Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Click photo to enlarge

Tadao Ando, right, and translator and fellow architect Kulapat Yantrasast discuss the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute’s $145 million expansion on Monday in Williamstown.

WILLIAMSTOWN -- The architect behind the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institutes $180 million overall expansion believes that it will become a worldwide destination when the final phase of the multiple-year project is unveiled in July 2014.

"It will be one of the few places in the world, like the Kuller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands, where there is a great relationship between the art and the landscape," Tadao Ando, the world-renowned Japanese architect behind the Stone Hill Center and the soon-to-be visitor, exhibition and conference center, said Monday through translator and fellow architect Kulapat Yantrasast.

But Ando believes the Clarks blend of nature and art will far exceed those few similar offerings found around the world when the final phase of construction -- the $145 million exhibition and conference center -- is complete. The overall expansions $180 million price tag includes the museums Stone Hill Center.

"This will be a better experience, since the land is all flat [at the Kuller-Muller]," he said. "The Clark has this variety, which allows one to have a different perspective from within the campus. I think the Clark is one of the best kept secrets in America. Once people know the Clark, they will love it and it will be a place people come to visit."

Ando believes the museums traveling exhibition -- 73 pieces from its collection, which includes pieces by Renoir and Monet

"Unlike other museums, its location in this natural landscape [that] will offer a very unique experience," he said. "I think that you can see that the work in progress is part of a larger plan in relationship to the Stone Hill Center and to the landscape."

When the project is finished, visitors to the museum will be greeted by a lily pad pond as they make their way to the newly designed entrance, which will feature a long promenade backed by a rose granite wall hewn from the same quarry in Minnesota as the original granite used to build the Manton Research Center.

"We tried to make it quite long, so people can have a moment to relax and be themselves," Ando said. "I really believe the way we look at the work, the meanings and the importance of the work, is really depending a lot on what state or what are your feelings at the time.

Read more:

The Clark Art Institute’s center architect aims at attracting viewers from all over the world

WASHINGTON (AP) At the top of their roosts in Washington, leaders of Congress are, as usual, turning out to be niche players on the national campaign stage.

The Senate's top two leaders, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are tending to home-state politics.

Not so in the House, where Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and his Democratic counterpart, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California., are crisscrossing the country, siphoning every last dollar of campaign cash they can find to help win House seats.

More junior House and Senate leaders are out campaigning and raising money as well not just to win this year's races, but to shore up rank-and-file support for when it's their turn to run for the top jobs on Capitol Hill.

For Reid, all politics is local. For the most part, he's staying in Nevada, where he is at the helm of a powerhouse political machine that's fully cranked up on behalf of President Barack Obama. Nevada is a crucial swing state and one that Obama increasingly needs to hold as polls show states like North Carolina and Florida slipping away and Virginia tightening.

On top of his efforts to help of Obama, Reid is working hard to unseat appointed GOP Sen. Dean Heller, who replaced Republican Sen. John Ensign, who resigned last year after a scathing report from the Senate Ethics Committee on his efforts to cover up an affair with the wife of a top aide.

Reid had a non-aggression pact with Ensign they promised to not campaign against each other but he's been very active in promoting the Senate candidacy of Rep. Shelley Berkeley and the campaign of Democrat Steven Horsford in a newly drawn House district.

Reid's appeal doesn't extend outside Nevada, however. Republicans and groups supporting them are vilifying him in speeches, debates and attack ads on Democrats in Senate races around the country. Not doing retail politics outside the state suits Reid, 72, just fine. That's all the more time at home in Searchlight with his wife Landra, who's recuperating from a recent round of chemotherapy for breast cancer.

House Speaker Boehner, on the other hand, is anything but a homebody. Since the House recessed Sept. 21, he's been on the road nonstop, raising money, rallying GOP volunteers and appearing at rallies for GOP nominee Mitt Romney in states like Iowa and North Carolina.

Boehner travels in a chartered jet accompanied by a couple of aides and a U.S. Capitol Police security detail. His effort resembles a presidential campaign in that its itinerary is subject to change depending on changes in the political landscape.

More:

Hill leaders niche players in national campaign

By Natalya Krainova

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: October 24, 2012 (Issue # 1732)

Plyos, population 2,800, may turn into an elite resort following frequent weekend visits by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and efforts by Ivanovo regional authorities to attract more visitors to the town.

PLYOS, Ivanovo Region This small town onthe Volga River has long been famous forits serene atmosphere, picturesque hilltop views ofa 3-kilometer-long quay andthe house-museum ofIsaac Levitan, aprominent landscape painter ofthe 19th century.

But Plyos, population 2,800, may turn intoan elite resort amid frequent weekend visits byPrime Minister Dmitry Medvedev andefforts byregional authorities todevelop local infrastructure toattract more tourists.

Dmitry Anatolyevich andhis wife visit Plyos quite often, Ivanovo Governor Mikhail Men said bye-mail. They have fallen inlove with this pearl ofthe Volga, and, ofcourse, anumber ofprojects inPlyos would have been impossible tostart without their support.

Plyos, located about 370 kilometers northwest ofMoscow, inthe center ofthe Golden Ring, is widely referred toas thepearl ofthe Volga.

Its quay is dotted with one-story wooden andbrick buildings with renovated facades onone side, andsmall boats andyachts scattered along theriverbank onthe other. Behind thefront buildings, scores ofprivate wooden houses climb up ahill.

Areporter walking along thequay inlate September saw afew luxury private houses under construction. Several old wooden houses carried ads saying they were forsale.

Go here to see the original:

Picturesque Plyos: Pearl of the Volga

The Society of British Interior Design announced Lighting Designer Christopher Thompson and his Studio Lux design team, as the winner of the prestigious 2012 SBID International Design Award. Studio Lux won Best Technology in lighting in the Contract sector for Thompsons work on the Mercedes Benz Autohaus located in Bellevue, Washington, USA.

London, UK (PRWEB) October 23, 2012

The Studio Lux team is thrilled to receive the prestigious Society of British Interior Design Contract Award for lighting design under Best Technology. The complexities of incorporating LED lighting as the primary source of illumination in a project of this size and nature provided us with an excellent opportunity to showcase twenty-first century lighting design techniques and applications, said Christopher Thompson. We offer our sincerest gratitude to the judges for recognizing our work among all of the excellent projects that were selected.

The winners of the SBID International Design Award underwent rigorous preliminary judging and were chosen from a pool of both leading brands and new talent on five continents in over 27 countries. The award marks a notable achievement for Thompson whose design techniques have been recognized and sought after for exclusive commercial and residential projects in both the U.S and abroad.

Using his ingenuities to weave romance with the calculus behind successful design, Thompson successfully satisfied the desires of the Mercedes Benz Autohaus to make its luxury automobiles shine while simultaneously meeting energy use constrictions set by local city officials. With 80% LED lighting, the project uses 30% less than the allotted watts per square footage.

The SBID Award will join a host of Thompsons existing awards, most recently earning the IESNA Award in both 2010 and 2011 for International Illumination Design. He looks ahead to several prominent ventures currently in progress, including Energizing Taliesin West, a collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation intended to drive the historic Taliesin West site to sustainable energy. The Lighting Designer is also beginning preparation for an unprecedented build of a LEED Gold hotel in Palm Springs, CA. Construction will utilize the latest in green technologies to assemble and is set for completion early 2013.

About Christopher Thompson

From the design projects of Seattle to the architectural wonders of Frank Lloyd Wright, Architectural Lighting Designer and Studio Lux LLC Founder and Principal Christopher Thompson has forged a versatile design style cemented in the tactile relationship between light, mood and audience. This relationship is the driving force behind Thompsons design concept, which is merging the artistic qualities of lighting effects, his background in the fine arts, and his expertise and degree in electrical engineering that result in the designers highly technical side of lighting precision.

Together these elements form a lighting design that encapsulates innovation while redefining the role of traditional lighting dcor. Christopher Thompson and his internationally-recognized lighting firm Studio Lux LLC. set out to find the balance between lighting artistry and lighting practicality; a practice that is evident in the companys lavish portfolio of world-class museums, hotels, institutions, homes and future constructions.

The recipient of more than a dozen industry honors, Christopher looks to expand his knowledge of green technologies with a masters degree in Green Building Design. He continues to design renowned projects for both commercial and private sectors around the world while simultaneously maintaining Studio Lux as an industry leader within a rapidly advancing field. For more information please visit: http://www.studiolux.com

Read the original here:

Society of British Interior Design Names Lighting Designer Christopher Thompson Winner of 2012 International Design ...

Asheville, NC (PRWEB) October 23, 2012

HomeSource Design Center will be hosting an Interior Designer Open House for all interior designers in the Asheville, North Carolina area on November 8, 2012.

This evening reception will be a meet and greet, as well as informative information for all interior designers on how they can get exclusive financial benefits by creating a partnership with the design center. HomeSource Design Center is the local choice for home improvement, remodeling and construction needs. The design center features home remodeling products such as cabinets, countertops, hardware, flooring, windows and doors, along with home exterior products.

Register for this event on The HomeSource Design Center website.

The reception will start at 5:00 pm and end at 7:00 pm. Complimentary to all interior designers. Beer and wine will be served.

The HomeSource Design Center is located at 172 Charlotte Street, Asheville NC 28801.

About HomeSource Design Center

The HomeSource Design Center incorporates the entire home building and remodeling process all in one convenient location; providing you with a team of experts to guide you through the process: from products to design, and functionality to the finishing touch. Located off of Charlotte Street in Asheville, support your local source for all your home remodeling or construction products.

See more here:

Design and Wine with Asheville Interior Designers

Ask any interior designer if they would rather buy a perfectly polished, newly renovated home or one in dire need of TLC, and chances are they'll opt for the latter.

After all, a fixer-upper - especially one with great bones and its original architectural features still intact - is an opportunity to put their own stamp on a place, while building on its inherent character.

This was the case for Antonio Martins when an 1891 Victorian in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood came on the market three years ago. It had been in the same family for over a century; Martins, whose eponymous practice is based in the city, would be only its second owner.

"Nothing had been done to the house," he recalls. "It didn't have layers and layers of paint. The woodwork was all original and just needed to be sanded and painted."

In the garage, a glass case is filled with reminders of the home's past: a sepia family portrait that was taken out front in 1903; leftover bits of molding, wallpaper and tile; and the original metal numbers that once graced the facade.

While it's clear that Martins reveres its history, the house is certainly not stuck in a time warp. Immediately after purchasing the dwelling, he launched into a large-scale rehab.

Now classic Victorian attributes like the ornate moldings and ceiling medallions are counterbalanced with of-the-moment touches such as the stainless steel fireplace surround and Limn sectional in the media room, as well as modern art choices (including a Rubens Gershman painting in the master bedroom and a couple of Drew Kelly photographs in the living room).

The kitchen is a perfect example of old and new beautifully coexisting. The room is anchored by an O'Keefe & Merritt stove that dates back to 1948. (Martins admits that it doesn't get much use; he takes advantage of his proximity to restaurants such as Serpentine, Just for You Cafe and Piccino.)

Above the stove is a weathered wood parlor door cornice. For years, Martins' best friend, Tom Roe, collected architectural details from mansions that were demolished in the city. "This specific one was in (Roe's) Berkeley garden for more than 20 years," says Martins. "When he passed away in 2011, I inherited the piece."

Juxtaposed with these bygone accents are stainless steel elements - open shelving, a barn door that conceals a pantry, industrial tables - fabricated by Scott Adkins of Profab Metal Design (he is also responsible for the media room's fireplace surround). Rounding out the kitchen decor is a contemporary 85-bulb light fixture by Rody Graumans and a set of Ikea barstools.

View post:

Designer's Dogpatch house - great bones

Certified Interior Designer, Renae Farley, recently launched her new website, marking a substantial and attractive improvement in the way her services, information and project portfolio is presented to existing and prospective clients.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 23, 2012

Despite a down economy, Renae Farley has maintained steady demand, redecorating and redesigning homes throughout Southern California including Coastal San Diego, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, Coastal Orange County, and Newport Beach. The new San Diego interior design website opens with a stunning slideshow of Renaes designs and past client work, with glowing testimonials throughout. The About Renae page offers insight to her experience, mission statement, expertise, accomplishments, and charitable organizations she contributes to.

According to Renae, Our goal is to create innovative designs that truly reflect the beauty, uniqueness and function of each home. We strive to effectively satisfy the needs of each client. Renae Farley offers a wide scope of remodeling, redesign, and interior planning services including concept and space planning, kitchen and bath design, custom furniture and cabinetry, job site management and coordination, furniture shopping and interior design for vacation and second homes.

The newly redesigned website also offers a significant number of portfolio images from many of her high-end residential projects. The portfolio page offers interested prospects the ability to view a slideshow of the stunning transformations of client kitchens, living spaces, bedrooms, bathrooms, and even outdoor living areas.

The portfolio also offers pictures of vacation homes and projects outside of the Southern California area including Lake Tahoe, Sedona in Arizona, and even regions of Alaska. Renae Farley offers her professional services throughout the Nation in destination regions as well as offering her services on an international level.

With over 28 years of professional experience, Renae Farley has built a credible reputation in setting the standard in professional high-end residential interior design. She has been a featured designer in San Diego Home Magazine and has been published in San Diego Home and Garden, Dcor and Style, and Phoenix Home and Garden magazines. For more information please visit http://www.renaefarley.com.

Renae Farley Renae Farley Interior Designer 760-931-9151 Email Information

More here:

Certified Interior Designer Renae Farley, ASID, CID, Proudly Announces Exciting New Informative, Engaging & User ...

Cheryl Ann Pfeiffer was remembered as an award-winning interior designer whose work drew praise from both judges and visitors at the annual Parade of Homes.

Her husband recalled she was their company's creative force, and that her eye for color emerged while working in a San Antonio wallpaper store.

But perhaps the most important memory of her came from her 15-year-old son, Cody Pfeiffer.

The best thing about her, he said, was how much she cared about me and my brothers.

They're Connor, 16, and Cameron, 12.

Pfeiffer, who with her husband Craig Pfeiffer owned the design company Interior Ideas, died of cancer Wednesday. She was 49.

The Milwaukee native didn't start out with an interest in interior design. She followed her brothers into computer science and hated it.

In the early 1980s, she came to San Antonio and quickly decided she didn't want to face another Midwestern winter.

She studied interior design at what was then Incarnate Word College, taking heavy course loads to graduate early, in 1986, and working at a Wallpapers To Go store.

Pfeiffer felt at home around colors and textures, which her husband described as being at the heart of their business.

Original post:

Pfeiffer was award-winning interior designer

Axa Insurance surveyed homeowners to find out how many of them misunderstand what their homes are covered for.

The main misconception centred on the belief that you're able to claim even if the cause of a fire, of water damage, or some other incident, was lack of maintenance.

58% of homeowners thought that you could claim for fire damage if the cause was an unswept chimney. This is not true.

53% also thought that a fire caused by old or faulty wiring would be covered by their home insurance. Anyone claiming for this could be distraught to find that their claim is rejected.

The obvious conclusion is to keep your chimney swept and ensure your wiring is modern and has been safety checked.

While you can claim for many other causes of fire, it's better not to have to. In our household, we have rules about never leaving candles burning when you're the last to leave the room even for just a minute and never leaving anything on the hob that you wouldn't use to cook with. In addition, we don't put the toaster under kitchen units.

Smoke detectors warn of fires in time to save lives and result in the fire brigade being called sooner, sparing more of your property.

When claiming against fire or other damage, make sure you keep any damaged contents as evidence for the insurer.

Axa found that a massive 61% of people thought that they could claim on their home insurance if a wall or ceiling collapses when there were neglected cracks in them or other unattended structural issues.

21% were surprised to learn that they couldn't claim if their walls or brickwork are damaged by untended climbing plants.

Go here to read the rest:

Why your home insurance claim will be rejected

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --(SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2012, Booth #2512)-- D-Link, the cost-effective standards-based unified networking solutions provider for consumers, small and medium-sized businesses, and service providers, introduced today at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2012 the new D-Link WECB Wireless MoCA bridge and D-Link ECB MoCA bridge for cable operators. Designed to provide wall-to-wall connectivity throughout a home, these new bridges join D-Link's MoCA product family, utilizing unused bandwidth on a home's existing coaxial wiring to deliver fast, reliable internet speed where it's needed most for HD streaming and online gaming to streaming multimedia to wireless devices, such as smartphones and tablets.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110706/SF30992LOGO)

Using a home's existing coaxial cable, the easy-to-setup Wireless MoCA bridge and MoCA bridge add Ethernet connection and strong wireless connection to any room even to those hard-to-reach spots, such as home or small offices where concrete walls, successive floors in multi-storied buildings, or other architectural impediments could inhibit a wireless signal. Equipped with a built-in wireless access point, the WECB MoCA Bridge also allows users to wiresslessly stream photos, video and files directly to their connected devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets. In addition, both the WECB Wireless MoCA bridge and ECB MoCA bridge use separate frequencies to tramsit data and will not interrupt TV transmission.

"Comitted to providing cable operators with industry-leading home networking equipment, D-Link's latest offerings are designed to meet the growing demand for a strong and reliable Internet network at every spot within the home," said Eli Gavra, senior vice president, Service Provider Business Unit, D-Link Systems, Inc. "By using a home's existing cable wiring, D-Link's new Wireless MoCA bridge and MoCA bridge offer wired and wireless Internet access in rooms where a single gateway router cannot reach allowing customers to seamlessly stream HD videos, photos and more to the furthest corners of a home."

D-Link will be showcasing the D-Link Wireless MoCA bridge (WECB) and MoCA bridge (ECB) along with a suite of other products for cable operators, including Cloud Cameras, Cloud Routers, access points, storage solutions and streaming media devices, at D-Link's booth (#2512) at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2012 from Oct. 17-19.

Availability

The Wireless MoCA bridge (WECB) and MoCA bridge (ECB) will be available in Q1 2013 through select service providers, and will be on display at SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2012 in Orlando Oct. 17-19 (booth #2512).

About D-Link

D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for home, small business, mid-to large-sized enterprise environments, and service providers. An award-winning designer, developer, and manufacturer,

D-Link implements and supports unified network solutions that integrate capabilities in switching, wireless, broadband, storage, IP Surveillance, and cloud-based network management. For more information visit http://www.dlink.com or connect with D-Link on Facebook (www.facebook.com/dlink) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/dlink).

Read more from the original source:

D-Link's Latest Offerings Help Cable Operators Extend Internet Connectivity Using a Home's Existing Cable Wiring for ...