When you have the opportunity to work and design for people from varying cultures and also in different countries, you start to appreciate the details that make each home an individual statement.

Your home reflects not only your families style and interests, but also where you’ve been and what you like.  You can tell a lot about a person when you enter their home; pay attention to the details and you’ll get tremendous insight into who they are.  This can be important in the future when you need to purchase a holiday or birthday gift, that so many of us struggle for ideas.

A fun exercise for my clients is to ask them to identify 10 of their favorite items in their home; put together in a collage it expresses their tastes, preferences and even their personality.  If you ask someone to identify their interior design style you might get both hesitation and confused looks, with this approach its easy to identify taste and preferences.

From the example I’ve included above, my taste indicates an interest in the eclectic (meaning not following any one style, but selecting and mixing from all styles), neutral colors and natural elements (like wood, clay, iron, textiles, botanical prints) and punches of color for interest.

If you are just beginning to put your home together or you are ready for a change, select items from magazines and put together a similar collage to identify your dream style.  This could be the starting point for your interiors design.

Often times you discover you have all the right elements but it still doesn’t come together as you imagined, this is when a designer can pull it all together for you. For further assistance, contact Kellcia Designs for a consultation and together we’ll make your space the ‘home of your dreams’.

American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Past President, ASID Chapter #132, 2007-2008,

Past Secretary, ASID Chapter #132, 2006-2007

Founding Member of Virtual Interior Designers International (VIDI)

International Interior Designers Association, (IIDA)

Lead Organizer of RASC’s World Day of Design 2007, Online Educational Symposium,  Held Globally.

Awards:

Elle Decors Dining by Design, (DIFFA), New York City

Rhodec International/London Met University Winning Student Group Design published in Coffee Table book, December 2006 (Table Decor, ISBN: 0-7643-2472-1)

• Architectural Record Magazine
• Design Boom Magazine
• Domino Magazine
• ID Resource
• Kitchen, Bed & Bath
• Metropolis Magazine
• Pantone
• Plinth and Chintz
• Product Resource
• US Green Building Council, USGBC

We recently relocated to Taiwan, upon our arrival we began to experience how real the concept of Feng Shui is for the people and its culture.

The Hotel where we stayed was the first example of feng shui we encountered, the Hyatt Hotel, is an enormous, beautiful hotel; it was built on top of a former wartime execution ground and cemetery and is said to be haunted. You can just imagine the amount of Feng Shui needed to make this property worthy of such an investment as well as acceptable to the community and to be prosperous.

One thing I’ve learned is that the Taiwanese people are very superstitious so I’m certain there’s a very interesting story about how this was achieved. You got it; this is definitely a story worthy of an indepth article…..and I will get back with you when I can dig up more information.

The second encounter was Taipei 101, this building is located right next to the hotel and is the tallest building in the world. A Feng Shui Master was consulted in every aspect from location, construction, to layout and design elements.

The buildings design is inspired by traditional Chinese architecture, with a shape resembling a pagoda. The sectioned tower was inspired by the bamboo plant, which is a model of strength, resilience, and elegance. (I think it looks more like Chinese take out boxes stacked one on top of the other…but that’s just me)

The tower’s design specifications were said to be based on the number “8″, a lucky number in traditional Chinese culture because it rhymes with the sound of money; and features 8 upward flaring sections, and is supported by 8 super columns.

The tower is sheathed by a wall of green tinted glass and grows upwards like a plant reaching for the sky and is embellished with traditional Chinese symbols; spoon-like figures which signify fulfillment and contentment as well as round coin like circles and lotus flower designs. The building is also south facing, which is considered a very auspicious direction for this buildings orientation. (auspicious, thats another word you hear alot in Taiwan)

The only feng shui problem found was a perpendicular road that ran straight into the building’s site, which could bring sickness or bad business to occupants; an easy fix was adding a fountain to block off the road. The fountain, as it turns out, is one of the coolest I’ve seen, it’s made up of numerous holes in the pavement spurting water while keeping the beat with music. At night the fountain features lighting for a more dramatic effect; its quite spectacular.

Fortunately for everyone, in feng shui there are simple ways to rectify defects, even if the defects are in the terrain.

The last experience I had was moving into our newly constructed apartment-we were the first to move into the building. The owner was so proud of the unit that on our first day of moving in with a dozen workers unloading the containers, wood crates being unhinged and boxes everywhere; he was conducting tours. My favorite was when he brought his father through and he commented and it was translated to us, that with the mountain behind us and the direction of the building we would be happy and rich…..sounds good to me, but I’m still waiting!

Feng shui has been part of the Taiwanese culture since 1949 when General Chiang Kai-Shek fled China to Taiwan and brought several old feng shui texts. Since then it has been incorporated into the interior and exterior of buildings at both the workplace and homes, so that people are healthy and feel lucky.

Look for a continuation of this article….
www.kellciadesigns.googlepage.com/home

So I’m like any normal person, you check into your hotel room, you set your stuff down, you start looking around at the room; taking in the design, the fabrics, the materials used throughout the room, the layout, etc. (ok, maybe normal for designers) and there, in a small corner of the bathroom is a very high tech looking toilet in its own room.

I look at it, I see theres an arm like piece coming out of the right side which resembles a remote control. There seem to be flushing options, water control options for cleansing, a deodorizing section with fan levels, automatic lid movement, blow drying and even a section with heat levels. I moved on, I guess you could say it was interesting but not yet fascinating.

Later I come back into the room and give the toilet a test run, to my surprise the amazingly warm seat has grabbed my full attention! I am suddenly hooked on this idea, no more startling cold seats in the middle of the night; this adds a whole new dimension to the water closet and its purpose.

It should be noted that the Japanese must take their toilets very seriously, as various versions of the heated electronic toilet could be found in restaurants, the train station and pretty much everywhere you can imagine. Ok, there are also some weird versions of a urinal type “squat toilet” installed in a few locations,
but we won’t talk about them, as I still haven’t figured these things
out yet! But I do know this, once you see the two options, you quickly
start looking for the electric one!!

Other things I noted were that each stall contained a wall mounted motion sensor for ‘no touch’ flushing; another really good idea since I always use my foot to flush-who in their right mind would want to touch anything in a public stall? Another thing was the wall mounted anti-bacterial unit with towelettes to clean the surface. Lastly was a high powered heated air unit with some sort of ultra-violet light to dry and sterilize hands after washing. Now do you see why this was so fascinating? I feel like I’ve been missing out!

Back home, I see my simple, regular toilet and feel disappointed. No more warm seats, how boring!! Can I survive without it? I mean really, why should I live like this any longer?

These upgraded toilets and public accessories certainly gave me something to think about, this obviously is not a luxury item, it’s more like a sanitation necessity. It appears to be the standard in this country, why should our standard be any less?

Trust me, a toilet is just a toilet until you find one thats unique…..
http://kellciadesigns.googlepages.com/home

Getting started seems to be the hardest part; what to do first? There are so many possibilities so I’ll start with what’s in my head at the moment: Color.

Yes, I said it, Color! Don’t you often find your mind wandering to what the color trends will be for the new year? I imagine you do if you’re reading this blog since I’m certain you have a keen interest in the world of design.

I’ve always wondered who picks out the new colors for each year, do they just pick colors that haven’t been seen for a while in an effort to rotate them back into style or invent new ones? ….Or do they just assign new catchy names to those old rotating colors?

You know what I’m talking about, off the top of my head I can think of half a dozen fluff names used to describe the range of greens out there right now. I’d love to have the time to sit down and match the mixing codes to see how many are actually the same color but given a new name; that could be a full time job for someone seeking work out there, dont you think?

If you think about it, those people making these decisions have a lot of influence in the world because color trends affect everything from fashion to fabrics, carpets, paint, accessories, appliance design, cars, shoes… I could go on, but I think you get the picture!

An article I recently read said that people tend to seek comfort colors for their personal spaces during times of uncertainty and global discord and that natural materials become more popular during stressful times…..that explains the last few years of my life! I guess there are worse things I could be doing, don’t you think?

Back to color, ahem, color trends for 2007 are clearly showing a need for calm in personal spaces to balance the negatives of everyday life. In 2006 colors were slightly brighter than what enters the market in 2007; the new trends are defined as comfort colors with optimistic lights and brights, with patterns and textures (natural or faux) becoming as prominent as color itself.

These colors are from the 2007 projections

If you want to read more about color, one of my all time favorite sites is pantone, check it out and get lost in time if you want.

Until next time, keep dreaming in color!!
www.kellciadesigns.googlepages.com/home

e just returned from a family vacation to Japan and

Photos: Top left to right: bullet train, Louis Vitton-Tokyo,
Middle: interesting chandelier in shopping mall, Japanese Restaurant-Hyatt/Tokyo
Bottom left to right: Private dining room, Lobby Restaurant, Sushi Bar/Hyatt Kyoto

As one imagines of Asian cultures, organic materials are plentiful and are utilized with great skill in local design; these materials definitely add to the charm and mysticism of the culture. After only a couple visits to temples you begin to appreciate and understand the inspiration behind Asian design in general.

Photos: top left to right:on temple grounds Buda statue in green vegetation, stone pagoda
in natural setting, peering through the trees at the bridge over lily pond
bottom left to right: large rock which was split to allow the road to pass through-full of gold,
brown and red, 100 year old bonsai, waterfall on temple ground

Around town: top left to right: design found at the entrance to a store,
sake barrels/each with a unique label, center: restaurant sign
bottom left to right: paper lantern at temple, fabric panels, origami

Probably the most exciting portion of the trip was spotting Geisha’s. It was an experience like something from Hollywood and the paparazzi. At approximately 6 to 7:00pm all the Geisha leave their homes made up and ready to start working, some leave in groups by taxi to unknown locations others walk to private rooms at restaurants where they entertain their awaiting clients. It became obvious when one was on the move as photographers and tourists were literally chasing them down the streets.

Seeing Geisha’s up close was truly spectacular, there is something mesmerizing about them as well as very curious. Only after studying the Geisha photos can one see all the intricacy and layering in wearing a kimono; also of significance are the ornaments and up sweeping hair do’s.

In an out of the way place, I found a store that carried new and vintage kimonos and obi’s and purchased one for a fair price. As luck would have it, I also found the wonderful paper and wood umbrellas. I now have all on display in my home and they are breathtaking pieces of art and design as well as a wonderful reminder of our trip.

My mind continues to race from all the inspirations and ideas formed while traveling and I hope you find some inspiration from the collages I’ve shared with you. Remember to always bring your camera and sketchbook with you when you are out and about, you never know what might strike up an idea for later!