Nirmada: Interior Design in New York City

In honor of World Water Day yesterday I attended a book signing with Thomas Kostigen, author of The Green Blue Book. The even was held at the TOTO gallery here in Soho, where New York’s premiere building professionals braved the downpours to enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while meeting the author.

Me, Thomas, and my friend Lisa Pak

Thomas took questions from the audience on the state of water usage in the world today, and explained his concept of “virtual water” or, how much water it actually takes to produce various products. While Thomas admittedly didn’t invent the concept of virtual water; The Green Blue Book is the most comprehensive guide to virtual water ever written. He researched and figured out how much water it takes to make pretty much anything and everything in your life and then provided that information (3,000 gallons to make your blue jeans, for example), as well as ways to save: buy vintage.

In The Green Blue Book, you’ll find hundreds of simple tips for water savings in the home, garden, office, and when on the go that will help you make a difference without making big changes in your life.

Thomas Kostigen shows how to save water not just by turning off the tap, but through discovering “virtual water,” or the water embedded in the products we use every day. By making better decisions about which food, clothes, and household necessities to use, each of us can save thousands of gallons of water—and help avert the water crisis unfolding around the globe.

The following article is taken from Apartment Therapy Re-nest
(www.re-nest.com) published on March 23, 2010

John and Melissa’s City Skyline Renovation

Name: John and Melissa
Location: Manhattan, New York
Size: 2,300 sq/ft
Years lived in: 1 year, owned
Who else lives here: Lia, 8 months

When John and Melissa moved into their apartment twenty-four stories above Central Park, they knew they wanted the sweeping city views to take center stage. But the building, originally constructed as a hotel, had a walled-off kitchen, blocking the light that now floods the apartment. With baby Lia on the way, they set about renovating the kitchen and transforming the apartment into an airy, family-friendly space.

The full article can be read on Apartment Therapy Re-nest via this link

I am on the Board of Directors for the ASID New York Metro Chapter and this year we awarded 12 lucky exhibitors TOP PICKS at the Architectural Digest Home Show, which took place this weekend.  I gave tours to the public of the TOP PICKS , where we visited the winners and learned about why they’re TOP. The 2010 ASID IMAGINE TOP PICKS are:

• Moore and Giles
  Product Presentation and Booth Design

• George Nakashima Woodworks SA
  MADE

• Forbes and Lomax
  Lighting Design

• Imake Studio
  Fabrics and Trimmings

• Eastern Marketing – AGA
  Innovative Kitchen and Bath

• Essential Home – Ligne Roset
  Presentation and Furnishings

• Haddonstone
  Accessories

• ES Salmon Leather
  Innovative Product Design

• Venfield
  1stDibs

• Reclamation Lumber
  Green Product Design

• Archetype
  Carpets, Rugs and Flooring

• Arpad Baska Architect
  DIFFA/Dining by Design

And I’d personally like to give a special thanks to my dear friend and painter of our fabulous booth Dean Penna of Penna Inc….

The Architectural Digest Home Show 2010

Get over it gas devotees, the best way to cook up a gourmet meal is on an induction cook top. Induction cooking is not some radical new technology: it has been widely used (mainly in Europe) since the 1980’s both by professionals and homeowners. But in the last few years the technology has improved so much, and the costs have dropped so much, that a new wave of equipment, for both commercial and residential uses, has become available and is so superior that I think it might completely capture the field for new installations worldwide in the next few years.

OK Kati, but REALLY, what makes it so special? Gas IS the best, right?

No – Induction is completely different from all other cooking technologies because it does not involve generating heat which is then transferred to the cooking vessel, it makes the cooking vessel itself the original generator of the cooking heat.

Put simply, an induction-cooker element (“burner”) is a powerful, high-frequency electromagnet, with the electromagnetism generated by sophisticated electronics in the “element” under the unit’s ceramic surface. When a good-sized piece of magnetic material such as a stainless steel skillet is placed in the magnetic field that the element is generating, the field transfers (“induces”) energy into that metal. That transferred energy causes the metal to become hot. By controlling the strength of the electromagnetic field, we can control the amount of heat being generated in the cooking vessel, which we can change instantaneously.

How Induction Cooking Works:

1. The element’s electronics power a coil that produces a high-frequency electromagnetic field.
2. That field penetrates the metal of the ferrous (magnetic-material) cooking vessel and sets up a circulating electric current, which generates heat.
3. The heat generated in the cooking vessel is transferred to the vessel’s contents.
4. Nothing outside the vessel is affected by the field–as soon as the vessel is removed from the element, or the element turned off, heat generation stops.

This translates into not only a better stir fry, but a more energy efficient and safe way to cook. Compare the energy usage of different types of cooking methods:

Efficiency of Cooking Methods

What this means is that using an induction cook top can result in greatly reduced power bills. Other tests show that induction cooking is faster than using gas, halogen, or even a microwave. As mentioned above, the induction   is extremely safe. There is no risk of fire if food or grease overflows from the pan, no risk of burns from touching the   surface, and no worry about dangerous fumes from gas or other cooking fuels. The ceramic glass surface can be cleaned by simply wiping off the surface with a damp towel. Although induction ranges are currently more expensive than their electric or gas counterparts, when all of these advantages are taken into account, the induction cook top will definitely pay for itself.

I’m not saying scrap your gas Viking today…But if you’re ready for an energy efficient, effective and safe way to cook induction is for you.

Last week the Museum of Arts and Design celebrated the 40th anniversary of Maya Romanoff and the launch of three spectacular tie-dye wallpapers. I wasn’t able to attend the event, but my dear friend and colleague Lisa Pak, brought me a souvenir scarf from the event tonight! (thanks Lisa baby!)

The collection unveils  in Spring 2010: Half Plaid, Snowflake, and Crystal. This anniversary folio was inspired by the artist’s early work, created in collaboration with New York designer and co-founder of Design Miami, Amy Lau. The museum display has been arranged by friend and architect, David Rockwell.

A pioneer of monumental textile installation, Maya Romanoff is noted for his deep knowledge of ancient craft techniques and ability to synthesize environments with the resonant beauty of handmade, utilitarian objects out of materials that range from paper and felt, to mica and glass bead. The guiding force of his artistic career has been to make art that is “ . . . not so much objectified as occupied,” to make art of every day life.

To achieve the art of everyday, Romanoff early on saw the need for artisanal production at scale. He gave an entrepreneurial platform to his artistic vision by founding a company for the purpose in 1969. Through nearly half a century, his enterprise has remained true to its founding ethos. Romanoff’s atelier – now a bona fide factory with a staff of skilled artisans, many of whom have worked with the artist for decades – produces handmade materials that lend a transcendent vibrancy to interior spaces around the globe.

Maya Romanoff’s work has garnered many awards, including Icon of Industry from NEWH, the IFDA Trailblazer Award, GOOD Design Award and International Design Excellence Award, as well as earned the permanent placement of several collections into the Cooper-Hewitt Design Institute Smithsonian.

You can purchase these new papers through me, starting next month. Until then visit the installation at Bergdorf Goodman to view the collection.

“To make a beautiful thing once is easy – to do it over and over again, that is the true art.” -Maya Romanoff