Design Oracles

The Oracles discuss their favorite materials and wrap up our “material” season!

A discussion of Silestone and Dekton, including how they were invented, how they are manufactured, and how they are used as finish materials on design projects.

A discussion of area rugs including how they are made, how they are cleaned, maintained, and how they hold their value in the marketplace. 

A detailed discussion of lighting from how to select it, what uses it has, how LED has changed the market and opened up design possibilities, and help with important questions about color temperature and it uses.

A history of brick with a discussion of it's uses and the differences from region to region as well as an understanding of brick trends, how it is manufactured, and sold.

A discussion of what materials go into the making of tile types, their uses in the world and how those selections get made from a true tile expert.

A conversation about the history, techniques, and the impact of fiber at with Lynne Brotman, executive director of the Austin School for Fiber Arts. **THIS EPISODE WAS RECORDED WITH POOR SOUND QUALITY AND IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND AT TIMES. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE DIFFICULTY. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!**    

A discussion with a principal and sales expert at Alexander Marchant in Austin, TX about how they help designer and home owners make hardware selection and an overview of their business with how it sees its role in the field of custom home design.

A discussion of the ins and outs of materials that make up a home construction project: from foundation to roofing with Brad Whitman,  Co-Founder of LBR Custom Homes.

A discussion of what the options are in the vast world of appliances and plumbing with April Cordova, Showroom Consultant at Ferguson Enterprises in Austin, Texas.

A discussion of the surprisingly complicated world of paint with a true expert, Steve Steave Sales Manager from Clements Paint in Austin, TX – chemical makeup to the paint finish selection.  

A discussion of the importance of considering the actual materials that go into the making of a home from brick to paint to the materials that make up our furniture.

In the final episode of Season 4, we talk about some of our favorite periods in design history from Art Nouveau to Palladian rules and the role of Romance in design.

Katie shares her background and her love of vintage furniture with how she has turned that into a business helping designers solve their furniture needs.    

In our second interview with Brad Whitman we get a chance to discuss what he sees and his role in the approach to solving client's needs along side the design team and the homeowner.

Dianne and Amity learn about the more scientific and technical side of design and how research contributes to design in this fascinating interview with an academic in the field.  Debra Harris is an  Interior Designer, holds a PhD in Architecture, Researcher and Owner of RAD, and Associate Professor at Baylor University

In this interview we learn something about how a very important supplier of beautiful fabric and wallcovering approaches helping supply designers with their much needed goods and how they act as supporters too of the artists that they represent.  

Dianne and Amity spend time discussing the ins and outs of the important trades of painting and wallpaper hanging.  The importance of what these trades do is uncovered, highlighted and celebrated!

We wanted to learn and understand what it is that a gallery owner does in working with designers so we interviewed Kevin Ivester of Ivester Contemporary in Austin, TX about what he sees is his role in bringing artists, designers and home owners together.  

In this interview we talk with a furniture maker who shares her experience of problem solving for clients through furniture design and construction.  The love of creating a heritage piece for a family is something she shares with us all.

In this show we interview an interior designer who has a background in fashion to discover how fashion and interior design are different, how they are the same, and why that is something interesting to think and talk about.

Dianne and Amity discuss the social effects of design from their personal research and their experiences in the field of home design.

Amity and Dianne discuss their own findings about how spaces affect their inhabitants and reference research to help us all think and consider how our homes change one's thinking and feeling.

This opener show is an introduction to the season where we investigate how people from different disciplines and backgrounds or trades approach problem solving in the field of residential home design.  As we all know different ways of thinking and looking at design problems are helpful when they come together for strong design outcomes. 

We discuss the very interesting and philosophical work of Cheryl Mendelsohn who wrote the definitive book on housekeeping including history, cultural learning and practical knowledge.  Designers need to understand how their client approaches housekeeping in order to design properly for them.  From the experience of cleaning to the elevated feel of being in a well-kept home, we discuss how it should matter to us all.

We discuss what your options are and they are VAST….from paint to upholstery to stained wall paneling and everything in between, the Design Oracles discuss how we treat walls to make them more beautiful and functional.  The experience of being in our homes is enhanced by these different wall treatments.

Interview with Kristof Irwin, Principal of Positive Energy and also a Professional Engineer and Mechanical Engineer, and Host of The Building Science Podcast.   We learn from our interview about air exchange in homes, humidity, house energy efficiency, what MEP is, why we should all care about the air quality in our homes and how we make it high quality, and hear stories about best practices in construction science.  The mechanical, plumbing, and electrical installations greatly influence the experience of living and being in our homes.

The Design Oracles  interview Eric Newton from Captive Audio to learn from his experience designing audio and video systems in home design working in new builds and renovations.  He also shares his expertise in automation lighting, window treatments and more.  All at the touch of a button!

Amity gives us insight into her experiences in her field from her time at garage sales in South Austin to her days at Christie's Auction house to owner and principal at her own firm.

Dianne gives us insight into her story of drawing floor plans at 8 years old through her life experiences in her field of architecture to business owner and principal of her own firm

Design Oracles explain planning for, shopping for or designing furniture for your home.  We discuss how to prioritize, where to spend, and how to plan for it.

The Design Oracles wax poetic about fabric and textiles from the history to them to the weave to the wear. 

A discussion of the importance of the correct amount of lighting in the right places at the right time in your home from daylight to dimmers!

The Design Oracles discuss how to help clients manage expectations in the custom home building or renovation process.  All can go smoothly if everyone knows what to expect!

The Design Oracles talk about what the various residential “codes” are, how each city and county adopts their own codes and writes their own ordinances.  We discuss why you should care, how they help and “hurt” us in design.  They cause necessary and unnecessary delays depending on who you ask. 

The Design Oracles discuss how useful experience in from your design team, your builder and your subs as you build a home or do a renovation but equally important is the experience of going through that process for the clients as well.  The expertise is valued as much as the experience of all.

The good, the bad, and the ugly...

The Building Edge creates first Impressions.

Amity and Dianne share their personal “three favorite patterns” from Pattern Language.

Establish enclosure, relate to the building, and provide definition.

The Importance of bedroom design to wellness and connection

The design of your home needs to take into consideration the view from the home whether it is one you create or one that is existing. Along with that view is the connection of the house and that view in creating peaceful outdoor spaces.

Intimacy Gradient Explained! How areas of your home are public and private, and how the intimacy of each space matters.

An in-depth interview with one of our favorite Custom Home Builders, learning his insight and skills he brings to building a custom home.

The great Kitchen debate continues- closed vs open kitchens; discussing the pluses and minuses of each kitchen design, while also discussing some basic kitchen layout, cabinets, open shelves, pantries, sculleries and more!

Waymaking - the importance of how one enters a home.

The importance of the curb to door connections in home design. The view from outside matters!

The Design Oracles discuss the ins and outs of selecting plumbing fixtures and fittings for renovation and new build projects including the need to focus on finishes, function, design and price

The Design Oracles wax poetic about bathroom design, the trends, the things to keep in mind and some of their own personal likes and dislikes. Bathrooms are as important as kitchens when it comes to thoughtful design and finishes!

The Design Oracles would be doing a disservice to not bring up a discussion of window treatments for the home. The mystery of what a window treatment is, what it can do for you, what the importance of it is in the home and why you should care! We interview a specialist in the field because as we expect our clients to do, we “trust the professional”.