I’m Off To Save the Reefs
June 27, 2009I’m heading to the Bahamas tonight for my Earthwatch Expedition, courtesy of Innovations. For one whole week I’ll be unable to read email or get a phone call while I snorkel off the coast of a remote island, collecting reef data for evaluation. (Right now, I have no idea what “evaluation” means in this regard, but by this time next week I’ll probably be a real know-it-all about it.)
This week will be one of the extremely rare times since I started my company, nearly eleven years ago, that I will be unable to keep tabs on my business. I will rely completely and totally on the magnificent people I have hired while I focus on helping the scientists– whose work and research is the reason I do what I do the way I do it.
Au revoir for now, my friends. Here’s hoping for an amazing adventure!
Hospitality Chic!
June 24, 2009 
Last week I was pleased to discover that Interface FLOR now makes a product for hospitality installations-- more durable than their residential line, softer underfoot than their commercial products, sustainable as always and 100% gorgeous!
I’ll be wasting no time specifying it for a project. The guest rooms of the Bancroft Hotel in Berkeley, CA– an historic property with an owner who cares both about preserving the style of the building and showcasing fabulous eco products– will be getting a chic upgrade very soon.
My Two Dads
June 21, 2009Growing up, my dad was a sports writer. He’d come home late at night and, the next day, my brother’s and I would listen in awe and adoration as he would casually talk about his adventures in the press box. We loved going to visit him at his office or to pick him up from the airport, where we’d find him walking off the plane, slapping backs and cracking jokes with the home team heros– the Oakland A’s– as they all came back from weeks of spring training together. One time he even let me listen to Reggie Jackson’s outgoing message.
“This is Reggie… you know what to do.”
Soooooo cool.
When I was in high school the newspaper that he’d been a columnist at for years suddenly folded, but my dad didn’t let that stop his adventures. Within a matter of weeks he was made Director of Media Relations for the 1994 World Cup. He rocked that job like the Casbah and then went on to help establish professional soccer in America.
I credit my dad as the person who taught me, by example, that life could and should be extraordinary. After all, he was living his dream and if he could do it, I could too. And, because of this, there have already been many Reggie Jacksons in my life.
This year, of course, there is a new dad in my life. The one who makes it possible for me to live the life that I do because he stays home with our baby while he brokers classic and rare automobiles. I could’ve never imagined that I would been able to have it all– Mike is the man who makes that seem like a cake walk.
I wanted to share some of these beautiful photos with you, of Mike doing the thing he does best. They were taken by acclaimed photographer Catherine Farnsworth a few weeks ago.
Happy Father’s Day to the two dads in my life, and to those in yours.
Promotions!
June 9, 2009We’ve been getting global lately. In addition to the project in Dominica we have also been asked to consider projects in Dubai, Manila and Baku. It has become pretty time consuming just vetting these projects and working on proposals so I have promoted Sarah (Moto) to a position that I’ve never had in my company before: Global Design Director!
Awesome.
After I did this, I got to do something else that I was very excited about– I promoted my fab assistant Taylor to a Design Manager position. Tay will be managing all of our Southern California projects.
This leaves me without an assistant– and I’ve got no budget to hire one at this moment, but I am really thrilled about where things are heading and the changes that are taking place.
Congratulations Sarah and Taylor. I adore you ladies!
Caribbean, Days Five and Six
May 23, 2009For the last couple of days I have spent most of my time merging all of the samples and ideas that we brought from home with the new information we have about the land, people and cultures here on the island. All of this was in preparation for my joint presentation with lighting designer Evelyn. Meanwhile, Moto has been strapped to her computer, creating spreadsheets for the budget meeting on Monday.
Our indoor office:
Our outdoor office:
I left both “offices” for a spell so I could attend another meeting on the jobsite. There is something very surreal about rolling out drawings in a rain forest.
When the rest of the group broke away to check on some things that did not involve me, I managed to find myself alone, staring up at the canopy for about 20 minutes. Amazing.
Back at the outdoor office this afternoon, two boys yelled up to alert me that an iguana just ran into the garage and did I want them to kill it? Of course not! Who could kill something this gorgeous?
After making sure the iguana was safe, I finished the details for the presentation, which was this evening and went very well. Everyone seems to be on board for the concept and Moto is planning to make dinner for the whole group tomorrow night to celebrate. She got up extra early this morning so she could go to the Farmer’s Market with Faye and came back looking very much like a local.
Next to conquer: budget meeting. Wish us luck!
Caribbean Days Three and Four
May 21, 2009Greetings from the island of humidity– it is like being at the spa all day and all night. My skin is thankful.
Day three was all about seeing as many craftspeople as we could. The Carib territory, the poorest area on the island, is where we focused our attention as we hope to employ people who need jobs the most.
I guess I was not prepared for just how poor this area really is. But I managed to pull my head out of the clouds and figure it out about halfway through the morning, as I saw bucket sitting in the mud behind a piece of rusty sheet metal and simultaneously realized that (1) I was looking at a bathroom for a family of five and (2) I was carrying a Coach bag in one hand and an expensive Nikon camera in the other while wear a pair of Marc Jacobs sunglasses and Kate Spade sandals.
Feeling like an asshole does not begin to cover it. I stopped shooting photos at that point which is why you won’t see the worst of it on this blog.
As you can see from some of the photos I did post, below, basket weaving is basically the craft of choice around here. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how I can find work for as many of them as possible. So far my ideas are to build color-on-color woven panels into the headboards and the back of the dining chairs. It doesn’t exactly show off their talent, but it will give them work without compromising my vision for the villas (lots and lots of baskets everywhere are just not part of an eco-chic design.)
I am in hopes that the Carib people will also be interested in learning some new skills as we are planning to offer them the opportunity to learn installation of flooring, tile and the like, under the supervision of professionals. Many of the Carib people seem excited to learn something new and to work so I have a good feeling about the program we are forming to facilitate this.
In the evening we met up with the rest of the project team and were treated to a dance performance featuring traditional Carib music at the “model village,” which is a beautiful cultural center designed to preserve the history and traditions of the Carib region.
Day Four was spent sourcing in Roseau, the biggest city on the island which is really not very big. For the most part, Roseau is pretty dirty and not well taken care of but, of course, the strip along the Caribbean shore, where the cruise ships port and the tourists get their first look at the island, is clean and adorable. There are crafts for sale, most of which are imported from China and cleverly taken out of their plastic packaging, separated from their tiny gold stickers and laid on blanket covered tables.
Believe it or not, the fake island crafts include BASKETS!
Hello???
In the evening Faye hired a elders group of talented musicians to come and play for us at the house while we enjoyed another home cooked meal from our neighbor, Mona. I took a few long exposure shots, hoping to be able to catch enough light to capture some firefly action.
Caribbean Days One and Two
May 20, 2009My first look at the island of Dominica, site of the Kwanari Eco Villa project, confirmed what I had been told– it is completely lush and verdant! Moto joked that she could see dinosaurs on the ground– from above it looks to be completely untouched by humans.
Our wonderful host and client, Faye, picked us up from the airport and drove us to the house we are staying at. I am not exaggerating even one ounce when I tell you that driving on the island (especially with Faye, who is an ex-Bostonian) is like Mr Toad’s wild ride.
“Here’s tha elementary school and ovah there’s tha–” honk honk “HEEEYYYY! that’s what we do here, we yell at each othah tah say hello. I want tah show ya– WATCH IT HEEEEEEYY!” honk honk honk “we’re ganna see some craftspeople tamarra and i wanna make sure that ya get tah meet tha– oh! there’s Alwan’s grandmatha– HEEEYYYY” honk honk honk honk.
(Imagine this while dodging the chickens, dogs and school children in uniform who share the road with the cars.) It was a befitting end to our whirlwind day and a half of travel and I slept like a baby!
This morning Moto and I had a meeting with our housemate and lighting designer, Evelyn (who is brilliant!) followed by a visit to the jobsite. Alwan (Faye’s boyfriend) and Hugh (nice guy yeilding machetti) led us on the tour– essentially a hike through the rain forest and along one of the many rivers that lead to the ocean. It is amazing to think that we are building something that is going to leave almost no footprint on this pristine land– every structure will be built on stilts, so as not to disturb the flora below.
Lunch was served on the site; lemongrass soup and cherry juice– yum!
After the site visit we hopped in the car and drove to the other side of the island. True to form, I managed to find something French en route– an chic cafe in the woods run by three fabulous French people.
I learned that Patrcia, one of the proprietors, is also a very talented mosaic artist and she invited me into the house to see some of her beautiful work.
I could’ve stayed all day with and ordered multiple espresso drinks while listening to them speak my favorite language but we had someone waiting for us…
A half an hour later we pulled up to a roadside workshop and met with Lawrence, a local furniture builder who we’ll likely be commissioning to build some sustainable pieces for us. I hope to use as many of the local craftspeople as possible to reduce the impact of shipping from the states and to provide employment in this third world country.
Somehow the day was gone by the time we left Lawrence’s place. We went for a dinner at the Jungle Bay Eco Lodge to wind down on the way home.
So far, we are having an amazing time. The island is very magical and we are in love with the people here, who are extremely generous and hospitable. I am really looking forward to getting to know them better as we begin working with them this week and in the coming year.
Portfolio: Upscale Dining and Living Room
May 15, 2009For this particular client, I worked to achieve a sleek modern look with a glamorous flair AND the ability to display very traditional family heirlooms without sabotaging the overall style.
Before hiring me the clients had purchased several new pieces that were not eco. As is my custom, I incorporated the pieces into my work because I believe that it is always most sustainable to use what is existing. Here’s what I did:
Existing (and GORGEOUS) lighting fixtures hang over a custom sustainably-made mirrored table. A custom display case made of FSC Certified wood and a water-based paint finish holds the family heirlooms.
Existing side chairs with re-finished legs, custom captains’ chairs and a custom sideboard– all finished in a non-toxic eco-lacquer.
Existing furnishings merged with a custom eco-coffee table, vintage lamps and accent pillows made of vintage and 100% recycled polyester fabrics.
Ouch, My Ego!
May 9, 2009This weekend I am in San Francisco at the request of some super nice people at Riggs Distributing and Pacific Sales who invited me to do a talk in their showroom. Mike and I dropped the baby off with his grandparents and headed over to the city this afternoon but, sadly, NO PATRONS FOLLOWED! In spite of the fact that the event was promoted on the radio and in the newspaper the only people who were there to meet me were the kind folks who set it up– ouch!
But I’m not one to wallow in self pity so after my “lecture” Mike and I visited the Bluebottle Coffee Company, so I could try their famous “Artisanal Microroasting” of Organic and Shade Grown coffees, with they individually prepare for their customers in the gorgeous device shown below, a process that takes much longer than pouring a cup from a carafe and is definitely worth the wait.
Next we headed over to Eco Citizen, where I found an adorable and inexpensive dress to wear on Tuesday when I’ll be hosting a screening of new Sundance Channel show; David de Rothschild’s “Eco Trip,” at the Kiehl’s store in Santa Monica. (That is, if they still want me after they hear about my flop this afternoon… did I mention that I am not wallowing in self pity?)
Around the corner at Lavande, I had a quick pedicure and then we headed over to North Beach for dinner and a lovely glass of wine at one of my favorite restaurants, Rose Pistola. I was especially impressed that the chef is now, quite successfully, curing his own meats.
There’s nothing like 6 hours of indulgence to make a girl forget her bruised ego.
Portfolio: Beverly Hills Guest House and Studio
May 6, 2009My client wanted to lighten and warm-up her old guest house/ studio with cottage charm and special details. Here’s what we did:
An antique bed and organic bedding with eco-silk throw by Lulan.
Side tables, custom made from FSC wood and scrap marble, hold antique lamps and a vintage poster.
Extra storage was created by opening up the space under the stair case. Custom FSC flooring with a non-toxic finish replaced the old carpet.
A bird finial adds a touch of whimsy to the organic cotton draperies.
Recycled glass tiles by Oceanside Glass and a custom vanity made of FSC Certified wood.
An antique mirror hangs over the sink, in front of the window.
A custom bench and daybed with cushions and pillows made of organic latex and wool, covered in eco-fabrics.
Built-ins refurbished with a non-toxic finish and antique hardware. Custom shades made of organic cotton.
