Welcome

As much as we would like to think of summer as a lazy time, with weeks spent in the mountains, at the lake or on the beach with a good read (Kindle or paperback), it’s actually a busy time for most design professionals. Why? Perhaps it’s because residential clients want to have their homes finished before the holidays or, in northern climates, construction projects must be underway before cold weather sets in.

In any case, it has been a busy spring and summer here at Sources+Design, too. We participated in the Rocky Mountain Designers’ Market at the Denver Design District, where I spent a morning viewing the amazing portfolios of numerous Colorado designers. Our thanks to Leanna Hoff Boers and our friends at the Hoff Miller showroom for once again hosting such an enriching event.

In Arizona, we also co-sponsored IFDA Arizona’s “Green Design from the Ground Up” panel discussion, and our publisher, Terry Babb, served as a juror on the first Scottsdale Environmental Design Awards, which we will be featuring in our next issue.

On August 19th, be sure to catch us at The Reference Library’s Tradeshow 2010, held at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass resort in Chandler, Arizona, in conjunction with AIA Arizona’s state conference. We’re co-sponsoring that trade show, which features some 90 vendors of products ranging from tile, glass and flooring to roofing and lighting. Also, mark your calendar for another event we’re co-sponsoring, IIDA Southwest Chapter’s UnVeiled trade show on September 16th at the Galleria Corporate Center in Scottsdale. See our “Datebook” section for details on both events.

If you’re not out and about, sit back and enjoy this issue, which we annually devote to the latest and greatest in sustainable design. We’re touring two projects in Arizona and one residence in Colorado in which green colored the designs. We’re also taking a look at the latest green products in our “Market Watch” section.

Also in this issue, writer Pamela Bir explores greening up your cash flow with the help of a little video marketing in her “Technology” column, and Ed Hannan, our “Management” column author, notes that the key to weathering the economic downturn is to diversify. Our “Hot Shots” featured architectural photographer Eric Jamison of Las Vegas has apparently taken both pieces of advice to heart, recently expanding his business to offer more client services, including video marketing.

Stay tuned for our October/November issue, in which we will be celebrating 15 years of publishing Sources+Design. My, how the time flies when you have the privilege of covering the incredible work created by Western design professionals.

Finally, an update: In our March/April issue, we noted that “FOSD” (Friend of Sources+Design) Spark Modern Fires was sponsoring its second annual design competition, Site Specific 2. The recently announced winner was Rafael Novoa Interior Design of New Hope, Pennsylvania, for the conversion of a dilapidated 19th century barn into a contemporary residence. The centerpiece? Spark Modern Fires’ Vu Thru fireplace.