Apr 30

Warm Up and Chill Out – Outdoors!

By pattisays In design, design trends, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design /  

The weather outside is shinin’,
And the warmth is so divine in
Backyards of everyone we know
Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow!
A seasonal twist to a familiar tune, something to hum while you’re gardening or sitting and admiring the work of others in your garden as you sip a refreshment from the comfort of your reclining lounge. I asked the other day about where is YOUR favorite outdoor living space and here is a shot of one of mine! Morning shadows, birds chirping, cool air warming with the rising sun…and tequila as shown here – ha! “Tequila Makes My clothes Fall Off,” which is good to be advised to drink it in a warmer climate – to avoid an unwanted chill!!! The back patio of the Casita de Colores is on the 14th fairway of the Oro Valley country club Golf Course – north Tucson. The Linear Park passes by to the west with easy access to miles of hiking and biking trails! It is quite an outdoor paradise!
Last night we gathered (chillaxin’ – thank you for this fun portmanteau, Shell) with friends and enjoyed the soft evening air…sipping margaritas, munching chips with chunky, freshly made salsa and luscious guacamole with a background of latin guitar wafting from the IPod – the Catalina mountains turned pink to lavender as night descended over the desert…it was magic.
The weather is still variable across most of the country – but certainly heading for a constant that we can count on to enjoy the outdoor living spaces! But I would like to pause to praise the strength of so many whom, in this time of devastation being experienced in the recent destructive path of the tornados, are re-building lives where all they see for miles are piles of outdoor debris where homes once stood. May they find comfort in the knowledge that perseverance will restore a new definition to their lives as they reconstruct what once was…and may it be safe and beautiful.
On my computer I have the gadgets posting the weather in some of our regular haunts from St. Thomas to Puerto Vallarta, Washington D.C. to Tucson – Albuquerque usually falls in the middle of the temperature reports which today range from – ooh, ABQ is the lowest right now at 46! St. Thomas is 83 and we here in the Sonora Desert are climbing up, currently at a mild 66 expecting low to mid 80s as the day progresses! The time difference plays a role though since St. Thomas is out there to the east of our east coast time zone – Atlantic as it’s called…well into their day as we are just greeting ours out here in the west coast time zone! So perhaps you didn’t expect a weather report – but it all centers around appreciating opening the doors, letting the air in and enjoying that spilling out from inside to live outdoors for a good part of the year to the extent that your climate will allow!

So, as it warms up – chill out!  Enjoy!

Casita de Colores – a favorite outdoor living space!

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Apr 22

Earth Day and the Announcement of our Exterior Design division!

By pattisays In exterior - outdoor design, interior design /  

What better day to announce our new division PATRICIAN DESIGN Exteriors but Earth Day!! I have said many times that Interior Design spills out-of-doors with the natural progression of expanding our living spaces in the warm weather. The market grows each year with outstanding offerings in UV and moisture resistant fabrics and the decorative accessories are bountiful! Outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and entire living rooms now, more than ever are a must have for anyone who appreciates what the exterior spaces can offer!
So take in this magnificent Spring air and start planning how to maximize your outdoor living spaces!

Exterior Design for the fun of enjoying the outdoor living spaces!

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Apr 21

The Cat In the Hat Brings Fond Memories and Interior Design Fun!

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, design trends, furniture finds /  

As I sat down to pen this blog, I was forced to race upstairs and extract my very own original copy of The Cat in the Hat from my childhood library. Yes, I maintain the luxury of a room entirely devoted to the things of my past (and ongoing for that matter), and it overflows with nostalgia, collectables, letters, photos, travel memorabilia, artwork, a vintage Schwinn excercycle and so much more! This edition says copyright 1957 without mention of a later date of issue…which means that if it is an original release (and I hate to admit how close to my birth year that actually was), I have a treasure in my hands. Original paper jacket and my own handwritten name penciled on the first inside page – well, I wanted to make sure everyone knew it was mine – so I wrote my name in pencil on the inside cover AND the first page…and two versions of my name to boot! The pages are perfect – a tad yellowed, maybe – but quite remarkable for the hours of enjoyment that this book provided over many years. “The sun did not shine, It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house All that cold, cold wet day.”
This past weekend we were treated to the first of our Third Annual Summer Saturday Art Series on the sidewalk in front of our shop. Outrageously talented artist Gene McClain presented an array of fantastic creatures, furniture, and fun!!! Gene carves, builds and creates incredible painted pieces of all manner of expression with humor, sarcasm, prose, promise, fun, frivolity, and thoughtful perspective.
For kids of all ages, I selected The Cat InThe Hat upon which to pose. This fabulous chair would be the PERFECT decorative, functional art piece for the child in all of us!!! So as you remember the cat tempting fate with all of the ridiculously daring stunts he demonstrated to Sally and her brother – open your hearts to the whimsy and genius that was Dr. Seuss and who’s genius now in Gene McClain brings one of our favorite all time characters into our interiors! Presenting The beloved Cat In the Hat – chair???!!! http://bit.ly/hbUV02

Perching to pose with The Cat in the Hat by Gene McClain

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Apr 19

Easy Do-It-Yourself Flagstone Patio – NOT!

By pattisays In DIY design, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, landscape design, travel and design /  

I love how those home improvement shows always make it look so easy. One that I came upon the other day created a flagstone patio with a stacked stone retaining wall and voila! All during the course of a half hour or maybe it was a full hour – regardless, this is an invitation to disaster.
“Be prepared” is what I must say first. As I spoke to a friend of mine who found a “great deal” on some demolition flagstone on Craig’s List, she personally hefted over 3,000 pounds into the back of a pick-up to begin her own flagstone patio! “Get OUT – three thousand pounds by yourself?!!” I exclaimed! And also offered that perhaps she might not have to go to the gym for the next 3-4 years!!!! But as she further delved into the details and mention of “anyone with high heels best remain on the paved portion of the patio” this now momentous project, I felt it worth a blog…
On TV, they clear and carve the area, level the surface, cut the stone with a wet saw…well, you can imagine – maybe. But in REAL TIME with one or two novices, it becomes more than a challenge. They WILL get finished – and barring anything unforeseen, before the summer is over so that they can actually enjoy the fruits of their labor…Patience and perseverance – one step at a time…one stone at a time…
Often on EXTERIOR design projects, it is not uncommon for the homeowners of the residential plans to want to “help” with the process. It sounds like fun. This is great. It allows for an investment of more than money when one actually participates in the work. So I never discourage this involvement. But I have rescued clients from trying to do it all themselves – when the tension is so thick that you can barely cut it with a garden spade! They say that building a house together can ruin a marriage…the stress can be tremendous – so too can be the landscaping projects and remodels that seem so manageable – until reality strikes! How heavy, how even, how flush…the exacting details…this place is a mess…how much longer is this going to take????? If you survive, it can be satisfying – but at what price this prideful satisfaction?
I shot this beautiful stone path at the Acropolis in Athens a couple of weeks ago. It was so perfectly casual. Stone against plantings is so welcoming – especially meandering through a garden. It provides texture, color, contrast and all with the harmonious sense that it’s a natural occurrence…with a little help from patient and capable hands.

Inviting path in the gardens of the Acropolis, Athens

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Apr 15

Where to Find It – the Fun, Adventure, Exploring and Buying

By pattisays In art and interior design, art as gift ideas, travel and design /  

The world is so small – thanks to the internet and all of the advanced media channels that allow international exposure to design, culture, social activities and far-reaching trends. We see things before we experience them first-hand or we experience first-hand things that originate from afar – from places we might never visit. Yet we DO experience some of the sensory features like seeing the art, touching the textures, smelling the scents of products that end up in our world – from museums to retailers like IKEA, Pier One…the adventurous originals (who remember Dockside in Old Town Alexandria?) they who “shop the world so you don’t have to!” They have brought folk art, flavors, cultural influences, design and décor from all corners of the world to us everywhere for decades. Oh, we can go way back before that to the adventurous explorers, spice traders, and global swashbucklers who dared to dart across the open seas to trade between exotic ports.
When you actually travel to these distant places, you see many of these same things but, in context. Sometimes a disappointment of mass production or poor living/working conditions but, more often it’s a joyful exhilaration of realizing that you are actually at the place where these wondrous things originate – whatever they might be. To see the villages and regions, from where folk-art traditions have been continued for generations, is amazing.
It is great fun to have an outlet to actually “travel the world and shop to you don’t have to” as I explore the markets, meet the artists, and barter to bring small representations of these experiences home for my eclectic little shop. Customers delight in seeing what treasures they might find that are not available elsewhere – that perfect gift and where to find it. I had always thought it would be a great adventure to be a buyer for a big pocketbook – Horchow, Gumps, those marvelous retailers who intentionally scour the globe in search of new design offerings and make contacts for custom fabrication. Yet I am quite content to incorporate a small treasure hunting exercise into each of my travels to discover and convey a selection of bounty resulting from each exciting encounter. (Like thes tiny glass bluebirds and fabulous handpainted/glazed bowls brought back from Greece last week!)

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Apr 12

Build IT America

By pattisays In architecture, design, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, travel and design /  

We’ve heard about streets paved with gold – and this is as close as I’ve seen. In Istanbul, we encountered streets paved with what we know it as Porphyry – a granite-like stone quarried in Mexico – billed as a European paving material – we saw it all over Greece and Turkey. Like brick from the standpoint that it is durable, conceals dirt and street soil, these square chunks of non-slip stone give a mottled coloration of reds, grays and dark charcoal tones resulting in a practical, timeless and extremely attractive surface. Not only the pavers, but great tiles of honed granite for sidewalks and shown here, drain channels along the curbs. And we primarily have asphalt and concrete!!!
Milestone in Santa Fe brings tons of it in from Mexico to create luxurious driveways, patios, pathways and anything that might require, deserve and be budgeted for this style and quality of material. It’s unfortunate that the cost inhibits many (including the public municipalities) from using it. Not only the material cost (which might be better valued with more competition) but the labor to install.
This comes back to the lost art of many of the trades and the lost interest of recent generations to continue the trades of the generations that preceded them. We have to import stone masons to restore our historic churches and other edifices fabricated from and adorned with the fine craftsmanship of generations past.
Let’s get the AGC (Association of General Contractors) for example to establish, fund, and promote summer camps for kids to pursue the trades. These 2 to 12 week camps could be located all across the country, supported by the many businesses connected to the construction industry – machine, tool, cable, wire, cement, stone, brick, lumber, adhesive, steel, electric, plumbing, and other companies related to the trades. We have cut so many programs in the public school systems that it’s time for the private sector to step-up and contribute to the betterment of our labor forces. To have a leader like the AGC orchestrate a nationwide program that gathers participation from all manner of associated businesses both national companies and local concerns in each region would be a tremendous asset to our students, labor force, and economy. Whether imported workers or home-grown we need the trades – the fine craftsmanship and the sense of pride and recognition that should be instilled and go along with such good work.
The construction industry has taken a large hit with this down-turn in the economy. Yet the unions and non-union alike could and should be more vocal about constructive measures to improve the morale, growth and development of our labor scene. Not everyone is cut-out for college and the intellectual pursuits of higher education. Yet their talent and aptitude is no less important and should be encouraged and honed – and who better than the industry leaders of this great nation? BUILD IT AMERICA!

Singing in the Rain in Istanbul on shimmering wet pavers!

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Apr 12

Immortal Merit of Ancient Architectural Designs

By pattisays In architecture, exterior - outdoor design, travel and design /  

THE Acropolis venue – this might be my one and only performance!! Ta Da!! But to be in these places where so much history is embedded in the stone and where modern celebrities have entertained and received worldwide exposure – it is staggering and humbling to even stroll by and see it – imagining the many scenes and who has performed and what on this and other ancient stages – imagining actually being invited to perform there in modern times with the ghosts of the millennia echoing through the zephyrs of the site.The Acropolis
These magnificent structures challenge if not defy our understanding as to how they were constructed so many thousands of years ago. Yet it is fascinating to realize what stunning architectural design impact they left and that we have utilized and incorporated their designs through the centuries and still value and employ today. Who was that first person or team of clever thinkers to determine to put a couple of things upright and something across the top of them and create the column and beam framework for structures? Not to mention the increased weight bearing techniques and incredible adornment that followed to improve and embellish the structures. From the pyramids to the palaces, the arches and vaults, the timeless influence of their ancient building designs and decorative arts is found in not only architectural design, but the design of interior spaces and furniture design as well. It’s inspiring to stop and think about the historical importance and true immortal merit that these ancient designers contributed to our planet.

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Apr 11

Less is Enough as Observed by Zorba’s Associate, Boss

By pattisays In context of interior design, design, interior design, travel and design /  

When in Rome…or other places, I like to read in context with my travels. So last week while cruising the Greek isles and a couple of neighboring Turkish ports, I explored the timeless novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, none other than Zorba the Greek! What an engaging exploration of the human spirit seen from two distinctly different viewpoints. The detail and descriptions are fantastic. This observation on the part of the narrator, Boss, hit a chord so perfectly within me that it resonated a concept that we all must ponder…what are our needs, our comforts, and our pleasures when it comes to interior design?
“It is a great pleasure to enter a Cretan peasant’s home. Everything about you is patriarchal: the hearth, the oil lamp, the earthenware jars lining the wall, a few chairs, a table and, on the left as you enter, in a hole in the wall, a pitcher of fresh water. From the beams hang strings of quinces, pomegranates and aromatic plants: sage, mint, red peppers, rosemary and savory.
At the far end of the room a ladder for a few wooden steps lead up to the raised platform, where there is a trestle bed and, above it the holy icons with their lamps. The house appears empty, but it contains everything needful, so few in reality are the true necessities of man.”
It seems as we start out in life, that we want to gather things, express our interests, and decorate with the stuff that says who we are…then later, many people want to reduce the clutter, eliminate the maintenance and strive for a simpler life. This too can be said in light of catastrophes like the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The devastation that robbed so many of their things and even their loved ones certainly puts things in perspective.
But healthy consumerism and the capitalistic way of life that encourages, promotes and rewards the buying and selling to keep the machine in motion is a far cry from this simple scene. But for a moment, pause and re-read those two paragraphs and wonder if it doesn’t come back to architect, Mies Van der Rohe’s famous phrase that he adopted from painter Andrea del Sarto that “less is more”? Or in the case of the peasant’s house…less is enough.

A quiet morning on the isle of Crete

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Apr 10

Backyard Celebration of Spring Flowers and New Growth

By pattisays In color and temperature re: interior design, environmental design, exterior - outdoor design, landscape design /  

Purple is the color exploding in my garden today – well, this week…I blew around the yard this afternoon to discover all that was happening. In the blustery wind as the aqua tips of the new growth on the branches of our mammoth blue spruce trembled and the young leaves of the peach tree (we sadly missed the cheerful pink blooms that came and went over the last two weeks while we raced around NYC and flew over the pond to Greece) shook with the gusts, I marveled at Spring’s exhilarating progress.
The redbud tree’s branches are bursting with those red-purple blossoms while the lilac is choked with new green leaves and spires of blue-purple clusters. What an incredible contrast against all that new green growth!
Albuquerque actually looked green from the plane as we landed yesterday – compared with New York and Chicago that are just beginning their long-awaited spring transformation – their vast wooded areas are still brown/gray from the plane window. Yet Albuquerque is quite green from the sky! What usually looks like another planet devoid of foliage by comparison to other more lush and densely forested areas this time of year it sings its song of spring’s seasonal change with bold pride.
I was content to leave the flowers on their bushes today but tomorrow I will clip several bouquets of lilacs and trim some branches off the red bud to bring inside and cheer up the interior in celebration of this wonderful time of year! The fragrance of the lilac is enchanting and promises to waft through the house with the soft breeze that I’ll invite inside on what is forecast to be a wonderfully warm spring day.

Spring Purples

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