Thank you Houzz

When ever I'm in need of inspiration for work, I can think of one place that never disappoints. Go to Houzz.

traditional kitchen design by seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker

kitchen design

I'm in love with this kitchen.

eclectic kitchen design by new york architect Ken Levenson Architect P.C.

This is the same kitchen and the reading nook makes me love it all the more.

eclectic kitchen design by new york architect Ken Levenson Architect P.C.

traditional kitchen design by chicago architect Becker Architects Limited

eclectic kitchen design by other metros interior designer Tracery Interiors

traditional kitchen design

This white paint kick I've been on is starting to make me not recognize myself.

Yes, We Choose Spanish Ceramic

Design wild man Karim Rashid leads a press conference in the Tile of Spain pavilion at Coverings 2010. Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Tile of Spain was another impressive entry at Coverings 2010 in Orlando last month. 30 Spanish manufacturers joined forces in the 18,000 square foot Tile of Spain pavilion. Their offerings proved that there's ample evidence that people everywhere will be repeating the catchphrase of Tile of Spain's new global marketing campaign, Yes, We Choose Spanish Ceramic.

Here are some highlights from the manufacturers present.

Adex

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain

Azulejera Alcorense

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain

Pamesa Ceramica

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Navarti Ceramica

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Ceramica Fanal

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Azulev

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Inalco

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Tau Ceramica --Two selections from Karim Rashid's No-Stalgia series

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Rosa Gres

Photo courtesy of Tile of Spain.

Pretty cool stuff, thanks Tile of Spain!

Twitter and the art of public image management

The Moggit Girls are an internationally famous and highly influential blogging duo. They're also terrific friends of this blog. One of these days when I stop mocking HGTV, Joy and Janet will help me land a development deal similar to theirs. Here's one of their highlights:





These two make me sound reserved.

Anyhow, Joy and Janet live in a kitchen I'd imagine looks something like this. And one day they were on Twitter and they weren't saying very nice things about their refrigerator.

moggitgirls: My Viking fridge shoulda been a vacuum, 'cuz it SUCKS. 12:14 PM Apr 22nd

Paul_Anater: @moggitgirls: Shouldda talked to me before you bought it! Apr 22 2010, 13:08

moggitgirls: @Paul_Anater: It (Viking fridge) leaks water from the bottom freezer drawer - how is that even possible?! 1:54 PM Apr 22nd

We went back and forth with the saga of the leaky fridge a few more times when I remembered that Viking's on Twitter now and since they were already following me, this would be a perfect opportunityto test the power of Twitter. Unhappy, well-known, outspoken luxury good consumers are a potential PR nightmare and on Twitter that's even more true. Viking was relatively new to Twitter and that they hadn't responded to the Moggit's and my thread. As the day went on, another good friend of this blog, Cheryl Clendenon,  joined in to discuss this leaky fridge. I decided to take matters into my own hands.

@Paul_Anater: Hey @moggitgirls, @VikingRange is on Twitter, let's ask them.
Apr 22 2010, 14:22

Still nothing from Viking, so I jumped in with both feet.

@Paul_Anater: Hey @VikingRange, meet @moggitgirls. @moggitgirls, meet @VikingRange. Discuss. Apr 22 2010, 15:11

That was a little obvious and I didn't mean to embarrass them. Really. So I sent them the following:

@VikingRange Sorry if I put you on the spot there. Maybe you and @moggitgirls can DM your way to a solution. Apr 22 2010, 15:43

Viking jumped on the situation and sent a technician over to the Moggit Girls' no doubt glamorous home. It's important to note that the Viking fridge in question is five years old and had been "fixed" repeatedly during those five years to the tune of several thousand dollars.

Over the last four or so weeks, I received periodic updates from the Moggit Girls and Viking was making good on their promise to deal with the leaky fridge.

Finally, I received the following yesterday:

@moggitgirls: @Paul_Anater --Got my fridge fixed! Price paid - $0.00. Yay! 10:25am, May 16

Bravo Viking and good job Moggit Girls. As I said right after I made the introductions,

@Paul_Anater: @VikingRange @moggitgirls --Behold the power of Twitter!
Apr 22 2010, 16:05

Where's the Log Lady when you need her?

I came across this carpet on Trendir the other day. Hmmmm.

It's Woody Wood Rug by YLdesign in The Netherlands. Woodgrain everything is all the rage these days you know.

Oh so clever board shorts by Ahoy Surf Company.

Martha Stewart for Home Depot faux bois carpet.

Faux bois shade from Lamps Plus.

Faux bois throw pillows by My Imaginary Boyfriend.

Faux bois edible decal by Hello Frosting.

Woodgrain decal for a laptop by Beepart.

Faux bois bow tie by Toybreaker. Note how ably that tie's modeled by an ungroomed youth of today.

This is all well and good and I suppose it's harmless. However, every time I see any of this stuff, two things come to mind. The first is the log lady from Twin Peaks.

And the second is the gem from the silver screen.





Is woodgrain stuff the new macrame?

Back from the wilds

Gene and Melody reliving scenes from The African Queen

What a perfect morning into afternoon. It was great to see the always good company Melody and Gene and it was even better to see them and share a slog through the wetlands.

While we didn't see my favorite spider, Nephila clavipes, there were plenty of other sightings to make up for it. It was good to be away if only for a few hours and it's nothing short of amazing that I can be completely surrounded by a mangrove wetland yet still be less than three miles from home.

A mangrove tree crab (Aratus pisonii) on a barnacle-encrusted mangrove root.

Mangrove trees are a vitally important buffer between water and land in the tropical regions of the world. They grow at the water line and their interlocking roots form a barrier to tidal and hurricane surges. Those same interlocking roots serve a nursery for many of the commercially important fish and crustaceans that keep afloat the economies of the maritime tropics. It's pretty simple, with no mangroves, the land washes away and there are no crabs, shrimp or fish like snapper. Keeping mangrove wetlands intact and healthy is a matter of  life and death frankly.

The oil spill in the Gulf right now threatens all of this in a very immediate way and I hope with every fiber of my being that that spill doesn't lead down a path where it very well may. As great as being out in the wetlands was today I can't shake the feeling that the sword of Damocles hangs over all of us.