November 2012

Dear Fellow ASID CT members,

I welcome all of you to the exciting and invigorating new ASID CT Year 2012-2013.  First and foremost, thank you for the honor of being your President this year.  It is truly an honor.  Your new board has mapped out what promises to be an interesting and engaging year.  

We started our year with a lovely Annual Meeting at the Milford Yacht Club. It was a pleasure to meet many of you that evening; I look forward to more of these "meet and greet" opportunities as we go forward.   In January, 2013 we will next meet at our Town Hall Meeting, which will again offer a cocktail hour, dinner and feature an interesting CEU event and speaker.  

Moving along, in February or March, we will host Career Night, with a focus on our students' career opportunities plus a speaker from NCIDQ Headquarters.   In March or April, we will hold a new type of student design competition, one in which our students will be asked to submit entries that actually detail a real interior design problem.  I anticipate that these entries will be superb and will be material that our students can include in their job-seeking portfolios.   In May, we will host a Trade Show, featuring many of our Industry Partner members, along with a speaker that will interest all!

So, my dear members, welcome, it's going to be a great year!

Welcome to the 10th Annual Student Design Competition: Repurpose for Today

Lynn Garelick, Robin Horn and Beth Krupka, an ASID Student member at Fairfield U.,  on the steps of the NYC Library before they entered for the tour of this magnificent building on the ASID Emerging Professional GO PRO Program held in New York on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012.  Go Pro was a two day affair, which National organized and was aimed at the Emerging Professional category of designers.  They represented the CT Chapter.   

To support the ASID platform issue of sustainability, ASID will no longer print and mail membership cards for allied or professional members. Members can log in to ASID.org and print a membership card 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at their convenience. This process has been successful with our student and Industry Partner members, for which it has been in effect for more than three years.

To print a card, members must log in to ASID.org and select "Go to My ASID." Once in the My ASID section, they should then select "Print Your ASID Membership card."

As fall approaches, we enter the holiday season. With holidays come family, friends, and good food. Not everyone is fortunate enough to enjoy such luxuries. As we enjoy our warm turkey and stuffing our American Soldiers are scattered around the world fighting and sacrificing their lives for our nation.

Every year the Sherwin Williams family teams up with the Give2theTroops organization to show our men and women how much we appreciate all they have done for us. Give2theTroops is an organization that collects donated food, toiletries, and entertainment and delivers them to our militaries around the globe.

All Sherwin Williams in the Massachusetts and Connecticut area are celebrating our Third Annual Give2theTroops drive. American Soldiers have requested such items as microwavable foods, packaged snacks and dry food, toiletries, batteries, and stationary. A full list can be found at the organization's website at Give2theTroops.org. Donations are accepted at all Connecticut and Massachusetts locations. For any questions please contact Kristine Kunkel of the Manchester, Buckland Location at (860) 533-9548.

The Holidays are an important time to us all, but we must not forget warriors who fight as we feast. "This is about giving back to those who give it their all!" Please join us in our mission to Give2theTroops.

Every month our Student Representative to the Board, Lori Farruggia, and a group of students from UNH spend two hours on the New Haven Green distributing hot coffee, gently used clothing and canned food to the homeless. Kudos to our design student volunteers for their commitment to give back to their community. 

Connie Cooper Designs

How has 2012 been for you?

This year has been very busy for me with a variety of jobs. I moved my office to a larger space in my home and hired a full time assistant. A number of my jobs were people who found me on the internet, and others came from referrals. My clients ranged from young couples with little children to older couples with grown children.

What are your hopes and expectations for 2013?

To keep growing and getting jobs with interesting clients who appreciate my skills and talent. It is rewarding to work with clients who trust and rely on me, and look to me for inspiration.

Tell us about a special job you've had this year.

Last year I worked with a CT client who moved to East Hampton. They built a large house (11 bathrooms!) in English Country Cottage style. They wanted to design the home using details that were historically correct. We used a lot of plaids, natural linens, and other nods to nautical and English Cottage design. I did a lot of research to find vendors and products that would fit the design requirements of my client. In many cases we custom fabricated items such as custom lamp shades, hand painted scenic wallpaper mural from Stark, and custom Tole swing arm sconces for the master bedroom.  We imported plaid area rugs and runners from England, and used large iron nail heads to give them an authentic finished look. The only two rooms which were contemporary in style were the daughters' bedrooms. This was a great learning experience and it was really fabulous to help my clients vision become a reality.

Is there something special  about you

that you would like us to know?

My education was in both interior design and textile design. The first part of my career was spent designing floor coverings and hand screened wallpaper. I was also responsible for doing color and style forecasting for all the major carpet companies. I then moved with my family to Asia for 7 years and had the opportunity to travel and collect Asian art and antiques. When we returned I decided to focus my career in residential interior design. To satisfy my creative urges I will paint my walls and odd pieces of furniture that I find at flea markets and consignment shops. 

Julie Thome,  Representative for Julie Thome Draperies, Industry Partner ASID

How has 2012 been for you?

Much better than 2011. I opened by business in 2000 and 2011 was my most difficult year. This year things picked up for me. All the designers I work with have had some work for me.

What are your hopes and expectations for 2013?

I think the upward trend will continue. The economy is coming back and the housing market is improving, so I am optimistic.

Tell us about a special job you've had this year.

I made window treatments for three dining rooms for Pelicans' Nest, a country club in Florida for Robin McGarry.

Is there something special  about you that you would like us to know?

I have worked with many interior designers over the past years and have found that working with members of ASID is head and shoulders over working with non accredited designers. The specific information and details that they provide to me directly affect the success of a project.

For the past five summers Ginny Cohen, ASID, Communications Director of ASID CT, has volunteered at Circle of Tapawingo in Sweden, Maine, a camp which offers a free week for 140 girls who have lost a parent. The girls return year after year for this special time with others who share their feelings in a way that their family and friends at home may not understand. The volunteers learn so much from these strong and compassionate girls making the experience both fun and inspirational.

The Designers I work with have known for years that I have quite an adventurous streak . For all of the '90s and up to about 2007 I was quite the "Wreck Diver" and took long weekends to scuba dive all up and down the East Coast. I even dove the Andrea Doria fourteen times! If any of you have a client that likes nautical artifacts give me a call. I have quite the collection of brass that only a Captain could love.

My latest hobby is Motorcycling. I had a bike 40 years ago when I got out of the Marines which I rode through College. I then walked away and never looked back until 2006, when I picked up a Sport touring bike and have been putting about 10,000 miles on it ever since. My latest adventure was during the first week In Oct when I rode up to a cabin in VT, then to Central Maine, riding all the gorgeous two lane highways through the Green mountains into the Whites in New Hampshire. I got as far North as Jackman and Moosehead Lake. It was during the week so there was no traffic, just me and the Moose. In five days I covered 1750 miles. This picture is just south of Jackman, looking over Attean Pond. The Pond is part of the "Moose River Bow trip" a 3-4 day canoe kayak trip I have completed twice.

In addition to my own design firm, managing and developing trade showrooms, I work with a number of designers whom I came to know through the showrooms and  they continue to work with me.. With little time left, I love being outdoors, gardening in the spring and summer, living on a Christmas tree farm, and walking the trails year round. Recently, my sister moved to the area, and we now have a small business sewing together, items like totes and aprons. We were taught the art of sewing when we were young and love to spend the time together doing something creative and fun.

When I was in school I had an instructor who told us that interior design was 90% paperwork; I thought she was exaggerating. Anyone reading this knows she wasn't far off the mark.  I am so glad that I have many other creative pursuits, and these days it's my metalsmithing. There is something almost magical about taking a simple sheet of sterling or copper and turning it into a functional piece of art. 

I am a senior at the University of New Haven studying interior design and marketing. In my free time, I like to travel with my family. My most recent trip was to Paris, France. I have also visited London, the Caribbean Islands, Puerto Rico, Denver, and many other U.S. states. Traveling is very important to me and is a great learning experience. 

One of the volunteer activities PC is involved with is a ministry called Young Lives.  Its mission is to provide teen moms the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ through the helping hands of volunteers.  We develop relationships  with them by providing regularly scheduled club meetings and outings where we have fun, share a meal and offer some teaching moments which may include life skills training, parenting classes, one on one mentoring, goal setting, relationship building, bible study and service projects.  Our goal is to help them grow in their relationship with God, in order that His love may transform how they see themselves, their children, their relationships, and ultimately their world.