What the minimum wage shift moving toward (but still a long way from) a living wage means for the hospitality industry is radical and timely evolution. It signals the end of an anachronistic, patriarchal system, which is only one step ahead of farm labour, which remains medieval, except for the robots. Books like Kitchen Confidential… read more
Q. Why would a designer select and specify Vancouver Island Marble Quarries products for their projects?A 1. Much of Western and Northern Vancouver Island is comprised of limestone with large marble deposits. The material is both abundant and local.2. Only some of the marble is of good quality in large enough seams without cracks and… read more
The healthy home which I promote and design for, has never in my long career, been more important than it is today. In the past weeks, I have been communicating with, and gleaning practical information from, my healthy home network, some of which I will share in this update. Special thanks go to Dr Myron… read more
Do Small Things Still Matter to Anyone in 2020? In this ‘Go Big or Go Home’ world where problems seem massive and solutions include leaving the Earth for colonies on Mars, I have been asking myself; what can I do? What can you do? As early as 1969 Pollution Probe was active in Toronto talking… read more
It is an embarrassing time to be a human. I mean, what could you say to a fish or to a bird if they could understand us in any way? “I’m sorry fish but it is better for me and all of us humans if we just use your water for a little while to… read more
Designing a student space that makes people feel like they are in a West Coast setting while embracing modern amenities is no small task. UVic not only needed it done, they wanted it to resonate with the students enough to be rated the best in Canada. Now it’s done and nobody is disappointed with the… read more
Climate Change: This 2014 fall season has some reasons for celebration in our eco design studio and eco home store. First must be the largest climate change march in history, centered in NYC and echoed around the world. In larger and larger numbers people are getting vocal about wanting politicians and business to face up… read more
Designing homes for art collectors is a pleasure and the very best results come from doing what we truly love. To do our top drawer work we need to be inspired and I find that art is inspiring to my creative spirit. This garden is in the home of a favoured client who is a broad patron of… read more
Working with a mature, sophisticated, Zen inspired client who totally got the ‘less is more’ aspect of downsizing but without giving up a complete lifestyle at home was an exciting challenge. Working with the owner Richard McKenster and associate Ann Ferguson, we brought a ship interior approach to space planning by the inch. An Asian approach… read more
Three books plus the normal contingent of magazines including the New Yorker were the core of my cerebral stimulation for the holidays. Reading books when one can sleep-in is an even more wonderful experience than usual, and magazines make airports and flight delays more tolerable. I started with the 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of ECOLOGICAL DESIGN… read more
What the minimum wage shift moving toward (but still a long way from) a living wage means for the hospitality industry is radical and timely evolution. It signals the end of an anachronistic, patriarchal system, which is only one step ahead of farm labour, which remains medieval, except for the robots. Books like Kitchen Confidential… read more
JC ScottQ. Why would a designer select and specify Vancouver Island Marble Quarries products for their projects?A 1. Much of Western and Northern Vancouver Island is comprised of limestone with large marble deposits. The material is both abundant and local.2. Only some of the marble is of good quality in large enough seams without cracks and… read more