One of my favorite things to do at the IBS is to go to seminars. This is such a big show that the speakers are usually utterly fab. My favorite speaker this year was the acclaimed architect and author of the 'Not So Big House' books, Sarah Susanka. She spoke with clarity and proficiency (and in an accent I am familiar with--she is from a village close to my own birthplace) about the 'Not So Big' theory. Her principle is clear: create living spaces that are focused more on the quality of the space than the size. Decondtion our need for 'more stuff, more space, more more' and find efficiency and joy in things well planned and executed. Sarah pointed out that we usually need about 1/3 less space than we have been conditioned to believe we need. That, as ever good designer knows, porportion is critical--especially to the human scale. Thinking and designing in the third dimension.
I find her ideas so inspiring and reassuring. I grew up in a small, crooked 400+ year old cottage. Yet it 'felt' wonderful. It was 'comfy'--as were most of the other homes in my village. Sarah defines the essence of what it is I have always instinctively known about architecture, but have not known how to articulate. We have been avid readers and collectors of Sarah's books since she published her first book in 2001. They are still invauble tools in our office. I recommend them to everyone who is considering either building from scratch or remodeling.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Las Vegas Adventures
Welcome to my blog. I am new at this, so please bear with me as I find my feet! I plan to share snippets of the things I learn in the world of design and community.
We spent the better part of last week scampering around the Las Vegas Convention Center visiting the annual 'International Builders Show'. Ron and I have visited this show every year for probably the last eight or nine years and never fail to return home finding ourselves full to bursting with fresh ideas, energy and information. This year our colleague and friend, Amy Livezey, and her brilliant husband, Dale, joined us at the show. We had a blast together!
Ron, Amy and I all attended several different seminars on subjects ranging from kitchen design, color, management, finances, architechture and design. Inbetween which, we wove our way through the more than 1,100 exhibitors. I will share some of our findings with you over the next few days. . . here are some photos, too-
We spent the better part of last week scampering around the Las Vegas Convention Center visiting the annual 'International Builders Show'. Ron and I have visited this show every year for probably the last eight or nine years and never fail to return home finding ourselves full to bursting with fresh ideas, energy and information. This year our colleague and friend, Amy Livezey, and her brilliant husband, Dale, joined us at the show. We had a blast together!
Ron, Amy and I all attended several different seminars on subjects ranging from kitchen design, color, management, finances, architechture and design. Inbetween which, we wove our way through the more than 1,100 exhibitors. I will share some of our findings with you over the next few days. . . here are some photos, too-
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