Profile Feature: Green by Design :: by Vicky Rosenberg
303 Magazine , Profile Feature by Vicky Rosenberg
April, 2011 :: Edited version below, the article can be seen in it’s entirety at www.303magazine.com
“Interior design is a form of art, but it’s art that anyone can master if they have an eye for it. For some, it’s a natural gift to bring a still to life. Others need a little help transforming a space into a nook of their own. Grant Louwagie and Jared McKenzie Hankins brought their visions together to create Blender Design Group, a visual solutions company specializing in custom fine art and furniture, as well as graphic imagery. Their pieces adorn the rooms and walls of hotels, galleries, and residences locally and nationwide, and the guys maintain an attitude that anything is possible as long as you can think outside the box. It’s easy to limit yourself due to price points and/or availability, but there are ways around designing a space, and it all depends on your resources and creativity.
The most important part of creating your own corner is to ‘buy things you want to look at,’ according to Hankins. Why purchase a couch that is uncomfortable or art that doesn’t appeal to your eye simply because someone has branded it or labeled it “cool”? What’s cool is what’s cool to you-after all, if it’s your property, whose eye will it catch most often? ‘Understand there are no rules. Don’t worry about what others are doing or what you’re seeing in public,’ Hankins points out and Louwagie agrees.
Trends in interior Design can change just as quickly as designs in fashion, but the price tag on art, furniture and other home accessories make it a challenge to replace home wardrobe seasonally. So, when accessorizing a bedroom or a loft, why not opt for something that looks high end but that is also I your price range and that will be aesthetically pleasing to the eye several years later? Hankins even suggests trying things yourself. ‘Don’t take on steel grinding, but at least attempt,’ he says, explaining that he got into creating with resin this way. A client had requested a piece, but would have cost $20,000, so Hankins found a way to recreate the client’s request at an affordable price simply by using different materials.”
“And of course, keep in mind the environment. Louwagie (and) Hankins mention that the green movement is here to stay, but even more so is the local push. Individualism, the blurring of lines between architecture and interior design, incorporation of abstract art into furniture, contextual pieces, more durable products – all of this becomes possible with local market providing a broader spectrum from which to choose. And boosting the economy by putting money into local businesses – well, that’s just another bonus.”
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