I’m often asked, “How do you work?” or “What is your process?” or “What does your ring have written on it?”

As the design developed, I presented the client with a series of hand-drawn sketches, along with materials as seen above.  We narrowed down the concepts and I created the 3-D drawing for a clearer picture of the final concept.

Once the final design was approved, it was time to source and locate the materials.  A five-inch hexagon tile was sourced from Heath Ceramics in Sausalito.  Then, I drove north to a salvage yard to hand-pick the perfect barn wood planks for the job.

Once at the salvage yard, it was pouring rain, and I was wearing a cashmere sweater. At least I had my trusty leather work gloves and a man in the yard to help be gather the fencing.

Because each plank was unique, I was careful to arrange them with the final composition in mind. Then, a carpenter installed the planks on site.  An expert tile-setter laid the handmade five-inch hexagon tiles.

   followed by a few final touches and…Voila!

Eichler Home – before, during and after a remodel from Torbit Studio on Vimeo.

For almost two decades I’ve wanted to see the Martha Graham Dance Company, which I finally saw this past weekend in San Francisco.  Click on the image below to link to the Google Doodle that was released on May 10th, 2011 commemorating Martha’s birth.  It will give you 15 second taste of the movement she was known for, which still lives on in this, the 85th season of the Martha Graham Dance Company

I considered posting a video of pre-recorded performance I saw this weekend but so much can be lost and untranslatable on a screen.  As I now try to explain this “experience”, I must share with you how I prefer to experience art and design.  In my opinion, one must witness art and design in person, live within it, and be with it, in the moment.  This allows the viewer to have both a direct connection to the experience and to feel the impact of the artist or designer’s own expression in their work.  When you see an image of a home or hotel, even if it’s represented accurately in the images, you will not feel the full impact of the environment until you stand in that space. By enveloping yourself within that environment you “get” and “feel” a true experience.

When I attend a dance performance I’m always taken back by how the dancers’ movement connects to my core.  Maybe it’s the simplicity of their medium, the human body.  After all, we non-dancers have a body too.  Are we able to easily relate and understand the expression without words and sometimes without music, because their medium is the human body?  I think yes!  The dancers’ refined sense of expression through their studied movement, allows those of us who are non-dancers to transcend their art form by bringing it into our souls.

So, I’ve titled this post “a call to action” to suggest that you to find a local dance company near you, or look up when a dance company might be coming to your city and attend a performance!  Don’t be at all daunted by this art form.  Though many claim, “I find modern dance intimidating”, you know everything you need to know — you’re a human!  Watch with an open heart and let the performance show you something about humanity you may have not noticed in a while.

This house (above) is interesting for so many reasons, but the white brick makes it all the more stunning.  This Frank Llyod Wright (FLW) house built in 1950 (above) in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas, holds a vivid childhood memory of mine. My cousin lived a few blocks away and we’d ride our bikes all over the neighborhood. But the real reason this house was so special to a 7 year old was because each time we’d ride our bikes up to the gate it would trigger the gate to open automatically. We’d do it over and over, it was so exciting!  Even though I was terrified of getting caught, I knew I had to impress my older cousin. Needless to say when I drove by it, (for the first time in 30 years!), this past Thanksgiving break, I DID NOT test to see if the gate still operates the same way. Back then the gate was painted a FLW aqua color that was a common color on FLW buildings in the 50s. That aqua was more of a 1950′s FLW color, in my opinion, than the brownish taupe it is today.
This house (above)  sits perpendicular to the street making this structure even more dynamic as you approach. Lovely corner detail (above) where the wide span of brick breaks the line of long vertical siding.I love this welded iron gate detail!

Before remodeling a structure from any era, the client and designer need to decide how much of the original design concept, if any, they want to incorporate into the new design.  In this Eichler kitchen, the owner wanted to live the mid-century dream that she had longed for while living in England.

Our goal on this project was to update the classic Eichler, mid-century elements, while still giving a nod to the original. By having the luxury of being able to pull from a 21^st century knowledge of functional working spaces, efficient storage solutions and manufacturing technologies, I knew we would be able to achieve it.

The color choices in the kitchen pay tribute to the white faced sliding doors and the darker trims that were found in 1964. Of the three shades of gray used, the lightest gray gives the kitchen a little more depth on the back of the cook top peninsula and the darkest, painted on the far wall, helps to frame the space.

For fear of losing the original “feel” of the kitchen, we thought it best to keep the original wall of cabinets. They were resurfaced, refinished and updated with new Teflon edged sliding doors, so that they slide more easily. Although in 1964 these cabinets were never intended to be high-end, we wanted to bring the new cabinetry to that level. By hiring a master furniture maker to create the fine detailing of set back doors, we were able to mimic the original sliding doors. The addition of cut out holes, as an update to the original ¼” deep door pulls, was a nice touch.

To keep the spirit of the original snow white Formica, we replaced it with a functional heat and stain resistant countertop in the brightest white composition of pure natural quartz on the market.  The solid 1¼” thick counter balances nicely with the 1” thickness of the dark trim detail on the cabinetry. The old cook-top was removed and raised to the standard current day height and in its place we installed a modern glass-top electric range with stainless detailing.

All in all when entering this kitchen it becomes clear that it’s a modern day hybrid of a mid-century dream.