Color 2009

I have a professional friend - a plumber - -who can walk into a plumbing supply store and become so excited at the simplest things. Plumbing parts that look like alien creatures to me are things of beauty to him and as he picks them up, he speaks of them reverently as if they are
holy creatures.

I have the same response to color, so when this year's color focus arrived from various sources I holed up for a couple of hours and enjoyed the reverie.

As much fun as it is to explore the new colors, I have a firm belief that the right color for a space is determined not so much by fad or fashion but by the intrinsic light and design for that space and of course, the client or those that are using the space. However, here is a brief review of what's new for 2009...

Color is definately on the move. Bold, saturated hutes that have been at the forefront of design now give way to a more complex, toned-down shades. This may be a result of a more somber attitude from consumers due to economic issues and uncertainty in the market. I think it is a nice shift and one that can produce elegant and understated elegance.

Look for more orange in '09 but less of the crayon-bright to more restrained shades, due in large part to global influences. For a punch, try adding bright fuschia or soft raspberry shades in small doses.

Blue continues to dominate yet you'll see more of the plums and purples and deep indigos. Again, color changes by what it is paired with, so look for neon greens, pinks, blacks to coordinate.

Greens still emerge as favorites and they become more elegant and sophisticated with muddier and more yellow bases. One trend that comes on strong in '09: pairing different greens (lime green wtih army green) to create an exciting, fresh palette.

The big news - netural greys starts taking center stage. Look for colors that are prevelent in stone and natural fibers and as always, play these up with strong yellows, blues, greens.

Color is the most magical, the most exciting force in any design. Remember the fun of a box of crayons and throw out the rules, color outside the lines and have fun. It's only color, it's only paint....explore and create with it.

I have been recuperating at home following a long week of illness. I have deposited my children at their respective colleges, made the long -- and yes, tearful - ride home and upon my return home, I found myself sick, sick, sick.

The weeks leading up to my kids' departure were hurried and frantic. I asked a million questions, got the requisite "eye ball" rolls, was assured at every turn that "yeah, mom, I got it handled.." only to get to their campuses and have to make the trips that I knew I'd make to department stores and discount stores. Where is the cable for the computer? Why is there no toilet paper in the bathroom? Where are the 'thingamagingys" that hold up the shower curtain?

I was able (thanks to my friends who have college kids) to know when to turn and softly leave my daughter's dorm room. I sensed the right time to not go back into my son's new apartment home, allowing him to make the trek away from me on his own. There are times when being a parent is all fun and games and there are times when being a parent is just plain hard -- and for me, the watching of my kids turning into their own lives was just plain hard. They are eager and ready and oh-so-independent and this is both a victory and a realization: If the role of being a parent is to make oneself not needed, then perhaps I have done my job too well. I guess I've always been an overachiever. For no matter how you parse it, children leaving home is an ending, a death in a sense, of what has been so that what can be can start. I believe in the power of good endings so that good beginnings can follow. I'm OK with the tears that puddle up when I see the kindergarteners in tow with their moms at Staples. And yeah, that box of bouncy balls on my desk are there because they are my daughter's and no, they aren't going anywhere for awhile. Their brightness and resilience speak to me of her and no other desk adornment could be any more appropriate right now.

When I returned home with empty rooms and heavy heart I took sick with a terrible sore throat (strep) and stayed down for a good three days. And again, learned that the world can operate without me at the helm which was both reassuring and somewhat terrifying.

All this to say a simple design principle that I relearned during this chaotic and meaningful time: make sure during times of transition and stress that there is at least one place in your home or space that is yours and yours alone. I made sure before all this change that I took the time (and money!!!) to redo my bathroom and bedroom and it is in these rooms where I have found comfort and peace as my kids have texted me about the joys of their new life.

"You must have a place to which you can go in your heart, your mind, or your house, almost every day, where you do not owe anyone and where no one owes you--a place that simply allows for the blossoming of something new and promising."---- Joseph Campbell

Tulsa's New BOK Center

I spent a good chunk of my holiday weekend visiting the new BOK Center of Tulsa. I watched groups perform, kids dance, people smile and "ahhh" at the 565,000 square feet building. I forked over $1 for concessions that will cost four times as much in upcoming weeks and shook my head again at how I missed out on getting Eagles tickets (the first of many venues coming to the show).

The space interests me primarily because of the architect, Cesar Pelli who at the young age of 81 designed the space even though he had never designed an arena before. Anyone that can tackle a new challenge like that has my vote. (Pelli has many beautiful buildings to his name, including Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the US Embassy in Tokyo, the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. My personal favorite - the renovation of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, a place where I often hung out when I lived on the East Coast.)

I have to admit I did tour the facility somewhat grudgingly. I am glad that T Town may be emerging into the 21 century with a facility such as this for sports and concerts. I have attended far too many events in some of the current venues and we are way past due on this type of facility. Still, though, I would enjoy driving to the new center on roads that don't threaten my car rims, and it is for that reason that I admired the now 32 million $ overbudget icon with some skepticism. If it brings in money to Tulsa and the current city administration can properly manage it and IF we can get new roads built, then I'll be grateful. To me, building a facility such as this without proper access is like building a new home without streets to the subdivision.

Nonetheless, the facility is beautiful - all gleaming and clean with a ribbon display around the center that has over 300,000 indivdual LEDS. I especially like the entrance which opens up to you as you walk into it, unlike the Ford Center in OKC which is like a fortress. The BOK center has for its inspiration The River, the shape of a circle (known in American Indian cultures as a spiritual sign) and of course the city's art deco culture. Read more about this
new member of the Tulsa community www.tulsworld.com/bokcenter.