Can You Say Focal Point!

I’ve been talking with students lately about focal points and how to create them.

This is one of the most exciting images I have run across in a while. It is the lobby of the Viceroy Hotel in Miami and is the work of Kelly Wearstler.

In this extraordinarily organic space Ms Wearstler mixes beautiful woods with so many different slabs of granite I lost count. The unpredictability of the repeated sizes and shapes of the slabs combined with the  randomness of their graining creates a movement that is like an adrenalin rush.

Throw in that wildly imaginative chandelier and this room demands that you stop and take it all in.

Imagine this room with  a drop-in ceiling, solid carpeting and a mahogany desk with a framed print behind it.

Now do you understand the power of a focal point wall? OK, in this case a focal point room?

Need help creating your focal point?

 contact me at www.cindybarganier.com.

 

You Might Need A Designer If…

I just had to post this. I attended a business meeting last week in a lovely office building with beautifully well-chosen colors and lovely art.

When I arrived I popped into the ladies’ room to check my lipstick.

Again, there were gorgeous tile selections with decorative borders. But then I rounded the corner and stepped up to the lavatory. This is what I encountered.

 Can you see that tiny dark half circle centered on the door at the very bottom of the large mirror?

That would be the tip-top of my head. LOL

Now notice the small hand mirror (where you see me holding the camera at eye level) that someone had to bring in.

So much for checking your make-up or anything else.  The tile selector went a little wild. The bottom of the mirror was 18″ too high meaning that you had to be about 6’3″ to see your full face in that mirror.

A good designer will help you think through those details and hopefully save you some embarrassing results.

If you would like to say,”That was fun!” at the end of your project contact me at

www.cindybarganier.com.

 

 

Damsel Not In Distress

It’s Friday so we are going to take a break from design and have a little fun.

A close friend’s son married this month. It was a case of two old southern families uniting but before you start thinking mint juleps and porch sittin let me introduce you to this charming young couple and say that you might just want to remember her name…….

It all started with a walk in the park- Central that is.

Then the walk got more exciting.

I think she said yes! Are they cute or WHAT?

Streeter is the Wall Street type while Carrie hangs more on the Broadway side of town.

About now you are thinking, “OK Cindy, lots of people get engaged why am I supposed to remember her name?”

Because this is Carrie MacLemore whose new film Damsels In Distress by Walt Stillman just debuted at The Venice Film Festival and The Toronto International Film Festival.

If reviews mean anything we will be seeing lots more of this young beauty.

 This is what Elle Canada had to say,

Actress Carrie MacLemore might not be on your radar yet, but after the glowing response to the premiere of TIFF Special Presentation, Damsels in Distress by cinema icon, director Whit Stillman (Last Days of Disco) last night, it’s safe to say MacLemore — a lead in the feature — is soon to be a familiar face in the pages of your favorite glossies.

To read their entire article click here.

Here is Carrie arriving for her first red carpet walk dressed head to toe in Dior.

And here is a snippet of one of the MANY interviews she granted this week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OEn5dY3mMY&feature=share

 

 

The very best of luck to you sweet Carrie and take care of that handsome husband! 

 

Parents Don’t Let Your Kids Grow Up To Be……

I have a young friend who can work wonders with legos! He is not too interested in his soccer game… as a matter of fact he has been known to just lie down in the grass much to the chagrin of his Daddy. LOL But ya know what? That kid, if encouraged in his natural giftings, could be a darn good architect or engineer one day. He might be designing soccer stadiums! I just made an amazing discovery that I am going to tell his Mama about. It’s Lego’s Architect series. Do you know about this?????

Apparently there is a guy named

Adam Reed Tucker

 who…

 well… I’ll just let him tell you in his own words,

“As an Architectural Artist my desire is to capture the essence of a particular architectural landmark into its pure sculptural form. I first and foremost do not view my models as literal replicas, but rather my own artistic interpretations through the use of LEGO® bricks as a medium. The LEGO brick is not initially thought of as a material typically used in creating art or used as an artist’s medium. I quickly discovered the LEGO brick was lending itself as naturally to my applications as paint to a painter or metal to a blacksmith. As I explore how to capture these buildings with the basic shapes of the bricks and plates, I find the possibilities and challenges they offer almost magical.” – Adam Reed Tucker

He has an entire collection of Frank Lloyd Wright structures on the market. Here is a sampling:

This is my personal favorite Wright house, Falling Water.

And here is the Lego version

Then there is Farnsworth House

And Farnsworth House Legos

Then there’s the Guggenheim Museum

And the Lego Guggenheim

And the newest:

        LEGO Architecture has released their latest creation, a LEGO Frank Lloyd Wright 1908 Robie House, one of Wright’s most famous prairie-style homes located in Chicago’s Hyde Park. The LEGO version is made up of 2,276 pieces. For $199, the kit comes with step-by-step instructions that include historical information about the iconic structure and architect.

Each LEGO Architecture set contains a booklet featuring step-by-step building instructions that is prefaced by exclusive, archival history, information and photographs of each iconic building, its design origin, its architect and its architectural features. 

 

 

You will have to go to Lego’s site to see the unveiling! How cool is that?

 I will be keeping a sharp eye on my two little ones to see if they show signs of needing a “toy” like this in their future. What a great way to teach!

Happy Building.

And if you would like to say,”That was fun!” at the end of your project

contact me at www.cindybarganier.com.

 

Come Sail Away

I love getting inside the heads of designers to see how they think through a project and this one was so much fun to me. The boat in which the  Camper Shoes team will sail around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race made its debut in the London harbor last week. Mark Farrow of London designed the vessel and it is a thing of beauty.

Putting no restrictions on the design team Camper simply said,”Do whatever you think looks good.” Can you say dream project?

Below are the early inspiration boards as Farrow began to play around with Camper’s logo to see what would emerge.

 

One day he realized that if you inverted the logo you got the shape of a wave. (see far right hand side) He then colored it blue and began to repeat the shape over and over and ended up with … well, the ocean.

All excited he shared his discovery with team Camper whose response was,

“But wouldn’t it disappear on the water?”

LOL Oh, yeah.

Back to the drawing board.

But if you twist those “waves” and overlap them and color them shades of red you get something that is both eye-catching and energizing!!!

So maybe this could be the mainsail but what about the hulls?

Out came the supplies for model making and suddenly little hulls appeared all over the office.

I think we’re onto something. Let’s keep rolling!

Who knew that you create a sailboat the same way you do furniture?

Here is the winning design.

And here is the real deal!

Next,they had to come up with many different sail variations because each weather condition requires a different weight and size sail. Even the thickness of the paint or ink has to taken into consideration.

Here are just a hand full of the final designs

This was a favorite of theirs and mine

It appears that the logo used on the other sail is blowing away in the wind.

To keep up with team Camper follow them on their Facebook page.

Thanks to Creative Review for all photos.

And if you would like to say,”That was fun!” at the end of your project ( got a yacht you need to update?) contact me at

www.cindybarganier.com.

 

 

Thanks Lewis And Sheron!

We’ve had another sighting!

My daughter just sent me this picture.

Lewis and Sheron (my favorite place to shop for fabric in Atlanta) is apparently stocking my fabric design. Woo Hoo

It’s the one just above the polka dot. Thanks for the vote of confidence ya’ll!

For more information on the pattern or to order contact us at

www.cindybarganier.com.