The Globus Design Associates Blog

Back Roads Reveal Historic Preservation, Restoration and Adaptive Reuse

Serendipity is one of the best rewards of travel. On a recent trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains, I  encountered examples of historic preservation, renovation and adaptive reuse where people understand the "reuse" part of sustainability. A double rainbow announced what lay ahead.
Photo: Suzan Globus

Photo: Suzan Globus

The public library in Shepherdstown, W.V. is tucked into the former circa 1800 headquarters for the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The library is centrally located in the center of Shepherdstown's commercial hub, West German Street, a restored historic district.

Further south in New Market, VA., I happened upon a retired fireman, who is a descendant of Dr. Soloman Henkel, engaged in lovingly restoring his relative's former home.

 
Photo: Suzan Globus

According to this plaque on the home's exterior, I was given a much more gracious reception than the Yankee soldiers who came to town.

Photo: Suzan Globus

In what was the front parlor of the original home, thin sheet rock which allows for a reveal around the fluted door casing is being considered in lieu of repairing the plaster walls.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The stylized dentil frieze and angular corner blocks on the door casing echo the trompe l'oeil panels in the newer front parlor and are of a grand scale compared to the more modest bullseye corner blocks and trim surrounding the original six panel interior door above.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The cracked painted plaster ceiling presents some restoration challenges.

Images of the original interior design are guiding the renovation.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The next project for the fireman/renovator is Dr. Henkel's pharmacy behind the house.

 

Holiday Outing Sparks Design Inspiration

We decided to keep it local for the GDA annual holiday outing this year and selected the Hunterdon Art Museum as our destination.  Located in a 19th century stone mill, the building is listed on the National Trust of Historic Sites.  The museum is situated in a quaint setting
in historic Clinton, NJ.  Some of us were as equally interested in the views to the outside as of the exhibit.

Val and Alden taking it in. Photo: Suzan Globus

Photo: Suzan Globus

The paper exhibit showcased the work of Pamela Becker who used paper for her constructions.

Linen and paper coiled bowls by Pamela Becker.  Photo: Suzan Globus

Wall hanging representing the four seasons by Pamela Becker. Photo: Suzan Globus

Artists using fire, smoke or explosion to create art exhibited their works on the second floor.

I'm still wondering how this artist controlled the smoke to acheive these circles.  Photo: Suzan Globus

The work of some of the museum members was exhibited on the third floor.

This nearly photographic quality portrait was executed in charcoal.  Photo: Suzan Globus

Afterwards, we walked up the street to The Garden Gourmet where Chef Briellen is cooking some memorable hearty, local fresh fare in an unassuming storefront.  We had a waterfront table in the cozy upstairs and rolled down afterwards to select some exceptional baked goods from her first floor bakery.

Design Lessons Learned:

1. Use familiar materials in new ways.

2. Experiment with unconventional substances, like smoke,  to create unknown effects.

3. Good design is always around if you can train yourself to recognize it.

4. Good local food, well prepared is always inspirational.

Green Art Museum Anchors LoDo

Before leaving Denver, I visited MCA Denver, the museum of contemporary art, located on a remediated brownfield site two blocks from Union Station in LoDo.  This non-collecting museum -they take sustainability seriously in their mission- is housed in a 27,000 square foot LEED Gold certified building. The design of the building, "supports rather than defines the museum's mission" to quote the museum's literature.  This less-is-more approach to architecture in a field of iconic examples of contemporary museum architecture seems to suit this organization well. 

Image from www.mcadenver.org 

Additional features of the building interiors were noteworthy:

Natural light floods transitional spaces.

Children's learning spaces are segregated from exhibit spaces and easily maintained.

An open shelf library encourages exploration.

The green roof garden uses native plants.

 

I was also impressed with the message conveyed by the museum's admissions policy during  the Energy Effects exhibit, exploring the relationship between energy and aesthetics.  If a person walked, took public transportation or rode their bike to the museum, they were given a reduced admission fee. What a simple, smart way to remind us that each of us can take small actions to contribute to a healthy environment.

Green City Initiatives - Lessons from Denver

During a quick trip to Denver, CO, I was impressed by some simple sustainability programs that make the city more accessible and enjoyable.

Leaving the Newark terminals behind. Photo: Suzan Globus

Landing in Denver. Photo: Suzan Globus

Although Denver is home to some progressive interior design like the multi-use lobby of The Jet Hotel

The Jet Hotel lobby.  Photo: Suzan Globus

which transforms into the Jet Bar at night when the draperies get fastened to the columns,

The Jet Bar.  Photo: Suzan Globus

I was more interested in city planning than facilities.  Here is what makes green Denver work well:

1. A pedestrian mall that transverses a mile long retail district.  Free service on hybrid, accessible buses that run frequently 20 hours a day. Photo: Suzan Globus

2. Public art installations, adequate lighting and lush landscaping make the mall a pleasant place to be.  Photo: Suzan Globus

3. Street performers. I didn't get a chance to ask this musician if his performance was subsidized by the city. Photo: Suzan Globus

  4. Ample, well located bike racks.  Photo: Suzan Globus

5. Bikes available to rent and return to various spots around the city including the train station.  Rates range from a dollar an hour to five dollars a day.  Photo: Suzan Globus

6. Public buses with front mounted bike racks to accommodate cyclists. Photo: Suzan Globus

Design Inspiration from City Patterns and Colors

I appreciate having a coastal setting for a home base and yet I always welcome the inspiration I get from nearby New York City.  There is plenty to look at where I live: Sailboats in Highlands, NJ. Photo: Suzan Globus

Tortoise in bog, Cranbury, NJ.  The pattern of the light reflecting from the algae bloom in this bog lends itself to a fabric design.

And plenty to notice in the city.  Here's what caught my eye yesterday:

Photo: Suzan Globus

The fibrous paper panels displayed in the window of Kate's Paperie in the West Village repeat the scrolls in the panels under the windows across the street.

Photo: Suzan Globus

A closer look at the random pattern in the floor of The Standard Grill in the Meat Packing District revealed it was made with pennies coated with resin.  

Photo: Suzan Globus

The array of colors offered in the glasses lining the walls creates an intriguing display in glassybaby in the West Village.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The color of the setting sun reflecting off the Brooklyn skyline reminds me of the glassybaby display above.  The pattern and color I see wherever I go keeps feeding my design inspiration library.

Green Eats-Supporting Sustainability through your Stomach

Small plate of fresh corn, limas, soy beans and oyster mushrooms over home made pasta from the Staunton Grocery. Photo: Suzan Globus

I don't talk about why I became a vegetarian unless asked because it seems to make people uncomfortable. What one ingests is a private affair, but food is inextricably related to sustainability.  The short story for me is that after ruining my appetite from deboning a raw chicken 20 years ago, I started reading about the environmental impact of food, especially beef, production.  The trigger book was Diet for a New America, 1987, by John Robbins, the heir of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream fortune. My self education about the relationship of food production to the environment and spiritual reflection lead me to a decision to stop eating meat. 

I am very happy to see that more people have begun to contribute to the conversation and production of sustainable food.  It enables me to search for restaurants when I travel under the heading of "local food".  That usually gets me to restaurants who are cooking with local ingredients and using local suppliers. I've found some great results. Here are a few standouts:

1. The Staunton Grocery Staunton, VA.  This unassuming storefront restaurant is turning out some exceptional food in a small, historic Virgina town. Staunton, VA at sunset. Photo: Suzan Globus

2. Cochon New Orleans, LA. This may seem like a surprising pick for a vegetarian, but this restaurant, who's name translates to "pig" features well prepared authentic regional cooking. Those are decent search words if you are looking to eat green. By definition, if regional recipes are being used, they are based on food at hand. At Cochon, like Staunton Grocery, local wines and beers are also featured on their menus.

New Orleans street musician. Photo: Suzan Globus

3. Avec Chicago, IL.  This small wooden boite of a restaurant offers casual dining on serious cooking in a wine bar atmosphere with communal dining tables. The menu features fresh local ingredients used in Mediterranean inspired dishes. One of my favorite aspects of this restaurant is its ample offering of small plates because eating less food makes my health more sustainable.  Their site mentions that the restaurant is closed until September.  I hope this award winning restaurant continues to operate. Chicago geen. Photo: Suzan Globus

Associations  are springing up to encourage sustainability in food service, such as Dine Green. My selections are based on food supply alone, although both Cochon and Avec both appear to be built using natural materials in a minimalist setting and Staunton Grocery is employing a less is more approach to the restaurant's interiors.  The food industry has far to go in producing and supplying sustainable choices, but the restaurants are showing promise.

Wooden Boats bring Mid-Century Modern and More to the Water

Mid-century modern has had its share of detractors, but I appreciate good vintage design - especially when it involves boats.  The June Antique and Classic Wooden Boat Show in St. Michaels, MD.  showcased some of great examples of classic design. These motor boats are far from sustainable but at least they exemplify one of the three R's (reduce, reuse and recycle). The owners would insist that I add a fourth R, restore, to the list. Take a look a these high stylers.

Chris Craft, St. Michaels, MD Photo: Suzan Globus

The mirror finish on this boat reflects its admirers. Photo:Suzan Globus

The maintenance requirements of this yacht don't detract from its visual appeal. Photo:Suzan Globus

A closer look at the yacht's streamlined details. Photo:Suzan Globus

A 31' Hackercraft built in 2003. Photo:Suzan Globus

A 20' Chris Craft, 1931. Photo:Suzan Globus

The sleek line of this Berglund boat contrasts with the dock. Photo:Suzan Globus

The name of this 1931 Chris Craft refers to its upkeep. Photo:Suzan Globus

Even the lines on the dock were stylish. Photo:Suzan Globus

The fin details and turquoise interiors of this Chris Craft  exhibit a 50's aesthetic. Photo:Suzan Globus

Reaping the fun of owning a beautiful wooden boat.

Gulf Coast Observations

While visiting Mississippi last week, I had the opportunity to travel along the Gulf Coast from Waveland to Ocean Springs, MS and see some of BP's oil spill clean up efforts. As usual, I took these photos from a moving car. The area is still grappling with the effects of Katrina, so the BP catastrophe seems especially unfair.

Hurricane Katrina winds flattened miles of  Mississippi forests.

The orange booms were visible crossing between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian, MS.

Miles of beautiful white sandy beaches were dotted with clean up crews.  The shoreline was not visible from the car, so I did not see oil on the beach.

Clean up crews equipped with plastic bags to capture oil balls of oil.

Porta-potties and tents to provide relief from the sun for the workers stuck up like warts on otherwise pristine beach sand.

New fences erected to warn bathers of the water pollution lined the coast for miles.

Acres of empty parking lots issued an eerie reminder of the compromised water.

A sign of hope

Some of the forests devastated by Katrina have begun to reseed themselves. 

In preparation for a fourth of July observation, flags were erected in the sand as if in testament to the human spirit.

Display Finds at NeoCon

Chicago street art by unknown artist.

One of the highlights of attending NeoCon is what I see when walking to and from the conference. I spotted this figure embedded in the pavement. After only one day at the conference, my foot felt like his right one looks.

The contrast of the Ohio House's lozenge shaped cornice against the foggy Chicago skyline caught my eye. Don't miss the accompanying three tiered sign by the stop light.

Display Inspiration

Inside the building, I found myself occasionally being more interested in the display materials than the products, so I am highlighting displays which are of interest to our library clients.  Libraries have much information to display.

My favorite use of material was the randomly defaced sheets of corrugated cardboard featured as revolving panels in the Stylex showroom.

This display wall of wool yarn sandwiched between acrylic panels in the Keilhauer showroom made me (almost) stop. 

Display Products

This aptly named lighting Supersystem by Zumtobel would make the most pedestrian display sparkle due to its seamless integration of LED and fluorescent T5 lamps. The elegant fixture shown in a square configuration is proof that sustainable design need not be unattractive.

We are consistently asked to recommend the means to display changing art exhibits. Arakawa is a familiar source.  If you are having difficulty seeing the hanging system in the photo above, that's the point.

Products designed to display paper can be more cumbersome than the materials displayed.  The French company, Paperflow is making some sleek solutions shown below.

I like the  lack of embellishments on these floor displays.

The wall display allows the materials to visually pop.

I am concluding my NeoCon picks with this third of three similar posts and looking forward to writing about what randomly interests me in the hot summer days ahead.

Moving Design

I'm still wondering about how we move through environments and whether we perceive them as a series of snap shots or as a diorama or some combination of the two.

Freehold residence. Photo by Suzan Globus

The photo above is one I took in passing (I am definitely not recommending this).  But when I think of this house, I picture it as a symmetrical structure in a rural setting, even though I've chopped off the left side of this view.  If I had stopped to compose the shot, I would have captured what my memory tells me is the balanced picture of the house.  Because I move through many of my environments, do photos of them really capture the experience of moving through them?

Cheesequake State Park, NJ. Photo by Suzan Globus

Even if I slow the movement down to a walk, my experience at the park above was that it was a wild, active environment very different from the calm scene in the photo above.  I'm setting aside touch, smell and sound for this discussion and focusing on sight, although I acknowledge that all the senses contribute to experiencing environments.

Red Bank Farmer's Market.  Photo by Suzan Globus 

I'm not sure I would have thoroughly appreciated the above composition at the farmer's market if I hadn't stopped to isolate and capture it.

Los Angeles Farmer's Market.  Photo by Suzan Globus

Or the one above, either.  Generally, my perception was the experience of attending the LA Farmer's Market was more like the shot below.

Hollywood Farmer's Market.  Photo by Suzan Globus.

Have you ever heard someone say that they didn't bring their camera to an event because they didn't want to miss the experience?  How DO people experience their environments? Especially when they are moving through them as they are likely to be doing? As a designer charged with creating interior environments, it is something that I would like to understand better.