ASID CT Chapter Newsletter October 2013

In September, we held our Annual Meeting at the Milford Yacht Club. The highly respected architect, Dinyar Wadia, Associate AIA, of Wadia Associates of New Canaan was our speaker for the evening. Lynn recapped her term filled with so many successful events and thanked her board. What a perfect setting to say good bye to summer and our outgoing board members. Job well-done, Lynn.

This past June our board attended leadership training in LA. The conference coincided with Dwell's Design Exposition, so in-between our training sessions, we enjoyed our time meeting with manufacturer's reps and learning about their new products. Among the many great speakers was a woman named Marj Barlow. If you haven't heard of her, check out her website, http://www.marjbarlow.com. She guided us through the Strength's Workshop, an invaluable experience for our board members, getting to learn about each other's core strengths. What an amazing, bonding experience. Look for future announcements for our own local workshop with Marj hosted by our chapter. Not to be missed.

On Feb 27th, 2014, our chapter is hosting Student Career Night at the University of Bridgeport. Our very own, Randy Fiser, CEO of ASID, will be our guest speaker for the evening. Having heard him speak a few times before, he is a dynamo and well-worth hearing his ideas on the state of our industry. I can assure you that this event is tailored for all, not just our Student Members. Please plan on attending in support of our students and our CEO.

This past Friday, a group of ASID CT members met in Stamford and were driven by bus to the Hansgrohe Axor showroom at 29 9th Ave. in NYC. Not only did we learn about faucets and shower heads earning .2 CEU's, but we got to check out all their designs and available products in one showroom., followed by an afternoon of shopping and walking, finishing off the evening with a lovely dinner. If you haven't visited their showroom, it's worth the travel. We hope to repeat the event in the spring. Sign up early. Thank you, Hansgrohe.

Aligning ourselves as a chapter with national's educational objectives, a main direction for our chapter this year is to enlist our industry partners to host or deliver CEU events. This will enable our members to fulfill their current CEU requirements of 1.0 CEU's, equivalent to 10 hours, beginning with Jan., 2014 through Dec., 2015.

If there are any special topics that you'd like to see covered, please let Rachel Belden (rachelbelden@comcast.net) or Dorothy Robertshaw

(dorothyrobertshaw@hotmail.com) know.

I'd love to hear from any of my fellow members with your thoughts or questions. I look forward to meeting and speaking with you in the coming year.

AXOR Hansgrohe Visit

AXOR Hansgrohe Trip

ASID CT EVENTS & REMINDERS

ASID CT ANNUAL MEETING 2013

The ASID CT chapter held our 2013 Annual Meeting on Thursday September 12 at the Milford Yacht Club. A really lovely location and lots of equally lovely attendees, Designers, Industry Partners, Students and guests. Chapter appreciation awards were presented by retiring President, Lynn Garelick. Sara Hopkins, our incoming President, introduced the new board members who will be serving with her, as well as briefly outlining the programs in the planning for the balance of her term. We thank Dinyar Wadia of Wadia Associates who was our invited speaker. Mr. Wadia's insites into the value of the team approach to design which includes the involvement of architects. interior designers, and landscape designers creates the best results . He also donated his beautiful book, New Classicists, Wadia Associates as the departing door prize. Diana Ratazzi of Benjamin Moore, one of the Chapter sponsors said a few words and Jennifer Matthews of CT Cottages & Gardens, our media friend, also spoke for a couple of minutes. It was a delightful evening and well attended.

Please click here to view all the photos from the event and to see a video of our guest speaker Dinyar Wadia, Past President, Lynn Garelick and President, Sara Hopkins please click here.

ASID Student Design Competition

The much anticipated 2013 Student Design Competition has launched! This year's SHELTER theme seeks insightful and creative interior design ideas for ways that existing vacant buildings can be temporarily converted into shelters that support the health, safety and welfare of a community in crisis. Students, show us your solution and you could win $2,000 and national recognition of your work - exposing your talent to more than 30,000 ASID designers! Entry submissions open on Oct. 14, 2013, and close midnight EST on Jan. 12, 2014 (no late submissions will be considered). Judging will take place during January and February 2014 and winners announced in February. Entry cost is $35 for ASID student members and $75 for non-ASID student members.

Each month ASID highlights an Emerging Professional. What inspires your design ideas?

ASID Real World Design Week

Real World Design Week invites all ASID members to join us for this National mentoring program!

November 3 - 9, 2013

Registration is now open for Students, ASID Designers and Industry Parnters! Click here to set up your mentor profile.

This program connects future designers with professionals and creates relationships which last longer than one day or one week. We look forward to continue our efforts again with your support in 2013! For more information on the program resources and instructions on how to navigate the registration portal, please view the

Real World Design Week Cheat Sheet and Real World Design Week Registration Steps

ASID CT 2013-2014 Board of Directors

Here are our board members for the upcoming year 2013-2014:

President - Sara Hopkins, Allied ASID
President-Elect - Amy B. Eisenberg, Allied ASID
Communications Director - Barbara Schmidt, Allied ASID
Financial Director - Pierrette C. Schnell, ASID
Professional Development Director - Rachel Belden, ASID
Membership Director - Robin London Horn, Allied ASID
At Large Director - Tiffany Benincasa, Industry Partner Representative for C. Parker Gallery
Student Representative to the Board - Stephanie Macari, Student ASID

We appreciate their willingness to serve the chapter and look forward to their leadership!

UPCOMING ASID CT EVENTS

ASID CT STUDENT CAREER NIGHT 2014

Thursday, February 27

University of Bridgeport

Special Guest Speaker - Randy Fiser, CEO of ASID

UPCOMING MEMBER EVENTS

Fordham Marble with Marble & Granite Event

Thursday, October 24
5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information and where to RSVP please click

HERE

Artee Fabrics and Capel Rugs Event

Wednesday, November 20
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

For further information and where to RSVP please click

HERE

Thank you to our Sponsors

NEWS FROM OUR BOARD MEMBERS

Amy Bryant Eisenberg, Allied ASID

President Elect

Amy comes from a design background that begins with family. Her Dad was an industrial product designer and model maker as well as a home designer and builder who more recently enjoyed the quiet life as a marine artist. Amy's formal education includes a design degree from The University of New Haven and a business from Western Connecticut State University.

Interior design is not just a career for Amy, it is a passion. The reward is sharing in her client's contentment in relishing their new spaces. She truly enjoys meeting interesting and eclectic personalities and the stimulating environment a design career and her clientele provides. She also works to educate others what interior design involves. Amy is looking forward to service once again on the Board of Directors for the ASID Connecticut Chapter in her capacity as President in 2014.

After having developed a strong background in residential design since 2006, Amy recently sought to hone a deeper expertise in kitchen and bath design. Her position at Ceramic Design of Westport provides an optimal platform for this expertise to be honed. Amy now enjoys creating new spaces with the finely selected exclusive cabinetry, porcelain, ceramic and stone products and accessories offered by Ceramic Design of Westport, LTD.

With her activity in the Fairfield community through her position as regional leader for B.I.G. (Believe Inspire Grow a women's business support and educational organization), and by participating in fundraising events like Vines and Vignettes in 2011 Amy continues to influence through design. Since 2007 Amy was an invited designer for the annual holiday event fundraiser known as Fairfield Christmas Tree Festival at the Burr Homestead. There she designed holiday themed rooms to help benefit numerous local charities.

Pierrette C. Schnell, ASID

Financial Director

Schnell Interiors, LLC

Born in Vermont and raised in Qu�bec, Pierrette was named after her uncle Pierre but prefers to go by her nickname 'PC'. From a young age, she enjoyed spending time with her father and her uncle, who were both in the building trades, while exasperating her mother with her own messy design projects -- desecrating muffin tins to mix colors for macaroni necklaces, or using mason jars to make colored lanterns with crepe paper and lead. Having just turned 16 upon graduating high school, she ignored her father's advice to study architecture and instead chose a career in business, ultimately spending the next 15 years in client services and inventory management for international firms.

Although her career was thriving, her passion for design reemerged, and she took a leap of faith and attended Winthrop University in South Carolina, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design in 1998. That same year she and her husband Rich relocated to Connecticut, and after a stint in sales and design at Ethan Allen, she was recruited by Waterworks, where she focused the next eight years becoming very proficient in bathroom design. This played into her strength for architectural detailing with hard surfaces and fascination with tile design.

Desiring to be involved in all aspects of residential design, she started Schnell Interiors LLC in 2008 to combine her vision and knowledge of design possibilities with her experience in client relations and materials management. She is known for her meticulous attention to detail and her persistence in seeing those details to completion, and delights in the teamwork involved in creating a unique space for her clients. Her diplomacy and sense of humor often serve to smooth over the inevitable bumps with contractors and trades people as she has a deep respect for them that goes back to her childhood.

PC looks forward to her continued involvement as Financial Director for ASID, not only for professional growth but also as a way to 'pay forward' the benefits she has received along the way in this exciting profession. When she is not working, PC is most often found in the kitchen surrounded by her three cats Jezebel, Samson & Mir� who are always hoping for table scraps

Robin London Horn, Allied ASID

Membership Director

Although my first love is fine arts my journey took me initially to a career in critical care nursing. Eventually I returned to school to get a BA in Interior Design at the University of New Haven. I first worked for ATL Environments and am currently working at Robin McGarry Interior Design in Weston. I have been on the board of ASID CT for two years and my passion is for politics and history, reading and skiing.

Rachel Belden, ASID

Professional Development Director

Rachel Belden Interiors

I have been in business in Connecticut since 2003 and I specialize in residential design but also welcome smaller commercial projects. I started my career in 1984 in Washington DC after graduating from Kean University with a BFA in art and interior design. I began my career working in residential design but after five years decided to go into commercial design. I worked my way up from a junior designer to a senior designer/project manager and worked as a commercial designer for 6 years until my daughter was born in 1997. I love working as a designer and my favorite things about designing are the process of design, I like the initial meeting wiht new clients, learning about them and their family and beginning to understand their project. I love sitting in my work area/office, sketching and planning on paper and watching the project come together. Once the furniture and finish selections are made, the project feels like it is coming to life. Installations are always exciting and scary, like a puzzle all the pieces have to fit, nothing is complete until the last piece is in place. What a rush!

Barbara Schmidt, Allied ASID

Tile and Texture

Communications Director

My fascination in Interior Design has been an evolution over my lifetime. My father was a commercial artist with a passion for art,and design , with family summer adventure trips to the southwestern states. I spent a lot of time as a child exploring the cliff dwellings of Native Americans, and visited many museums and rural villages that feature primitive art and textiles.

These experiences have translated into a career path and aesthetic that captivates me today. My passion is to seek out the unique art and textile techniques of world cultures in my travels.

I have a Bachelors Degree in Interior Design from Purdue University. My past experience in Kitchen Design, work as a textile broker , and as a design consultant for a custom tile studio in South Norwalk, CT have brought me to my current role. In 2001 my business Tile and Texture was created. It encompasses design consultation services for custom tile , custom glazes and natural stone, for residential applications, as well as space planning, and complete textile , lighting and furnishing services . My membership in ASID for the last 10 years has been an enriching part of my personal and professional life. The relationships with fellow designers, and Industry Partners , the educational programs and networking opportunities have played an important role in my business success.

Stephanie Macari, Student ASID

Student Representative to the Board

University of New Haven

I am a senior in the Interior Design program at UNH, the Student Representative to the Board this year, as well as the Student Chapter President at UNH. I got involved in the design field early on when my father was always doing work around the house, and I wanted to help. I am fascinated with the concept of being able to manipulate a space to create something beautiful and truly unique and I am particularly interested in kitchen and bath design. In my spare time, I enjoy playing racquetball and renovating old furniture to make it new again.

NEWS FROM OUR STUDENTS

Samantha Jones, Student ASID

University of New Haven

As a student member of ASID, I can say that my professional experience and knowledge is growing. Last year I joined the ASID student chapter at the University of New Haven without much knowledge of what Interior Designing entailed, what ASID did, and how important it is to talk to professionals in the field of my potential future career. As a freshman, I was fearful to get involved and struggled to balance my school work with extracurricular activities. I went to a few events during that year and quickly learned how valuable ASID is to an Interior Design student. My participation led me to having conversations with professionals, learn information about getting involved in the profession, and allowed me to become closer with my classmates. Now as a sophomore in the interior design program at the University of New Haven, I feel very comfortable saying that I chose the right profession. Being a part of ASID has given me the opportunity to see what lies ahead of college. It is far too easy to forget what "the real world" will be like while still in school. ASID has kept me excited and more aware of what my future as an Interior Designer will be like. I encourage all students in ASID to get involved!

Circle of Care was started by three mothers who met during their children's own battles with pediatric cancer. After years of treatment with their children, the mothers knew they had to give back and help other parents and children cope with their own journeys.

University of New Haven Art From The Heart became a recognized student organization in 2012. As an RSO, we work along side Circle of Care to donate a new bedroom to a local child that is battling cancer. Our main task is to fundraise $1,500 to provide new paint, furniture and accessories for his or her room. As a group, we fundraise, design, and construct the room. University of New Haven Art from the Heart's main focus is giving back to the community. Through collaboration and creativity, we design a bedroom for a young boy or girl to come home and enjoy during such a difficult time.

After speaking with the child and their families we work together to create a space that we hope they can be proud to call their own. Whether it's a room designated to watching their favorite movies, or even something as simple as painting the walls purple, we allow our imaginations to run wild in hopes of creating a child's dream bedroom.

INTERVIEWS WITH OUR MEMBERS

Susan Pinckney, ASID

Tai Soo Kim Partners

I guess you could say design is in my blood. My grandmother was a decorator who had studied at Parsons and taught art at Salem College,NC. She and my grandfather ran a business making high end and custom lampshades for major department stores (Nieman Marcus, Macys,Bloomingdales, etc). Both my parents graduated from RISD and encouraged creativity in our home.

I went to college initially as a graphic design major and later obtained a certificate in architectural drafting going on to work for one of my instructors in his firm while simultaneously drafting for a civil engineer. Through a family member I transitioned into Technical illustration, which evolved into a CAD program, drawing helicopter parts for Sikorsky Tech manuals.

As I had the background in art and architectural studies and I enjoyed decorating I figured Interior Design would be a natural fit. So I obtained my BA at Paier College of Art where I became a student member of ASID and and the president of our student chapter.

I later ended up at Centerbrook Architects for many years and had the privilege to work on some really wonderful projects at places like Phillips Exeter Academy, Quinnipiac University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Andover Academy.

Eventually I was approached by Roz Cama to become a board member of ASID.) The board members welcomed me with open arms. We all worked together to make the Connecticut Chapter a better resource for the trade.. It was while networking through ASID that I found out about the employment position that I now hold at Tai Soo Kim Partners.

TSKP specializes in schools but still has a hand in other projects as well. My position here allows me much more involvement in the design decisions which gives me a more complete sense of emotional connection to the projects in which I am involved.

I most recently completed an installation at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford. At the opening night the school's new director delivered his speech describing the joy on the faces of the children when they experienced their new school for the first time. It brought a tear to my eye and made me realize that this is really why we do what we do; we bring happiness to the lives of others by creating inspirational environments.

In my spare time, I am an avid gardener, I love to draw portraits, I love working in clay, sewing, painting, and silver smithing. I am now in the process of buying a house, which I had drawn in 3D and planned the first floor remodel before I even made an offer on it. I intend to set up a studio in the walk-out basement so I can indulge my creativity more spontaneously than I can in my current home.

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

Rosalyn Cama, FASID, EDAC

President CAMA Incorporated

CAMA Inc receives CoD+A merit healthcare award for Princeton HealthCare System Art for Healing Program

The Art Commission, an online platform that connects artists who create site-specific commissions with design and art professionals, established the CoD+A Awards in 2013 to celebrate design projects that demonstrate the most successful integration of commissioned art into interior and architectural spaces. The Awards recognize the importance of collaboration, and honor the design and art professionals whose collective imaginations create the public and private spaces that inspire us.

The Art for Healing Program at Princeton HealthCare System creates an environment that enhances the wellbeing of patients, staff, physicians, volunteers and visitors. CAMA's vision is to position Princeton HealthCare System at the forefront of the use of the arts in healthcare.

CAMA Inc., has notably designed healing arts programs for nationally recognized institutions such as Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital, Lankenau Medical Center in Philadelphia, El Paso Children's Hospital in Texas and Marlborough Hospital in Massachusetts.

CAMA, Incorporated was founded in 1983 and has an extensive portfolio of design projects nationwide in the area of healthcare, corporate and academics. Rosalyn Cama has been an inspirational thought leader in the evidence-based design market and has lectured internationally for professionals in the field for several years. She has written and published numerous articles on the subject and is the author of "Evidence-Based Healthcare Design", John Wiley & Sons

Connecticut-Based Designer Shares Her Style Secrets and "No-No's to Know" in First Book

of "Pretty and Proper" Series~

Connecticut-based interior designer Holly Holden launches her first book, "The Pretty and Proper Living Room," in which she shares her "secret code" for classic and elegant design. Unlike many "how to" design books, "The Pretty and Proper Living Room" is as entertaining as it is informative, with personal playful anecdotes interwoven with detailed descriptions of how to acquire, display and maintain must-have items for a timeless living room.

Inspired by her daughter's desire to create a house full of elegance, sophistication and refinement, Holly began jotting down guidelines and tips which ultimately grew into "The Pretty and Proper Living Room". The first of the "Pretty and Proper" series, the book introduces newcomers to the prevalent themes of formal decorating and provides readers with the necessary knowledge to create their own stately interior with the goal of decorating once for a lifetime. In this gentle manual, Holly demonstrates how classic design can be comfortable and inviting, not pretentious or stuffy. Replete with practical advice and "no-no's to know," each chapter addresses specific items necessary to creating the quintessential genteel living room, from porcelain and pillows to chandeliers and candlesticks.

About Holly Holden

Holly Holden is an ASID Allied Member who has been designing classic, old-school interiors for more than 25 years. Her interior design firm, Holly Holden & Company, Ltd. has served clients across the United States and internationally. Her work has been presented on the HGTV network, in national magazines and in several prestigious Show Houses. Her graceful, genteel style, with its timeless understatement, was also showcased in "The Great Houses of New England (Rizzoli, 2008), which featured her home, Fox Hall (c. 1803). The gardens at Fox Hall were recently documented for the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens.

NEWS FROM OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Susan Whalen

Edelman Leather

New Milford, CT

I reside in Brookfield, CT and have been with Edelman Leather since December 2010 when I joined their Customer Service team and was quickly promoted to Sales in January 2013. I manage high volume accounts where I have exposure working with leather, exotic hides like Stingray, Zebra, Python and Bison and I am well versed with the different products and their respective applications. Prior to joining Edelman I graduated from Manhattanville College with a degree in Communications and I took courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

The LaurelRock Company

Ranks on Landscape Management's LM150 List of Green Industry's Largest Companies in USA

Landscape Management (LM) released its 2013 LM150 list of the Green Industry's largest companies ranked by 2012 revenue. The LaurelRock Company, a residential landscape design-build and maintenance firm based in Wilton, Connecticut, ranked 149th, and was one of 58 companies that showcased double-digit growth spurt (21%) in 2012 due to its green initiatives and forward thinking culture.
LaurelRock President, Burt DeMarche, LEED AP, stated, "The LaurelRock Company's growth in 2012 was attributed to adding an up-and-coming service line-green walls and green roofs-by partnering with a manufacturer and becoming a certified installer. Additionally, with extreme weather on the rise, we are working closely with our clients on implementing water conservation methodologies and educating our customers on the benefits of preventative structural pruning and cabling to preserve valuable trees on their properties. With the success of these eco-conscious initiatives and a continued focus on staying in front of our clients' needs, the company plans for continued growth in 2013."
Are green landscaping firms growing? The landscape industry's top 150 revenue-generating green firms logged a combined $7.68 billion in 2012 annual revenue-up 2 percent from last year's list totaling $7.54 billion. The figure remains lower than 2010's nearly $7.8 billion total. Seventy-three percent of companies experienced revenue growth in 2012 vs. 2011; 9 percent reported no growth and 17 percent reported a revenue decrease. Overall, LM150 companies averaged an 11 percent growth rate from 2011 to 2012. The ones that shrunk? Many of them are snow market firms that experienced the pains of the 2012 winter that wasn't. (Two percent were unknown or the data couldn't be compared).
For more information on The LaurelRock Company, visit LaurelRock.com.

Welcome to our New Members

Industry Partner Members

Ann FitzGerald REALM
Daniel Murphy Salamander Designs
Fabio Figueiredo La Pietra Tile and Marble
Allison Birkmeyer ARDEX Americas
Al Dias SelectBlinds.com

Professionals and Students

Ms. Ann Marie Melite, ASID, MA, NCIDQ

Emily Elizabeth Czarnecki, ASID

Mrs. Ana Monssao, Associate ASID

Shannon Palucci, Student ASID

Ms. Kate Shanley Talbott, Allied ASID

Ms. Janine Marie Colicchio, Student ASID

Mrs. Heather Salafia-Welch, ASID

Kristin Firine, Student ASID

Christina Esposito, Student ASID

Ms. Nicole A Narducci, Student ASID

Mr. Timothy Aaron Danforth, Student ASID

Kelsea M. Tortorella, Student ASID

Cassandra N. Charles, Student ASID

Rachel E Winston, Student ASID

Mr. Christopher Gabriel Turpin, Student ASID

Introducing New Benefit for Active Certificate Holders

Member Cards Now Offered Via Web

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."

To All of Our Connecticut Members,

By now you should be aware of the requirement to complete 0.6 educational credits by the end of this year to maintain your ASID membership.

To clarify these requirements, please keep the following in mind:

Not every CEU is created equal.
Only IDCEC approved seminars and CIDA-accredited Continuing Education classes are accepted.
You must register your classes on the IDCEC website for credit.

If you need further explanation of requirements, please click here for details. To register your credits with IDCEC, visit the IDCEC website and follow the instructions on this page.

IDCEC Numbers Now Available on the IDCEC Website

ASID members requiring CEUs may now find their IDCEC number on the IDCEC website. This number is required to sign into IDCEC and access transcripts, retrieve certificates of completion, warehouse CEUs, register CEUs and more. Your IDCEC number is also required when attending CEU eligible events. And don't forget, 2013 is a CEU deadline year - ASID members requiring CEUs must have 0.6 CEUs by Dec. 31, 2013.

Please Contact Us

The ASID CT newsletter is interested in sharing the thoughts of our Interior Designers, Industry Partners and Students. We would like to hear your views on design and business issues, and about jobs you are working on. Please contact us if you would like us to include something about you in our next newsletter.

info@asidct.org

Please check our website regularly for news, upcoming events and important information