to have a space done, it takes people and time to get things from A to B. Ava and I organized, stored and packed up a 12' truck with items we will need in a few weeks, this does not could art and soft furnishings that cannot be stored in a warehouse. Ava's been there and done that a million times before, but generally overseeing a crew of men at her beckon call. But this time, it was just her and I. Let me tell you, the girl knows how to pack a truck and drive it to boot. This is not the part of the job they tell you about in school, or at least the vision of white glove delivery happening all the time, is not reality if the client's budget does not afford it. So if you ever need advice on packing a UHaul or Penske, you know who to call, or just remember when you see a labor quote, that's just part of what is involved to complete the room or rooms of your dreams.  Have a happy Monday!

photos by a+k design

Hello there....thus it begins.

This is my first post, yay! I have been saying for months, I am going to start this blog. So here I am. Well , who am I , you can read about me in a nutshell on the side of this page, but lets see, first and foremost, you can call me Kimberly and every now and again Ava will be posting, she is the a in a+k our design firm that we would love to grow into our full time pursuit. 

So you will go on the journey with us, I will post about the goings on in our a+k life, as well as things that we "must" share. We are jumping into the lane with all the other blogger's out there, and I am super excited. I myself, have my favorite blogs I must read all day, and as I get this blog updated, redesigned and filled, I will share those with you,  too.I can only hope that you find what we have to say interesting enough to follow us.  To give you an idea of what you will find here:

Those things we find fun, funny or love, mostly design related, or that I have a love fest for example with the TV show Glee, so there may be mention of this from time to time, or my current favorite travel locale, I daydream about (could be a place or just a hotel).

We would like to also start a weekly post regarding all things "green", in addition to all those other great things we hope to share. More than likely Tuesdays will be "To Do...Tuesdays", as we all need to take the time to do those things to help the environment. We will share what we learn  about those people. places and things that are doing their part to help reduce, reuse and recycle, etc.in the big effort to save the earth. As for the other days, well, it should be interesting. Thank you for visiting, can't wait to hear from you.

Photo taken by ASanchez 2009

So for a start, I am posting a picture taken in what has become one of my favorite places in the world, Maui, Hawaii. I hope to get back as fast as I can. There is something about the sun and ocean that brings me peace and happiness, that really no other place has given me. So for this Sunday, the 2nd of May, I hope you can find some time for a little peace and quiet doing whatever it is that brings you that feeling.