On the Boards: BLOCK 90

Fig Studio has been blessed with a full-load of great projects to kick off 2012.  I decided it would be fun to do an "on the boards" series highlighting the beginning phases of each project and let you know what we're up to here in our corner of the world.  We anticipate growth and many changes this year so look out for news here and on our portfolio site.

I'm kicking off the series with our Block 90 condo project.  Fig's clients and their two adorable Dachshunds are fairly recent transplants from Kansas and found their way to the bustling Pearl District about a year ago.  Their unit was formerly on show for the 2009 Street of Dreams showcase (the first and only year the show went urban) and is situated at the Penthouse level of the Block 90 development.  The building's architects, Vallaster Corl, emphasized the connection between indoor and outdoor space, access to large terraces, and preserving the urban view.  Once an industrial warehouse, Block 90 now wears a mixed-use hat with residential space, the Aveda Institute, restaurant space, retail and office space all under one roof.

For my part, I am helping my clients make connections to the surrounding architecture, create functional layouts, specify long-term furnishings solutions, and design custom millwork and cabinetry.  I always say the most sustainable decisions are the ones you only make once--  committing to a dining table that will gracefully outlive all of us is more green than just looking for the type of finish applied to the wood.  We are starting with a blank slate, with just the floorplan and a growing art collection to guide us.  The design is leaning toward a spare plan with contemporary lines.  A few injections of artistic accent in the lighting and custom upholstery design give the space balance.  We are lucky to be working such great Portland vendors for this project-  Hive, Inform Interiors, and Kai Fuhrmann to name a few.  You can follow our concepts for the project over on our Block 90 board at Pinterest.

Block 90 is slated for completion late Summer 2012.  Italian leather sofas bow to no one. 

Through a Lens and Milano

Travel photography is like a baby cheetah.  At first the collection is so cute and cuddly you can never imagine it would do you harm, and then the animal grows (and grows) so quickly it become dangerously close to disaster.   I often find that I take so many photographs so quickly that I never really have a chance to go back and weed out my favorites and discard the blurred, cutoff, or unflattering images from my trips.  When I travel, I often capture moments I'll never experience again, moments so fleeting that it's tough to hit "delete" even on what would be categorized as a poor photograph. 

A while back, an opportunity came along to enter an architectural photography competition.  Knowing that the majority of my travel photos end up focusing on architectural subjects, I decided to go back in my archives to search for a few potential candidates.  It allowed me to actually spend a little time processing each photo to it's greatest potential.  To my surprise, I learned today that one of my images was selected as an honorable mention, alongside a group of talented professional architectural photographers.  "What a feat!"  I thought, and now the world will know I used a dinky Cannon Elph to capture this image.  Take that expensive camera on my wishlist for the past three years!  It's not the paint, it's the artist, etc., etc....

Athens Olympic Village photo by Jenny Guggenheim

While the above photo was recognized by the jury, the photo below still wins my heart.  I'm sure that has nothing to do with the Cinque Terre's special white wine or pesto.  I may retire here.

Manarola, Cinque Terre photo by Jenny Guggenheim

 With that said, this is the perfect opportunity to officially announce to my readers that Fig Studio is traveling to the Salone Del Mobile 2012 (AKA, the Milan Furniture fair) this April to experience what can be labeled as Ground Zero for contemporary design.  Each year, the fair showcases the best (and sometimes worst) in the world of interiors.  My job is to look, listen, and document with scrutiny.  I'll bring back an enormous wealth of information to share with my clients and integrate into my work the rest of the year.  I had the pleasure of attending both Dwell on Design and IDS West in 2011-- what a great way to recharge my design batteries and amass inspiration for my clients.

Beyond Milan, my husband and I have plans to extend the trip to both Marrakech and Barcelona, two places I've been lusting after for years.  I can't wait to wind through the Medina and witness Gaudi first hand.  I'm pinning my travel to-do list like crazy over on Pinterest.  See you there?

Rare Find

The most beautiful ornaments I've seen this year.  Michelle Hartney can be found at Rare Device.  'Tis the season!

Portfolio: Sisters Coffee Company

Sisters Coffee: The Pearl // Exterior custom graphics by Fig Studio

Almost two years after the project's original inception, Fig Studio is delighted to share final installation photos created by Josh Partee Photography.  Enjoy!

Project Team
Client: Sisters Coffee Company
Interior Design: Fig Studio
Lighting Design: Biella Lighting
Contractor: R&H Construction
Construction Administration: Giulietti/Schouten Architects
Masonry: John Dibona
Map Graphics: Meagan Geer

Learn more about the project at Fig's Portfolio Site.

Reading Loft // Book Exchange

The Hearth // Mezzanine Stair Detail

Barista Bar // Custom Countertops by Bamboo Revolution

Residential Portfolio

We've updated our Residential Portfolio and have now instituted a self-imposed moratorium on Ink wall colors.  Apparently we're smitten.  Enjoy!

Bocci Studio Tour + Omer Arbel

Photo by Fig

Inform Interiors was kind enough to host Hope and I for the weekend and we had the pleasure of attending several intimate events over our three days in BC.  Although I've found it nearly impossible to rank my favorite, I'd have to say that our time with Omer Arbel and touring the Bocci office and production facilities was the most inspirational and mind shifting in terms of shaping Fig Studio for future success.  As many of you may know I never set out to be an entrepreneur or business owner. I just wanted to design my heart out and work my creative muscles until I became old and gray, still creating from my rocking chair on a porch somewhere.  What I learned during my short time with Omer, is that design is inherently entrepreneurial and that there is no reason to fight the business side of your creative endeavors.  Approach ideas with openness and see where they take you.  You don't have to take traditional routes in Interior Design or what your professional practice publications tell you.  Why not play with materials, shapes, and construction and decide it's function later?

Bocci 28 Series as displayed at IDS West and 14 Series at Vancouver's Inform Interiors Showroom  Photos by Fig

I'm lucky enough to have recently specified Bocci's 14 Series pendant fixtures on a current project on the Columbia Gorge in White Salmon, Washington.  When grouped, the ethereal quality of these lights allows volumes of space to be turned into an artistic focus.  The above right photo demonstrates a few different combinations of the 14 series while the photo at the top of this post takes the concept a few steps further and envelopes a 5-story stairwell at the Bocci offices.

White Salmon Residence. Architect: Giulietti/Schouten.  Interior Design: Fig Studio Rendering by Tim Schouten

Bocci's creative process and Omer Arbel's design philosophy really got me thinking about the path Fig Studio will take in the future.  How can we turn our love for good design into an accessible product for our clients and collaborators. How do we weave our tapestry of ideas?  Fig is still an infant, and we have the chance to really shape where we go and what we become.  I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to meet visionaries like Omer, Brent Comber, and Ross Lovegrove at events like IDS West.  My goal for the next year is to seek out as much information as I can, continue to experiment with new ideas, and allow myself the freedom to try. 

Oh yeah, specifying amazing light fixtures is pretty cool.  I think I'll do some of that too.

IDS West + Vancouver BC

 Photo by Fig

I'm recovering from a near-perfect long weekend in Vancouver BC, which included a recharging trip to IDS West trade show and auxiliary events hosted by Inform.  My friend and fellow interior designer Hope Telford and I met the whirlwind trip head-on and enjoyed nearly every second of our time in chilly BC.  We spent a fair amount of time exploring product booths in the Convention Center and we definitely spent some time drooling over design details in the building itself.  The multi-layered end-grain wall paneling somehow seemed quintessentially Vancouver.  The structure was built during preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics and has lived on as a beautiful resource for this growing city.

Photos by Fig

Trade shows are the perfect opportunity to recharge your design batteries, hone your editing skills, and meet new and interesting products in the world of interiors.  With Dwell on Design last Spring, IDS West, and my upcoming trip to the Milan Furniture fair, I'm focused on what's new and fresh in my industry and can pass these ideas on to my clients.  Knowing how to distill all of what we see into our design library and knowing what to toss aside is a great exercise in editing.  Let's face it, not all trends are worth following and may not be the right fit for every client.  Good designers know where to direct their focus and know what to leave back at the show.  I'll be sharing my favorite finds from IDS this week and may throw in a few from Dwell on Design last Spring.  Until then-  Fig.