WE HAVE MOVED!

I am excited to officially launch my new website which includes a new home for my blog posts.  In addition to the new website, I am dedicating new energy to writing. I will be posting regularly three times a week on the new site, and have developed an editorial calendar to keep myself on track as well as make it easier for readers to find what they are looking for.

This is a large undertaking for me, but I am eager to get my writing muscle exercised and up to snuff as I look to publishing more articles and perhaps even take a stab at a book in the next year.

This renovation of my online presence has also given me the chance to really think about my branding and the image I would like to project to the world.  I have always been so drawn to grand historic interiors, in particular from the Neoclassical, Empire and Art Deco periods.  (Adam and Ruhlmann):

However, I am also drawn to very contemporary, extremely minimal spaces.  Spaces that are almost monastic.  And of course I am also drawn to interiors that mix both old and new. (Tadao Ando and David Hicks):

This left me in a bit of a quandary regarding my preferred style, but I soon realized a clean crisp feel with a strong reference to history summed it up.  Despite the fact many of my client projects are quite modern, there is always a strong link to historic design elements.

I don't want to create museum period rooms for clients; this is not the way most people live today, and not what most want (although I would LOVE to do a true historic interior if I ever came across that client).  Livable and comfortable spaces are of great importance.  But that does not mean I abandon history and tradition in any way.  That link to the past is so important to maintain a sense of grounding and strength in a space.

In light of these revelations, I have decided to develop these ideas in my blog posts.  Seeing as things from a time past have always called to me, there will be an emphasis on period homes, antiques, some nostalgia and the like, but I also will be spending a lot of time featuring new products and designs that have a link to interiors styles that have come before.

Here is my monthly post calendar, which I will do my very best to stick to until the end of 2016, when I will reflect and reevaluate.  All posts will go up Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

WEEK 1

- Pretty Projects Day - a contemporary or historic space that speaks of marrying past and present

- Infamous Historic Figure Day- someone that might have a link to amazing interiors or is a great inspiration for a creative mind

- Fancy Product Day- dynamite products both old and new

WEEK 2

- Little History Lesson Day- I promise this one won't be stuffy or boring, just fun and quirky

- My Projects Day- learn how I use historic references in my contemporary design projects for clients

- Travel Diary Day- you figured it out

WEEK 3

-Color Filled Day- color today and yesterday (you will be SHOCKED at some of these historic colors!)

- Architecture & Facade Day- sometimes the outside of a building is pretty too

- Cool Designer Day- there are so many to talk about that use historic references!

WEEK 4

- Historic Homes Day- one of my favorites

- Commercial Interiors Day- also so many that reference the past

- Furniture Day- I could probably blog about furniture forever!

So if any or all of these topics appeal to you, I would great appreciate you visiting my new site- http://christapirl.com/blog/  Thanks so much for your interest and support until now!

Well, I better get to it!

IOWA ARCHITECTURAL FOUNDATION

I am happy to be a part of the Iowa Architectural Foundation, a great organization that promotes outreach and better understanding of architecture and design in Iowa.

I have volunteered my time when I could over the past year, and when they asked me to contribute a small piece of writing to their new website, I was excited to help out.

They asked only for a story or episode that revealed my interest in or love for architecture and design in some way.  It was lots of fun to be given such an open platform.

So, here is my little ditty...

http://www.iowaarchfoundation.org/perspectives/beauty-in-the-build/


And please check out all the other 'Perspectives', they are all fascinating.

AN UNLIKELY PUBLICATION

I find the magazine The Economist to be highly informative and generally pretty spot-on about world events.  So when I picked up the December 19th issue, I was quite surprised to see, not only an article on the antiques business, but one that was quite negative about the state of the industry, and industry they claim is dying.  So I of course told everyone I knew about this article and what I thought.  After a few days, I realized I should tell The Economist what I thought as well.  So I did, and amazingly enough they published my letter in the print edition, a place usually reserved for diplomats or CEO's letters.  I suspect I was the only one, probably ever, to write a letter to the editor at The Economist about old brown furniture.

"I disagree with your take on the antiques trade (“Out with the old”, December 19th). It is not dying, merely changing, and its future is bright. The traditional definition of an “antique” being at least 100 years old is restrictive and outmoded. The New York Armory Winter Antique Show now allows items from as late as 1969.

You implied that the popularity of Mid-Century Modernism explains why antiques are out of fashion. However, one may see in this a sign that the younger generation still appreciates old things, just different things than their parents appreciated. Thirty-somethings are expanding their tastes; the heavy hand of Mid-Century is lifting and early 20th Century Modernism and Art Deco styles are creeping in. 

A more eclectic use of styles in interiors is indeed returning. In the Architectural Digest 2016 forecast, several interior designers noted a trend away from Mid-Century period rooms towards more traditional styles mixed with the modern. Robert Stilin, a designer, even used the term “brown furniture” in a positive light. Not quite the definitive death that many old-guard dealers are predicting. 

CHRISTA PIRL

Christa Pirl Interiors & Furniture"