News-review Fall Home & Garden

HOM E ST Y L E The News-Review 2008 Advertising Supplement

Healthy by Design Image courtesy of Kitchen Aid

A kitchen with your waistline in mind Opposites attract ... in the bedroom The light of the party Musical chairs isn’t just for kids ‘Brown paper packages tied up with string’

Page 2–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Monday, September 15, 2008

WELCOME HOME! Your home is important, not only because it’s a major financial investment but also because it’s the place where your family gathers to share wonderful moments together. That’s why we’re pleased to bring you this edition of HomeStyle, your source for up-todate home-improvement information and creative decorating ideas that truly make your house a home. Healthy eating is more than a fad – it’s a way of life and, increasingly, a way of living at home. Roll out the welcome mat for a new generation of health-focused appliances, gadgets and design ideas that want to redefine your kitchen

Opposites Attract Blend design styles and décor sentiments to create the unexpected bedroom your dreams

A Bit of This, a Bit of That

Light it Right, Outside Whether you’re hosting a casual barbeque on the deck or a catered outdoor dinner party, lighting is key. Here’s how to let the right light shine on every event

Home briefs Energy Efficiency 101 … Get your money out of the

Musical Chairs Revive a stale room without breaking the bank. For starters, rearrange furniture, ditch clutter and think creatively

Strategic ‘mini-designs’ with bathroom tile can create a whole new look. Armed with ideas, tips and advice, the experts break down your possibilities

The Beethoven of Design For a blind interior designer, the creative process is nothing short of an eye-opening experience

Tool time: To wage war on your waistline, you need a fully equipped toolbox. From quality knives to a top-notch crisper to a blender that can make a smoothie out of anything, start preparing your arsenal.

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Meet the Designer: Tracie Butler From hot Hollywood homes to Eva Longoria’s new restaurant, Tracie Butler is taking the interior design world by storm with her glamorous style and inspired attention to detail

Image courtesy of KitchenAid

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Monday, September 15, 2008–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Page 3

BY PAUL ROGERS

Image courtesy of KitchenAid

CTW Features

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Healthy eating is more than a fad – it’s a way of life and, increasingly, a way of living at home. Roll out the welcome mat for a new generation of health-focused appliances, gadgets and design ideas that want to redefine your kitchen

Proper nutrition is on the minds of more Americans than ever before. Witness the booming organic food market and the proliferation of salad and fruit offerings at fast-food chains. But as the millions who have dabbled with diets will tell you, eating well consistently is not an easy task. The main ingredient of a nutritional lifestyle is, of course, the food itself, but healthy eating starts in and is significantly affected by the kitchen. From appliances to layout to décor, kitchen design can mean the difference between cooking a balanced meal at home and grabbing a bucket of fried chicken on the way in from the office. “Certainly the setup of the kitchen has a lot to do with the quality of the food. If it’s a difficult kitchen to work in, so much so that it stresses you out to cook, you might make some compromises about what you’re doing,” says Michael Welch, a New York-based personal chef who specializes in health and nutrition. If your prep area is so cramped and cluttered that slicing a tomato becomes a chore or if the stovetop is so small that you can’t comfortably fit the pots and pans needed for a meal, Welch says, you might choose to microwave a frozen Salisbury steak instead of making home-cooked chicken Niçoise. Healthy cooking needs to be as easy and convenient as possible to consistently remain the first food option. And ease and convenience starts with basic kitchen design. “Everyone knows the kitchen triangle: Our kitchen sink should be close to our refrigerator and our stove should be close to our sink,” says Laura McIntosh, host of the cooking and travel program “Bringing it Home with Laura McIntosh” and author of “Entertaining at Home with America’s Top Chefs” (Publications International, 2008). “The biggest thing is being able to access your refrigerator and your cabinets. If your food storage is open and easy to reach, you will minimize time and frustration. If your ingredients are hard to get to and it takes more time clearing a space to cook, then it will be all too easy to grab something that is not as healthy.” To start, experts suggest utilizing pullout cabinets and stair-step storage for easy access, and keeping counter space uncluttered.

Continued on page 4.

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Page 4–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Monday, September 15, 2008 Continued from page 3. Countertops are integral for placing a toaster or coffee maker, but if they’re lined with radios, TVs, gadgets, cereal boxes, yesterday’s mail, papers from the office, cups, dishes and all the other items that seem to collect in the kitchen, you are probably more likely to pop a frozen pizza in the oven than clear a space to prepare a salad. A nutritionist kitchen demands plenty of counter space to prep the greater amounts of vegetables and fruit you’ll be eating. Ideally, that space would have its own rinsing sink, separate and distinct from the cleanup sink, particularly if more than one person will be making meals and doing the chopping and slicing. McIntosh recommends adding a mandolin slicer to the kitchen inventory. It makes vegetable prep “a snap,” she says, and is particularly helpful when dealing with the volumes necessary for larger families. Proper equipment, like the mandolin, is the other key to creating a kitchen conducive to healthy meal preparation. Experts recommend five essentials to put you on the path to better nutrition: • Realistic pots and pans. “Every time I look at a bridal registry, I see the same thing: some really highend pots and pans that are aluminum lined and copper core,” says Juan-Carlos Cruz, author of “The Juan-Carlos Cruz Calorie Countdown Cookbook” (Gotham, 2006) and host of the Food Network’s “Weighing In.” That certainly is quality cookware, but not necessarily the most useful. “Really, how often does the home cook need to deglaze?” asks Cruz. “Get yourself a set of high-end non-stick cookware. One, the cleanup is much easier, so you are more apt to cook. Two, you don’t need as much fat to keep things from sticking.” A three-second spray on non-stick cookware with an oil like Pam will add about 20 calories while a tablespoon of olive oil on an aluminum pan adds 120. • A range with power. The average person doesn’t understand heat and its role in healthy cooking, says Don Silvers, chef, certified kitchen designer and author of “Kitchen Design with Cooking in Mind” (Designs by Silver, 2004). The ubiquitous four-burner, 7,000-8,000 btus per burner stove falls short from a nutritional point of view. Say you want to pan fry a piece of chicken on a standard cooktop, says Silvers. You wait until the oil is about 375 degrees F and add the chicken. The meat will drop the heat to 200-250 degrees F, depending on how cold the chicken was to start. Because the oil tem-

perature drops, it fails to seal the surface and oil enters the meat. A gas cooktop with 15,000-20,000 btus per burner or an energy-efficient induction model can maintain oil temperatures when meat is added, sealing it and not allowing fat to enter. “Quality cooktops are very important to a nutritionist kitchen,” Silvers says. • Steam and/or pressure Steam ovens utilize superheated steam while pressure cookers use a combination of steam and pressure to rapidly cook foods. The benefits are two-fold: speed (steam ovens can cut cook times in half, pressure cookers can reduce cook times by as much as two-thirds) and nutrition. The cooking process locks in nutrients and flavors, ensuring a moist and tender end product. Steven Bullock, certified kitchen designer with New York-based In House, hears calls for steam cooking more and more frequently from clients. Welch routinely introduces his clients to pressure cookers, as well as bamboo steamers. “A pressure cooker significantly cuts down on the amount of time it takes to cook whole grains, which have more nutrients,” says Welch. “At first, people are really intimidated, but once they realize how quickly they can get meals together, they really embrace it.” • A blender. “There is nothing easier to make than a smoothie, and with great ingredients, your recipe choices are endless,” says McIntosh. Plus, smoothies are versatile – applicable for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack or a light dessert. And to make the process even easier, Blendtec, Orem, Utah, makes a blender model integrated right into the countertop. • A top-notch crisper. “Food preservation is huge,” says Jackie Zunke, business development/designer at Lube of Atlanta. “A lot of people stay away from buying fruits and vegetables because they go bad so quickly and they end up throwing them out.” Refrigerator manufacturers are constantly tweaking models to increase food protection features. Madison, Wis.-based Sub Zero Inc.’s latest built-in refrigerator series features an air purification system that “scrubs” the entire volume of air in the refrigerator an average of once every 20 minutes to eliminate odors, viruses, bacteria and the ethylene gases that hasten ripening and, ultimately, food spoilage. Bullock lauds Diamond Bar, Calif.-based Dacor’s refrigerators, which he says can keep a peach fresh in a

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use them,” says McIntosh. Putting ingredients out in glass containers doesn’t only look appealing, it is particularly helpful for people just starting a healthy eating regimen, who may not be familiar with some of the products they should be using, like whole grains or seaweed. “It makes them less intimidating,” Welch says. “People are creatures of habit – if they see them, they will appreciate them and use them more often.”

drawer for two weeks. “Everyone has crispers in refrigerators, but they differ depending on the unit. Some preserve fruits and vegetable better than others,” he says. Beyond equipment and layout, experts say simple visuals will help any health-conscious eater fulfill nutritional goals. The adage, “Out of sight, out of mind,” applies to healthy eating regimens. “Keeping non-refrigerated, counter-safe fresh fruits and vegetables on the counter will instantly sway your appetite toward healthier food choices as you walk into your kitchen. If you see them, you will

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Monday, September 15, 2008–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Page 5

Opposites

Blend design styles and décor sentiments to create the unexpected bedroom your dreams

BY MICHELLE TAUTE CTW Features

T

he bedroom may be for sleeping, but that’s no reason to settle for a decorating style that makes you yawn. This personal space deserves a personal look – one that fits your individual taste rather than one strict style. And that makes the bedroom the perfect place to try out the eclectic look. But what exactly does this design buzzword mean?

“Eclectic really just means a marriage of more than one style,” says Sarah Barnard, of Los Angeles-based Sarah Barnard Design. “Any visual contrast that works is successfully eclectic.” That might mean mixing contemporary and modern, different wood species, or dramatic lights and darks. If it works, it works. It’s also the chance to mix-and-match in service of a personal vision. “I think it’s the ultimate freedom of expression,” says Jackie Glisson, a Memphis, Tenn.based interior decorator. “It’s a reflection of me. You don’t necessarily have to please other people.” This freedom, however, does come with one big catch: You have to figure out how to create a unified look with dissimi-

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lar elements. “It’s not about anything with anything,” Barnard says. “It’s about deciding on some chic style that’s individual to you.” To avoid crossing the line from eclectic to hodge-podge, she suggests starting out your bedroom with a phrase that describes the look you want to achieve. You might settle on library chic, for instance, and start writing down an informal list of how you envision the style’s look and feel. Then use these notes as a cheat sheet to help figure out what to buy and what to leave at the store. Glisson also believes patience is a virtue as you acquire furniture and textiles.

Continued on page 6.

! E T DA

Piece by piece: Designers agree that a truly eclectic bedroom isn’t created overnight. Once you select a color palette, keep your eyes open for décor items that fit your personal style.

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Page 6–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Monday, September 15, 2008

Sweet dreams: Combine furniture, fabrics and accessories like spice boxes to create a bedroom of inspiring comfort and style. Continued from page 5. “For me, eclectic looks like a room that was pulled together over time,” he says. “That you just didn’t go to the furniture store and buy a display.” If you have a black and red Oriental bedroom, for instance, you might make it eclectic by adding in teal and ochre. The overall color palette works together, but it’s unexpected. Adrienne LaBelle, of New York City-based Adri-

enne LaBelle Design, believes the most important part of eclectic is not being afraid to use any one thing, which gives you permission to bring home a funky chair you fall in love with at the flea market. But Barnard cautions that you need to think through those bold choices. “Being brave is not enough,” she says. “There needs to be some intention behind that bravery.” To keep an eclectic look pulled together, it’s key to choose a unifying element. “I think it’s always impor-

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tant to ground the eclectic-ness and make sure there’s a central theme running through the room,” says Vinitha Watson, Belmont, Calif.-based creative director of home décor and textiles company Kaaya. You might choose a neutral color, a common fabric, such as silk, or a common pattern to make the room feel cohesive. One good strategy: Start with the bed and slowly add layers to the room. The bedding itself, for instance, is a good place to begin experimenting, especially if you don’t want to spend too much money. If you’re drawn to patterns and colors, you might mix three to five different fabrics on the bed – perhaps a Moroccan fabric with an Asian one and a few contrasting textures. These textiles can be unified, Glisson says, with a common color that appears in each one. For curtains or chair upholstery, consider picking up that same solid color rather than adding in another pattern. Want an even easier way to help keep an eclectic room unified? Cut down on all the stuff. “Clutter is a huge thing,” LaBelle says. “I think it’s good to have some closed storage space.” A hutch can do the job, but don’t choose something so big that it dwarfs the other furniture. She’s also fond of a chair in the bedroom, where you can dump discarded clothes, or even a few wall hooks to hang those shirts and slacks. On the style front, LaBelle is a fan of adding a few vintage pieces to a room. They bring character and detail into a space, and the craftsmanship tends to be better than new pieces. It’s also a completely green decorating choice, because you’re recycling an existing product rather than buying a new one.

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Mixing and matching styles also requires some simple math. If you add one contemporary chair to a traditional room, for example, Barnard says you’re basically putting a big spotlight over that seating spot. She believes a true eclectic look would mean making about 20 percent of the pieces in a traditional bedroom contemporary. Then the two styles truly start to co-exist. If you want to start slow, LaBelle suggests adding a large headboard to your bed. You can pick out the fabric and find an upholsterer to put the whole thing together without spending a fortune. Try taping some kraft paper behind the bed and sketching out the shape and size you want, but it’s a good idea to make it a little larger and higher than you might think necessary. After all, you may want to lean up against it while you read a book. The real beauty of the eclectic look is picking out things you love. If you stick with items that really grab you, Barnard says the common denominator in the design becomes you. “You’re not re-creating a style we’ve seen a hundred times before,” she says. “You’re creating your style.”

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Monday, September 15, 2008–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Page 7

A Bit of This, a Bitof That

Strategic ‘mini-designs’ with bathroom tile can create a whole new look. Armed with ideas, tips and advice, the experts break down your possibilities BY KATE SULLIVAN CTW Features

D

on’t give up on adding tile to your bathroom – accent the sink, shower and walls with splashes of color, design and texture courtesy of the latest tiles. More beautiful, popular, durable, functional and, in some cases, inexpensive, today’s tiles serve multiple purposes. Here's how to inject your interior with a style infusion. When it comes to tile, choose from any size, shape, texture and color. Costs can stay low while style soars when it comes to tile choices in the bathroom, says Jennifer Condon, market editor of home-décor magazine Domino. “Bathrooms are high traffic areas with lots of visibility. When working with a small space, a little money goes a long way.” Talk about bang for your buck. The first step to accenting your bathroom with tile is assessing what type will work best. Like choosing a paint color for a new room, when it comes to piecing your bathroom together with tile, get ready to make some choices. Senior designer DeeDee Gundberg of Ann Sacks points out the popular options: “River rock, ceramic, glass, stone, clay, recycled materials, and metals in metallic, pastel, earth tones, tiles with lots of facial activity, mosaic designs, square and rectangle.” And this is one accessory worth thinking through – ceramic or stone should last longer than you.

Less is More Like the perfect bauble with your favorite black dress, think accessory. Known for designs from highly decorative to super mod and ethnically charged to personalized pieces, Gundberg says, “A fabulous way to use tile is as an accent.” Her top pick? “Surrounding a mirror with tile offers just enough interest to be sophisticated without being overdone.” Shower Show Condon sees a trend in using one shower wall as the canvas for creativity. Using highly detailed mosaic tiles, “People personalize this space like a tattoo, creating a custom look.” She recommends brands like Bizassa and Sicis for decorative, colorful pieces. Or take this look out of the tub and mount pieces on the center of the wall. With just 12 pieces, create a piece of art.

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Border Patrol Taking Gundberg’s mirror idea to the next level, use tile as a border for the entire bathroom. “This is a fantastic option to incorporate tile in a chic way,” Condon says. “Use black and white tiles at the top, bottom or through the middle of the wall to create a checkerboard look.” Counter Couture Tiles don’t just live on walls. Mount the top of a count-

Continued on page 8.

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Page 8–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Monday, September 15, 2008 white grout with black tiles,” says Condon. Tile Tips Use accents sparingly, warns Gundberg. “Overuse can result in a room that is busy and overdone.” For Condon, “If the bathroom is small, stay light or dark. Keep the colors all the same in a really small space.” For timeless tile, “It’s best to keep trendy colors as accents so you don’t have to re-do if the colors become dated or out of style.”

Continued from page 7. er or vanity. Keep it mod with black and white or go highly decorative with a Spanish floral design. “ Anything that appeals to you works on this space,” Condon says.

Get Grouting Make style stick and use grout in a creative way. “With small penny tiles, be generous with the grout and use a contrasting color. Think black grout with white tiles or

Material Matters When ready to showcase tile talents, it’s okay to be materialistic. Here’s a look at some popular picks. Ceramic: Dubbed the gold star of the bathroom world, ceramic offers a broad range of selection. “Ceramic is cost effective, comes in a wide range of sizes, shapes, colors and finishes and it’s the most durable,” says Condon. Porcelain: Ranking up there with ceramic, this tile choice offers more shine. Glass: Mass appeal with maximum color choices. Concrete: Forget building blocks, this smooth stone is ideal for busy mosaic designs and solid shades too. Gundberg sees popularity with these tiles done in earth tones, chocolate browns and white.

Marble: If money’s no matter, marble is your match. “Everyone loves the classic, clean look of marble,” says Condon. Eco-edge As going green goes mainstream the bathroom is no exception. With recycled glass, the finished product looks like specially produced glass only reconstituted to be stronger and more durable. Aluminum also enters the green scene. “When done all over this look comes off too industrial, but when used as an accent or border around a tub or as a countertop, it can be really pretty,” Condon says. Recycled brass makes for another beautiful bathroom option. Use this metal all over for a vision of Versailles or use as an accent contrasted with plain white fixtures for a warm shine. Tidy Tile Today’s tiles stay low-maintenance – regular cleaning keeps mildew and mold at bay. “Ceramic makes is naturally resistant to germs, fungus and bacteria,” Condon says. Most clean up is aimed at buildup in the grout. When it comes to stone however, watch for different levels of pores. The larger the pore, the more room for dirt and water. “Stones need to be sealed with a penetrating sealer,” says Gundberg.

No grout about it: A dash of floral tile in the shower livens up a painted bathroom, and a combination of tile and grout styles helps define different areas within a space. Untitled-2 1

9/10/08 9:32:49 AM

Monday, September 15, 2008–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Page 9

MEET THE DESIGNER: TRACIE BUTLER

The Butler Did It!

Images courtesy of Tracie Butler Interior Design

From hot Hollywood homes to Eva Longoria’s new restaurant, Tracie Butler is taking the interior design world by storm with her glamorous style and inspired attention to detail

BY ROBERT SHAROFF CTW Features “In L.A., just about anything goes,” says Tracie Butler. “You drive down any boulevard and it’s every style you could want or imagine.” Including, of course, her own eclectic take on Hollywood style and glamour. Since opening her firm, Tracie Butler Interior Design in 2001, Butler has become the city’s go-to designer for everything from innovative residential work for numerous actors, models and musicians, to hip clubs and restaurants. Over the last few years, she has designed such area hot spots as Shag, Parc and Central as well as her most

recent creation, Beso, a Spanish-themed restaurant owned by “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria Parker and celebrity restaurateur Todd English. “I always like to add a little depth and dimension to my rooms by using interesting colors, textures and materials,” she says. For Butler, this could mean anything from burnished leather to baroque chandeliers to petrified wood. Currently, she’s in the early stages of designing a furniture collection. Her dream, however, is to move into hotel design.

“Las Vegas may not be the capital of culture,” she says, “but it’s the ultimate playground for a designer.” HOMESTYLE: I think of you as someone who knows her way around Hollywood. How do you define Hollywood glamour today? TRACIE BUTLER: It’s all about being young, sexy and hip, and fashion plays a big role in that. Take something like Swarovski crystals. They’ve been all over the runways in New York for the last few years and now they’re starting to show up in home merchandise. I recently did Swarovski crystal drapes for a master bedroom. They look like evening gowns, so gorgeous. HS: What are the other essentials? TB: Fine fabrics, soft leathers, exotic woods and funky wallpaper with lots of patterns and colors. And, of course, this being Hollywood, the right lighting is incredibly important. People love their crystal chandeliers. HS: What are the hot colors? TB: That whole organic back-to-the-beach lifestyle

is big and that usually means a lot of neutrals and a lot of white. But color is also important. Right now, I’m loving neons – hot pinks, bright oranges, citrines. They make great accent colors. HS: What’s definitively out of style? TB: I am ready to give the whole Mediterranean look a rest. Enough with all that wrought iron! HS: It doesn’t sound like there are too many antiques involved. TB: No. Not with my clientele. I deal with a lot of young actors and models and musicians, and they just don’t have that appreciation. It’s funny – I personally love antiques. I’m a big fan of Art Deco – the black lacquers, the silvers. It’s so formal and elegant. But it’s not part of my current business. On the other hand, however, Mid-Century Modern furniture and objects are very popular. HS: I hear that a lot today. Why do people continue to love that period? TB: It’s happy, playful and affordable – three things that are always important for young people. It’s also a style that has a real history here. That whole early Palm Springs lifestyle was a very big deal in its day and it continues to inspire people. HS: People seem to live outdoors for most of the year in L.A. What role does weather and climate play in your work? TB: It’s huge. A big trend in the last few years is to have what I think of as an outdoor living room – a terrace or patio with big couches, nice coffee tables, comfortable pillows and a lamp or two. Usually there’s a tent or pergola involved. This is in addition to whatever is happening around the swimming pool.

Continued on page 10

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Page 10–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Monday, September 15, 2008 Continued from page 9 HS: You deal with a lot of celebrities and rising stars. Are they more demanding than regular clients? TB: I don’t know if demanding is the word. Maybe complicated is better. Take something like security. They want to make sure the carpenter I hire to do their bookshelves isn’t some kind of freak or a reporter for the “National Enquirer.” HS: What’s the first thing you think about when you’re designing a room? TB: The functionality of the space – what does the room need to do? What role does it play in my client’s life? Everything flows from that. HS: What are the big mistakes people make when decorating?

TB: They don’t realize that the devil is in the details. I go into so many houses where people have invested in what I think of as the basics – a couch, a cocktail table, a flat screen TV – but they haven’t spent a dime on drapes or area rugs or wall coverings. I mean, at the very least, you have to have a beautiful paint job. It’s not that expensive and it makes all the difference in the world. HS: You also are well known for designing hip restaurants and

Wide-open spaces: The movement that a room’s design allows for is key to the overall feel of the home. Keeping that fluidity active makes for a wonderful room. clubs. How do these differ from residential commissions? TB: In general, they’re easier. And the reason is they’re less emotional. You deal primarily with businesspeople whose main concerns are budgets and timelines. They don’t question every little design decision.

But with residential commissions, you and your client can go back and forth for weeks on something like the tassels on the drapes. It’s a very drawn-out process. HS: Do you prefer one more than the other?

TB: I get different things from them. It’s so much fun to design a hip new restaurant because you know the whole city is going to see it. It’s all very high profile. But houses are wonderful because they’re mainly

The devil is in the details: Interior designer Tracie Butler’s trademark is her focus on the intricacies of a room – the number of pillows on a seating area, the angle of a items on a coffee table, the height of candle clusters.

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about relationships. You’re creating an environment where people are going to live their lives and raise their families, and that’s a really nice feeling. Also, with houses, you get to buy the kind of really beautiful art and furniture that is sort of unheard of for a commercial interior. HS: What kind of house did you grow up in? TB: It wasn’t fancy. My mom was a dental assistant. I did, however, have an aunt in Palm Springs who had a great funky house that I loved. But I think I was born a designer. At 14, when my friends were buying cosmetics, I was saving my allowance to buy new wallpaper for my bedroom.

Monday, September 15, 2008–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Page 11

The

of Design For a blind interior designer, the creative process is nothing short of an eye-opening experience

BY DAVE WALDON CTW Features

Eric Brun-Sanglard is more than just another successful interior designer. He also sculpts and plays the piano. He’s a fitness buff, doing everything from swimming to Rollerblading. He hikes in the mountains and jumps out of airplanes. In short, Eric B., as friends and clients alike know him, is a typical citizen of Los Angeles, home of the beautiful feeling. dark. Rather than feel sorry for himself, though, Brun-Sanglard decided to get on with his life – and it wasn’t long before life handed him a surprising new career. While Brun-Sanglard was getting his guide dog in San Francisco, his then-partner was in L.A. searching for their new house. When two were found, Brun-Sanglard made a decision after he walked through both possibilities. “We came up with the idea of buying both and fixing up [one] and selling it,” he says. “I started designing it and getting the materials, and it was really fun. And that’s when I realized that I could do that. So we redid that house, we sold it right way, got a bunch of offers on it. And we moved on to the one that we lived in and totally redid it so it looked really nice. So it really happened by accident. It’s not like I got up one day and said, ‘I’m going to become a designer.’ And when people started seeing my work and seeing the final product, they started asking me to work for them.” By 1997, Brun-Sanglard and his partner were running a business that special-

ized in both interior design and construction. But Brun-Sanglard’s challenges were far from over. A professional and personal split resulted in the business going under and him having to start over, but later rebounding with his current operation. Then in 2006, just as he was wrapping production on an A&E series called “Designing Blind,” BrunSanglard went into kidney failure, which caused his work to grind to a halt. Last November, he underwent a successful transplant, and soon after he was back up to speed. Today his health is good and his viral count is virtually infinitesimal. “I believe that each challenge makes me stronger, and I learn more about myself and more about life, and I get more tools in my

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Oh, Brun-Sanglard also happens to be blind. Though at times, according to those who know him, the 45-year-old is the last to realize that he has what many would call a “disability.” “It’s true – I guess I don’t think I’m blind,” he says during a rare quiet moment in the bustling office that houses his company – which is called, fittingly enough, The Blind Designer, Inc. “I don’t go around thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m blind.’” His attitude is a far cry from the reaction he thought he would have when he was younger. Growing up in his native France, he would have nightmares about losing his sight, and he resolved that if that ever happened to him, he would take his own life rather than live that way. In 1995, Brun-Sanglard, who is HIV-positive, saw his fears become reality when he suffered an attack of cytomegalovirus, a disease that can run rampant in patients with suppressed immune systems. The virus destroyed his optic nerves, and suddenly a man who had worked with visuals as an advertising executive with companies such as Chanel and Christian Dior was left in the

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Page 12–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Monday, September 15, 2008 Continued from page 11 about myself and more about life, and I get more tools in my toolbox,” he says. One of these said tools is Brun-Sanglard’s ability to relate to his clients on their level. The role that his own houses played in his recoveries following his health crises have given him perspective about the importance of everyone’s personal space. “When I lost my sight, I realized that my home was my sanctuary, my safe place, my safe haven,” he says. “And that’s probably why I started designing homes, because I needed to have a space around me where I felt good, where I felt like it was going to be a special place.

Interior designer Eric Brun-Sanglard knows he’s done a great job on a project when his clients speak of their home in terms of how it makes them feel. His goal is to create personal sanctuaries through his designs, not museums.

“And I think it’s helped me create homes that are more about the person – about being a cocoon. And that’s what I’m really good at creating, a home that feels really good. Yeah, it looks good and it’s everything they might want, but it’s more than that. It’s about coming home and feeling, ‘Wow, it’s so great to be home.’ “I think there are a lot of designers who don’t get that, who just create a beautiful space, but it’s a place where you don’t even want to be because it’s like a museum or like a showroom. It’s beautiful to look at, but not really inviting. “The most important thing to creating a home is giving it a feeling of being a home. And that means

Triple threat: In between filming for his new TV show “Sight Unseen,” writing his memoirs and designing for clients, Eric Brun-Sanglard manages to find time to spend working on his own property.

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something that is not only going to reflect my work, but reflect the person’s needs and emotions and life – their life, not my life.” Brun-Sanglard describes the relationship that he has with his clients as “very intimate,” a matter of trust. But he also wants them to become intimate with their homes. To that end, he encourages those he works with to see their rooms as he does – with everything but their eyes. “I ask my clients to close their eyes and discover their spaces without looking at them, and by just going around and feeling the walls, feeling around the space,” he says. “Your body can be your measuring tape, and you can use your own body to judge the space around

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you. So you feel good moving around, sitting in your chair, sitting on the couch. How much room do you need?” The designer also has his clients sit in the soon-tobe-redesigned room to get the sense – or senses – of things. “(I have them) take notice of the smells, make noises to see how sound travels,” Brun-Sanglard says. “At different times of the day, sit in the room and see how the sun comes in, and all of those different aspects. I really want them to get in touch with the energy of the room. I don’t care what’s in right now. It should be what feels good to you, what inspires you.” Brun-Sanglard’s own inspiration is quite abundant these days. When he’s not juggling multiple projects for others, he occasionally works on his own property, having just redone his backyard. He’s also developing a new TV series, “Sight Unseen,” along with writing his memoirs. It’s probably in bad taste (not to mention a cliché) to say that Brun-Sanglard’s future is so bright, he has to wear shades. But the future is definitely where his attention is directed. “I don’t even have a portfolio from my advertising days,” he says. “At times that makes me sad, because I wish I had a portfolio that would at least show the work that I’ve done. But I think it really helped me to move on to where I am today. I didn’t want to keep things from my past; I only wanted to let go of that and to move forward.”

Monday, September 15, 2008–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Page 13

LIGHT IT RIGHT, OUTSIDE Whether you’re hosting a casual barbeque on the deck or a catered outdoor dinner party, lighting is key. Here’s how to let the right light shine on every event

BY PATRICIA RIVERA CTW Features

Image courtesy of BilCom Group

W

Mood lighting: Wow your guests at first glance with homemade luminaries, strands of lights, candle clusters, tiki torches, paper lanterns or electric luminarias.

hen it comes to emitting a special glow through an outdoor space, the sky is the limit. Lighten up your next gathering with an assortment of ideas that range from whimsical groupings of candles to strategically located moonlighting fixtures placed in a tree canopy. “Lights add so much to the mood, especially at night,” says Phoenix writer and designer Kathy CanoMurillo. Known as Crafty Chica, she’s an expert at finding low-cost ways to illuminate patios and decks with strings of lights that she transforms into Boudoir box lights and baby food jars that become hanging “candeliers.” A few minutes of investment may leave your guests praising you for hours. Even non-crafty types can find ready-to-light tiki torches or electric luminarias that transform the look of any outdoor setting. Consider creating an inviting setting with a few permanent lighting additions.

Long-lasting projects John Pletcher, owner of the architectural and low-voltage landscape lighting company Natural Accents LLC, in Kansas City, Mo., says strategically placed lights can turn yards into magical spaces. Many owners of older homes still use bright floodlights, which do more than scare away the critters. “You want to create a warm environment that is

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Page 14–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Monday, September 15, 2008 rary lighting options for gatherings. For instance, he has created temporary path lighting from a home to a nearby water’s edge for a wedding.

Quick fixes Sometimes owners become enamored with what they initially labeled as seasonal lighting. Miles used LED string lights to illuminate a covered porch area around his pool. “We liked it so much that we ended up keeping it up all year. It adds a lot of charm to the area,” he says. For those looking for some quick fixes, try these ideas: •Romantic dinners: Use candles of all sizes to light the area around a small table for two. Consider clustering near the table several ceramic pots lined with pebbles or sand and candles. On the table, use a floating centerpiece or glasses made for floating candles.

Image courtesy of Kohler

artistic as well. There is a lot that you can do with lights,” he says. Well-lit patios and decks also keep guests and family members from tripping. Decks, for instance, could benefit from recessed fixtures that mount on the walls of the steps or larger fixtures that attach to deck railings or posts and illuminate either outward or downward. Pletcher suggests down-lighting to replicate the soft glow of natural moonlight. Fixtures are discreetly placed on eaves or in tall leafy trees. He sometimes uses lightly tinted lenses to produce an even softer light or enhance skin tones in gathering areas. For a cross-lighting effect, use two or three fixtures that are aimed so their beams intersect. Down-lighting works well in patio areas or tree-lined drives. Up-lighting with spotlight fixtures recessed into the ground creates a focal point. Backlighting creates a silhouette effect by illuminating a wall or structure. Outdoor lighting kits exist for many projects at specialized shops or large hardware stores. Also, look for lighting specialists who can share some new techniques. Pletcher says he uses low-voltage lighting for all his projects to avoid excess light. This approach minimizes glare, light trespass and light pollution. Electrician Ian Miles, owner of Orlando, Fla.-based Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, says his clients are increasingly aware of how their choice of lighting intrudes on their neighbors. “We’ve come a long way from when people would put flood lights at the four corners of the property,” he says. Companies such as his also provide elaborate tempo-

•Family gatherings: Outdoor patio light strings, which use small bulbs that emit a warm light, can lend themselves to any theme imaginable. Cano-Murillo uses soda cans to make stars. By punching several holes Down-lighting, cross-lighting, up-lighting – play with the function of lighting sources to create the right mix. in the center of the star, she’s able to fit it through the light bulbs. Another idea is to fit tiny terra cotta pots, luminarias, traditionally candle-lighted, sand-filled more traditional bamboo tiki lights, you’ll find metal about 2-inches in diameter, over the lights. You can paper lanterns. You’ll find reusable, non-flammable kits torches made of copper, bronze or steel. Electric tiki dress them up with any color fabric or ribbon. She likes that feature various images, such as butterflies and flowtorches are also in the market. The AGI Group, Inc., in the look of fabric scraps from a Mexican serape. Small ers, as well as electrical luminarias. Sarasota, Fla., suggests placing a few large torches plastic or silk flowers can also fit over the light bulbs. around a central gathering. Then, to create the look of a •Formal celebrations: Tiki torches can make a reguPolynesian fire dance, cast a sizzling glow around a •Cocktails: Line the perimeter of your yard with lar garden look elegant and exotic. In addition to the pond, fountain or waterfall with six torches.

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Monday, September 15, 2008–The News-Review, Fall Home & Garden, Roseburg Oregon, Page 15

Get your money out of the gutter That leaky, leafcollecting roof accessory can be mean more than an autumn ladder-balancing act “When buying or building a home, few homeowners take the time to investigate (or interrogate) the gutter. Here are some gutter tips from Dalyn Walters, the director of marketing for Senox Corporation, a gutter manufacturer based in Austin, Texas. 1. Make sure the gutter doesn’t hold water. Sounds simple, but Walters says many gutters are installed poorly and don’t drain to the downspout. Accumulating water can become an insect breeding ground and cause problems to the roofline and fascia board. To test gutter drainage, simply get a ladder and hose and run water into the gutter. If it pools, there’s a problem. 2. Check for downspouts. Architects and engineers often forgo drainage in key areas of the house, Walters says. Be sure to look for downspouts in the front. 3. Don’t mix metals. Trying to cut corners by put-

ting an aluminum end cap on a steel gutter will cause corrosion where the two metals meet. 4. Thickness doesn’t matter. Gutters come in several different gauges. The .023 gauge is the standard in South and Midwest, while the thicker .032 gauge is popular in the Northeast and Rockies. Homeowners in these snow-and ice-heavy areas think it adds strength to their gutters. Not so, Walters says. Gutter strength is truly determined by placement of the gutter hangers. Placing hangers oneand-a-half feet apart rather than the standard two feet makes a gutter much stronger than putting a larger gauge on the same amount of support. 5. Look for a drip edge. The drip edge, or drip cap, is a metal strip that sits underneath the shingles in order to extend the surface of the roof over the gutter. Without one, water can leak into the plywood. Walters says that although it is in building code for all homes to have a drip edge, they are still not widely accepted everywhere. 6. Leaf guards are not miracle workers. “Don’t

believe the hype,” Walters says. “The simple fact is that anything on the exterior of a home needs maintenance.” No matter what gutter guard you get, Walters says you’re going to need to re-caulk and clean debris out of the corners. Some systems won’t even let you get your hands inside. If you insist on getting a guard, Walters recommends a powdercoated mesh or galvanized screen that only lets in debris small enough to be washed out by a hard rain.

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Musical Chairs

No fear: Don’t be afraid to swap furniture and accessories out of their traditional rooms. A piano in a sunroom is an invitation for guests to gather and lounge somewhere new, and pitchers double as vases without missing a beat.

BY GRETCHEN ROBERTS CTW Features

I

f your furniture has been in the same tired spot since you moved into the place 10 years ago, maybe it's time to get those pieces out of a rut. There's nothing like a simple (and free) room makeover to shed new light on your old things. Furniture arrangement isn’t an absolute science, but keep these six basic principles and the following room-by-room rules in mind before doing any heavy lifting. 1. Look at the big picture, advises Sharon Hanby-Robie, ASID, a Pennsylvania-based interior designer and author of “Decorating Without Fear: A Step-by-Step Guide To Creating The Home You Love” (Thomas Nelson, April 2007). “Does your room have a focal point? How will you direct traffic through the room? What do you want people to see when they first walk in?” 2. Decide whether you want a symmetrical or asymmetrical look, Hanby-Robie says. “A

symmetrical look is more formal, with an emphasis on balance. Pretend the room is in the palm of your hand; if it’s leaning one way or another, it’s not balanced. “Asymmetrical is more casual and flexible. You want equally interesting things randomly placed so your eye is compelled to wander around the room.” 3. Think creatively about placement, says Kathy Wilson, editor of TheBudgetDecorator.com and home-decorating expert for LifetimeTV.com. “Many people stick to the traditional ‘lining-the-walls’ technique, which is rarely the right way to arrange a room,” she says. 4. Honesty is the best policy. “If you eat dinner in your living room every night, then arrange for it,” Hanby-Robie says. “Don’t pretend to be someone else. Make yourself comfortable in your own house.” 5. Plot the design on graph paper first, using one square for every square foot in the room, Wilson suggests. (This will also help save your back.)

6. Don’t overcrowd the room. “The best rule is, when you think you’re done, take one thing away and it will be perfect,” Wilson says. Living room/family room: The standard living room arrangement is uninspired: couches and chairs turned toward the television, Wilson says. “Don’t assume the furniture has to face the TV. Try to find a focal point in the room, like a fireplace or window, that can take center stage while still allowing comfortable TV viewing.” Mary Mihaly, a certified feng shui practitioner in Cleveland, believes furniture renewal can be symbolic and psychological as well as physical. In the living room, “decide what you want to accomplish there. If you want people to be convivial and to encourage more conversation, arrange the room in a way that facilitates that, with furniture placed where people can easily talk to one another,” she says. Make sure all the items in the room have a relationship with each other, Hanby-Robie advises. “A lamp stand next to a chair works better than in a corner by itself,” she says.

Bedroom: The bed should be the focal point of the room, Wilson says. “All other furniture pieces are supporting players.” If you have room, consider creating a reading corner with a comfy chair and ottoman, but make sure there’s still a good traffic flow in the room. More important than what’s in the bedroom is what shouldn’t be in there. Two things that don’t belong, according to Mihaly: exercise equipment and family photos. “When you have an exercise bike in the bedroom that you never use, the first thing you see when you open your eyes in the morning is that you’re a failure. It’s subconscious, but you feel guilty, and there’s no reason to start the day that way.” Family photos are a distraction, Mihaly says. “They take away energy that should be focused on two people and their relationship.” Dining room: The dining room seems to be a no-brainer to arrange: Insert table in center, populate with chairs. But there are a few alternative arrangements. As in the living room, focus on a focal point like the chandelier or a large piece of artwork, Hanby-Robie

says. In the chandelier example, the table belongs in the center, but if it’s wall art you’re highlighting, putting the table underneath, closer to the wall, makes sense. Then you’ve got room on the other side to multipurpose, Wilson says. “If the table sits against the wall with benches, you can add a family library on the other side.” Home office: Start with the desk, which many people place against a wall. “More than in any other room, the command position – sitting so you can see the entry and most of the room – is important here,” Mihaly says. “Otherwise, surprises may come up behind you.” The home office is often a multipurpose room, serving as a guest room as well as the place you pay your bills. Place the desk out from the wall, facing the room, and add a futon opposite that doubles as a comfortable place to sit and a bed for overnight guests. Don’t be afraid to use the closet, Wilson says. “You can take off the door, paint the interior, and use it as a niche area for a desk to open up space in the room. Just don’t forget good lighting.”