Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Demo Cool Features of Hardware

submitted by: r. jarrett muncy, IIDA VP Communications, lord aeck & sargent architects
 
 
"YouTube Demonstrates Cool Features of Hardware"
 
Do you ever find it difficult to understand how specialty millwork and furniture hardware work when selecting from static catalogs or websites?  Boring 2D line drawings,  lifeless axons, and generic naming conventions fail to demonstrate all the wonderful function you can achieve with hi-tech hardware these days.  While looking for a concealed shelf support, inspired by my favorite IKEA shelf, I found ItalinaFerramenta showcasing their awesome hardware with fly through videos via youtube.com.  Not only was it interesting and informative on how the hardware works it was also inspiring!  I’ll take that thank you!
 
 
Here is that awesome concealed shelf mount:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvmAgtW0ELo
The Italian hardware http://www.italianaferramenta.it/ is avaialable in the US at www.efi-us.com
 
 

Monday, August 13, 2012

UPDATE: Leaders Breakfast 2012 Announces Atlanta Speaker - Kevin Carroll


SAVE THE DATE - November 2nd
Leaders Breakfast



IIDA Leaders BreakfastIIDA Georgia Chapter will host Atlanta’s 1st Leaders’ Breakfast November 2012 

When: 8 a.m., November 2, 2012
Where: St. Regis Hotel, 88 West Paces Ferry Rd NW Atlanta, GA


IIDA GA will begin early bird table sponsorships late April/May 2012 General Admission Tickets in August

Herman Miller is proud to sponsor the Leader’s Breakfast series with IIDA and Interior Design magazine. Keynote Speaker will be Kevin Carroll!

Kevin Carroll, Keynote Speaker

Kevin Carroll is a masterful storyteller with a tremendous gift for reaching an audience and awakening the inspiration that lies within people and within the organizations for which they work. For seven years, Kevin was the Katalyst (someone who helps turn creative ideas into reality) for Nike and he continues to promote the power of play and creativity in achieving maximum human potential for such organizations as Starbucks, The Discovery Channel, ESPN, HSBC Bank, Mattel, Capital One, and The National Hockey League. Carroll is the founder of The Katalyst Consultancy and the author of Rules of the Red Rubber Ball: Find and Sustain Your Life’s Work.
Carroll draws on a uniquely diverse and rewarding background. He spent ten years as an Air Force linguist, becoming fluent in Croatian, Czech, and Serbian, and attaining conversational proficiency in German and Russian. He’s also been a high school health educator, a college-level head athletic trainer and head athletic trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers.

LEADERS CONNECTING LOCALLY


Leaders Breakfast events feature a renowned keynote speaker that invokes, encourages and inspires attendees. During the event, host cities celebrate their regional successes and one particular Leader, chosen by the Host Committee, who most embodies leadership characteristics through their contributions to the industry. Each honoree is presented with a molded plywood splint, in its original packaging, designed and created by Charles and Ray Eames for injured U.S. soldiers during WWII. The splint has become an iconic symbol of the legacy of Charles and Ray Eames, as well as a testament to their spirit of leadership within the design profession. Charles and Ray were visionaries who constantly elevated the process of design by expanding their creative boundaries through the use of new materials and fresh ideas.

LEADERS BREAKFAST HISTORY
The IIDA Leaders Breakfast series began as a single event, launched in New York, in 1989 by Jeannie Bochette of Steelcase. The goal was to introduce IIDA to the business world as a leading industry association and to inform IIDA Members about major economic issues affecting them and their clients, as presented by prominent corporate executives, government officials and academic experts. The event established a forum where IIDA Members and their clients could see, hear and network with peers.

CROSSING BORDERS
In 2001, the IIDA Leaders Breakfast expanded into what is now an international program. We hope you’ll be inspired by our keynote speakers as they share leadership secrets and insight, and by our honorees – true industry leaders and innovators. In 2011, eight IIDA Leaders Breakfast events stretch from coast to coast and cross borders, including: Seattle, Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago and Toronto. Each features keynotes and honored guests specifically chosen for the venue region.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Real Cost of Rip-offs

The Real Cost of Rip-offs
written by:  Tracy Mancinelli, KnollStudio-Atlanta, LEED AP


Today, one of the biggest challenges in our industry is the value of design.  Designers use their special talents to create functional spaces to meet their client's needs and budgets.  Sometimes, the client doesn't understand the designer's value or will skimp on the investment to pay the project's worth.  Or even worse, the client will try to rip-off the design by doing it less expensively. 

This is a nationwide issue for our Design industry.  Dwell recently published an article that discusses the real cost of being ripped-off.  The furniture market is saturated with knock-offs.  Unbeknownst to the user, they may want the authentic design but sway to the lesser cost product for the "look."  This comes with compromise and often times disappointment.  

Some clients have separated into 3 categories:  the Investors, the Disposers, and the Blind.

The Investors understand the value of investing in quality design and furnishings.  Usually they plan to keep the furniture for 10+ years or pass it down to their children.  Authentic design is important to them.  They want to know that they have the brand that will become a conversation or pure taste.  It's art and an image - not in a snobby way.  Additionally, their needs can be met with original designs of newer designers that may not yet have the high ticket prices of the Classics. 

The Disposers want high-design, but they just can't stomach the cost to purchase the "real" items.  They don't value the quality of manufacture and they do not plan to keep their furnishings for more than 5 years.  "Fakes" will work for them (it's like buying a purse on Canal St. in NY). They will just dispose of it and start over when the object begins to fail.  How sustainable is that?!

The Blind, well, they just don't care about aesthetics!  It's all about function and price.  And they will seek out the cheapest way to get it.  This type can't see the design value.  They need a desk  -  Sawhorses and a hollow door will work just fine for them.  They may even paint it a garish color!  The Blind are not a design client.  Possibly, they belong on TLC's "What Not to Wear."

So how do we understand the real cost of Rip-offs?  How do we protect our design industry and hold value to our work and the products that make up a space that is well designed?  Read the article link from Dwell and you'll understand the heavy price....

From our IIDA GA 2012-2013 President: “Success is not the destination – it’s the journey"

As I'm typing this note, in approximately 8 hours the Mars rover, Curiosity, will land on the red planet after traveling 8 1/2 months and 352 million miles.  What a fascinating achievement!  Meanwhile, over here on Earth, you and I are living the lives we've worked towards for years.  That's quite an achievement, too!

It is said that “Success is not the destination – it’s the journey.”  Over the past 13 years I’ve had some really great experiences and I’ve forged many strong relationships through IIDA.  I remember attending my very first IIDA event back in 1999.  It was an awards gala in Dallas, Texas and I was BEAMING – to be in the same room with so much talent!  A short time later I found myself on a steering committee to bring IIDA to Oklahoma.  I served on the TX/OK Chapter Board and the Oklahoma City Center Board for many years to follow.  Not only did I meet my husband, Jerry, at an IIDA membership drive in 2001, we actually had our first official date at an IIDA casino party in 2007!

When I moved to Atlanta four years ago, I felt like a wallflower at design events until Liset Robinson and John Gaul allowed me serve with them during their presidencies.  Over the last year, serving with Michele Lyden has been such a huge learning experience for me.  She is such a strategic thinker and is always raising the bar in pursuit of excellence.
Today, I am honored to be serving as the IIDA Georgia Chapter President along side my President-Elect, Ronnie Belizaire and the Board of Directors.  We anticipate a fantastic year!  My team and I are working with the momentum we’ve established in recent years to achieve our goals.  These efforts include sustaining our Chapter’s solvency, nurturing our relationships with our friends and affiliates, continuing to develop our strategic plan, and raising awareness of the interior design profession through advocacy.  In addition, we will focus our efforts on increasing our membership and building upon the spirit of volunteerism through mutual respect and recognition.

Just like the Martian lander - we are building upon past achievements.  We are learning and growing with each destination along this journey.

Cheers to learning and growing together!

Cynthia Hovorka, IIDA
2012-13 IIDA Georgia Chapter President