While many people gravitate to a particular condominium development because of its exterior architecture or fabulous location, it is the interior design that should really be the focus.
It’s true that in this era, with the allure of hot neighborhoods running high, that is tough to do. It’s a lot more fun to daydream about socializing in the wine bar across the street or luxuriating in the spa downstairs.
But if a person is really serious about condo living, she will think much more about her actual living space than what shops, restaurants and galleries are down the street.
Because there is immense truth to the cliché that home is where the heart is, interior designers focus their work on the abode itself. Yes, the neighborhood around the home — whether single-family or condo — is important and helps drive interior design. But ultimately, the living space is what residents will really bond with for years to come. (more…)
Most people shudder at the thought of the harvest gold appliances and avocado green shag carpet that characterized the homes of the 1970s, but restaurateur David Gingrass, who owns the acclaimed Hawthorne Lane in San Francisco, fell in love with a 1975 Napa ranch-style home.
He completed much of the renovation work himself, eventually turning it into a comfortable home where he could entertain, despite its having only 1,500 square feet.
His kitchen, of course, was of primary importance to him, and several of his ideas would work in any small home. One is the continuous upper cabinet line that doesn’t waver when it passes over the sink. (more…)
The Souplantation buffet chain has gone back to the vegetable patch in engineering the first new store design in its 28-year history.
The prototype – unveiled with the opening of a Chula Vista, Calif., Souplantation – will feature a contemporary “farmers market” look with a barn-like facade and open rafters and an industrial design inside.
“We wanted to more effectively impart a cleaner, fresh-from-the-field image,” said Michael Mack, chief executive of San Diego-based Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., which owns the Souplantation chain. (more…)
