What a Year!

2012 has been a year full of great people, fun projects, and new experiences!  This post is not about patting myself on the back, but it is about looking back and feeling good about the year.  It was an incredible learning experience full of both good and bad, and looking back at what all my hard work has accomplished gets me energized for the year ahead.

My year in review:

I was invited to Brizo Fashion Week:

I took part in a live TweetChat at KBIS:

(photo courtesy of kbtribechat on facebook)

As President-Elect of our chapter, I attended Neo-Con and ASID Leadership Conference:

myself with current President, Crystal Arreola

I won a design award in the ASID Intermountain annual design competition:

Other firsts for the year:

• I have an intern, Brittany, who has already been a huge help!
• I've started guest blogging twice a month for Utah Style & Design!

In 2012 I was fortunate to be a part of some amazing projects:

I enjoyed the custom design & execution of millwork, doors, cabinetry, and trim in a contemporary office space.

We made progress in the Park City condo.  Note that my client has made this project a hobby, where we have fun with the design & selection of every individual item, one piece at a time.  This year we designed a custom dining hutch, dining table, entry bench, bedroom set, and living room rug.  And we finally ordered / installed the dining light fixture.

I designed and furnished the custom cabinetry in an amazing home in Deer Valley.  Full project photos will come later, but in the meantime, here are a couple details I took while visiting the site:

You already saw the big transformation that took place in this kitchen remodel:

And you saw the photos from this kitchen project:

 

I did a beautiful bathroom project using this seamless tub (more photos to follow):

And I have several other projects under way - I'll be sure to include finished photos once I have them!

And then, because one of my main goals for 2012 was to focus on work-life balance, I've had some wonderfully fun (non-work) experiences with my husband, family, and friends:

Hiked to Jackal Hut in Colorado with friends

First ever backpacking trip

spent a week in camping & hiking in Southern Utah / Grand Canyon with in-laws

Little Red Century Ride 

Hiked Deseret Peak

Anniversary biking - Mid Mountain Trail in Park City

Rabbit Valley camping & mountain biking

Just this week - skiing on Christmas Day

2012 was a year full of new things and learned lessons.  I hope you all can take the chance to reflect on everything you've learned in 2012,  and to use it to make 2013 even better.  

Happy New Year from enzy design!

Wood Veneers and Where They Come From

Last week I visited Wavell-Huber, a local wood product supplier in Salt Lake City.  The purpose:  finding the perfect veneer for a custom furniture piece I'm designing for a client.  I went with my client, and we were both in awe (as I always am) of the beauty of natural wood.

I've worked with plenty of veneer panels and materials while doing custom cabinetry and furniture, though I never had the chance to see the raw natural veneer prior to being laid up on a panel.  So this was a first, and it was fascinating to see!

We started by looking at several samples, noting which was most appealing, and which would be the right pattern/consistency for the size of the furniture piece.

Some of our favorites for this application:

walnut burl

crotch mahogany

Sapele Pomele (2 logs shown) and Bubinga

These are amazing, right?  But what's really incredible is the thought that these pieces become large panels for architectural millwork.  How is that done?  Well, here's my favorite part:  These individual veneer pieces (called flitches) and literally sewn together and then applied to the panel substrate (MDF or something similar).  This is the sewing machine.  See that thread?  It's actually glue... sorta like those solid glue sticks for hot glue guns, but much much thinner.

A close-up of 2 veneer flitches stitched together:

Individual flitches (of rift-cut oak):

Flitches applied to the panel (not quite finished):

Once the panel is complete, it will be great for cabinetry, paneling, etc.  Here's an example  (in an office kitchenette I designed using wire-brushed natural rift-cut oak):

There's a lot more to the production of veneer (how the log is cut, how the flitches are matched on a panel, and how panels are sized for a space).  If you want more information, I found this document extremely helpful.

Pantone Announces 2013 Color of the Year: Emerald

Like many other bloggers, I'm writing about today's Pantone 2013 Color of the Year Announcement - Emerald Green.  While bloggers everywhere will be highlighting fashion & decor images, I'm focusing on the kitchen.  Do you love the color Emerald Green?  Here are examples of how to use it in the kitchen, in big or small ways:

Cabinetry:

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Backsplash Tile:

 

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Countertops:

Vetrazzo Bistro Green

Lighting:

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Cabinet knobs:

Emtek cabinet knob

Dishes & Glassware:

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And even aprons: 

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Traditions + Friends = A Happy Thanksgiving

This year we decided to stay in town and host a small gathering with a few friends.  Though we couldn't be with our families, they were close at heart, as evident in the traditions we followed, the food we shared, and the accessories we used.  

My husband is very into the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and he was proud to serve all of these dishes at our meal.  While I was able to contribute to the meal by baking Grandma Z's apple pie, the rest was up to him, which meant I got to have fun with the table settings!

We love any opportunity to use our collection of serving dishes.  While we've added our own items to our collection (this year it was the table cloth, napkins, and napkin rings), most of our serving pieces and decor has a family story.  From the candelabra centerpiece to all our wonderful bowls, serving spoons, pie servers, and carving set...  these pieces made our families a big part of our Thanksgiving, despite being hundreds of miles apart.

We are fortunate to have great friends to share our traditions with!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family, friends, and great traditions!

Concerts in the Shower

Apparently the folks at Kohler are all about singing in the shower.  As I recall, they were one of the first to introduce sound integration into the shower with their DTVI & DTVII controls, which allowed you to control music, light, and water from a single digital control inside the shower.

Then, a couple years ago, they introduced their VibrAcoustics bath line, which incorporates into the tub a "soothing sound vibration technology that resounds throughout your body to relax and calm you like never before."

And now they've come out with the Moxie Showerhead + Wireless Speaker.  A showerhead and integrated removable speaker that syncs to your media player via bluetooth technology.  

There's a great video I wanted to embed, but it wouldn't let me do so without automatically playing, and I hate when a website plays videos without prompting you first.  So instead of embedding the video, here's the link.