Welcome

I recently spent time in my hometown of Chicago and had the occasion to attend mass at an inner-city church, where I hadn’t been since my childhood. Let’s just say that the neighborhood surrounding St. Anthony has not been gentrified, and I was glad I was there during daylight hours. Once inside, however, I took great comfort in seeing that the beautiful church, with its soaring, baroque interior, was still a sanctuary from the pressures of the outside world--and still ministering to the needs of its parishioners and the surrounding community.

That’s what any place of worship should be, first and foremost--a place to focus on spiritual needs, a sanctuary and a place of ministry. While a church, a temple or a mosque certainly can take the form of the simplest of structures, the specialty of religious architecture can, in effect, take the concept of a prayer and make it concrete.

In this issue, we’re looking at two such places--one in Phoenix, one in Las Vegas--where hope, prayer and redemption have taken beautifully elegant forms. Both offer a place to retreat from the everyday world and make a spiritual connection.

On a more secular level of design, we’re taking a look at just some of the recent winners of ASID Colorado’s design competition. Some 26 projects won recognition for their outstanding designs, which makes us wonder if there’s something in that state’s higher altitudes that fosters creativity. That might also be the answer to the creative output from Carney Architects of Jackson, Wyoming, whose latest elegantly modern design for a residence is this issue’s “Residential Walk-Through.”

Finally, I had the distinct honor of attending the launch of Lawrence Lake Furnishings at the Arizona Design Center in October. I’ve known Larry Lake since he first arrived in Arizona from his native Iowa to launch an interior design career, and watched as his business took off and his residential and commercial projects won countless design awards. Given the current economy, Lake has not been content to sit back, grouse and wait for things to pick back up. Instead, he’s focused his skills on another of his passions, product design and started a new venture.

A risk? Maybe. But perhaps it’s a little like religious architecture, with hope, prayer and redemption taking on beautiful forms.