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Syndicate
Come Together
If you want to create the ultimate outdoor entertainment area, it’s seldom a one-stop shop. From the stonework, lighting, and wiring, to the ever-important grill, you could easily get overwhelmed trekking from showroom to showroom to find what works the best for your outside space. That’s why we were excited to see some of our favorite companies come together last night for an event that made perfect sense – solve the problem by getting the ideal mix of people in one room, the Charles Luck Stone Center.
And quite a room it was. As Steve Terry, executive vice president of HADCO, a supplier of top quality kitchen appliances, said, “We all have showroom envy now.”
Charles Luck Stone Center studio consultants Amanda New, at left, and Allie Lindeman flank Washington Spaces Account Executive Angela Carpenter. Tabitha Blakely, Charles Luck Stone’s concierge, is to the right.
The Charles Luck Stone Center provides unique, high quality stone from around the world. Its executives literally go to the corners of the earth to leave no stone unturned. In September, President Mark Fernandes will head to Verona, Italy, to get the most exotic stone to bring back to the States.
Washington Spaces Account Executive Angela Carpenter is in good company with Charles Luck Stone Center’s President Mark Fernandes, at right, and its Director of Marketing Mark Smucker.
The theme of the night was clear – synergy.
“We all have similar products with a similar target audience,” Fernandes says. “What a great idea getting everyone together.”
Joining Charles Luck Stone Center and HADCO were Dominion Electric, displaying energy-efficient outdoor lighting, and Integrated Media Systems, wiring the room with flat-screen televisions and flanking the outdoor space with waterproof speakers.
Lee Odess of Integrated Media Sytems and Chef Patrizia Krejci
Lee Odess, director of marketing and sales for Integrated Media Systems, had a goal from the start when he originally conceived this event. “We’ve all come together to take a more application approach to the outdoors,” he says. The application approach, he explains, demonstrates at a glance how consumers can put outdoor products to good use.
And there’s no better way to display that than by putting the beautiful stainless steel Alfresco grill on the scene to some serious work. Special events Chef Patrizia Krejci was on hand to fire up succulent shrimp and deliciously marinated steak and chicken for the guests.
HADCO’s Executive Vice President Steve Terry and Washington Spaces Account Executive Angela Carpenter get some grill time.
Alfresco Grill’s Vice President and Director of Sales and Marketing Dale Seiden also lent his expertise on creating an outdoor entertainment area that will incorporate function, flow, and fun. Seiden has created industrial kitchens in some of the finest restaurants around the country. His résumé includes kitchens in the Bellagio and Venetian Hotels in Las Vegas, and he has collaborated with celebrity chefs including Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse. Seiden’s knowledge of restaurant kitchen design has carried over to creating outdoor kitchens, and he believes he’s brought a whole new thought process to the table.
Alfresco’s Dale Seiden discusses the importance of using high-quality equipment to create an efficient outdoor kitchen.
“I take the same marketing approach that I do with the restaurant kitchen, and I have applied it to the outdoor kitchen,” he says. “The niche consumer today wants products that emulate what they see in restaurants.”
Some fine points Seiden touched on included the benefits of choosing commercial-quality appliances. “They should be built like a tank,” he says. Using a heavy gauge of steel and a seamless welding process with no sharp edges are key components in a quality grill.
“Zoning” is also important, Seiden believes. To maximize the accessibility of your outdoor space, Seiden deems it significant to have different zones mapped out and separated, including preparation, cooking, plating, serving, and entertaining.
Entertaining is, of course, the most important aspect.
That’s what brings everyone together.
Josh Rosenthal of Rosenthal Homes is joined by Washington Spaces Associate Publisher Heather Heider and Account Executive Rashida Creque.
Jennifer Ingber of Fresh Confections LLC, at right, served delicious treats, while Washington Spaces Account Executive Jill Yager, center, and Charles Luck Stone studio consultant Katie Buchan, at left, enjoyed them.
Beautiful Unusual
Need another reason to be outside on a cool morning, a sunny afternoon, or a velvety summer evening? I think we may have found one! Garden Architects in Annapolis stocks an array of outdoor furniture that Jennifer pithily described as “so unusual” – in the best possible way, of course. We’re talking beautiful unusual, envious-neighbors unusual, spend-hours-on-their-Web-site unusual.
The first thing that caught my eye was the Frank Lloyd Wright Stonework.
Frederick C. Robie Residence Vase
Johnson Wax Building Vase
These pieces have some power, right? They’re strangely primitive-yet-futuristic, blending noiselessly into the scenery, making a statement when you take the time to examine them. The beveled edges of the Johnson Wax Building Vase have me swooning! So strong, so refined…
This heading had me intrigued as well: Party Gear! No sense in mincing words, right?
These gorgeous lamps speak louder than any words:
Again, we have a study in contrasts as the softest, most gently diffused light radiates from severe geometric pillars. Couldn’t you picture a set of these creating a sculpture-garden-esque ambiance at an evening wedding?
Now, for our favorite: Kokonut. This chubby, ergonomic line of outdoor seating is jaw-droppingly cool.
Where did this incredible line come from? A marshmallow’s drawing board? Outer space? My dreams? Actually, it came from Sifas, a French furniture designer on a mission to “abolish the frontiers” of exterior furnishings, and to “make sophisticated the outdoor.”
After seeing all of this, I really wanted to talk to Robbie Fitzgerald, the mastermind behind Garden Architects. My most burning question concerned how she amassed such a vast collection of interesting and well-made pieces. After a career working as a director for technology projects, she decided to make a change. After a lifetime in the corporate sector, she says, “I needed to do something that I loved.” After a period of schooling (she is now a “master gardener”) which included training at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, she started out dealing in fine art for gardens. “I realized that I was in a market where it was much harder to reach the buyers that I wanted to reach – I wanted a bigger and better niche, and to serve the community better.” From there, she moved into outdoor furniture “with a focus on quality, style, and design over mass quantity,” and Garden Architects was born.
“I really have a love of the arts and a love of design,” says Fitzgerald, “and a love of working with phenomenal designers who really care about quality and style.” Her vendors “understand how bodies are shaped,” and their “well thought-out” pieces speak to this understanding. When choosing items, she looks at a line’s reputation in addition to its style: “Are they in good company? Are they well-respected?” Above all, she says, “my vendors are my partners,” and she seeks to cultivate “relationships based on integrity and conversation. When it works, it’s so much fun!” Her favorite part of her job? “We’re outside all the time.”
Gardens of Delight
If you haven’t already picked up the latest issue of Washington Spaces, I want to direct your attention to our feature on outdoor rooms, along with its sidebar reviewing products for those outdoor rooms.
The whole point of being outside, of course, is to enjoy the natural scenery. To that end, I’ve been seeing a lot of scenic inspiration crop up.
I recently strolled through the Boston Common and saw these eye-popping alia, the size of which I’d never seen before. Being a lover of purple flowers, I need to seek them out for my own garden:
I also admired the way the Boston Common landscapers assembled this tableau using multiple floral varieties. Note to self: should I even try this at home?
Back at the magazine, we got a nice note recently from Amish Country Gazebos, which will help you design your own gazebo, from which you can sit and smell the roses.
Timely, too, is a new DVD series on gardens, and their power to inspire and heal. GardenStory, a series of 10 half-hour episodes, is a profile of gardens nationwide, from the garden of a Harlem Renaissance poet that served as a sanctuary for her to write poetry, to community gardens of New York’s East Village, to sportsman and art connoisseur Harvey Ladew’s huge topiary gardens near Baltimore. Host Rebecca Frischkorn of Charlottesville, VA, is a board member of the Cultural Landscape Foundation and the Shenandoah National Park Trust.
Pier 1 and Cost Plus World Market: A Great Marriage of Style
The big retail news this week is that Pier 1 Imports made an unsolicited bid to buy Cost Plus World Market in a deal worth $88.4 million. Wall Street analysts are mostly down on the idea, but style-wise, it makes perfect sense.
Both companies have a strong Asian/Polynesian feel, with unexpected delights popping up now and again that don’t always fall into that category. Walking through Pier 1 or World Market always yields cool discoveries.
High-end designers are not above using them, either: Kenneth Brown used a World Market screen in a family room he designed for a Los Angeles music industry executive, which was featured on his HGTV show. Thom Filicia of Bravo’s Queer Eye fame used to be the spokesperson for Pier 1. Pier 1 also offers discounts for interior designers.
So, let’s compare:
World Market has these great Thai floor cushions
And Pier 1 has these colorful damask throw pillows
World Market has a strong, contemporary picnic table:
And Pier 1 has these sweet rockers:
World Market has a lovely outdoor pitcher and glasses,
Which would go great with Pier 1’s outdoor tableware:
World Market offers a beautiful Honeycomb screen,
While Pier 1 has a louvered Plantation screen:
World Market has a handsome round rattan vase
And Pier 1 sells a jaunty turquoise one:
Meanwhile, both stores have some beautiful items that are unique to them. Keep reading to see more.
WORLD MARKET
This Raj Panel would look great on its own on the wall, or put several of them together to make an unusual headboard:
The Akio Coffee Table and the Soho Bookcase have a slight Asian flair, but mostly they just give a strong profile to a room:
And wow – there’s wall art from Kim Parker, the famous textile designer.
PIER 1
I love garden stools, and was so pleased to find them here, where they don’t cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, as many do:
This floral dinnerware is so pretty to look at, and it’s something no one would ever know came from Pier 1:
Same thing with these enamel boxes:
And I was so taken with these sweet ceramic box and lotus flowers – they would be perfect for the top of a dresser or vanity:
And speaking of vanities, this Hayworth vanity and bench swept me away. Pier 1? Who knew?
A Rockin’ Memorial Day
Photo Credit: The Homestead, Hot Springs, VA
My requirements for a relaxing Memorial Day weekend are not extravagant. I like to be sedentary for as long as possible, with a cold, sweet beverage and a stack of decadent magazines within arm’s length and a body of water nearby. All hats must be fabulous and the smell of barbeque must be wafting from somewhere not too far away. Throw in the (distant) sound of a lawn mower—maybe some chirpy birds—and I am sitting pretty. In a rocking chair, of course.
But here is the most important question: which rocker is right for you?
Wood?
Weather-Proof?
Wicker?
Color?
Caneback?
Porches and Yards
Whichever form you choose, here’s to a peaceful, relaxing Memorial Day.