As designers we often ask ourselves; how valuable is interior design? How is the consumption of high priced merchandise contributing to culture, society or humanity? Is it possible that design can go beyond the superficial and have a meaningful impact?

There is an expression bandied about in the design profession, more often in those TV design shows and other media; that a single accessory such as a pillow or a rug “just ties it all together”.   Although this is a rather contrite expression, the right piece of furniture, well displayed d’object d’art or a beautiful rug can actually ground the interior of a room and transform the space.

This idea of “tying it all together” has a deeper meaning when it comes to our newest featured artisan; Stephanie Odegard.  Ms. Odegard is an icon & pioneer in the world of luxury handmade rugs.  Her original designs are exquisite, the colors & textures are gorgeous, but what makes her work so beautiful and unique (in our opinion) is how she has used her talent and business acumen to create a far reaching continuing change in the industry of handmade rugs.

Below is an excerpted recent press release and is a wonderful description of how Ms. Odegard’s efforts have been and continue to have a direct effect upon the quality of life and preservation for a people’s standard of living and culture.  We are very big fans and recommend her work not only for the beauty of her original designs but for what she stands for, tying it all together.

“Odegard’s mission was and is to bring more responsible industry and business practices to the production and artisan crafts and to enhance communities where otherwise child labor and poverty would define and direct production.  Part of this on-going devotion to Stephanie Odegard’s mission is the importance of accountable design.

It is out of this responsibility and dedication to this mission that Stephanie Odegard presented her original hand-knotted hemp Verte carpets. They were the first hand-knotted hemp carpets to appear in the U.S. market.  Rarely touted for its inherent qualities, hemp is a natural choice for warm weather and seaside interiors.  Hemp boasts natural anti-mildew properties and blocks UV rays more effectively than any other fiber, so colors will last.  Hemp is one of the most durable and long lasting natural fibers in the world, and is naturally pest-resistant so hemp forests need not be sprayed with insecticides, supporting Stephanie’s environmentally sustainable philosophy.

Grown in western Nepal and prepared by natural methods, Odegard’s hemp carpets are woven of natural; ash washed, and dyed hemp fibers to create soft color ways.  The Collection also includes rugs in soft, subtle colorful combinations of hemp, wool, silk and other plant and wool fibers to complete a line that is both bold in weave and texture and subtly natural in palette.

In keeping with Odegard’s commitment to the revitalization of the local Himalayan wool industry, all the wool is hand carded, hand spun and hand-knotted by Nepalis and Tibetans, in Nepal.  These hand-knotted carpets, which are long lasting and durable, are made from a construction unique to Odegard that is only available at Odegard and its authorized dealers.  And, as with every Odegard rug, each carpet is completely hand made with only sustainable raw materials and is certified with the GoodWeave^TM label, ensuring that no child labor was used in the production of any carpet.

Stephanie Odegard continues to create new designs and collections while continuing the mission of Odegard Inc., to marry the interests of the upscale designer market with the age-old tradition of hand-knotted carpet weaving.  Odegard is deeply committed to GoodWeave^TM, and its fight to end illegal child labor in the worldwide carpet industry.  A specific percentage of every Odegard carpet produced and imported is paid to GoodWeave^TM, ensuring that each and every hand-knotted carpet is made child labor free.  Coupled with its promise for product quality and integrity, the Odegard brand is synonymous with luxury, stand alone design and far reaching social responsibility.”

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The wonderful summer months are over and it’s time to look forward to fall and the upcoming holidays.  This is a time to look at our interiors as we will spend more time indoors and think about making a comfortable space for ourselves and our guests.  This brings us to introduce you to our latest featured item; the Ceylon Chair with Ottoman by furniture artist Jiun Ho of Jiun Ho Interiors.  We are always on the look-out for new interesting pieces in the furniture industry but sometimes it is the modern classics that win our hearts.  The Ceylon chair is one of Mr. Ho’s signature works and in our opinion quite a lovely piece.  Its unassuming lines and comfort (we try everything out!) make this a fantastic seating choice for almost any style of interior.

Mr. Ho has had great success in his career; his furniture has been featured in many designs both residential and commercial all over the world.  Being so successful makes for a very busy life, unfortunately for this reason we were not able to obtain an interview with Mr. Ho.  We were however given permission to publish his biography, a small excerpt of which follows.

 “Mr. Ho received his formal training in design at Chicago’s International Academy of Design and has gone on to be influenced by his travels and one sees that influence in the way he designs.  When Jiun set out to create his own brand and approach to designing, he was inspired by far-flung places like South Africa, Botswana and France.  For 16 years Jiun has been designing furniture and lighting for residential interiors and hotels in the United States, Japan, China Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia.  Several hotels, including the boutique hotel in Honolulu, Renew, asked him to design its entirety; everything from the branding, interiors, lighting, sheets, uniforms, etc.  He was able to let his skilled imagination run wild.  For Revel, a spa he designed, Jiun was nominated for Interior Design’s Best of the Year in 2010.”

Welcome to Katie Anderson Interior Design Consultants, a full service interior design firm based in San Francisco. We are excited to now be offering online design services, check out our services page.   We would like to introduce you to some of our favorite furniture and lighting designers and their great products, provide information on what constitutes good design, its process and of course great value.

Our latest featured item is the Satala Hammock by furniture artist Ayala Serfaty of Aqua Creations.  We are always excited to post new product and for this piece we are especially so.  The Satala  is such a unique design variation of the traditional hammock and is truly a functioning piece of art.   We have tried it out and can say that it is the most comfortable piece of outdoor furniture we have ever experienced.  You can swing yet feel that you are held or “tucked in” as you are moving or laying still.  As the weather is warming and we are all getting ready for the summer months of outdoor cooking and parties I highly recommend adding this piece to your outdoor living space.  Below is a brief description of Ayala and her inspiration for this wonderful hammock.

“Inspired by the acorn-like equivalent pods that fall from the trees in Tel Aviv, combined with intriguing thoughts Ayala had while pregnant with her first child of how her developing baby felt inside the womb, thus was born the Satala.”

“Ayala Serfaty, who began her creative path in fine arts, created her own unique visual language to be applied to Aqua Creations’ works. Sensuality of materials and forms, as well as softness of light characterize and distinguish Aqua Creations on the current design scene. Despite the growth in the manufacturing and distribution process, the handmade imprimatur still remains; skilled artisans continue to work on each piece individually, ensuring they are works of art as well as products of design.”

Our latest featured item is the beautiful Annie Lamp by designer Katherine Wildt for Matthew Studios.  Often in interiors people think of lighting as an aside or don’t think much about it, instead focusing more on furnishings.  We invite everyone to reconsider this as the most important part of any interior is the lighting as light is what expresses color and creates ambiance.   We love the Annie Lamp for its simple lines and versatility with several finish options it will compliment many different interior design styles.  Katherine explains in her own words below her inspiration and process for this exquisite piece.

“The Annie Floor lamp was originally inspired from an old vintage lamp spied at a flea market in NYC.  Many of Matthew Studios products reflect vintage designs
updated to feel current and modern.  For the Annie, we choose a clear lucite stem that is channel cut and flame polished-so the clear cord can run down the shaft
appearing almost invisible.”

“In the manner of Karl Springer, we also include a stem option wrapped in shagreen and snake skin.  We love the lamp for the tailored masculine quality mixed with the refinement of polished chrome.  We collaborate with a leather artist who wraps each stem by hand.  She is truly a master craftsmen and was taught the artistry from past generations. To top each lamp off, we customize a quartz crystal finial, each one hand selected and cut to fit.”

Our latest featured item is the wonderful Rikyu sofa by one of my very favorite furniture designers, Ted Boerner.  I have been following his work since the late 90’s and continue to be amazed at how prolific he has been and how he is able to consistently create such beautifully inspired pieces.  This sofa is amazingly comfortable and would fit into many differently styled spaces.  It’s perfect for city living, in a loft or a small apartment.  Ted describes below in his own words his inspiration and how the evolution of this piece came about.

“The Rikyu Sofa was inspired by the Japanese word ‘Ma’ which is a concept of the subtle space between inside and outside.  I visited the Imperial residence Katsua Rikyu in Kyoto, which was more of the imperial retreat. The gardens are considered one of the most important examples of classic Japanese garden design. In this case I was  struck by how the buildings and the landscape related to each other…the curving paths around the ponds meeting up with the straight  walkways around the building.   It is that merging point that inspired the Rikyu Sofa.  The Curved seating section merging with and separating from the straight low platform table.  The backside is reminiscent of  a screen or a garden wall of bamboo or wood.   And….it’s very comfortable.”

Our latest featured item is the gorgeous Tao Bookshelf by Hellman-Chang.  Hellman-Chang’s award-winning, modern furniture line is the work of self-taught designers and lifelong friends Daniel Hellman and Eric Chang. Each unique solid-wood piece is handcrafted in their New York studio from local sustainable materials, and carries with it their passion that one’s personal style can be rewarding and bold, and yet still comfortable and gracious for the home.  Eric Chang describes below their inspiration for this wonderful piece.

The Tao bookshelf was a natural extension of our award winning Tao line.  The key here was the negative space and using the same classic lines to create an interesting piece that maximized potential for accenting objects.  Vases and sculptures work great in the space in addition to stacking or resting your favourite literature.  One important element that carries throughout the Tao Line is the canted edges – the perimeter edge cants inward at an angle to draw people towards the negative space. As a result, light hits off the top corners in a more dynamic way.  Versatility was also critical as the bookshelf can be used as a room divider, or specified to sit horizontal as a console.

Our current featured item is the K3 Dining Table designed by Bruce Knowlton from Knowlton Brothers.  We are excited to show this piece as we think it is such an exceptional example of great artistry & craft.  We have used this gorgeous table in our designs which can be seen in the Gallery section of our site under Living Rooms.  As Bruce Knowlton describes below it has great versatility for finishes, materials and range of sizes.  Our favorite material is the use of a glass top as it creates a transparency showing the beautiful sculptural aspect of the base and allowing for the illusion of the expansion of space.

“The K3 table began as an inspiration to create a simple sculptural form using only three components. The asymetrical pedestal appears to be random and accidental yet has amazing strength and function to support heavy glass or stone tops.  The angular interaction of edges and surfaces creates a dramtic display of light, shadows and space.  The K3 has proven to be versatile and has taken many configurations including large twin pedestal conference tables as well as smaller game and side table versions.  Round and rectangular wood tops with leaf extensions are also available.  Knowlton Brothres offers 28 standard finishes on Walnut, Oak, Cherry and Maple hardwoods.”

Our current featured item is the Hopkins Rope  Chair.  There are many other pieces available in this series, contact us for more images and information.

The Hopkins Rope Collection was initially inspired by archival photographs of woven twine furniture made in the Cote d’Azur during the 1940s.  Local French craftspeople had responded to the material shortages of war, using hemp twine to create a limited number of chairs.  Few pieces of the twine seating from that period exist today, yet the furniture was a unique expression of the Mediterranean climate and a regional character of the French Riviera.  This collection creates an entirely new and expanded line of furniture in the spirit of those originals.  The textural quality of the Rope Collection also owes a direct link to fiber and fabric, which are atypical mediums to explore in the creation of furniture.  This collection involves the technical aspects of pattern, weave and repetition more common to textile design, so the process of discovery was an exploration in form as well as in those methods of fabrication.