Welcome

This issue marks the eighth year that we’ve been covering green design in all its permutations, and, when we started, the design part of “green design” was admittedly a tad scarce. These days, though, green building materials and furnishings are part of design professionals’ toolkits, and sustainable projects now meld both environmental respect and style.

Those are the hallmarks of the sustainable projects we’re touring in this issue--a school and a home in Wyoming, and a trailhead structure in Arizona--where materials, site and budget all blend together in a creative, attractive package. Our Residential Walk-Through, a spec home outside Denver, also boasts sustainable elements, and our “Market Watch” section is once again devoted to a hot topic, new green products. Find out about everything from permeable paving materials and paints to fabrics and furnishings.

In this issue, we’re also presenting both sides of a hotly debated topic--that of licensing for interior designers. We’ve asked design professionals on both sides of the issue to present their case, pro and con. We think you’ll find their opinions thoughtful and well conceived.

On the topic of interior designers, I met dozens of talents during my recent visit to the Denver Design District for the Rocky Mountain Designers’ Market. Additionally, publisher Terry Babb, our Colorado advertising representative Cynthia Louis and I toured the District’s numerous showrooms--and we were wowed by the product lines each showroom carries. A highlight of the visit was a “project search” we did at the Hoff Miller, Ltd. showroom, during which designers presented recent projects for publication consideration. It was great to meet the designers one-on-one and find out about their projects, which included residences, a dental office, schools and a wine bar. Our thanks to Leanna Hoff Boers and her wonderful Hoff Miller team for putting the event together.

And, a reminder—we have moved. Our new address is Box 9-626, 13835 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85032. Our telephone remains the same: (602) 870-8440.

Nora Trulsson, left, and interior designer Jennifer Jelinek discuss Jelinek’s recent projects at the Hoff Miller showroom in Denver.