Kitchen and Bath Renovations Article
My most recent interior design article, about kitchen and bath renovations, was published last week in the special “Home” section of The Jewish Advocate. In the article, I discuss some ways to keep sane during the renovation process and provide tips on how to design a functional kitchen and bath.
The topic is quite timely for me and my clients, since I’m currently working on one kitchen and several bathroom renovation projects. But even during the economic downturn, On The Move Interiors had a good number of kitchen and bathroom renovations in our portfolio.
This coincides with a recent report, also issued last week, by the Joint Center For Housing Studies at Harvard which forecasts that home improvement activity is expected to rise by year-end.
As an aside, with this positive indicator and my constant workflow of kitchen and bath renovations, I find it interesting that one of the Boston area’s highly-regarded kitchen showrooms, Billie Brenner Ltd., filed for bankruptcy – most likely the liquidation of assets – last week. It’s always sad to hear of design-related businesses closing shop.
Caribbean Beachfront Home Design
One of my current projects is the refurbishment of a 4,100 sf six-bedroom beachfront home in the Caribbean. The house is the main building of an estate in Providenciales, Caicos.
My clients purchased the estate six years ago, and as is typical when purchasing an island home, it came furnished. But the furnishings and interior colors don’t reflect my clients’ tastes. So they’ve taken the plunge and selected On The Move Interiors for the re-do. (I’m happy to toot my own horn by saying we were competing with a prominent New York design firm!)
I recently went down to Turks & Caicos for a whirlwind working trip. My time was spent measuring the entire home, selecting paint colors, and brainstorming with my clients on what furniture should go in each room. With the exception of three small storage pieces that will be relocated, all the furniture will be replaced.
The goals are to make this home reflect my clients’ preferred design style, take advantage of the magnificent view of the ocean, and incorporate furnishings that are durable: sofas and chairs that can withstand wet, salty and/or chlorinated behinds; and items that won’t rust or film from the salt air.
Because this is an international project, the logistics of shipping everything via container from the US will require a few more months to complete this project than it would if the project were stateside. We expect the project will be complete by late fall, in time for the holidays.
Once done, you can be sure there will be photos of this project to share with you. In the meantime, enjoy the view from the loggia off the kitchen.
Health Care Interior Design Project Meets the Press
Our recently-completed health care interior design project, the Marino Center for Integrative Health’s facility in Cambridge, has been receiving some great press and visibility. While we’ve featured this healthcare project on our blog and in our portfolio, it’s great to see it being recognized in a variety of trade publications.
These articles contain some photos of this health care project not found on our website, so be sure to take a look.
The Marino Center was the “Project Of The Month” in the February 17, 2012 edition of the New England Real Estate Journal, the granddaddy of all publications relating to real estate and architecture in New England.
The project was also featured in Boston/SF News in the February 20 edition and posted on their blog on February 22. Boston/SF News is another respected regional real estate publication.
The project general contractor, The Glendale Group, which has a healthcare division, posted it on their website.
And a number of Feng Shui websites have links to one or more of the above articles.
While credit to On The Move Interiors is buried deep within the articles, we’re nevertheless thrilled that our health care interior design work is being acknowledged and proud that we played an important role in the design and function of this health care facility.
Benjamin Moore Color Pulse 2013
Interior Room Paint Color Trend Forecast
Every year, Benjamin Moore comes out with Color Pulse, a annual paint color trend forecast. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a webinar on Color Pulse 2013. As my regular readers know, I’m not a proponent of using trendy paint colors unless my clients really, truly love the color. Nevertheless, it’s advantageous to know what colors are hot.
Color Pulse 2013 examines the concept of Intersection—the convergence and interplay of unexpected colors, materials, spaces and ideas—and the emerging influences that will shape tomorrow’s color palette.
The themes or influences this year are Flow, Cycle, Animate, and Connect. While these themes are not necessarily driven by color, the paint color forecast is based on certain colors that recur throughout all of these themes. The colors above are the colors Benjamin Moore has selected for the 2013 trends.
- Flow: Colors, textures, and shapes evolving from the past bring familiarity to the modern. An example given during the webinar was a crocheted light fixture.
- Cycle: Repurposing elements, “up-cycling”, through unusual color and material pairings. Examples included rugs made from scraps of old wool blankets and jewelry made from defective Hermes scarves.
- Animate: Bold, dynamic colors evoking a brand new box of crayons. Interactive displays of color that allow people to make changes.
- Connect: How the virtual world impacts our real world.
To read more about Color Pulse, visit the online version of Nuance, Benjamin Moore’s emagazine.
Brookline Rotary Chocolate Extravaganza
If you don’t have plans yet for this Sunday, February 12, consider attending the Brookline Rotary’s Have a Heart Chocolate Extravaganza at the Holiday Inn on Beacon Street. With 16 local vendors offering their best chocolate creations – all for the $15 admission price – how could you go wrong?
And you’ll be helping out those who are less fortunate; the Brookline Rotary is donating the proceeds from this event to the Brookline Emergency Food Pantry .
In addition to the chocolate tastings, there will be a silent auction. As we did last year, for the first extravaganza, On The Move Interiors has donated a 1-hour interior design consultation as an item for the auction.
Last year, tickets sold out two days before the event, so if you’re salivating at the thought of pounds and pounds of chocolate treats, make sure you buy your tickets today!
I’ll be there. I hope you will, too.
