The Uncommon Designer is set for your Green Designs.
Over the past few years, The Uncommon Designer, Inc. has established itself as a local leader in promoting green building practices in the housing community. We work extensively with the community development corporations, architects, financial institutions, and government agencies at the local, and state level.
Green housing directly benefits individuals and families in need by reducing energy bills and creating healthier living environments. Housing developers and operators gain through higher quality, more efficient, and more durable buildings.
Through this Initiative, The Uncommon Designer works to encourage the adoption of green building strategies and materials in housing. Working with green building and affordable housing organizations, we provide information and education on the practices and components of green affordable housing, cost issues and financial strategies, and relevant policy initiatives.
We have provided technical assistance to nearly two dozen housing developers
We will remain engaged in a range of endeavors locally to encourage the development of green housing, to enhance your comfort & save the environment.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Great New Deals
We have been informed by Hunter Douglas that the fall season will be the best offering for hard treatments.
There are rebates ranging from $ 25 per unit for Shutters, Roman Shades and Vignettes. Rebates fof $ 50 per unit for Silhouettes, and $ 100 per unit for Luminettes and Skyline panels.
They also have great new technology for remotes. RF & IR!! You can open a blind from 30 feet away, and you don't have to be in the room.
There are rebates ranging from $ 25 per unit for Shutters, Roman Shades and Vignettes. Rebates fof $ 50 per unit for Silhouettes, and $ 100 per unit for Luminettes and Skyline panels.
They also have great new technology for remotes. RF & IR!! You can open a blind from 30 feet away, and you don't have to be in the room.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Leather sofas are not leather
You have seen the ads for real cheap "leather" sofas. Why are they so cheap? Cause they are not true leather.
If you were tarred and feathered would you be a chicken? If your selling or buying "bonded leather" you are not leather.
The term "bonded leather is a convenient shorthand within the industry, and bound to confuse consumers. even worst, true bonded leather is produced more like a paper product, which would be a terribly inferior cover for upholstery.
New composite fabrics are now called "bonded leather" have a surface layer of vinyl or polyurethane, a center layer of fabric, and a backing that contains leather fiber mixed with latex or other material, such as splits, glued onto a fabric for a look that is similar to the back of a leather hide.
On the outside its polyurethane embossed to look like leather. Then to complete the effect, the manufacturer has glued on fibers [on the back] to look like leather.
No matter how much leather fiber is mixed into the backing, its still not a leather cover, at least not in any way a consumer can see or touch.. It is deceptive because it does nor represent its true nature. Its a vinyl - its not leather.
So if you tar and feather someone, does that make them a chicken? Obviously not!!
So watch out for those inexpensive furniture pieces advertised as leather - they are not. A true leather piece does cost more, and is longer lasting. Cheap is not good. Watch what you are buying!
If you were tarred and feathered would you be a chicken? If your selling or buying "bonded leather" you are not leather.
The term "bonded leather is a convenient shorthand within the industry, and bound to confuse consumers. even worst, true bonded leather is produced more like a paper product, which would be a terribly inferior cover for upholstery.
New composite fabrics are now called "bonded leather" have a surface layer of vinyl or polyurethane, a center layer of fabric, and a backing that contains leather fiber mixed with latex or other material, such as splits, glued onto a fabric for a look that is similar to the back of a leather hide.
On the outside its polyurethane embossed to look like leather. Then to complete the effect, the manufacturer has glued on fibers [on the back] to look like leather.
No matter how much leather fiber is mixed into the backing, its still not a leather cover, at least not in any way a consumer can see or touch.. It is deceptive because it does nor represent its true nature. Its a vinyl - its not leather.
So if you tar and feather someone, does that make them a chicken? Obviously not!!
So watch out for those inexpensive furniture pieces advertised as leather - they are not. A true leather piece does cost more, and is longer lasting. Cheap is not good. Watch what you are buying!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Kitchen errors prevalent in new homes
The kitchen stadium
The "bigger is better" ethos that led to the great room has also helped put the kitchen on steroids. I also blame the popularity of celebrity chefs and their arena-size cooking spaces. While it's true that many post-W.W. II suburban kitchens were cramped and drab, the response has been wildly disproportionate:The "Dream Kitchen" Problem People think they need enough space to cook banquets for 16. But what's more useful is a layout that lets them pivot from the chicken in the oven to the peas in the fridge to the tomatoes on the counter for a Monday-night dinner.
Industrial Relations Oversize commercial appliances force the scale of everything in a kitchen to be ratcheted up to a preposterous degree. Countertops and cabinets swell to accommodate Nimitz-class equipment.
A Counter Too Far Countertops never have to be more than four feet apart. And it's crazy to think that a kitchen longer than 20 feet is easy to use--you'd need Rollerblades to get from one end to the other.
Kitchens: The right way The perfect kitchen feels spacious but keeps everything close at hand. If you really want to have a sense of openness (and more storage room), consider a walk-in pantry.You can then eliminate some or all of the upper cabinets in your kitchen, which removes a lot of bulk at eye level and makes the room feel more airy. It's also important to create a sensible layout: You shouldn't have to take more than two steps between every countertop and no more than three steps between the work triangle of sink, oven and refrigerator.
The Payoff: Typical kitchen cabinet: $200 to $800
Counter surfaces: $20 to $150 a square foot
The "bigger is better" ethos that led to the great room has also helped put the kitchen on steroids. I also blame the popularity of celebrity chefs and their arena-size cooking spaces. While it's true that many post-W.W. II suburban kitchens were cramped and drab, the response has been wildly disproportionate:The "Dream Kitchen" Problem People think they need enough space to cook banquets for 16. But what's more useful is a layout that lets them pivot from the chicken in the oven to the peas in the fridge to the tomatoes on the counter for a Monday-night dinner.
Industrial Relations Oversize commercial appliances force the scale of everything in a kitchen to be ratcheted up to a preposterous degree. Countertops and cabinets swell to accommodate Nimitz-class equipment.
A Counter Too Far Countertops never have to be more than four feet apart. And it's crazy to think that a kitchen longer than 20 feet is easy to use--you'd need Rollerblades to get from one end to the other.
Kitchens: The right way The perfect kitchen feels spacious but keeps everything close at hand. If you really want to have a sense of openness (and more storage room), consider a walk-in pantry.You can then eliminate some or all of the upper cabinets in your kitchen, which removes a lot of bulk at eye level and makes the room feel more airy. It's also important to create a sensible layout: You shouldn't have to take more than two steps between every countertop and no more than three steps between the work triangle of sink, oven and refrigerator.
The Payoff: Typical kitchen cabinet: $200 to $800
Counter surfaces: $20 to $150 a square foot
Track lighting
Many homes built before World War II had almost no fixed lighting. The result was that as night fell, rooms became as dim as Paula Abdul at a Council on Foreign Relations meeting. The reaction to this was built-in lighting solutions that were anything but. Here's what went wrong:Recess Time Is Over It's true that recessing light fixtures into the ceiling can flood a room with light, but is that what you want in, say, a bedroom? Furthermore, the end result of such an installation is a pockmarked ceiling that looks like a meeting room at a convention center.Tracks of My Tears Another response to darkened rooms has been track lighting, but it comes with its own set of problems: It creates a vaguely department-store vibe with its pseudo-high-tech fixtures, and those fixtures are often dangerously close to your head when dropped from many mid-century homes' seven-foot, six-inch ceilings. Variety Is the Spice of Light Over-reliance on either of these options compounds their problems. A well-lit room has multiple sources of illumination (ambient, accent and task). Using one for all three means nothing is done well.
Lighting: The right way
You don't need - and shouldn't want - all your lighting to come from the ceiling. Your room has three dimensions, so use the walls of your room as space for sconces while adding floor outlets so you can place lamps beside a loveseat or table. Combine these elements with switches and dimmers and you can create different moods at the twist of a knob - not just corner-bar dim or operating-room bright.The Payoff: 12 ceiling fixtures, installed: $1,800Three sconces, two floor outlets, installed: $900
Lighting: The right way
You don't need - and shouldn't want - all your lighting to come from the ceiling. Your room has three dimensions, so use the walls of your room as space for sconces while adding floor outlets so you can place lamps beside a loveseat or table. Combine these elements with switches and dimmers and you can create different moods at the twist of a knob - not just corner-bar dim or operating-room bright.The Payoff: 12 ceiling fixtures, installed: $1,800Three sconces, two floor outlets, installed: $900
Great Rooms too Great
Fad: The great room craze
The great Great-Room Craze of the 1980s was all about openness: Why should the kitchen be so removed from the other living spaces? Indeed, why should there be any distinction between one public room living, dining, den and so on) and another? Everyone should happily congregate in one free-flowing space. Sadly, the result is usually a great big mess. Think about it: The Echo Chamber You know what you get when cooking, video-game playing, conversation and television viewing occur in the same space? Noise. Lots of noise. Weird Windows All these windows and doorways are on the ground level and...also floating up on the second-story space, somehow reminiscent of a burned-out building. Also, how do you light such a space without it looking like a lobby in a Marriott?An Inconvenient Truth Boiling in the summer (all that glass!) and freezing in the winter (all those high ceilings!), giant rooms such as these are nearly impossible to heat and cool without spending some dough on an engineer - and you know that's not cheap.
Solution!!
How to Do It Right Instead of lumping public rooms into one vast open space, a better option is to properly arrange a group of normal size rooms (with normal-size ceilings). With the cunning use of french and sliding doors, rooms can be closed off when needed - say, when one person is watching TV and another is doing the family's taxes - and opened up when you want a more spacious feel. In the end you wind up with as much square footage as in a great room but with a more intimate, livable feel.The Payoff: Typical great-room construction: $150 to $350 a square foot Building a collection of normal rooms: $125 to $250 a square foot.Bigger is better? No, bigger is more expensive
Thursday, April 19, 2007
VIVE MAGAZINE
VIVE magazine
We recently had a four page article published in the VIVE magazine [February/Match 2007 issue. This was for a new home that we designed and installed for a client from CT that had a vacation here in the Palm Beaches.
We recently had a four page article published in the VIVE magazine [February/Match 2007 issue. This was for a new home that we designed and installed for a client from CT that had a vacation here in the Palm Beaches.
Lights, Camera, Action . . . Design
Reality” shows have saturated television programming, especially in the area of home and garden design. You can “trade spaces” with a neighbor, enlist a professional to recreate a high-end designer room on a budget or secretly call in a design team to remake a room as a surprise for a loved one. This makes for compelling television watching . . . especially when the transformed spaces and the shocked reactions of the room makeover “victims” are revealed. But these reality shows are not real. They do little to showcase the benefits of working with professional interior designers who can help you “trade spaces,” “change rooms” or “design on a dime,” but better.
Although some design show hosts have a formal education and professional background in interior design, many do not. The professional design talent would be the first to tell you that the magical world of television, with its strategic editing and instant gratification, is far different from the real world of interior design where good results require careful planning, patience and expectations.
Although a design show’s budget may be $500 to $1,000, that amount doesn’t include the cost of hiring and using professional labor. These shows have designers and multiple contractors on staff who make sure the inexpensive supplies are translated into aesthetically pleasing (although not necessarily functional, practical or safe) furniture, accessories, window treatments and wallcoverings.
After watching episodes of these shows, some viewers may mistakenly believe that any home improvement project can be accomplished within a very limited price range and a smidgen of time, creating unrealistic expectations that can only lead to disappointment. Disillusionment will turn into delight, however, if you take the time to find and hire the right professional interior designer who can develop a design solution and practical budget specific to your needs.
Qualified interior designers can make a huge impact when it comes to home renovation and remodeling. Designers are creative problem solvers who can analyze lifestyles and needs, optimize traffic flow, organize and effectively use available spaces, select color palettes, and interpret personal preferences. And unlike most of the design reality shows, professional designers listen and adhere to their clients’ needs and preferences before recommending a design course to take.
If you are an avid “do-it-yourselfer,” a designer can set a cohesive renovation plan so you can tackle your own project efficiently, realistically and on budget. When a job is more complicated, a designer can assemble a team of specialists, provide access to a variety of resources that you might not be familiar with and seamlessly manage your entire project from beginning to end.
Designers can be consulted for their skills and expertise at any level of need or any size or scope of project. You’ll find that the collaboration between homeowner and designer leads to tremendous results, which will exceed expectations. Best of all, you’ll be surprised at how little designer fees add to the overall renovation budget, especially when you factor in eliminating the risk of costly mistakes.
Design reality shows have made the world of interior design accessible to viewers of all ages, income levels and cultures. People are learning that a well-designed space increases functionality and contributes to a family’s sense of well being. You should view these shows as a source of inspiration and entertainment, but work with a professional interior designer to create a home you can live in and enjoy for years to come.
To find out how to locate a qualified interior designer in your community, check out the American Society of Interior Designers’ free Worldwide Referral Service at www.interiors.org. To learn how to choose and work with an interior designer, go to the ASID Web site at www.asid.org.
Although some design show hosts have a formal education and professional background in interior design, many do not. The professional design talent would be the first to tell you that the magical world of television, with its strategic editing and instant gratification, is far different from the real world of interior design where good results require careful planning, patience and expectations.
Although a design show’s budget may be $500 to $1,000, that amount doesn’t include the cost of hiring and using professional labor. These shows have designers and multiple contractors on staff who make sure the inexpensive supplies are translated into aesthetically pleasing (although not necessarily functional, practical or safe) furniture, accessories, window treatments and wallcoverings.
After watching episodes of these shows, some viewers may mistakenly believe that any home improvement project can be accomplished within a very limited price range and a smidgen of time, creating unrealistic expectations that can only lead to disappointment. Disillusionment will turn into delight, however, if you take the time to find and hire the right professional interior designer who can develop a design solution and practical budget specific to your needs.
Qualified interior designers can make a huge impact when it comes to home renovation and remodeling. Designers are creative problem solvers who can analyze lifestyles and needs, optimize traffic flow, organize and effectively use available spaces, select color palettes, and interpret personal preferences. And unlike most of the design reality shows, professional designers listen and adhere to their clients’ needs and preferences before recommending a design course to take.
If you are an avid “do-it-yourselfer,” a designer can set a cohesive renovation plan so you can tackle your own project efficiently, realistically and on budget. When a job is more complicated, a designer can assemble a team of specialists, provide access to a variety of resources that you might not be familiar with and seamlessly manage your entire project from beginning to end.
Designers can be consulted for their skills and expertise at any level of need or any size or scope of project. You’ll find that the collaboration between homeowner and designer leads to tremendous results, which will exceed expectations. Best of all, you’ll be surprised at how little designer fees add to the overall renovation budget, especially when you factor in eliminating the risk of costly mistakes.
Design reality shows have made the world of interior design accessible to viewers of all ages, income levels and cultures. People are learning that a well-designed space increases functionality and contributes to a family’s sense of well being. You should view these shows as a source of inspiration and entertainment, but work with a professional interior designer to create a home you can live in and enjoy for years to come.
To find out how to locate a qualified interior designer in your community, check out the American Society of Interior Designers’ free Worldwide Referral Service at www.interiors.org. To learn how to choose and work with an interior designer, go to the ASID Web site at www.asid.org.
Are TV designers for real
With the influx of “reality” interior design shows, I have noticed many new clients who are uneducated about the process of hiring an interior designer and the associated costs. They want their homes to look like the covers of “Traditional Home” or “Elle Décor” with high quality fabrics and furnishings with unrealistic budgets. There are also the people who watch reality shows and have tiny budgets and think this is going to stretch as far as it does on television. Viewers see what can be done for $1,000.00 and think: “If they can get all that for $1,000.00 just think of what we can do for $20,000”. They know that the sofa they just looked at in Marshall Fields cost $3,500.00, and the dining room table was $4,500.00 without chairs, yet they think a “good interior designer” can magically stretch their remaining $12,000 budget for rest of the entire home, and pay their interior designer as well.
Let’s assess just how real reality interior design shows are:
For one, they have a “production staff” of many people who assist the interior designer in making it all come together, seemingly with no problems.
They can afford to work with tiny budgets because they have something called “Advertising Sponsors” of the show known as commercials, who are paying the staff, the interior designers, and all the trades people involved with the show.
On Interior Design Reality shows the production staff consists of full time tradesmen who in the real world charge thousands of dollars to build custom furniture around the clock. Then there are interior design assistants who work on the shows, who schlep all over town for the main interior designer to get items needed for the interior design scheme.
In real life, an independent interior designer/decorator would pay an employee to do their bidding, and many do not have interior design assistants to shop all over or do their running for them. If we don’t have an employee for running around, we get paid for this service. It’s added on to our time.
Interior designers also don’t have free electricians, painters or a magical salary—we are paid by the hour, by the project or a combination of hourly and markups. We work very long hours. Interior designers who own their own studio on average work about 70-80 hours a week or more, especially when working on demanding projects.
Think of an interior designer as a contractor of aesthetics for your space. Just like in construction or renovation…interior design is a process. It takes time to make a plan, implement it and it takes money. Take into account everything and everyone a contractor has to coordinate. All the materials and supplies they need before they can get started. They also want a check for half down as well.
Well, interior designers work very similarly. Interior Designers have initial meetings, budgets to meet and agree on, contracts to get signed, money down to begin the work, space planning, design schemes, drawings or AutoCAD imaging, shopping, orders to place, checks to send, driving, client update meetings or phone calls, vendor orders from many different companies to watch over and coordinate delivery for, management over the trades like painters, tile installers, mill workers, faux finishers, upholsterers, contractors, and constant phone calls and juggling to make your space come together beautifully, on time and within budget.
Let’s assess just how real reality interior design shows are:
For one, they have a “production staff” of many people who assist the interior designer in making it all come together, seemingly with no problems.
They can afford to work with tiny budgets because they have something called “Advertising Sponsors” of the show known as commercials, who are paying the staff, the interior designers, and all the trades people involved with the show.
On Interior Design Reality shows the production staff consists of full time tradesmen who in the real world charge thousands of dollars to build custom furniture around the clock. Then there are interior design assistants who work on the shows, who schlep all over town for the main interior designer to get items needed for the interior design scheme.
In real life, an independent interior designer/decorator would pay an employee to do their bidding, and many do not have interior design assistants to shop all over or do their running for them. If we don’t have an employee for running around, we get paid for this service. It’s added on to our time.
Interior designers also don’t have free electricians, painters or a magical salary—we are paid by the hour, by the project or a combination of hourly and markups. We work very long hours. Interior designers who own their own studio on average work about 70-80 hours a week or more, especially when working on demanding projects.
Think of an interior designer as a contractor of aesthetics for your space. Just like in construction or renovation…interior design is a process. It takes time to make a plan, implement it and it takes money. Take into account everything and everyone a contractor has to coordinate. All the materials and supplies they need before they can get started. They also want a check for half down as well.
Well, interior designers work very similarly. Interior Designers have initial meetings, budgets to meet and agree on, contracts to get signed, money down to begin the work, space planning, design schemes, drawings or AutoCAD imaging, shopping, orders to place, checks to send, driving, client update meetings or phone calls, vendor orders from many different companies to watch over and coordinate delivery for, management over the trades like painters, tile installers, mill workers, faux finishers, upholsterers, contractors, and constant phone calls and juggling to make your space come together beautifully, on time and within budget.
Design VS INternet VS Client errors
Michael: Yes, I think more access is always better. But consumers can't do what designers do, even if they have access to the same resources. They don't have the training to make informed decisions, and they don't have the time. Designers should be hired for their professional talent and vision, not for their access to materials. Talent and vision are rare commodities, and they're worth a lot!
However, as we see it here, folks feel that our time should be free, and they also tend to specify what they want [as found on the Internet], and they list the price, make & model #. On top of that they wish us to try to order it, receive it, and deliver it without due consideration [= profit, or covering our costs].
We have two clients that need a bunch of furniture to complete the design and they search the Internet for something, and do not realize that it will not go. If we mention the design concerns, they appear to have their feelings hurt, and still order mis-matched sizes, colors, style etc.
Agree with Michaels comment, but we need to get the general publc "informed" as to what designers do. In short we all have an education problem with the public.
However, as we see it here, folks feel that our time should be free, and they also tend to specify what they want [as found on the Internet], and they list the price, make & model #. On top of that they wish us to try to order it, receive it, and deliver it without due consideration [= profit, or covering our costs].
We have two clients that need a bunch of furniture to complete the design and they search the Internet for something, and do not realize that it will not go. If we mention the design concerns, they appear to have their feelings hurt, and still order mis-matched sizes, colors, style etc.
Agree with Michaels comment, but we need to get the general publc "informed" as to what designers do. In short we all have an education problem with the public.
Interor Designers Response to George Will
Interor Designers Response to George Will
Dear Editor,On behalf of the American Society of Interior Designers, representing more than 38,000 members, & ourselves who are professional licenseced designers, we were very disappointed to see that Mr. Will’s column ("Wallpapering With Red Tape") presented only one side of the issue and may mislead readers that all persons offering decorating and design services are equally qualified.Professional interior designers are qualified by education, experience and examination to enhance the function, safety and quality of interior spaces. Every decision an interior designer makes impacts the health, safety and welfare of the public. In what is considered one of the worst hotel fires in modern U.S. history, 87 lives were lost and 785 people were injured in a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas because some interior finish and furnishing selections were not appropriate for commercial use. If furniture is placed in such a manner that it impedes egress during an emergency or exit pathways are not appropriately marked or laid out, people will die. Should a non-qualified, non-educated person select the materials for the interior of a hospital, nursing home, school or high-rise building?Interior designers in the State of Florida are tested and licenseced by the Board of Architecture. We need to pass tests on building codes, we need to complete 20 hours of CEU training for each license renewal. The Board allows us to stamp drawings to pass on to architects. Do not belive that you would wish a decorator without any training, to seal your prints.Interior designers must comply with building, life safety and accessibility codes in specifying interior finishes and configuring space plans and furniture layouts that are safe, functional and attractive for the public. Registration or licensure of interior designers is in the public’s interest, as it ensures that only qualified individuals design interior spaces or hold themselves out as qualified to do so.As Mr. Will mentions, in such states where the interior design law merely protects the use of a title, such as in New Mexico and 18 other states, anyone can perform interior design services provided they do not refer to themselves by the title designated in that state. While six states and jurisdictions currently have interior design laws that both restrict the use of a title and the ability to practice interior design to those qualified, the American Society of Interior Designers advocates for such state registration and licensure laws for interior designers in all 50 states to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of the public is adequately protected.
George Will
George Wills Editorial on licensing interior designers.
There was an article written recently by Mr. George Will that lambasted the certified, licensed, professional interior designers. It appears that he was not sure what registration did.He failed to note that designers know about ADA act, proper materials, and proper egress for many tyoes of buildings. Recent fires that killed many people in LAs Vegas, were caused by improper use of materials.We should let Mr. Will know that there is a real need for licensure.
There was an article written recently by Mr. George Will that lambasted the certified, licensed, professional interior designers. It appears that he was not sure what registration did.He failed to note that designers know about ADA act, proper materials, and proper egress for many tyoes of buildings. Recent fires that killed many people in LAs Vegas, were caused by improper use of materials.We should let Mr. Will know that there is a real need for licensure.
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