We are always excited to hear from HGTV so when they called for an interview, our Principal Designer Troy Beasley jumped on it!  We have been on HGTV twice and on the Canadian version as well a few years ago. You can still see Troy smiling out at you from your TV set on the HGTV channel!

Here is the HGTV blog interview from July 6,  2010 by Jenna Ontrop in Design Inspirations. The direct link is http://blog.hgtv.com/design/2010/07/06/designers-troy-beasley/#more-11521

 Troy Beasley is the principal designer for Beasley & Henley Interior Design. The company works with architects, builders and private clients from every corner of the country to create beautifully personalized interiors. Troy’s travels through Greece, Italy and Asia have influenced his tastes in architectural detail, artistic crafts and textile art.

 1. Which designers influenced you?

 I can’t site a specific designer or even a group of designers. I look at so many different people! I am influenced by anyone who is creative and artistic. It’s not just designers, but also artists, writers, fabric designers, architects…there’s a long list of captivating creative thinkers. I soak it all up.

 2. What’s your favorite design style?

 Hmmmmm…. Eclectic Classical. I like to blend periods and styles. For example, modern artwork used with traditional case goods, and then mixed in with transitional upholstery. Or traditional oil paintings over a modern sofa set beside a funky lamp. It’s a challenge to get the mix right. I love it.

3. What’s the essential home accessory (or piece of furniture) you use in your designs? 

I always look for an odd accessory or an unusual piece of furniture. Something unexpected, like a stool as a side table. I loved it when the petrified wood side tables first came out because they fit perfectly into my search for quirky pieces. I also love to use art books and travel books because they can take you to different places. People love to flip through them.

 4. Show us a picture of the room you most enjoyed designing and tell us why you love it. 

I have two. The first is the living room in my own house. I enjoyed designing that (really our entire house) because of the personal connection to my family and what my wife and I wanted for us and our children.  

 Then the club at Luxautica. It’s an exotic car club, a public space and a great entertainment venue, so I knew a lot of people would be enjoying it.

5. What’s your favorite vacation spot?  LOL! That is like asking me about my favorite designer! A favorite vacation spot is really any place with great buildings and ambiance. Italy jumps to mind. I love the history and the architecture.

 Jenna is a contributor to Design Happens.

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Sara Baldwin, innovative founder of the incredible New Ravenna Mosaics recently spoke with me about designs, trends, and her love of mosaics.  Sara has a lot to say, and when she gets started it is hard to stop – but why would you want her to!?  Here is some of our recent conversation.

Hi Sarah! You just got back from this year’s Coverings show – how was it?

It was great and really busy for us. We launched a few new lines…our new Waterjet designs, our new stone line, and we showed our glass palette with all our fantastic 50 new glass colors.  We had a great response.  I am so excited about our new designs. 

Well, New Ravenna has had a ‘great response’ since you founded it 18 yrs ago. With the whole home furnishings industry being so crazy this past year, what has been going on at your shop?

Good things, thankfully!  Our focus is still on strong mosaic designs, but we have just added our Waterjet designs.  Waterjet gives a lot cleaner look than mosaics, which are a lot more textural, of course.  We often still add mosaics into the finished Waterjet design by hand if we want the pattern to have some texture.

Also, we are using a lot more of our new glass in the mosaics. We have doubled the number of jewel glass colors available lately.  I don’t really see any one else doing this like we are.

That’s cool.  What else are you seeing in mosaics these days?

I see an overall trend toward cleaner looks and to more organic flow and motion in mosaics.  Personally, that is what I am focused on.  On the other hand, there is still a need for complex designs.  For example, while the mid-century influence remains strong in furnishings, it is boring unless you juxtapose it with something else, something contrasting to give the project an edge.  Then, even with all this “modern”, I am also seeing a trend toward Moorish and Near Eastern influences, even crossed with sort of Gothic influences. All very curvy and flowing.

Hmmm…Moorish and Gothic are two of my favs, so I am glad to hear that!  What is your favorite mosaic pattern lately? 

I love our ‘Jacqueline’ CBO914. It was based on a wedding dress I saw in a magazine; the dress had the most intricate lace details.  Jacqueline is cut with the Waterjet, and then the material is all tumbled. For installation, we recommend sanded grout, to accentuate the beautiful texture of the stone. It is a very versatile pattern. I love it.

We took a tour of your workshop last year and it was incredible, a real eye-opener for us.  What do you think are some misconceptions people still have about mosaics?

Mainly, that they are only an Italian inspired tile design. Mosaics are like paint on a canvas – you can have a painting that is modern, Baroque, impressionist, lots of styles – the same is true with mosaics. I mean, the Italians had many masters in painting, but people don’t shrug and say, ‘ Oh paint, it’s so Italian!”  With mosaics, you determine the function and color, and you can make a mosaic be anything you need it to be. It is often that final design touch that sets a space apart from any other, the touch that makes the space intensely personal.  Also, people think mosaics are very expensive, but there is a lot of range in price as well.

What are some unusual things people have done with your mosaics?  

I heard that someone did a radiator cover with one of our designs at the Kip’s Bay Showhouse this year, but I have not seen it yet… anyone have pictures?

What are you seeing as new uses for mosaics?

There are so many. Really we have just scratched the surface of using mosaics in modern times. They can be for any environment. A floor, a ceiling, a wall, a fountain, a fun detail. I like seeing them on the outside as well as the inside – in landscape design, outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces, pools, they can be an outdoor ‘rug’. So many things!

Sara, you are endlessly creative! What inspires you?

What inspires me? That’s hard. What inspires you? (LOL! this is your interview!)  Things in nature, my house, the beach, the woods, fabrics, anything textural. Last year I was into rivets, in fact I almost wrecked my car one day looking at rivets on a bridge. So yeah, nature, but really everything inspires me, I just have to let it in!

Sara, thanks for talking with me and thanks again for the tour. It was amazing to see those mosaics come to life centimeter by centimeter and all by hand. I have a huge appreciation for your talented team and the painstaking and beautiful work they do!  Thanks Sara! 

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Integrated systems make life easier!

I recently spoke with Michael Voll of Electronic Systems Designs, ESD for short.  Michael is very smart, knowledgeable about electronics and a great guy, but sometimes, when he gets techy, I have no idea what he is talking about.  So he graciously offered to try once more, and this time, I think I got it!

Hi Michael.  Your company, ESD is multi-faceted…. Tell us about what you do, in layman’s terms.

We are multifaceted, but basically ESD specializes in “systems integration”. We integrate the electronics and technology of the entire home into one, centralized control.

Why is this in demand, why is this important?

Technology in homes is become more complex.  When you buy electronics, you also buy the controls that go with them, so you end up with remotes all over your house! There is a remote for your ceiling fan, pool, TV, then there’s the stereo…. It goes on and on.  People want a central control for it all.

Yeah, that gets to be a mess. I never could get the remotes right or even find them sometimes!

Exactly! It is better and easier to have one ‘go-to’ location. 

How does this fit into the interior design?

With interior design trending toward more clean lined and modern, people want their electronics and their controls to be the same way.  A smaller package for everything in one interface. Easy.

What other movements or trends are you seeing in the world of home technology?

Hands down it’s the ‘green movement’.  On almost every job now don’t just program lighting we make it more efficient.  We call it the “Green Scene”.

Green Scene?

Yeah, we program the system so the lighting automatic dims by 10%. That saves people about 15% on lighting bills and extends bulbs by 50%. It reduces bulbs and acid in landfills plus it improves efficiency in your home. You gotta have a Green Scene!

Yeah! I don’t know that I have a Green Scene. I have to look into that.  Actually what pops in my mind is, why don’t people just buy lower wattage bulbs?

Well, sometimes you still need brighter lights, just not on an everyday basis. 

So in addition to getting Green, what are the Must Haves that you see in home technology?

Flat Screens still! In bedrooms they are about 32” and then up to 55”- 60”in family rooms. I have one client doing 103” right now!  Also HD (high-definition) video distribution is important now.  People want HD on their flat screens but not all the boxes that go with it.  So we set up one control area but the HD goes to all rooms.  It’s great!

What are some of the mistakes Home Owners home electronics?  

Easy – not pre-wiring for options they may want to add in the future. If you pre-wire, you are all set for future purchases. Plus, it is a lot cheaper than cutting up your house to add wiring later on.

Another mistake is not going with a reputable company or looking just at the lowest bidder. You get what you pay for!  There are a lot of start ups out here who come in low, but they are here today, gone tomorrow.

With electronics, we know there is always something new on the horizon, so look into the future a bit – what about the Must Haves of tomorrow?

I would have to say it is digital streaming of video content. As MP3 revolutionized the music industry the same thing is happening to videos.  We wont buy DVD or Blue Rays or any of those. We will be downloading videos to personal storage and saying, ‘remember when we used to have to go to a store to actually buy this”? LOL!

What about phone technology?

Video will be integrated more and more with mobile devices. Not just for entertainment but for communications too. Then in homes we will see the disappearance of the home phone, which is already underway. Whole sections of the Gen X, Gen Y groups, only have I-phones. Telephone jacks and landline phones are disappearing.

Thanks Michael – I appreciate it and I get it!

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Sensuous and Touchable!

Edwards Fields and Tai Ping are such fashion-forward companies, but both have been around for a long time, how they keep things fresh?
Edwards Fields, the company, has been around since1935. Edwards Fields, the man, was an icon – he was on the world’s best-dressed lists and he was the person who coined the phrase ‘area rug’. That set the tone and we have been on the forefront ever since. Tai Ping has always been innovative. Its name means ‘great peace’ – which everyone wants – a great piece, I mean ‘peace’, … how can you go wrong with that?

Are we still talking about Rugs?
Um, sorry I drifted for a moment… yeah, sure.

We really applaud your use of great designers for your rugs. Tell us about the designers.

In North America our Design Director is Yasmina Kossman and she is so talented. We also have an in-house Design Studio in Paris with fresh designers who are constantly creating. We are pretty much all in house. We have had Kenso do a collection and we had an interesting line by French artists. In addition to the new design, we also have our older collections. Nothing is every discontinued and it is all hand done.

To what do you attribute the shift in rugs and carpet design?

Its the green movement that has lead to the interesting changes in rugs and carpets. LEEDS, eco-friendly design, go natural – it is on everyone’s minds and we have a very sophisticated clientele is asking for it. We have rugs made from bamboo, soy, five kinds of silk, cotton, wool, jute, and more. Mixing them creates wonderful rugs. They are sensuous and touchable. One of the newest combinations we have is wool and cashmere. (Yummy!) See what I mean– great piece!

What movements do you see in the future?

Cleaner, simpler, this is the way we are living now and that is reflected in our furnishings. People are doing more cacooning and investing in their homes. So it is not so much about fancy jewelry, and expensive cars but a home that is a comfort and a haven.

Who is your favorite wallpaper designer?

Yasmina! She travels the world and comes back with wonderful fresh ideas and textiles.
We can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

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