JEI Wins Design Excellence
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The Design Excellence Awards, presented by ASID, were announced this month for outstanding endeavors in Interior Design for 2009.
JEIDesign was honored to receive top honors in the category, Adaptive Reuse or Historic Preservation for their interior design of a local office building.
The
client purchased an historic home as a new office venue for two separate operations,
one previously adorned with Tuscan Traditional décor, and another that reflected
a stark contemporary mood. The goal for
the new office space, and the marriage of the two enterprises, would be a focus
on blending the existing furniture with an updated and clever version of the
old structure. In addition to recycling the
furniture, our designers also utilized as many additional energy-saving
features as were available.
as seen in Texas Home and Living
But
green was not the only design objective. The client was clear that he wished the final
product to also be a fun and creative environment, since the individuals who
would inhabit the area are of a non-profit with operations in India, and of a
local group of business leaders united to form a "think tank" for alternative
energies. He was also insistent on a
tight budget and short deadline (and then they chose to move in six weeks ahead
of schedule!).
After
a thorough energy audit, each step was laid out to preserve the "ideal" of the
environmentalists and philanthropists within.
That component in place, the design was cultivated around this foundation,
and the rest of the process seemed almost organic.
As a
special touch, our team adapted the existing logo (the benefactor's name means "new
light" in Sanskrit) to reflect illumination and brilliance, and this design was
used throughout the scheme in manifest, as well as subtle, fashions.
Our
design challenge was met by fusing the old and the new with a mid-century
modern touch to blend the styles and add a touch of whimsy and vitality! Vibrant colors and modern art bring energy to
the space, while the rearrangement of the whole produced additional storage and
practicality. The result is a
functional space that is supportive, positive and meaningful.
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Award-winning designer, Julie Evans, Allied Member, ASID, and owner
of JEIDesign in Austin, TX, is known for her skills in interpreting her
client's tastes and developing their ideas to surpass their
expectations. Her enthusiasm, diligence, and discerning eye, coupled
with over 25 years experience, have established Julie as one of Texas's
top interior design professionals.
JEIDesign offers a complete range of design services - from
collecting information to establish a design concept, helping organize
the client's ideas and establishing priorities, interpreting the chain
of events in the construction process and aiding in each aspect of the
decision-making process to ensure that the final product will reflect
the total concept.
The firm's goal is to help all clients to achieve
the dreams they have for their home!
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Like our Newsletter?Then visit our blog, where you can find all of our old Newsletter Articles, our events and news, as well as some other semantic gems.Visit
http://blog.julieevans.net/
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Greetings!
We would like to express a great thank you to all of you who have responded to our newsletters with kind comments. We very much enjoy writing for you each month and appreciate the encouragement!
To offer a little relief from your stressful gift-giving agenda, and for a little added fun, we have something a bit different for you this month. The entire team at JEI put our right brains together to come up with our very own "Favorite Things" for your Holidays this year.
We hope you enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving!
JEIDesign
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JEIDesign's Very Own "Favorite Things"
For This Holiday Season
Soft supple
satins and exquisite art sightings,
Rugs with
rich colors and cloths so inviting,
Sumptuous
sofas just fit for a king,
These are a
few of our favorite things.
The
team at JEI spent more time that they should have discussing, debating, and
generally just being giddy over each selection for this special Holiday edition.
It was horribly fun. And, since I
am just the writer here, I made every effort to lay low and absorb the interior
design element deliberation. But, as
literary destiny would have it, I also found myself fully engaged and
contributing. And, alas, after careful
consideration and a pot of coffee, we managed to narrow our preferences down to
nine items in five categories.
And
so, we present to you... The entire
JEIDesign Team's Favorite Things for
your Holidays '09.
Luscious
Linens
We
simply could not choose only one linen product to be crowned our favorite this
year. So, with little reluctance, we called
it a tie.
If
you haven't been wrapped in a Matouk
Towel, you just haven't pampered yourself properly. Even the most towel-skeptic of our design
team can't say a single thing about these heavenly cloths that is not
synonymous with fabulous. They are
glorious in texture and weight, they are Egyptian cotton, of course, and they
are even remarkably absorbent, to boot.
So, if you thought you would have to sacrifice practicality for luxury
in your towel cabinet, we've just made your day!
This
article would be amiss without the inclusion of Sferra's Grande Hotel Collection Sheets, since every last one of our
team here sleeps on them each night.
100% Italian Egyptian Cotton Percale, these Sferra sheets are crisp but
ductile and are tailored in double rows of satin stitching. It's hard to believe these linens are
affordable because they feel as if they've been custom-made for a luxury hotel. 5 out of 5 design team members agree... You
must have these sheets.
Take-out Lunch Location
Since the team at JEI is devoted to quality and meeting deadlines, we often have to have someone run out to pick up a quick lunch so that we don't lose our working pace. However, we are all also very health conscious (or try to be) and selecting a speedy mid-day meal is not always an easy task.
But we have found just the spot! Since we office in West Lake, there is cafe just down Bee Cave from our studio, Wild Wood Art Cafe, that offers ready-made salads, tamales, baked goods, and so much more that are fresh, packed with nutritious ingredients, and mostly gluten-free! The best part- it is all delicious!
Anomalous
Accessories
This
Global Views Accent Rug in coral and
white is one of our assistant designers' "most excellent rugs ever." Its classic lines create compatibility with
almost any décor genre, but the contemporary edge and fresh, upbeat color sets
a fresh and vogue vibe for your living space.
Making it even more fantastic, it's 100% wool, which means it's
naturally soil-repellant and environmentally peaceful. It is also available in 4 different sizes, up to as large as 9x12.
As
with our linens, we could not stop at one item in our accessories
category. We love this one, too, because
it's unique but versatile, understated but classy. We find ourselves wanting to use Jan Barboglio's Ballin Firescreen and
fire tools in almost every den or patio with a fireplace. Did you think "rustic" could meet "chic" and
not be contradictory? Well, here, not only do they
not clash, they are unequivocally clever together. If Coco Chanel had lived in Texas and created a fireplace accessory
line... well, you catch our drift.
image of Jan B fire screen at Julie's home
Felicitous
Furniture
The
choice for our favorite furniture was a fight to the finish. And, we finished with, again, a two-way tie.
The
best Pearson Sofa ever is my very
own contribution for the sofa category. Although, Julie deserves more credit for this "favorite thing", since it was originally her
Pearson couch that set the standard for all other sofas that would ever be. She refers to hers as the "healing sofa", and,
despite an occasional attempt to replace said sofa, she inevitably finds
herself putting the same 21-year old adored piece back into her living room every time,
without fail. (With some updated
upholstery now and then, of course.)
Pearson
has been known for over fifty years as a producer of fine, custom ordered
upholstery furniture. And so, I, too,
now spend my evening writing sessions, movie viewing, cat cuddling and midnight
snack eating on my very own Pearson sofa.
Those of us who own or have ever owned a Pearson know precisely what I'm
asserting here. It's sort of like a
secret sofa society. Join us!
Reminiscent
of 1940's French interior Design, this Hickory Chair Secretary is another
adamant designer's top personal pick for case goods.
This dapper davenport in Antique Ivory will speak to your inner fashion
fiend, saying to you in a sophisticated but coy voice, "my richly toned kingwood
and classic-finish interior is surpassed only by my leather-insert desktop and
adorable Hepplewhite knobs." If only all
furniture would be so frank about the integrity of its conception and
composition.
Adored
Art
Our
favorite local artist this year is painter, Christopher St. Leger, of Lockhart,
Texas. Christopher is known for his manipulation of
environments by "washing out further any dangling details." What he sees in an esoteric metropolitan
landscape, he transforms into "urbanscapes", using both bold and subtle
elements, which ironically establish tranquility in chaos.
His
works are now available in galleries in Austin at Davis Galleries, as well as
in Houston and New York City.
Loved Local Charity
You have heard us go on about Well Aware
before, but nevertheless, we could not leave them out of our list of favorite things! Founded here in Austin in 2006, this group of young, passionate philanthropists have been demanding attention to the struggles of the Maasai in rural Kenya and their dire need for water.
Well Aware captured the attention of local and national media last summer with their (now annual) Shower Strike. JEI was tickled to be a part of this shocking fundraising stunt for such a good and necessary cause.
Relying on the "viral" nature of internet social media, they are making their mark on how fundraising is achieved, and we are proud to be a part of this growing group of inspiring people who give all of their free time to help others in need.
For more about Well Aware, visit their website HERE.
And,
so, the aforementioned, ladies and gentlemen, are our "favorite things" this
Holiday Season. We hope you enjoyed our
selections and appreciate the fervor with which we present them to you.
If you would like any additional detail on an
item mentioned here, please just give us a call and we would be delighted to go
one some more...
Happy
Haute Holidays!
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