Time2Design Blog : March 2013

Wallpaper Wednesday | Given Campbell

In March 2011, I connected with Given Campbell on twitter, and it was there I discovered that Given is a custom wallpaper designer. So I, via twitter and email, asked Given if I could do a post about her wallpaper. She graciously agreed and I did a Wallpaper Wednesday post in March of 2011, about a commemorative wallpaper design she had recently completed --> click here to read

OK, so long story slightly shorter, I recently attended an industry event in Tampa and started a conversation with another attendee, Given Campbell....conversation - "what do you do?" "what do I do?" "are you in the design business?" "I'm a designer" "Oh I am a wallpaper designer" "Nice to meet you, oh hey I have a design blog and I do a wallpaper wednesday piece maybe I could get your card and do a post about you and your company?" "Sure yeah, that would be great" Exchange of cards... blah blah blah....Then the program event began. I then looked at her business card and all of a sudden...ding ding ding...(conversation in my head...."I think I know this name, it seems familar, let me check, oh hey is this the) I took out my phone did a quick search on my website and there it was, Given Campbell Wallpaper Wednesday Post that I had done in March of 2011. How cool to finally meet in person, and so funny we didn't put the pieces together right away....when the event presenation ended we were able to speak again, have a good laugh and comment "what a small world".

I know this a long intro but when there is a story to the story I think it is fun to share.

And that brings me to my Question and Answer interview with Given to tell you more about who she is and what a really unique and amazing wallpaper company she has...

Q&A ~ Given Campbell

How long have you been in business?

"I opened my business Given Campbell in 2005"

Who is your typical customer?

"Usually I deal with Interior Designers but I do work directly with the homeowner from time to time"

Can you give me a short bio about you, your experience and what
brought you to become a wallpaper designer?

"In 1999 I decided to pull up stakes and move to Florida. It was really a spur of the moment decision. I wanted a career as an artist and I didn't think it would happen if I didn't shake things up a bit. I needed a total life reboot. Three months later I was working for The Walt Disney Company. But, as much as I loved Disney, I realized that I wanted and needed something that was totally my own. I felt that if I didn't just go for it, I might never get things off the ground. The timing was more of a gut feeling, so in 2002 I left the company and struck out on my own."

"I realized that wallpaper was making a dramatic comeback and I began exploring the idea of creating my own line of wallpaper. An ardent fan of Interior Design, I fell in love with the creativity and unlimited design options that wallpaper offers, and I quickly became hooked on the idea of designing my own line. There aren’t a lot of books that tell you how to break into the wallpaper business so I just followed my gut and figured it out as I went along."

What do you consider to be your style?

"I don’t really have a name for my style but if I had to choose one, I would call my style Kaleidoscopic. My style is bold and bright and daring but not so out-there that it can’t go in any room in the house. I once heard designer Connie Dirvin describe it as “the night club meets the country club” and I love that. I think it is the perfect description. I also design conceptually, by taking an idea, however abstract, and creating a group of patterns around it that relate to that specific concept. I am always challenging myself to come up with something new and different that has yet to be seen."

"My specialty is custom work, which means exactly what it says. I am always surprised by some companies’ idea of “custom”. They give you 5 things to choose from before they even know what you want and tell you it is custom. I let the client tell me what they want first and then I do it. I hope to create patterns that you never tire of looking at."

What influences your wallpaper designs?

"I am often asked about influences and I find it to be one of the hardest questions to answer. I get inspiration from any and everything. I am inspired by other artists, the sunlight, a drop of dew shimmering on a spider web, a sunrise, travel, food, animals, literature, the planets...the list is endless so it is very difficult to attribute that to any one thing."

I also learned that Given has some pretty impressive accolades since she began her Wallpaper company. She has been featured in the New York Times, House and Garden Tastemaster and on the Today show. You might have also seen her work featured in InStyle, Metropolitan Home, Domino, Cottage Living and Spaces. And if you happen to have a copy of the coffee-table book by renouwned photographer Catherine Ledner, Glamour Dogs your will find one of her prints from her Studio Printworks line, Love American Style. Not to mention being featured on the Target Club Wedd 2010 catalog. Given has even licensed some of her designs to Studio Printworks, and Astek Wallcovering and she has sold a collection of patterns to worldwide commercial wallpaper giant Wolf Gordon, one of which won the 2007 Best of Year Award for Contract Wallcovering. She is also discussing a deal for additional patterns.
In addition to this, Given won an award from Microsoft: first place in the search for the best small business in America. Her wallpaper has been used in a project, which recently won the AIA Austin Honor Award for a Scout Island Residence for a new build. And her client list includes MTV, ABC Television, as well as the Wine Inns chain of pubs and wine shops in Belfast and the UK - not to mention a host of other clients are in Belgium, Germany, and London.

Given Campbell

813.417.5393

www.givencampbell.com

Email - given@givencampbell.com

Twitter -@givencampbell

I want to personally thank Given for taking the time to share with me and my readers a little about herself and her company. I am so glad we have connected in real life and I look forward to working with you on some up coming projects!

wallpaper pictures - photo credit givencampbell.com

DESIGN | INSPIRATION | BEDROOM

As an interior designer, and an artist, I walk thru life and am constantly inspired by what I see. I find inspiration from objects, buildings and often times nature. Textural pattern is something that I am drawn too. This is a picture I took while traveling in North Carolina. The multiple textures against the sharp contrast from the blue sky and the red barn, combined with the natural movement of the tree and the crisp fresh green of the grass are to me an abundance of inspiration. I immediately visualize how I can interpret this into design inspiration and how I can apply it to interior design....maybe in a bedroom like this...

What do you think?

Wallpaper Wednesday | Laundry Room Before & After

We just completed the installation of this wallpaper and I am excited to share this with you. This is a perfect example of how wallpaper can transform a room.

My client uses the entry from the garage thru the laundry room on a daily basis and they wanted this space to be as special as the rest of their home. The previous wallpaper was a small pattern that just blended into the space and didn't really add to the room.

The goal was to enhance the room and connect it with the rest of the home. The new wallpaper as you can see from these before and after pictures has transformed this laundry room.

Give Time2Design a call to discover

how wallpaper can work for you.

941-378-9964

Friday Kitchen Find | Galley Sink

This Friday Kitchen Find is the crème de la crème of kitchen sinks for anyone who fancies themselves a chef or has a love for entertaining at home. The Galley Sink is really more than a sink, it is a kitchen workstation that can double as a serving station inside or outside.

Cutting boards, colanders, a drain rack, and stainless bowls slide above and below each other on two tiers inside the sink to accommodate food preparation, clean up, and serving in one convenient place.

The Galley is revolutionary in function and design. Available in three lengths: 7’, 5 ½’ and 4’, the Galley can be installed indoors or out. It can be installed as an undermount sink or as an apron front sink. And if you install a cooktop right next to it you’ll be able to cook right at the Galley.

And it can also be kosher - To prevent the consumption of forbidden food combinations, every Galley accessory is available with your choice of color: red, blue or green. The central drain of the Galley creates the ideal station to prep all your Kosher foods safely. You can easily keep the categories separated while you have everything you need for each food preparation. Meat, dairy, or parve? No problem at the Galley!

~photo credit The Galley Sink~

DESIGN TERMS | DEFINITIONS | Dovetail Joint

DOVETAIL JOINT

Dovetail Joint - A joint where a mortise and tenon combine to for a solid structure. Created entirely from wood.

From Wikipedia

Dovetailed woodworking joint on a Romanian church.

photo credit wikipedia

The end of a dovetailed joint.

photo credit wikipedia

A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joint technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery including furniture, cabinets, log buildings and traditional timber framing. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart (tensile strength), the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of tails cut into the end of another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once glued, a wooden dovetail joint requires no mechanical fasteners.

tutankhamun excavation photo credit british museum

The dovetail joint probably pre-dates written history. Some of the earliest known examples of the dovetail joint are in furniture entombed with mummies dating from First Dynasty of ancient Egypt, as well the tombs of Chinese emperors. The dovetail design is an important method of distinguishing various periods of furniture. In Europe the dovetail joint is also called a swallow-tail joint or a fantail joint.

Friday Kitchen Find | Miele Brilliant White

“Simply Brilliant”

Introducing Miele Brilliant White Plus

The color white has long been revered by architects and designers for its ability to harmonize and balance space. It is often interpreted as an absence of color, though it has a significant impact on design.

Farnsworth House - Photographer Jon Miller

Renowned architect, Mies van der Rohe celebrated the color white in his now infamous Farnsworth House. Considered by many to be one of the most important examples of modernist domestic architecture, the Farnsworth House combines transparent continuous glass walls with pristine white steel framing to create a classically minimalist structure.

Farnsworth House - Photographer Jon Miller

Miele employed a similar respect for pure lines and transparency when creating the new Brilliant White Plus Series of built-in appliances. Inspired by five core ideas - concept, form, elements, continuity and detail, this new collection offers design professionals a unique group of appliance solutions.

Miele whole bean coffee maker, steam oven, cup warmer

Miele 30" convection oven

~appliance photo credits from miele.com~

Four Corners of Law & Architecture, Charleston South Carolina

Charleston South Carolina is seeping with history. It is architecturally a very enchanting and visually interesting place to visit. During a recent visit this past summer I learned about one such historical place know as "the four corners of law". It is at the intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets and is host to four buildings that represent each level of government and also are a wonderful representation of four types of Architecture.

The Courthouse representing state law (Neoclassical Style),