Posts Tagged Irene Turner Interior Design Firms
Vivian Maier-An Extraordinary Find
Posted by Irene Turner in Art on January 18, 2011
Recently I came across this story of an extraordinary find and the discovery of an amazing woman who was perhaps one of the finest photographers of the mid 20th century. She captured the spirit of the times through the photographs she took on random walks on the streets in Chicago and a few travel expeditions. Here’s a brief look at the story:
In 2008, a 26 year old realtor from Chicago, John Maloof, purchased an anonymous box of photographic negatives and images at an auction for $400. It had been acquired from a repossessed storage locker. Once he saw what he had he went about purchasing some of the other boxes from other buyers at the auction. After spending seven months reviewing the photographic material in his possession, he found written, almost illegibly on one of the sleeves of film, the name Vivian Maier. Continue reading “Vivian Maier-An Extraordinary Find” »
Christmas Decor-Simplifying the Season
Posted by Irene Turner in Holidays on December 9, 2010
It’s official. We are not putting up a Christmas tree this year. YIKES!
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday to decorate for. However, my husband and I decided that we would try a year with out one, and we wouldn’t buy any new decorations to create our Christmas cheer. All this in an effort to simplify an otherwise crazy season, and practice my concepts of Slow Home (Slow, Simple, Sustainable, Personal & Beautiful).
Being a designer, this of course is a challenge. Plus, I feel the added pressure of keeping our grand daughter thoroughly enthralled when she comes to visit as her other two grandmothers have trees! And, being that she loves bling, the lights are a BIG hit. OK, so there might be a bit of competition here, I’ll admit it. And, I can do this…I do love challenges.
It turns out that I was half way there as the color scheme in our home is terra cotta, red, navy, emerald, tangerine and gold (at least in the dining, living area), and that feels like Christmas already! So, I focused on adding lots of little white lights; with an abundance of natural greens from the ranch; a few gold, red and green ornaments; Cranberries, oranges, tangerines and nuts; and I spread it all throughout the house. Then I baked some highly decorative cookies. I turned on my itunes Christmas play list…and, the end result…our home feels like Christmas: Continue reading “Christmas Decor-Simplifying the Season” »
Yurts Can Be Beautiful!-via Santa Rosa Interior Design
Posted by Irene Turner in Architecture, Sustainability on July 28, 2010
What is a Yurt?
A yurt is a portable, felt covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure used by nomads and others in the steppes and cities of Central Asia. The very word yurt is originally from the Turkic word that means “dwelling place” in the sense of “homeland”. Yurts are centuries old and they are thought to have originated in Mongolia and what is now Turkey, Northern Iran and Afghanistan, by nomadic tribes.
Yurt Info speaks of the origins of the yurt, otherwise known as the ger: Continue reading “Yurts Can Be Beautiful!-via Santa Rosa Interior Design” »
3 R’s-Reduce, ReUse, ReCycle
Posted by Irene Turner in Sustainability on July 7, 2010
If you think that one person can’t have an impact, think again. A couple of weeks ago my cousin from Germany came to visit us with his family. His oldest son has only been studying english for two years and seemed to be fluent. One way he was taught English was an assignment to find something to memorize. He chose Jack Johnson’s song the 3 R’s. He not only learned all the words by heart, but he also did a whole report, in english, about the 3 R’s, with Jack Johnson’s lyrics as the bases, and started a 3R campaign in his school!
What exactly are the 3 R’s? For those of you who don’t know…here from Sheryl Eisenberg and the Natural Resources Defense Council is the simplest explanation I found…
- Reduce: Reduce means using fewer resources in the first place. This is the most effective of the three R’s and the place to begin. It is also, I think, the hardest because it requires letting go of some very American notions, including: the bigger the better, new trumps old and convenience is next to godliness…Reduce is a comparative word. It says:cut back from where you are now….
- Reuse: Before you recycle or dispose of anything, consider whether it has life left in it….Reusing keeps new resources from being used for a while longer, and old resources from entering the waste stream. It’s important as it is unglamorous. Think about how you can do more.
- Recycle: Recycling is the R that has caught on the best. Partly, this is because there are so many curbside recycling programs today…What keeps it from being a total piece of cake is the rules. Every municipality has its own, and they are not always as straightforward as they could be.…read more
Continue reading “3 R’s-Reduce, ReUse, ReCycle” »
A Sonoma Experience-CornerStone
Posted by Irene Turner in Inspiration, Nature on June 30, 2010
One of my favorite places to visit, either by myself or to take guests is CornerStone Sonoma. Located on the outskirts of the town of Sonoma on Rt. 121, it is truly an experience not to be missed.
It all revolves around a series of walk-through gardens showcasing new and innovative designs from the world’s finest landscape architects and designers. When commissioned, these artists were given the freedom to create anything from traditional gardens to modern, conceptual installations. They are inspiring, tranquil and can just plain tickle your fancy! Continue reading “A Sonoma Experience-CornerStone” »
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