Before and After

L. Rudolph is a hard working, stylish woman with great taste of her own and a penchant for the best things in life.  She already had some terrific pieces of new and vintage furniture, and some architectural interest in her southwest bungalow style home.  She was tired of the existing colors though, and wanted a more subdued, clean, yet elegant look to her great room.  Using her existing furniture, we re-worked the layout and changed up the paint and tile to great effect.

 Before was a yellow wall with blue Mexican tile.  L. had lived with the tile for seven years and was just sick of it.

So starting with paint, we covered the yellow with a beautiful warm gray color called 'Tarnished Silver,' made by a local studio.  I had in mind wide horizontal stripes to help visually widen the room. I suggested the idea to L., and she was very receptive!

I custom mixed a lighter color of the gray to provide a low contrast presentation. It instantly changed the look of the room into that of a hip, uptown loft, even though this is a stand alone dwelling.  Now we needed to deal with that blue tile, which also encased her hearth and fireplace surround on the other side of the room.

I decided to simply work over the existing surface and execute a technique I have used many times in my own home, as well as that of others. Using ceramic tile adhesive, I proceeded to glue glass craft pebbles right on top of the tile.  Since I chose clear and white glass, I primed the tile first so there wouldn't be any blue showing through the back.

The process worked brilliantly, and the whole room was completely transformed.  After grouting each area and clean up, I left Ms. Rudolph to enjoy her new space.  She was excited to share her beautiful new great room with her daughter, who would be visiting from afar later that week!

This co-ordinates BEAUTIFULLY with the poured concrete counter top!

I am very pleased with the way it turned out, and hope it gives L. many years of enjoyment!

Civano Community School

The Civano Community School is a charter K-8 school in which the parents are actively involved in curricular activities, descision making, fundraising and outreach programs.  Because of that nature, parents were often found congregated in the school entrance well after the class bell had rung, usually discussing some topic related to school events, but often time just simply chatting and catching up with each other.  A regular parents coffee morning was organized, but the main entrance square was sorely lacking any kind of comfort or ambiance.  The teachers decided, since the parents are such an integral part of the schools success, to give them AND the students a place to gather, be comfortable and visit with each other.

Following are pix of  the school as it was before.......

 Basic........

Boring............                                                              

Blah......





Working with a small budget, the teachers and staff asked me to design a space that would be comfortable and beautiful for parents, yet stand up to the rigors of everyday use by the students, not to mention the harsh desert conditions.  I came up with solutions that pleased both the parents and the student body and really give the school a unique, beautiful and practical approach to everyday use.

Using corrugated metal, outdoor fabric, paint and creativity the space is given a new life.

A simple mural gives a drab wall a shot of color and interest.....

....while painting the bike rack red brings it forward against the beige building, newly clad in horizontal corrugated metal.

A handmade glass and mirror mosaic sign hangs at the entrance, welcoming everyone as they start their day.

What I'm most proud of is the fact that not only did I design it, I personally executed every single element that went into this design, single-handedly, with kids in tow, in 108 degree heat during the student summer break.  I procured all the supplies, I built the new half wall that serves as a backrest for one of the benches, I built the benches, I sewed all the banners, cushion and pillow covers, I hung the corrugated metal siding that runs the length of the building, I painted the mural, I did the mirror mosaic on the window surrounds, including cutting the mirror itself into squares and rectangles and I made the welcome sign using plywood, back painted glass and cut mirror.  It was not an easy task, but I learned a great deal along the way and will be forever grateful for the opportunity the school provided me.