What does veganism have to do with design? Well, leather sofas, leather wall panels, fur rugs, wool carpet, silk drapes, the list goes on and on. Designing vegan is not only a great way to prevent animal cruelty, it helps our environment! As a vegan designer, I understand that not all my clients are vegan and if they want a leather sofa, a leather sofa they will get. I will absolutely share the pros of vegan substitutes that are NOT plastic based! Sure, we can all throw vinyl on the sofa and call it leather, but vinyl emits harmful toxins and when the time comes for the sofa to be reupholstered or tossed, the plastic will stay…. and stay… and stay.

Permit documents are technical drawings that give a general idea of what will happen to the building. They will include minimal architectural details and focus more on the structural drawings provided by the engineer. …

Who would think that their child’s lack of focus could be improved with interior design? Or that those ongoing sinus problems are due to the overwhelming amount of plastic products and VOC’s offgassing into our homes? We spend 90% of our time indoors, that time should be spent free of toxins and lack of ventilation.

One-Time Design Consultations are very flexible and can serve a myriad of purposes. Read on about some of the ways this meeting can be used!

There was ONE building I didn’t talk about in the last post, because I felt it deserving of its own post. You see, I finally stepped foot in my favorite architect’s work! Not only did I experience the work of the great Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris (AKA Les Corbusier), I visited a museum he designed which housed a significant exhibit of his work. It felt amazing to look at models built by him (or his office), and see his sketches and planning drawings of Villa Savoye among others. To see models of his ideas for urban planning- the start to what today’s cities are, felt almost surreal, magical. Photos cannot possibly do this building justice, and there were many areas where photos were not permitted, so I’ll do my best to find references images.

Most of the buildings we saw in Tokyo were exterior only (no photos allowed inside), and many were along the main shopping strip. The two things that stood out to me the most were (I’m sure you can guess) the use of texture and the extravagance of it. There is definitely a show happening with design from every angle. The clothing, the buildings, the presentation of goods. Every single building was a work of art, almost as if each one was trying to outdo the next.

I could write all day just about our first few days in Kyoto, and all the interior design observations I’ve made. So many details, approaches, elements, etc. have been noticed! I definitely feel growth as a designer being here, observing and learning about the architecture and interiors of the spaces I’ve visited. Much of the observations I have made have been cultural and in nature, and this absolutely influences my design choices. The Fushima Inari Shrine has been my favorite outing to-date (not necessarily my favorite design or structure). The fact that it was an outdoor space, or vastly outdoors, tells me something about enjoyable spaces. We enjoy being outdoors! Okay, this is nothing new, I have stepped foot into my favorite architect’s designs (as of yesterday) and he definitely still holds his position as my favorite. Even after that experience, my favorite was by and large, outdoors. I’m sure there are many factors that play into this:

A hotel would give us an amazing commercial experience, but we stayed in AirBnB’s while in Japan, because it was so important to me to see how people live on a day-to-day basis. When we remodel or build a new space, we are looking for a lifestyle and atmospheric change. What better way to view this differently than to see how people live?

Take a look at the daily tasks and ins and outs of an entrepreneur interior designer! This is a snapshot of one week of my time, including some of the sketches, notes and technical drawings.