Heather’s Garage Conversion Continues…

Concrete is so, well, concrete and enduring—and yet pouring the stuff takes almost no time at all. The crew arrived at 10:30 am and was gone without a trace by noon. So what happened during that time? Loud, loud noises. A huge cement truck churning concrete funneled through pipes and tubes up our driveway that spit out masses of the stuff into the garage caused quite the stir with passersby. The crew was fast and furious, screeding and smoothing in the blink of an eye. When they’d finished, the slab looked like glassy water on a perfectly still day.

Unplggd: Your Very Own IT Department

“Yes, I’m a techie. But I love my Ork Poster and Parsons Table just as much as I love my MacBook—and there’s just not enough brain space to be an expert at decor and technology. That’s why I love SupportDetails.com when I’m on a tech support call and need quick, basic info. If you’re a design geek and a tech pro who scoffs at the idea that some people don’t know exactly where to find their IP address, then this site wasn’t designed for you. But for the rest of us, it’s just a matter of time before you find yourself in front of your computer screen on the phone with an increasingly-frustrated representative from tech support repeatedly asking you your color depth or if you have cookies enabled. But one 10-second trip to SupportDetails.com can spell it all out for you and save you some time navigating through the tabs on your system settings. As soon as you click “go,” you’ll see all the important specs and settings of the computer you’re searching from, front-and-center on this one-page Web site. No more wondering exactly what version of Flash you’re running.

By Taryn”

Inspiration: Janet Hall of Remodelista

Here is the third interview from the Remodelista editors. Janet Hall lives in rented house in Cole Valley, San Francisco that she shares with husband, Mark, two children and their dog, Olive.

How would you describe your workspace? Above is an image of my favorite workspace, where I post daily for Remodelista. It also happens to be a shared family workspace carved out of a corner of our sunroom, which means organization and functionality are especially important. I pulled it together using a white Parson’s desk, a vintage industrial chair from Toledo Metal Furniture Co., and a few essential desk accessories.  As far as the design goes, I am drawn to a streamlined aesthetic but one with personality.  I achieve that by mixing old and new pieces with smooth white and natural textures, all with a pared-down uncluttered look.

Does anyone else use your office? Yes! This spot is the communal computer for our family. While we all have laptops that migrate around the house, this is a favorite place to be as it is in the heart of our family community space.

How do you organize the space? I am a big fan of desk accessories to keep our communal computer station tidy.  Thankfully, there are several highly functional accessories available that also employ great design.  Some of my favorites are The Large Block collection, by Rona Meyuchas K (picutred above) perfect for storing pencils, paper and notes stylishly. And a Place for Pen and Paper Tray which was designed by New York City–based O’Brian Muehleisen Architecture Studio as a simple desktop trace-paper holder.

What impact do you think color has on a workspace? For my workspace, I am a fan of bright whites. It creates a feeling of energy and clarity for me.  I like to work in uncluttered spaces, and white helps add to that feeling.  Light woods and natural elements, like woven baskets, complement the white and keep the space from being sterile.

What desk accessory can’t you do without? Things for Bread and Butter Case from Design Within Reach (above).  It stores our computer cords neatly out of sight which keeps the desk space free for working. Is there a piece of furniture you’d love to replace? On my wish list is a pair of Eames Walnut Stools. It is a perfect example of furniture that can move around, serving multiple purposes as a side table and a stool.  I am also attracted to their sculptural feel.

What inspires you? Living in London was very inspiring to me.  I love the design aesthetic that celebrates the combinations of period style with modern elements. I also have a strong interest in industrial furniture and fixtures. The use of restored or repurposed items in home interiors adds character.  P&W Vintage Lighting is a favorite source for me; they carry industrial lights that have been salvaged and re-wired.

You see so many great workspaces. Is there one that really stands out for you? A sliding barn door conceals an office in a project by Greene Partners that I wish was mine.  This is such an effective use of a small space that combines some of my favorite elements mentioned above:  white and light, wood with clean, uncluttered lines. The black stool adds a a wonderful touch of personality.

How do you manage a balance between work and the rest of your life? The flexibility of working from home and managing my own schedule is fantastic. It allows me to build my day in a way that works for me, my work, and my family.

Working on High

We’ve run a number of interesting backyard workspaces but we’ve never raised our gaze to the trees. David Hochman’s piece for Forbes on unusual tree houses has changed all that. Who wouldn’t want to work up in the branches of a tree surrounded by all that green? The article gathers tree houses from around the world and, of course, since this is Forbes, they are high-end, luxurious spaces. Don’t expect anything like the one your parents threw together when you were eight!

Above is a Long Island tree house designed by Roderick Romero. Which one is your favorite? Check out the photo gallery here.

When is an iPad not an iPad?

When it’s a notepad. A PixelPad has all the design grace of the iPad but is about as low tech as you can get. And it’s so much cheaper. For $24 you get a 64-page pad (printed with vegetable inks), 3 pens and a refill-pad. And while it’s designed for web designers (hence the 10-pixel grid) I think most of us would appreciate the clean design. Read the history of the PixelPad here. Looks like Andrew, the designer, should have jumped on the iPad name a little sooner!

Monday Morning Inspiration

Artist Geninne D. Zlatkis lives in Queretaro, Mexico with her husband, two sons and Turbo (a very cute dog). Her workspace is simple and clean-lined. I like the way she’s hung art and inspirational work above her desk. Her blog is brimming with her lovely work. For more of her studio in Mexico check here.

Inspiration: Illustrator Kate Bingaman-Burt

Kate Bingaman-Burt lives in Portland, Oregon, and is a professor of graphic design in the Department of Art at Portland State University. She is also the author of a new book called Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today? which documents in ink drawings all the things she bought over a three-year period. Here we talk to Kate about her workspace and the joy of color.
First tell us about your workspace. I love making piles and I love surrounding myself with work from other people that I admire. My primary workspace is in the apartment that I share with my husband and dog. I take up a big section of our first floor with my drawing table and flat files. My workspace aesthetic is pretty eclectic, but mostly bright colors, found ephemera, and work from talented friends layered on top of each other. My personal aesthetic is one of excess and also of restraint. I like to make rules that I then follow to the extreme. I mostly draw in black pen, but my installations consist of bright colors, vintage fabric, and, well, piles!

Does anyone else use your home office? I am the sole user.

How do you organize the space? Not very well. My flat files give the illusion of being organized. The piles are colorful, but in the end, they are still piles.

What impact do you think color has on a workspace? HUGE. White walls drive me insane. I make work that is BRIGHT, FUN, RIDICULOUS! My drawings are all black and white, but the rest is, well, over the top on purpose. I like using candy colors and hyperactive patterns to correlate to the craziness of consumerism. These are also pretty accessible to a lot of different viewers, too — kind of like consumerism. I am always exploring different color palettes; this decorative side of my work is really fun for me, since the other side is more concept based.

What desk accessory can’t you do without? My hot pink stapler. My cups and cups filled with pens.

Is there a piece of furniture you’d love to replace? I would love to replace the table top of my desk. It is just a piece of MDF covered with a sheet of dry-erase board. It is easy enough to replace…I just haven’t gotten around to it. I love the structure of my desk. I love sitting high, having a large surface area and a large space for storage underneath.

Is there anything you’d change about your space? I wish that I had a door. Living with your work has definite benefits, but I sometimes wish that I had a door to close. Eventually!

What or who inspires you? Big permission-givers to me have been: David Byrne, Tibor Kalman, M. Sasek, Saul Steinburg, Ray and Charles Eames, Joseph Beuys, Walls of Sound (Galaxie 500, Deerhunter — music that fills up and overwhelms and how to translate that into artwork), Fluxus, and Zine Culture to name a few. Also: yard sales, thrift stores, objects that look like a designer didn’t design them, and teaching my rad students.

What was the last thing you bought? An iced Americano from the cafe downstairs!

Photography by Anthony Georgis

Inspiration: Neale Whitaker’s Attic Office

Style is never far from Neale Whitaker’s side. From his beginnings as a fashion publicist in the UK, Neale has shaped a twenty year career in magazine publishing that spans continents and now sits firmly in Sydney, Australia and the worlds of food and design. In addition to an impeccable sense of personal style, Neale carries the dual role of editor-in-chief of Belle (an Australian interiors magazine) and associate publisher of ACP Magazines’ home and food titles. He spoke to us about his home office space and other obsessions.

How would you describe your home and how long have you lived there? I live with my partner David, who is a stylist and our three dogs – Otis and Oliver are Weimaraners, and Avard is an elderly Italian greyhound. We have lived in our house for almost five years. It’s a renovated late-Victorian terrace in Surry Hills, a vibrant inner-city suburb of Sydney.

Where is your home office? How would you describe the aesthetic?  At the very top of the house – as far away as possible from mischievous, barking dogs. My aesthetic? Confused. The home office is a work in progress. It’s a small space so it has to be kept ruthlessly tidy.

How much time do you spend in your home office? What kind of work do you find yourself doing there? It depends on the changing demands of my life. I work full-time at the moment, so I try to keep home-office time to a minimum. It’s mostly emails – particularly to friends and family overseas – but I seem to spend far too long paying bills and generally keeping house. I’m an iTunes obsessive and I love searching for music that I have no intention of buying. I tend to research any articles I’m writing at home and I wrote my one and only book (The Accidental Foodie, Murdoch Books) there.

Does anyone else use your home office? Yes – David uses it in much the same way I do.

What item from your desktop can you not do without? Large paperclips, the biggest size. Small ones drive me nuts. Do you sense an obsessive nature?

What is your favourite piece of furniture? In the office it would be the Thomas Jacobsen desk. Elsewhere in our house it’s the bright orange Thonet dining chairs.

You’re exposed to such amazing design through your role on Belle. Is there a piece of furniture that you covet? Not as many as you might think. In my job I see many beautiful and desirable things, but the quantity diminishes the appeal. That said, I could happily share my life with the limited-edition Egg chair in chocolate brown leather.

What inspires you? Knowledge gained from past experience and the opportunity and unpredictability of the future.

Photograph by Steve Baccon, courtesy of Belle Magazine

High Five

Our week on the web:

1. Office Supply Geek Everything you ever wanted to know about office supplies but were afraid to ask. Financial industries guy by day, blogger extraordinaire by night, this man knows his Sharpies. Where to start: His review of the new medium point Sharpie pen.

2. Bneato Beth Zeigler is a professional organizer, Apartment Therapy contributor and this is her personal blog. She tracks her jobs and posts inspirational spaces and designs. Where to start: Her Flickr Friday series – today’s clever closet solution.

3. A Way To Garden OK, so not exactly directly tied to the home office. But spring is here and the garden (or balcony or windowsill) is calling us. This blog is by Martha Stewart’s long-time garden editor Margaret Roach. Where to start: take a tour of her garden for a little green inspiration.

4. Shelterpop Enough with the garden. Back to work. AOL’s Shelterpop has excellent posts on home office spaces in amongst what can only be described as shelter gossip (did you know Josh Groban was selling his Malibu mansion for over $6 million?) Where to start: Erin Loechner posts are always worth reading. Start with her office organizing story.

5. Lifehacker A good source for all things to do with technology. Where to start: The Best Home Inventory Tool post.

A Writer’s Home Office

The New York Times just ran a great workspace story in their home section. The Times asked interior designer Kimberly Hall to transform a living room into a place where novelist Emily Raboteau could work. Hall had a tight $2,000 budget. The results are pictured above. Make sure you go to the NYT’s site and scroll your mouse over the image…they’ve packed it with information. It’s a really nice way to do the classic makeover story.