Country Cabin Modern Design

Last week, in the midst of a lively woodworking shop lit up with twinkle lights and repurposed whiskey bottles, Oregon Home Magazine threw a launch party for their Winter Issue release. Although I might have shown up anyway for the complimentary drinks and food, my motivation this time was much more legitimate - celebrating my first published article in a magazine!

Back in May I pitched an article to Oregon Home Magazine that related to their Winter theme of cozy cabins. Covering a project that my current office had designed had the potential to both market our work and broaden my writing. Who knew it would wind up being the cover story! I visited Bruce Forster and Gin Flynn at their Hood River cabin back in August to interview them about their home and since then it was a whirlwind of back and forth collaboration. Bruce supplied all the photos, Richard supplied the sketches and insight into his design and over 1000 words later, a feature article was born. I look forward to doing more writing for Oregon Home both online and in print. The Winter Issue is on sale now, but in a couple of weeks when it's archived to the site, I will link directly from this post. 

EQxDM3

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Equity by Design: Metrics, Meaning and Matrices symposium hosted by AIA San Fransisco. This marked the fourth year for the conference and it was sold out months ago, capping at a modest 250 attendees. The focus of the this event was to review the newly released findings of the 2016 Equity in Architecture survey, but on a broader level the mission of EQxD is focused on achieving equatable practice in architecture in order to retain talent, advance the profession and engage the public in understanding architecture's true value and impact. The majority of the day was spent reviewing the findings of the exhaustive 2016 survey, which continued the work spearheaded by the 2014 survey. There was a ton of information to navigate and review, and thankfully the infographics were on display throughout the day so I made sure to take a closer look during the breaks. There were panelists speaking on their reaction to the information and how it related in their experience, breakout sessions to dive into discussing the issues with others in the profession and, of course, lots of networking. An article in Residential Architecture does a good job of summarizing the highlights of the survey's findings, but these are my top 5 takeaways from the event:  

1::   Rosa Sheng, EQxD Founding Chair and prime spokesperson, began the conference with this quote: "We all grapple with the paradox that tomorrow is not promised, but we make plans anyway". Noting the irony that as we go through the mountains of data culled by this most recent survey, which for the most part paints a very grim picture of women and minorities in architecture, we persevere despite it all.  No newsflash here on the gender pay gap: Men averaged $94,212/year and women averaged $71,319/year; a difference of $22,893/year. Men averaged higher salaries 100% of time.  n order to maintain a clear path ahead she provided tools for the struggle.

• Use the data for power as opposed to relying on anecdotes and heresay : support the research, share the data findings with others, see where you fit within the stats (how do you measure up?), make changes, re-assess and repeat.
• Build relationships: embrace technology, make connections, find and be a champion, commit to action
• Take on a hackathon mindset: get curious, predict what's next, defy tradition, get scrappy, fail fast and fail often

2::   If you don't articulate your goal and give it a voice, it is that much harder to gain support around your effort. By putting it out there, whatever it is, people can rally around it and advocate for your success. Of course sometimes you may put it out there and no one really gets it or supports it. Last year I was playing around with an idea about teaching creative process via weekly assignments, but I could never articulate the idea well enough to gain any traction. It was a bummer at the time, but it made me realize how important it is to be clear with your intention. 

3::   One of the panelists, Jill Bergman a principal at HDR, illustrated her entire career as a bar graph showing the amount of hours spent working along with milestones in her career such as childbirth, divorce, (3) sabbaticals and several promotions.  By being very transparent and authentic about her journey she showed us that a career in architecture has a lot of ups and downs and, teamed with a supportive organization, you can still progress to a leadership position. The main point here too, is finding the right fit at the right organization to support this journey, here's someone else's story.

4::  There were so many stand alone quotes, here are a few great ones:

• "Talks cheap, but it takes money to buy whiskey" 
• "Being a savvy business person is not antithetical to being a great architect."
• "To get more women in leadership, we need more women in leadership!!"
• "Ordinary people who are paying attention and know how to mobilize people, get shit done!" Kat Gordon from the 3% Movement, check her out!

5::   As you know by now I'm a serious introvert and I went into this with equal parts of excitement and anxiety. But thanks to three fairly major milestone events in my professional career in the last couple of years, I knew that I would come out of this a different person than when I began, guaranteed. Thanks to last year's Women in Leadership Summit, the Equity by Design inspired event the ForWARD committee hosted in Portland and finally getting my architecture license, I feel like there's so much opportunity to expand within the design community and so much to learn. It certainly helps knowing that everyone is there for the same reason: to better understand where we are in the profession and to create a forward momentum individually and as a community.

#100daystoinspireafire

A complete month has flown by in what seems a blink of an eye. My momentum to learn something everyday hasn't dwindled (see this post), just my capacity to share it with the outside world! I swear every day I read, see, stumble upon incredible things, ideas, stuff, people. Sometimes the chaotic dots make connections and my mind is blown! So, inspired by Tiffany Han and her #99boldmoves project on Instagram & my personal friend Mariah who embarked on her own 100 days of meditation, I decided to do my own project for a 100 days. My 100 day project is to document at least one thing that I learn about each day that inspires me both professionally and personally, because let's be real, it's all a big messy overlap. I'm a big fan of following your curiosity, and I know for a fact that it's led to some fantastic opportunities that wouldn't have happened if I stayed on the straight path. I hope that by documenting a little each day, the connections will be made more obvious and I'll hold myself accountable for being present and engaged. 

So, how's a project on Instagram supposed to help me figure out more content to share on the blog? Each week I'll take one of my daily inspirations and dive into it a little bit more. Do further research to learn more and share here. Ok, here we go on a hundred day adventure - join me on Instagram to check out my daily posts!

Textures of nature

Central Oregon, the area around the Cascade Mountains, is a study in contrasts. Vast fields of jagged lava rock step towards pristine alpine meadows and lush green forests. The rugged landscape and harsh climate takes center stage, buildings accommodate with deep overhangs, steep sloped roofs and windows framing the views. The sky seems gigantic, especially at night when the Milky Way is clearly visible amongst the twinkle of lights.

We spend the final week of summer here every year, enjoying those last precious days before frantic school schedules take over. Between long trail hikes, bike rides and dips at the pool there's plenty of time for reflection on the year ahead.  It's always challenging to disconnect, to live in the moment so that you can come back refreshed and recharged, but we all give it a go. This year I was struck by the way that this environment, the limitless trees and space, is humbling in the sense that it makes you aware that you are in service of the earth rather than the other way around. The most successful buildings and shelters I've had the opportunity to see, echo the unique qualities of their surroundings and have details inspired by these natural elements. Not only by using wood and stone, which is plentiful in this region, but the quiet details. The long shadows cast by staggered structure, the asymmetric rhythm of tree groves, the glimmer of gold wood layered beneath dark bark, the worn patina of copper and minerals, and the soft tumbled river stones on a bed of green moss.  I cherish this week every year and am so grateful for the inspiration that it inevitably leaves with me. 

Design tools :: 5 ways to define entries

Recently I've been tasked with a retail project that although has one main storefront entrance, there are two separate offerings inside. It's not unusual, the most common example may be a restaurant and a bar, although the spaces are related you may have to make a decision to turn right for the bar and left for the restaurant.  In that situation the bar is typically dealt with in a distinct manner than the rest of the space. The lighting is moodier, the seating is more intimate, etc. In this case, a decision is made in the early stages of the design of what the experience wants to be. Does the primary space envelop the secondary space, do they share the attention, or do you go through one space to enjoy the next? All of these questions inform what becomes the parti diagram, or the "big idea", of the project. In my particular floorpan, the secondary space has an entrance through the primary space,  so the challenge is how to identify that entry.  In this post I thought I would share 5 primary ways I've found to successfully distinguish a subsidiary space. Although each one of these efforts may be powerful in their own right, the challenge of a designer is to match the expectation of the experience with the multidimensional of the space. The final product is made of many layers of dialogue, some being more or less obvious than others. So if the expectation is that the two offerings within the storefront are to be in contrast with one another, there is still an underlying language between the two that binds them covertly, slyly. 

1 :: two dimensions 

Starting with the simplest strategy, creating a focus of color within the larger space.  This could mean a neutral tone throughout with an accent at the secondary entry or that each of the programs has their own distinct color. In the example above different hues of the same color create zones within the space, but the uniformity of the chairs tie in the larger scope. A colorful mural or a statement of mission are other ways that one wall or zone can be distinguished from the whole. 

2 :: three dimensions

The second way to define the entry is to add an element of sculpture.  Companies like Modulararts and Interlam provide decorative wall tiles, panels and blocks that can be used to good effect. These can come pre-finished or ready to paint out with the rest of the wall. An organic way to add texture and varied color to a space is by including a vertical living wall. This also has the benefit of providing healthier indoor air! Merging sculpture with product shelving is another successful way to gain people's attention and economize on the retail floor space.  

3 :: manipulate the volume

In the retail project I'm currently working on there is a fantastic double height space at the entry, but unfortunately, the storage mezzanine is also clearly visible from the entry. In this case it made sense to create a suspended screen that blocked views of the upper storage and defined the program beneath it.  People experience changes of volume throughout the space wether its around them or above them or both. If the goal is to drive the experience then manipulating the volume is key. Take the image below, I love how unexpected that gilded faceted form appears within a sea of straight & narrow!

4 :: screen for effect

A theoretical approach to entries is what is sometimes known as the "denial and reward" strategy. Showing only a small portion of what's to come entices someone to want to see more. Adding a screen can also allow for a more directed and controlled sequence with added elegance. Being covert about the entry may also imply a privilege or secrecy elevating the perceived value of the product.  I think the example below also helps convey the feeling of anticipation that a screened narrow walk provides.

5 :: installation

The last suggestion is almost counter to the other four, in that the larger space is not necessarily modified but is host to what seems a temporary installation. Similar to a pop-up shop, an installation allows one to play with trends and bold moves without risk of commitment. A small area can be changed out and updated easier than the whole, and it's probably a lot less expensive!   

Images courtesy of : archdaily, google, design milk, archdaily, pinterest, platform arquitectura, afflante, design chronicle, wallpaper, retail design blog, estliving, aortic, inhabit living,  yellow trace, behance, contemporist, dezeen, designboom, interior design