THE NEW ONLINE SHOPPING PHENOMENA

There seems to be more and more 'exclusive' special sale websites popping up in all avenues of internet sales.  Recently there seems to be a plethora of home sites that have manifested, such as the Foundry and One King's Lane.  While they try to maintain an air of exclusivity and membership, they are still pretty darn open to the public.  But their main function is to offer up supposed great deals from a range of retailers.  The great part are of course the discounts, but I think even more so the exposure to lots of smaller retailers located throughout the country that I may have never ever encountered otherwise. 

Yet, my biggest problem with these sites in terms of being a practicing designer, is that I have yet to reach the echelons of dealing with clients that just let me purchase things without reviewing with them.  Ahhh, to have the turnkey client who says - "I want it done by this date, just do it".  Alas, I mostly work with clients that have one or two homes, not six or seven, and want to be a bit more intimately involved in the design of their homes.  (Don't get me wrong, I love my clients all, and love such projects that become much more personal).  Anyway, my problem is that all of these sites have flash sales that end within a few days or hours.  This makes for a hard sales situation for me.  First of all, it means I can really only look for items the day of a meeting, and then I have to push a client to make a decision almost on the spot so we can get the items before they are sold out or the sale just plain goes away.  This can be frustrating and a waste of time.  Maybe there is a better way to deal with these sites, but I have yet to find them hugely beneficial from a business standpoint, other than exposure to new brands.  Of course I am sure there are those times where I search for that perfect something, and if it happens to pop up on one of these sites, it would be possible to get the client on board quickly.  Anyway, that is my perspective.  I would be interested to know if you use these sites, love them, find them useful or not.

MORE ON SMALL SPACES

((Anyone know which house is shown above?))

I must say I am happy to hear that house sizes are decreasing in the United States. I understand a universal desire for more space, however, for me, there is some special quality to a small home that cannot ever compete with the cavernous. There is a usefulness to spaces that don't exist in large homes... in large homes there just seems like so much waste. And I don't mean everyone should live in a 500 sq ft condo. But I like to see people considering what they actually require in terms of space and using that space well. And again, there is just a different something about a small home...it is inevitably more cozy, more distinct and more unique, in many instances. (Of course huge homes can have that special quality and small can lack it, however it is more unusual in my experience, in particular with builder homes).


So, as Salt Lake City contemplates the use of smaller spaces, I thought I would share some of my favorites with you. And while many times small spaces lend themselves to cleaner more modern lines, there is by no means any reason why one cannot go uber traditional with a tiny space.

Here is a project from the book 'The Not So Big House' that is 1700 sq ft and pretty darn cute in my opinion.  I always enjoy building up instead of out (must be my manhattan roots) and think of all the great exercise one would get!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


I love this small condo in NY courtesy of AD, and how much space has been relegated to the entry foyer.  A true sense of entering the space certainly helps define it.  And all the light, all the shiny surfaces to reflect the light.

 
 
 




















And probably one of my favorite recent small spaces with no holds barred....the pink condo also in NY also from AD.  It speaks for itself...(but I will say I just love the amazing tranformation of a long, dull white hallway to this space.  If I lived here I would want to spend all my time in the hallway!)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

CHECK OUT THE TRIBUNE THIS SATURDAY

Calling all SLC followers... check out the Tribune this Saturday, August 13th, and look for an article about living in small spaces....I am in fact an expert contributor said article!

I will post the article (if it does my design reputation any justice, that is) next week for those that do not have access to this fine Salt Lake rag :)
  

IN TRIBUTE TO NORWAY

It has been less than 2 weeks since the Norway attacks and the event is still fresh in my mind.  So I thought I would use Norway as my subject matter for this week's blog.  When I visited last month I was able to visit the Viking ship that is being built in Tonsberg as an exact replica - using all original tools and techniques that were used when it was made in 800- of the famous ship- the Oseberg- that was found in Tonsberg in 1904 that is on display in Oslo.  It is in fact a pretty amazing project undertaken mostly by volunteers and is slated for completion for the 2012 London Olympics.  I love that the modern Norwegians want to sail the ship down the Thames for the games, just as they did 1000 years ago when invading England.

To learn more about the project, click here.  To learn more about the original ship, click here.