Remodeling in the Ancient World

While touring Ephesus, I was struck by the beauty of the frescoes and the incredible embellishments these ancient people put into their homes.  These paintings are so expressive, colorful and festive.  What is fascinating is that in some areas, chipping paint reveals other frescoes underneath the outer paintings. We know that even primitive man would carve and paint drawings on to cave walls, perhaps as decoration, perhaps as a way of recording history (or both).  It is interesting to think about people thousands of years ago and how similar they are to modern man.  Even then, the fashion in home decor changed and the people who could afford to remodel changed their homes according to the latest design trends.

In my blog tomorrow, I will discuss the newest trends in colors according to Pantone.  From the photos below, we can see that the colors and trends of the time included beautiful reds, greens, golds and browns with hints of bright blue.

Happy Chinese New Year!

It is no secret that my design aesthetic often includes Asian and Indian inspired designs filled with antiques and beautiful carved, painted and lacquered furniture.  It is fascinating to learn not only about the history of these pieces, but also the culture of the vendors and tradespeople I work with from day to day.  I recently purchased a beautiful Chinese coffer for a client and wanted to send it to my refinisher to have it clear lacquer coated to protect the original finish from the elements created by the modern family it was going to.

I received a response that he is a traditional lion dancer and is therefore in great demand during the new year festivities and my refinishing needs would have to wait.  This seemed funny to me until I realized the importance of the holiday and how significant his role was.  The Chinese new year is the most important traditional Chinese holiday.  In China, it is known as the spring festival, since the Spring begins at the beginning of the Chinese calendar year.  The new year is celebrated with similar excitement and fanfare to Christmas in America, with families and friends gathering to celebrate, exchanging gifts, having delicious feasts and decorating their homes and communities with bright, colorful decorations. Many Chinese also do a thorough cleaning of their homes to help wash away any ill fortune and make room for luck and good fortune.   The lion dance is performed by a person or people in a costume resembling a lion.  The dance is comprised of many movements similar to that of a lion.  This is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the dragon dance.

A Design Treasure, Chicago Cultural Center

When I began compiling ideas for my new Monday blog series "Everything Old is New Again", I thought about the spaces around me in my city, sweet home Chicago.  One building that instantly came to mind is the magnificent Chicago Cultural Center, sometimes called "the people's palace". The Cultural Center was originally build in 1897 to be a public library.  Designed in the neo-classical style, this impressive granite and limestone building features a stunning Tiffany glass dome and sparkling mosaics.  As the needs of the library continued to grow, it became clear that the building either needed to be torn down and a larger, modern library needed to open instead or the library had to move.  Eleanor Daley, wife of Mayor Richard J. Daley, strongly believed the building should remain and encouraged her husband to save the building.  He began a committee to determine the fate of the building and it was decided it would be saved.   In the 1970s, the Chicago architecture firm of Holabird and Root were commissioned to remodel the incredible space, giving it a second life.

The cultural center is now an incredible space for the community featuring programs, musical performances, exhibitions and a private event space to host elegant weddings and other formal events.  It is a must see whether visiting from out of town or just wandering the streets of this amazing city.   Here are some shots of the amazing interior of this grand building.

Thermador Freedom Induction Cooktop

High Tech for Your Kitchen Design! In 2012, some of the most popular products in home design are technology.  At Deb Reinhart Interior Design Group we love integrating the newest technology in our designs.

This the Thermador Freedom Induction Cooktop was introduced at International CES this month.

Induction technology has been well recived by the public, as well as professional chefs.

This technology is comparable in quality to a gas cooktop, but since the heat only operates when it is the cooktop is connected with a induction pan it is a a safer option for that busy family unit!

This induction cookccktop goes beyond previously released models, this technology knows where your pots are and at what temperature they are currently at.  This gives you the freedom to move pots/pans (yes while cooking) and they will pick up at the exact same temperature they were moved from.  The Freedom Cooktop also fetures a 6-inch touch screen that visuall shows the pots size & location, while allowing operation of cook temperature from this screen.

Thermador's flagship Freedom surface is due in stores in Jul 2012 for an sound about $4949.

Watch this video for a full demonstration, presented by Forbes:

Everything Old is New Again, Our New Monday Blog!

On a recent cruise to Italy, Greece and Turkey, I was struck by not only the unbelievable beauty of the Mediterranean scenery and incredible architecture, but also by just how much we have taken from the innovations of the people who lived there thousands of years ago.