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The Names: San Diego interior designer Nina Closser is the new president of the 450-member local chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers for 2006-2007. In business for 12 years as owner of Nina Closser Interior Design, she specializes in residential work with an emphasis on traditional as well as eclectic design. As a member of the International Association of Color Consultants, she does frequent consultations and lectures to a variety of audiences on the effects of color in interior design.
Other newly elected ASID board members include Dale Monday Kolins, president-elect; Lena Brion, director of communications; Diane Quintin, director at large (legislation); Bill Baker, industry partner, director of finance; Milly Ratermann, director of membership; Reba Lemmons, allied member, director of professional development and programs; and Bertha Hernandez, student representative . . . Gordon Carrier, AIA, principal of Carrier Johnson, a downtown-based urban architecture firm, has announced his firm’s acquisition of Solana Beach–based McCulley Group, an interior design, graphic design and corporate-branding studio. Carrier Johnson will create a new marketing unit called Culture to offer these services. The company’s Hard Rock Hotel Complex in the Gaslamp Quarter will be its first completion of 2007 . . . The new year ushered in a new showroom in Mission Hills, opened by Margo Peters Porras and Michael Caeg, called P.S. Décor Design (1920 Fort Stockton, 619-296-2209). The venture offers residential and commercial services. Margo is the daughter of the late ASID designer Arthur Porras . . . Michael Borrelli has been elected president of the 300-member San Diego Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association. Borrelli, who for the past 25 years has owned Borrelli Design + Cabinetry in University Heights, succeeds design and remodeling consultant Lee Hawley for a one-year term.
Vanishing Tub: Forget the candy and roses for Valentine’s Day—surprise your significant other with a good Sok. Kohler’s new home bath/spa unit is big enough for two. Thousands of champagne-like bubbles emerge from 11 ports to spoil bathers with soothing comfort. The Sok also features a continuous trickle of water over the sides of the basin, giving the unit a vanishingedge appeal. The bath is constructed of fiberglass-reinforced plastic for durability and easy cleaning. Cost: $7,630 and up. kohler.com.
Exotic Rebound: Area succulent expert and grower Carl Dykema had owned Exotic Gardens nursery in Hillcrest for seven years when he lost his lease in May 2006. The tenacious cactus lover now has a new location, with four times the space, at 2212 El Cajon Boulevard. Exotic Gardens stocks locally grown bromeliads, aloes, staghorn ferns, cacti and more than 100 species of succulents. exoticgardens.biz.
Heart-Shaped Whimsy: Doormaker Jeld-Wen has added a valentine to its retail line: a romantic pair of wood doors, in either red-on-white or white-on-red heart designs. For each door sold during February, $100 of the $299 retail price goes to the American Heart Association. jeld-wen.com.
Site for Sore Eyes: Launched over the holidays, Hazard Decorative Arts is a smart online retailer showcasing early 20th-century European and American items, from oil paintings to textiles. After founders Allen Hazard and Janet O’Dea of Mission Hills encountered barriers when seeking early 20th century–style items online and in local stores, they decided to create a Web site. Hazarts.com is organized so you can easily and casually browse or use sorting tools to conduct a more targeted search. Click “paintings” and you’ll see listed an original landscape by San Diego’s iconic oil painter, the late Alfred Mitchell. Just finding a Mitchell for sale is exciting, and at under $7,000, the price of this one is exceptional.
Designer Deal: As part of a creative fund-raising effort by the San Diego chapter of ASID, the group will send a professional designer to your home to discuss your design dilemmas and offer ideas and suggestions. Although designers often charge $125 to $175 an hour for consultations, during this special event, the cost is only $85 per hour prepaid, for one or two hours. Proceeds support the chapter’s educational programs. Offer ends this month. Call 858-274-3345 or visit ASIDSanDiego.org.
Hit List
A Bridge and a Chasm: Doris Bittar was born in Baghdad of Lebanese parentage, and her early childhood was spent on the outskirts of Beirut. Her family immigrated to the United States, where she earned a master of fine arts degree from the University of California, San Diego. As an Arab in Western society, Bittar feels strongly connected to the traditions of the Middle East. The title of her intriguing solo exhibit of paintings and photographic installations, “Jusour wa Kusour: The Work of Doris Bittar, 1989-2007,” translates from Arabic as “A Bridge and a Chasm,” reinforcing Bittar’s themes of personal identity and political struggle. Shown at right: Folding Linens. At the Oceanside Museum of Art, February 11 through April 1. oma-online.org.
Uncovering Cunningham: Materializing the Immaterial (Yale University Press, $50), a new book featuring 18 works of architect Wallace Cunningham, captures the San Diegan’s flair for dramatic contemporary design. The 160-page illustrated book follows Cunningham from his Buffalo, New York, roots to his apprenticeship at Taliesen—where he absorbed Frank Lloyd Wright’s theory of organic architecture—and through his successful career in San Diego. “Buildings are not just visual,” says Cunningham. “Buildings need to radiate emotion.” Written by Joseph Giovannini, a widely published architectural critic, the book establishes Cunningham’s star in the firmament of contemporary architecture. Available at SoLo in Solana Beach and through yale.edu/yup. Cunningham’s work most recently appeared in San Diego Magazine in “Space” (April 2006), which featured a cliffside home in Cardiff. Architectural Digest also featured a Cunningham home in La Jolla, in October 2006.
Big Tipper: Personable Judi Scott has one of the longer-running TV segments in town. For the past decade, she’s been on NBC 7/39 live every Sunday between 7:40 and 7:45 a.m. as the Handy Helper. Scott, a kitchen designer with the Sports Arena Home Depot, jams plenty of consumer-friendly information into her time slot. She has offered how-to tips on repairing screens or drywall and installing tile or a water heater—all for less than what a plumber charges to stop by and say hello. “I’ve covered things most people need sooner or later,” Scott says. “I demonstrate that it’s better to give it a try before paying someone else to do it.”
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