A cherry picker has been installed inside the building on Morecambe prom, and every panel in the ceiling of the Grade 2* listed building will be inspected by specialists before being cleaned.

This process is expected to take two weeks, before work starts on installing a new heating system on November 1.

Plasterwork repair work will also take place as part of the refurbishment of the theatre.

The theatre is now just 1,000 from its fundraising target.

The Architectural Heritage Fund has promised to match fund the fundraising up to 25,000, and the theatre has now raised just over 24,000.

With the closure of the building for four months and limited re-opening due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the Preservation Trust with the help of the Friends of the Winter Gardens mounted a crowdfunding campaign.

Their aim was to complete the funding necessary for the 250,000 infrastructure work.

Go online here to donate.

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Cherry picker arrives at Morecambe's Winter Gardens ahead of specialist refurb work and heating installation - Lancaster Guardian

It doesnt matter where Diana Thaters latest installation is located; you cant visit the piece in person. Like many gallery shows during the pandemic, Yes, There Will Be Singing is only viewable online.

Initially, I wanted to put the installation at David Zwirner in a locked room, says the L.A.-based artist of her exhibition, the third edition of the gallerys Offsite series. But David said, Its a piece for anyone, anywhere. It doesnt matter where it is.

The video work is instead being livestreamed from a raw space in L.A., a room with white pillars and exposed ceiling pipes. Its the sort of space that can be found in almost any city, and the universality of the room speaks to the intention behind the work. Thaters installations have always been about the present moment, and the viewers presence and experience within the work. While Yes, There Will Be Singing is the artists least physically accessible project, its also her most accessible: the video installation is viewable anytime, anywhere in the world.

She describes the new piece as an upending. Thater was originally slated to have a solo show with David Zwirner in September, but that plan was thwarted when her shoot for the exhibition was canceled due to the pandemic. Travel has been central to her art practice; she physically goes to wherever her subjects live in order to film them.

How do you make art, if part of your practice is going to places where these rare and fascinating [creatures] live in the wild? What do you do? she says. And thats where I ended up with Whale 52.

Yes, There Will Be Singing is Thaters first sound installation, inspired by an article she encountered several years ago about Whale 52, a (likely male) whale which has never been seen, only heard over a period of decades. At a frequency of 52 hertz, Whale 52s songs are outside the range for other whales to hear its been called the loneliest whale alive.

Story continues

The piece speaks to the difficulties of communication in isolation. In the case of Whale 52, its the unique pitch of his song that other whales cant hear; during the pandemic, its the pain points of technology: video feeds that lag; audio that wont sync.

We only know each other right now through images, brief contact. We know each other on the computer through Zoom and Google Meet and FaceTime, says Thater; her installation similarly lives within the space of online time.

Within Thaters installation, the rich sound of Whale 52 plays as the video switches between various feeds within the room, giving the viewer a 360-degree view of the exhibition space as well as the sensation of spinning. The equipment used to make the piece cameras on tripods, sound speakers and cords running across the floor, stage lights emitting a spectrum of neon color is visible to the viewer, an attempt to communicate the spatial quality of the space, despite their disorientation from the alternating video feeds. The culmination of all the elements in the room becomes a conduit for the underwater world.

[The whale] world is rich in sound; ours is rich in color and dimension, she says. I wanted to add to that richness and make empty space feel like something.

The piece also speaks to how the pandemic has affected the natural environment. While the pandemic has made it more difficult for humans to communicate clearly, the opposite is true for whales.

The ocean has been very quiet since the beginning of the pandemic. Researchers can hear whales better than ever before, and whales can hear one another better than they ever have, she says. All the external noise is gone, and what do you get?

The installations title, Yes, There Will Be Singing, refers to a poem written by Bertolt Brecht while in Denmark after escaping Nazi Germany. It lent the perfect title to the work, because we are living in very dark times, says Thater. You think about being locked down, and then according to Bertolt Brecht, you sing about it.

The artist notes that her world is still very much in flux. Shes been working on a larger piece for over two years, but keeps running into roadblocks: first President Donald Trump closed National Parks during a government shutdown right before she was supposed to go film in Death Valley, and then the pandemic happened, and she had to cancel her shoot again. Thater was testing her arsenal of cameras for that shoot by filming within her garden; that collection of videos, focusing on the flora, ended up in an online exhibition with Hauser and Wirth.

While her work stays rooted in the present moment, Thater approaches art making with the future in mind.

I think that art is about the future you want, and projecting it and making it real and making it palpable, she says. I havent been able to sculpt an image of what I think the future looks like during this lockdown, because were in this never-ending present. We literally do not know whats going to happen.

Without some kind of idea about what the future holds, I dont know what Ill make next, she adds.

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Diana Thater Stages Yes, There Will be Singing Video Installation for David Zwirner Offsite - Yahoo Lifestyle

The UK construction industry is a major contributor to levels of air, water and ground pollution. It is responsible for nearly 4% of particulate emissions and more water pollution incidents than any other industry.

Those shocking statistics are a stark reminder that government targets for a climate neutral UK by 2050 are ambitious to say the least.

Innovative technology looks set to provide much needed solutions for an industry looking for new, greener materials and products. Several UK construction industry companies have taken it upon themselves to try and create cutting-edge yet environmentally conscious building materials for the future.

With that in mind, what are the sustainable products that architects, specifiers, builders and quantity surveyors should be looking out for? Here we speak to several businesses that create products designed specifically to reduce the carbon footprint of both commercial and residential structures.

By Energy Carbon

This innovative young business from Sussex is committed to providing low-energy heating products.

Tell us about your product. What does it do?

Energy Carbon provides a fast, cost-effective and energy efficient heating technology developed by experts from Germanys University of Stuttgart.

Thin heating fleece just 0.4mm thick can be plastered into the ceiling or sited behind the plaster board to provide the same safe, healthy infra-red heat babies receive in incubators.

We cover around 60% of the ceiling, which means that occupants feel the warmth throughout a room rather than in specific areas as with infra-red panels. We can even cut holes for lighting with no issues.

Whats more, it needs no specialist trade to install just a plasterer or dry liner and an electrician.

What makes your product sustainable/energy efficient?

Most conventional heating works on the principle of convection.

Radiators draw cold air from the floor, pull it across the heat source, which causes it to heat up and rise to the ceiling. When that air cools, it falls, and the cycle begins again.

The problem with that is it takes time. The process needs to repeat until the whole air mass in a room has warmed up.

Infra-red is much quicker and more economical occupiers feel the benefit sooner, and it uses less electricity as a result.

Its also highly durable and long-lasting with a design life in excess of 50 years other alternatives will likely need replacing several times between now and 2050.

What were and are the challenges you faced when developing the product?

Weve been passionate about the potential of infra-red technology for years, but in the early days it was frustrating the implementation was often very poor.

We always used to say, we wish they made this in Germany we knew that, given Germanys history of engineering excellence, and rigorous testing and accreditation regimes, the Germans would do the concept justice.

But then, we found that a German manufacturer had taken up the infra-red gauntlet. We got in touch, and managed to secure the UK distribution rights.

By Green Life Buildings (GLB)

Green Life Buildings are taking small but significant steps on the path to providing top quality construction materials with less impact on our environment. Managing Director, Chris Williams talks to us about GLBs innovative building products.

Tell us about your product?

The GLB advanced building system is an innovative, lightweight, adaptable, and exceptionally durable sandwich panel system used for walls, floors and roof. It uses advanced insulant core technology to deliver an affordable alternative form of construction material.

How is it sustainable/energy efficient?

The rigid panel is more than 90% air. It is made up of two galvanised welded steel wire meshes joined by connectors and enclosing an expanded polystyrene sheet. Because of this, it provides the best carbon footprint per U value. Just 80mm of our low carbon concrete provides a structural wall with a carbon footprint of only 33kg/m2.

Each home built using the system can reduce energy expenditure and carbon emissions by at least 65% compared to traditional builds when built to passive house U values.

Do you have plans to develop the product further?

Its more a case of re-invention, with 35 years of product knowledge, GLB and M2 can adapt to the UK needs. With our digital manufacturing capability, we can adapt to regulation changes easily. One example of this is the creation of our hybrid panel.

This panel removes the combustible element from external walls above 18m yet still provides an insitu build option. This is important for us because it provides options to our contractors using techniques theyre already familiar with.

Will you be launching any other similar products?

Outside of the hybrid panel, we wont be producing any new sustainable products for a while. Our focus is platforming the product and to demonstrate the positive difference it can make to builds. An added benefit to our panels is the thermal mass of the walls can incorporate low voltage heat mats that act as radiators.

We need the 80mm concrete for structural integrity but why let it do just one job when it can also be solar shading and thermal store.

Did you face any challenges when developing the product?

The technology was developed by EMMEDUE in Italy and has been used to construct over 1 million buildings all over the world.

Despite this success, our initial challenge has been convincing those in the decision-making process (such as heads of lending and quantity surveyors of the systems worth) that its not just a new type of brick. Thankfully that perception is changing rapidly. The new hurdle is dealing with the junk science out there especially relating to carbon benefit.

By Victorian Sliders

Victorian Sliders are Europes largest specialist manufacturer of PVC-U vertical sliding sash windows. Based in South Wales, Victorian Sliders are big believers in sustainable solutions. Their ECOSlide window system is a great example of this.

Can you tell us about your product and where it fits in the market?

ECOSlide is a cost-effective and sustainable PVC-U sash window product. We designed ECOSlide to be A-rated as standard, with the option for an A+ rating with units filled with Argon gas. This increases home insulation and reduces fuel usage and costs.

How is it sustainable/energy efficient?

Every component of the ECOSlide window can be recycled up to 10 times with current technology and in future, as that technology improves, this is likely to increase.

Sash windows tend to offer better energy efficiency than casements simply because of how they operate. When both sashes are opened, it dramatically increases the airflow in a room. The cool air that comes in pushes warm air out, meaning theres less need for air conditioning and electric fans.

It also contains recycled thermal inserts, and uses low-emissivity glass.

What other things do you do to be energy efficient as a company?

At Victorian Sliders HQ in South Wales, weve developed our own market-leading PVC-U recycling facility.

That allows us to take old plastic window frames and turn them into PVC-U thermal inserts, that play a critical part in delivering ECOSlides excellent energy-efficiency performance.

For a business of our size, we also have a relatively low carbon footprint we carry out the whole manufacturing process in-house, thanks to our long-standing commitment to supplying the best quality PVC-U sash windows.

Almost every component we use, we manufacture ourselves here in South Wales therefore limiting the transportation of goods between suppliers, which make a major contributor to a companys carbon footprint.

Did you face any challenges when developing this approach?

Reaching this stage hasnt been easy its required years of sustained investment. But its meant weve been able to become one of the most self-sufficient fenestration businesses in the country, producing one of the greenest sash window products on the market.

By Pavegen

Pavegen is the global leader in converting footfall into off-grid power, clean electricity while captivating audiences. They supply to cities all over the world with installations in London, Hong Kong and Washington, to name but a few. It can power off-grid applications such as lighting, and environmental monitoring, while capturing meaningful analytics for building managers and city planners. Here they talk to us about their unique and sustainable smart tiles.

Can you tell us about your product and where it fits in the market?

Pavegen is a smart tile, that can generate off-grid energy through the simple power of a footstep. Pavegen is suitable for pre-build and retrofit and is durable for busy streets. We see Pavegen playing a key role in smart cities all over the world.

What makes it sustainable/energy efficient?

Each step taken on the Pavegen creates around 2-4 watts of off-grid clean electrical energy or around 5 watts of power for the duration of a footstep. This can be used to help power lighting and similar applications.

Because the energy created is participation-led, Pavegen increases awareness for key sustainability issues and promotes green credentials with each activation.

Pavegen has additional functionality that uses an app that builds communities, increases connectivity between users and their city, and provides citizens the opportunity to personally contribute steps to help build smart, more sustainable cities and destinations.

Do you have plans to develop the product further and if so how? / Will you be launching any other similar products?

We are expanding on our functionality tools via the app to create an incentive function that will provide businesses with the platform to create a reward scheme for steps taken in their buildings.

In addition, building owners and developers can use Pavegen to create an experience that will delight, educate, incentivise, build communities, and provide unique insights into their audiences behaviours and values.

What were the challenges you faced when developing the product?

Engineering products for the built environment is one of the hardest engineering challenges in the world second to making technologies survive deep underwater or for space flight. One of the biggest challenges when developing the product was ensuring that the product could withstand vandalism.

The products need to take the weight of huge forces such as trucks driving over the product, withstand the temperature fluctuations from night to daytime, and have the toughness to last for 20 years plus in the built environment.

After building in excess of 700 prototypes for production we have finally got to a point where we are very happy with the products performance. It works in sub-zero environments to deserts in the Middle East.

By Neoperl

Neoperl is a UK designer and manufacturer of water conservation products for the trade and commercial sectors. Some of their products include tap aerators, check valves, flow regulators, diverters, shower hoses and swivel adapters. Simple yet effective, Neoperls sustainable flow regulators really are impressive.

Can you tell us about your product and where it fits in the market?

We are the worlds largest suppliers of water regulator products. Our flow regulators and aerators can be found in most showers, taps and boilers across the UK. Many of these products can also be retrofitted providing great water saving solutions for the home, hotels or workplace.

Flow regulators can make an enormous difference to the performance of the products that they are fitted in as well as save significant amounts of water.

What makes these products sustainable/energy efficient?

Flow regulators limit the flow of water. They control how much water runs through an appliance (tap or boiler) regardless of external water pressure fluctuations.

Movement, heating and treatment of water all require significant amounts of energy. Any reduction of any of these will reduce the carbon impact and feed into a solution to help net carbon zero.

These products help builders to reach carbon footprint targets in new build and ensure a more sustainable build.

Do you have plans to develop the product further and if so how?

We are constantly developing new products to suit client requirements. This is mainly to ensure maximum performance of an appliance e.g. tap, boiler or shower.

We have started to develop products designed to be retrofitted to a tap or shower head.

This is an aerator combined with a flow regulator, a small hidden component positioned in the spout of a tap. It shapes the water to produce a non-splashing stream and can also be designed to add air to make the water pleasantly soft. Combined it regulates the flow, saving both water and energy (as less water is heated).

Will you be launching any other similar products?

One of our latest products incorporates Dual Core (DC) technology as an enhancement of the Pressure compensating Aerator. It is considered an all-pressure aerator as it can provide a fully aerated stream starting from as low as 0.2 bar. This is a significant benefit over other PCA aerators that may have to be matched to the specific pressure range in each installation.

Its great for installers that may not have the technical knowledge of the professional plumber.

What were the challenges you faced when developing the product?

Developing new flow regulators and aerator products is always difficult. To the uninitiated, they are simply a piece of plastic and rubber. What is often misunderstood is the level of precision that goes into designing the specifics of the shape and profile of the flow regulator and how the Dynamic Control Ring (DCR) interacts with this to maintain the designed constant flow rate.

It is also critical that the internal parts of the aerator shape and control the water stream for the end user to have the best possible experience for their intended use.

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Review: Some of the industry's most sustainable products - Building Products - Building Products

Global Dry Construction Marketsize was valued US$ 75.10 Bn in 2019 and the total revenue is expected to grow at 5.5% through 2020 to 2027, reaching US$ XX Bn. The report has covered region wise market trends with competitive landscape.

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Dry Construction is a specialized technique, which is used to reduce the use of water and the effect of real estate on the environment. Dry construction is 8-10 times lighter in weight than the cement work and traditional brick, and allows up to 70 % saving of construction time. The width of the wall constructed with dry construction is only 80 mm in comparison to the 200 mm standard walls made of brick is increase of the carpet area in the building.

This type of construction features several benefits like simplicity in installation, moisture resistance, better thermal and sound insulation, and fire safety over wet construction practices. Dry construction includes lightweight construction of ceilings and floors, interior walls, which are referring plastered or microfiber board that is combined at the installation time. Apart from drywall and ceiling, the frontage is also done with aluminum composite panels (ACP) instead of brickwork and plaster, it is widely used in various applications such as commercial, residential, and infrastructure construction.

The dry construction market has shown significant growth thanks to the recovery of the construction industry after the economic slowdown from 2009. Globally, the dry construction material has gained more popularity due to the improvement in the construction industry with a preference for low-weight construction, and high priority for interior designs. The global dry construction market is driven by rapidly growing population, growing investment in the construction industry, and increasing industrialization. The advertising of eco-friendly technology by regulatory organizations, increasing FDI in construction and shifting focus towards sustainable building techniques are also likely to impel the dry construction materials market from 2020 to 2027.

However, High cost of raw material and waste generated by dry construction are restraining the market growth at the global level. Increasing demand for dry construction techniques at the expense of wet construction methods and replacement of floors are expected to create beneficial opportunities for the key player in the market in coming years. Government and environmental regulations are restricting the new entrants in the market, and unawareness regarding recycled material between industries are affecting the plasterboard market are the major challenge for the dry construction market in the near future.

Based on the material, the plasterboard segment has led the dry construction market in 2019 and is estimated to generate more than US$ XX Mn market revenue by 2027, with a CAGR of 5%. Plasterboard is widely utilized in residential and non-residential frame construction, such as internal wallboard and ceiling lining. It is an unbending gypsum board that is sandwiched between two outer layers of recycled paper. The plasterboard has extensive demand from the construction sector in the last five years, owing to superior quality, low cost, and ease of installation. This type of board provides various properties like moisture resistance, reduction in construction time, fire safety, ease installation sound, and thermal insulation. An increasing economy and growing industrialization are creating the growth opportunities of the plasterboard segment.

Geographically, the dry construction market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America held the prominent market share of XX% in 2019 and is expected to reach US$ Mn by the end of 2027, with a CAGR of XX%. Thanks to the presence of major market players in the region. Developed countries like the US, Mexico, and Canada are presenting huge building renovation activities, which are increasing the adoption of dry construction. These nations also giving preference to the do-it-yourself process is allows the user to construct using dry construction material himself if provided accurate information and training. Moreover, the rising investments in research and development activities for the introduction of advanced dry construction material is predicted to accelerate the growth of this region in the near future.

In terms of value, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to command XX% market share during the forecast period. Increasing disposable incomes in emerging countries, growing industrialization, and changing behavior of people towards sustainable building techniques are fueling the dry construction market growth in Asia Pacific. China and India are the leading contributor to the regional market growth. The markets in developing countries such as India and China are showing a significant growth rate of XX% during the forecast period due to its increasing population and need for better housing technologies. Smart City project undertaken by the government of India, with the mission to develop 100 smart cities in India, will require an investment of over US$ 150 Bn, which would drive market growth. China a major plasterboard producing nation, manufacturing over 1.5 Mn metric tons of plasterboard yearly that is extensively used in ceilings and load bearing walls.

A report cover the recent development in market for the global dry construction market e.g., November. 25, 2019, Armstrong World Industries, Inc., has completed its acquisition of MRK Industries, Inc. (MRK), a manufacturer of specialty metal ceiling, wall and exterior solutions.November. 5, 2019, Etex Group, Building materials group Etex plans to build a new plasterboard plant in Portbury close to the port of Bristol, in South West England. The capital expenditure will reach more than US$ 179.19 million.

The objective of the report is to present a comprehensive analysis of the Global Dry Construction Market including all the stakeholders of the industry. The past and current status of the industry with forecasted market size and trends are presented in the report with the analysis of complicated data in simple language. The report covers all the aspects of the industry with a dedicated study of key players that includes market leaders, followers and new entrants. PORTER, SVOR, PESTEL analysis with the potential impact of micro-economic factors of the market have been presented in the report. External as well as internal factors that are supposed to affect the business positively or negatively have been analyzed, which will give a clear futuristic view of the industry to the decision-makers.

The report also helps in understanding Global Dry Construction Market dynamics, structure by analyzing the market segments and project the Global Dry Construction Market size. Clear representation of competitive analysis of key players by Application, price, financial position, Product portfolio, growth strategies, and regional presence in the Global Dry Construction Market make the report investors guide.Scope of the Global Dry Construction Market:

Global Dry Construction Market, by Type:

Supporting Framework BoardingGlobal Dry Construction Market, by Material:

Plasterboard Wood Metal Plastic Glass Carpet OthersGlobal Dry Construction Market, by System:

Partition Ceiling System Wall System Flooring System Door systems OthersGlobal Dry Construction Market, by Application:

Residential Application Non-Residential ApplicationGlobal Dry Construction Market, by Region:

Asia Pacific North America Europe Latin America Middle East AfricaGlobal Dry Construction Market, Major Players:

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. Etex Group Fletcher Building Limited Saint Gobain Xella Group CSR Limited Knauf Gips KG Pabco Gypsum Panel Rey USG Boral Limited Beijing New Building Materials Promax Group Inc. Masterplast Plc. Arcelor Mittal Winstone Wallboards Limited Georgia-Pacific LLC China Baowu Steel Group Corp., Ltd.

Browse Full Report with Facts and Figures Report at:https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/global-dry-construction-market/24075/

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Global Dry Construction Market : Industry Analysis and forecast 2027: By Type, Material, System, Application, and Region - Stock Market Vista

In the annals of art history, there is a tendency to see the found object as a raw material best suited for the cynical, winking gestures of Dada or Pop Art. But at the age of 94, Betye Saar has spent more than a half-century creating radical, poetic, socially textured assemblages by turning mere stuff into profound masterpieces: an ironing board, advertising signs, glass bottles, throwaway items often discovered at flea markets and thrift stores, and collected in her Southern California studio. Initially inspired by Joseph Cornells intimate wood-box collages, Saars practice tackles American history and politics, often dealing directly with the loaded signifiers of racism and sexism, and turning those entrenched cultural symbols back on themselves to create powerful monuments of resistance and celebration. Saar might be most famous for transforming the racist stereotype of the Black mammy, Quaker Oatss Aunt Jemima, into a kind of glorious liberator who wont be hushed up or kept in the kitchen. It would be impossible to untangle Saars oeuvre from the Civil Rights Movement or Black feminism. And yet, her works reach beyond the vectors of politics, touching on spirituality and mysticism, astrology and the afterlife. This fall, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York is hosting an exhibition called Betye Saar: Call and Response, dedicated to Saars prolific output, not only displaying some of her most beloved assemblages but also her drawings and sketchbooks, the latter of which serve as essential guides to her creative output and visual feasts of their own.

Saar first met the actress CCH Pounder decades ago at a party in L.A. They became not only fast friends but fast travel companions, sharing a love of voyages ranging from Dakar to the South of France to Mexico City. This past August, Pounder paid the artist a visit to reminisce about some of the trips theyve taken and the places theyve yet to go.

BETYE SAAR: I remember when I first met you at a party at your house. I was in the corner of your living room. I was saying how much I liked the art of Frida Kahlo, and that I was going to Mexico City to see her house. And you said, Oh, I want to go. Do you remember that?

CCH POUNDER: Of course I remember going to Mexico City to see the Frida Kahlo house with you.

SAAR: That was our first of many trips together.

POUNDER: Actually, I think our first trip together was to Dakar in 2002. Weve been to Mexico a few times. Once for your birthday, when Raoul [de la Sota, the artist and professor] danced with you.

SAAR: Oh, yes, that was in Cuernavaca.

POUNDER: What I remember from the trip to the Frida Kahlo house was how much you loved the color blue that was there. You were painting with so much blue at the time. It was exciting to see how inspired you were by the colors in Mexico. Mexico City itself was your red city.

SAAR: And a few years later, I did an installation at Roberts Projects in L.A. of an all-red room. It came from that red in Mexico. I said, Im going to do all red and Im going to call it Red Time. I was inspired a lot on that trip. I also remember all those personal letters of Frida Kahlos that hung on her ceiling.

POUNDER: I remember you doing sketches and drawings during that trip, all very brightly colored. And then going off to the markets where you bought those red masks.

SAAR: We made a little art exhibition in the hotel room of all the things we had bought. We had refreshments and everything!

POUNDER: Looking back, [Kahlos Blue House] Casa Azul actually kind of reminds me of your rock garden at your home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. You were so keen on the blues. Recently, you made a blue sculpture called Woke Up This Morning, the Blues Was in My Bed, [2019] with blue bottles over a blue neon light. Do you often start with a color in mind?

SAAR: Yes, thats the way I often begin work on an assemblage. I start with a color or a little object, and I make a whole exhibition out of what it relates to, right down to the painting of the walls or the image I choose on the invitation.

POUNDER: Youve often focused on specific colors, whether its Blue Window of the Mystic Palms [2018], Black Girls Window [1969], or that stark white KKK sheet next to the ironing board in your piece from 1998 [Ill Bend But I Will Not Break].

SAAR: A color is the way I conceive of my shows, and I still follow that model to this day. Right now Im doing a ladder thats made of earth tones. Its one of a whole number of individual pieces Im working on. Ill just have to see if any of them build into an exhibition.

POUNDER: Another of my favorite places we traveled together was Saint-Paul-de-Vence in the South of France. We saw the James Baldwin House and the Matisse House. There were so many beautiful colors at the Matisse house. And we wore twin pajamas and we were sharing a room. I have a photo from that trip. Youre standing, looking at a gray wall with vines that had died, and you said, Im going to do a piece called

SAAR: Fade. It was an idea about the process of aging, that old age isnt just a certain state, but is a process of fading away. Its like the gray life of old age. I wanted to do a whole exhibition on that idea. Its because we were in Matisses house and he had a studio next door and vines were covering it. I thought, The vines will swallow that building, and I wanted my picture in front of them because it appealed to me, this idea of disappearing into the wall.

POUNDER: My biggest tickle was when you said to Angela [Robinson Witherspoon, an actress and close friend] one day, You know, I think Im going to make it to 100. So you put away the idea of Fade and started back on brighter colors.

SAAR: [Laughs] Sometimes, when I feel good, I still think Ill make it to 100. But next year I turn 95, and I dont think Im even ready for that. Thats what aging is. Its always a surprise when it happens to you. Dont you think?

POUNDER: Yes. Sometimes people will tell me, Oh, Ms. Pounder, Ive grown up watching you. Its like, How is that possible? It cant be. But it is.

SAAR: Im not very far from hitting the triple digits now.

POUNDER: How do you feel about being an artist in her 95th year still making new work?

SAAR: The thing is, I dont think about age when Im making art. I dont work on art if I dont feel good. Its not conducive. The ideas for art are always young. As soon as I have an idea about what to create, thats the little essence of youth still in my personality, in my life. When I run out of ideas, thats when Ill be old.

POUNDER: So what is the essence of youth making this month?

SAAR: Im trying to finish some sketchbooks. I started a small square one about astrological symbolsthe sun and the moon and things like that. Im still affected by that. When I was on vacation in the desert [at her daughter Tracye Saar-Cavanaughs Joshua Tree ranch], I woke up very early and the sun was just coming up. It was on the rim of a hill. But up in the sky was a crescent moon and a star. I said, Those are my symbols in the sky. And those are the symbols that Ive always used.

POUNDER: Youve had a lifelong fascination with astrology. Is it still part of your work today?

SAAR: Ill read the astrological chart in the daily newspaper, but thats just for my own amusement. I think my use of astrology has two purposes. It suggests the unknown, and then it also suggests the known by the stars and the moon, and so forth, telling your history. If you believe in those charts, their positions pertain to what your personality can do or what your life might be. I dont really devote my consciousness to that. Its more the symbols themselves that matter to me, like how the moon suggests peacefulness.

POUNDER: That symbolism informs a lot of your work. There is a piece at the Studio Museum in Harlem called Indigo Mercy [1975]. Ive heard that in the past, visitors have left notes in the drawers.

SAAR: I had another piece that was also participatory like that, where people could leave little messages. I like the idea of the audience participating in the work.

POUNDER: There is a big rock by the water in Israel where Jesus was supposed to have waded, and there are thousands and thousands of little note prayers stuck to it.

SAAR: Yes, its like that, like being a part of something bigger. Sort of like touching the hem of Jesuss gown.

POUNDER: One of your most famous works is The Liberation of Aunt Jemima [1972]. This year, Aunt Jemima has finally been retired by Quaker. What do you think about this cultural move to stop circulating these racist images? Do you think youve had a part in this? I think you have.

SAAR: The reason for using her was to take a negative image and make it a positive one. I set out to take all these negative images that had been a part of Black history, and I changed them into warriors.

POUNDER: Whats really sad is that there really was an Aunt Jemima. Her name was Nancy Green. She was not a caricature, she was a philanthropist and ministry leader in Chicago. She was the first Aunt Jemima model, and then over the years, they started changing and obscuring her image into this caricature. But I remember in the end she was happy that it was her, because she put a lot of kids through school because of those flapjacks.

SAAR: Yeah, she used the money she got for good.

POUNDER: For this exhibition you have at the Morgan Library, youre showing work thats never previously been seen. How do you feel about that?

SAAR: I had lots of work in my cupboard that I havent shown before, from the 70s all the way up to the present. They just havent fit the theme of a show. I really like to stick to a theme, that could be derogatory images or political issues or women or something like that. I feel more comfortable working that way.

POUNDER: You can read one of your assemblages in so many different ways. And to go back to color, you can have the color white in the KKK sheet, and then that same year make a piece out of a white christening dress that you can imagine will be worn for a beautiful little orphan girl [Loss of Innocence, 1998]. Those are two such different connotations of white. How do you conjure up these works?

SAAR: Well, my mother told me I was very psychic as a child. I could tell her if my father missed the bus or if something else happened. Eventually, I lost that ability. Im no longer psychic but Im very intuitive about what colors to use, what materials to buy, what people to be friends with. The intuition is a strong element in my life and that comes from a larger psychic power of knowing things unknown before they happen. I think, when I create, I use that intuitive power.

POUNDER: Do you tend to work on multiple pieces at once?

SAAR: Well, I have the ladder Im working on in my studio. In my garage, I have a Bottle Busha structure I make from blue bottles. The works are in different places in my studio, but its always organized by color or some other element. That seems to be the restriction that I set on myself to do art. I need to do that. I can think, Im going to start here on a little painting, but sooner or later all my restrictions come into it. I want to use this color, not that color; I want this image, not that one. Its a natural part of creating and a natural part of my personality to keep me from going crazy.

POUNDER: It gives you a sense of discipline and yet it allows you to create.

SAAR: Yes, I need those limits. Sometimes I look at a piece of abstract art with color and movement, and think, I wish I could do something like that. But for me, a more formal situation will gradually come out of it. So here we are.

POUNDER: If you hadnt become a visual artist, what else do you think you would have been on this earth?

SAAR: A writer of poetry.

Artwork: Courtesy of Betye Saar and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles

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At 94, Betye Saar Is Letting Intuition Lead the Way - Interview

When large interior spaces need to be lit, high bay lighting is usually appropriate. Consider spaces such as manufacturing facilities, gyms, warehouses, department stores, factories, and more; these facilities are usually spacious and include many vertical and horizontal spaces. This requires strong lighting to provide the appropriate level of foot wax to illuminate adequately. LED bay lights https://www.lepro.com/led-bay-light fixtures usually hang from the ceiling through hooks, chains, or pendants, or can be mounted directly to the ceiling (similar to a troffer lamp).

Outside thearea, the height of the ceiling and its shelves location affect the arrangementof lighting. For example, we need to use a denser range of high bay linearprojection lamps to illuminate a narrow hallway. So for the high ceiling, itwould be better to use a smaller beam angle to preserve the floors brightness.If you have a low ceiling and a spacious area, we can use a wider beam angleand less dense matrix for better uniformity.

The dazzlinglight causes discomfort for the storekeeper. There are many dangerous machinesand tools inside the warehouse, such as forklifts. The intense glare irritatestheir eyes and affects them when they see people or property near them.According to the latest report, around 15% of accidents are related to poorlighting. And therefore, having a good warehouse lighting system is vital. LEDproducts are equipped with exclusive lenses with a built-in glare controlfunction. This design can reduce glare by 60% compared to conventional lightingfixtures such as metal halide and halogen spotlights.

The primaryfunction of dimming is to maintain consistency in shine throughout the day.During the day, since a lot of sunlight is coming through the windows, we candim the warehouse lighting. At night, we can increase the brightness to provideadequate brightness for workers. This flexible handling helps maintain the bestworking environment.

The dimmeris also very useful for saving energy. As there are many functions in thewarehouse, and each of them has the best light requirement. For example, weneed more lumens for repair and less for general storage. It would beconvenient to use if the warehouse lighting can be dimmed for each use, withoutreinstalling the light.

The aislelighting in our warehouse supports both PWM and DMX dimming systems. You canalso select the photo sensor and motion sensor to detect light and people,respectively. If there is no need to turn on the light or use full brightness,the dimmer will automatically dim the brightness.

Have youever found that the light is not as bright even at 1000W? As they have very lowenergy efficiency, the brightness is very low even if you use the highpower fixture. However, LEDs have 8-10 times the luminous efficiency ofthese conventional lamps. And so, 100W LED replaces halogen or metal halidelamps of 1000W; we have different wattages for LED lighting products, from 60Wto 10000W, so that you can always find the most suitable lighting solutions.

Theinstallation cost is generally comparable to the cost of the lamp. So,selecting the high quality that works the longest will save you on maintenancecosts in the long run. LED lights have a lifespan of 80,000 hours, which isequivalent to 30 years of use based on 6 to 7 hours of use per day. If you usemetal halides, you may have found that you need to replace them almost everyfew months or every year. This is because the brightness decreases very quicklyfor non-LED lights.

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Tips to consider to make LED lights more effective, where to put LED bay lights? - eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News

Where the Ark from Exod is concerned, its actually the best option regardless of scenario. The Ark is an inflatable tent with a carbon fiber frame that is perfect for a wide range of offroad situations. Its comfortable and solid, reliable and resistant to the elements, which should make it any offroaders best friend and ever-present companion.

The idea was to create a second outdoor home that can be used on the ground or suspended in a very stable way to adapt to any type of terrain in order to be limitless, Exod explains.

The Ark has been in developed for close to eight years, and each new prototype has been extensively tested on different expeditions crossing deserts, mountains and forests, Exod says. Its currently crowdfunding on KickStarter, with the ultimate goal of bringing this military-grade, France-made product to adventurers worldwide.

You inflate the exoskeleton, extend the frame and insert it, and secure the tent. And you wont ever have to worry about not finding a flat surface to pitch your tent on.

Because of the materials used, the Ark is very compact and relatively lightweight, at 17.9 pounds (8.1 kg). Its weight means its not exactly suitable for trekking on foot, but its just perfect for offroading on your bike or by a 4x4. The Ark can be used on the ground or suspended in a variety of ways thanks to the included cam straps.

The tent, made of one single sheet of durable and waterproof material used by the French military, has two points of entry, a high ceiling and a clear skylight for stargazing (which can be covered at any time). Because of the fixed carbon frame underneath, Exod guarantees you can move around the tent easily even when suspended, and not have it sway dangerously. In fact, they say it wont move an inch. You also get plenty of storage spaces inside, for small stuff like your phone.

The Ark is designed for one person, but adapted for two. Just dont expect to have much sprawling room if you bring a companion. The payload is of 160 kg (352.7 pounds) max on the edge and 250 kg (551 pounds) max inside.

Once the crowdfunding campaign is over, Exod estimates an April 2021 delivery date, with worldwide shipping. If you dont mind overly dramatic raspy voices and the ridiculous visual of a man scaling a peak in Converse trainers, heres a video of this awesome, versatile outdoor shelter.

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Exod Ark Is a Highly Versatile and Reliable Offroad Shelter - autoevolution

When teacher Clara McGillian and lecturer Nicholas Felstead first picked up the keys to their first home in May 2019 they knew there was a renovation and interiors mountain to start climbing.

Armed with very little DIY experience and a limited budget but a vast amount of enthusiasm they dived in to rescue a 1930s period property stuck in the past.

Even though the couple had viewed new-build houses they were desperate to live in a specific and respectable area also convenient for commuting to work; but so did many other people.

They were constantly being priced out of the area where they wanted to live and increasing the buying budget was not an option.

The only answer was to take on a renovation project - find a cheaper wreck and revive it.

So the hunt began for a property that had not been touched for years that was looking for some modern love.

In return for the makeover the house would repay the couple by adding value to their property investment.

Clara, aged 31 and originally from Northern Ireland, says: "When we first walked in and saw the original front door with the stained glass, we just knew that we had to have it! We could see so much potential in the house.

"However, at this point, we didn't even own a drill and we totally underestimated how much work was involved.

"It was like a time warp! It had elderly previous owners who we think last decorated it in the 70s - we found a date for 1972 under the wallpaper in the hallway.

"We also had found out that it had been empty for approximately four years and so it was quite musty and damp."

The couple had previously been renting and were anxious to banish years of magnolia memories and express their style on the interiors of this three bedroom semi in the Bridgend area.

But before colours, textures, furniture and accessories could even be considered, there was a whole house to drag from the past into the present day, from top to bottom.

Clara says: "We knew the house needed a whole rewire and we actually discovered that it had the original electrical consumer unit from the 1930s.

"Therefore, we got an electrician in straight away to start the work. We were renting at this time but we only had enough budget to rent for six weeks more before having to move into our new house. We were very much under a time pressure.

"We began by stripping all the wallpaper off every single surface, ceilings included, and we ripped down the old lath and plaster ceilings. Some were quite damaged and drooping."

The couple knew that at this demolition stage that any walls that were no longer welcome needed to be removed and moved to the skip.

This courageous and confident property pair knew exactly how they wanted to open up the most sociable space at the rear of the house.

So the wall between the then kitchen and dining room met with a sledgehammer, as did the wall from those two rooms to the hall.

Now, when you open the front door you are greeted by a pleasing visual journey into the home, down the hallway and into the kitchen diner at the back - all from the front mat and a touch of genius.

Clara says: "While the full rewire began, we also got a builder to come in and remove the wall between the dining room and the old galley kitchen.

"While this was going on, we also got plumbers in to re-plumb the whole house as it too had all the original plumbing. They also put in new pipe work for some new radiators as some rooms didn't have one."

Clara says: "We did keep all of the old radiators too as we couldn't afford to replace them all and they were in perfect working condition. We then got the whole house skimmed, which we were hoping to avoid but the original plaster wasn't in a great condition."

Then the tenancy was up on the couple's flat so, whatever state the house was in, they had to pack up and move in.

There was no kitchen, only one electric socket was working and the walls were only half-plastered.

But the state of the house made the couple work even harder to continue the renovation job they had started, as quickly as possible.

They spent the whole of the summer of 2019 grafting and ploughing their way through the DIY jobs, doing as much as they could themselves to save money.

Although a new experience for both of them, the couple successfully fitted their own kitchen, taking the time to measure accurately and rechecking everything was level during the installation; time consuming but necessary.

It might have taken two weeks but installing the kitchen themselves saved Clara and Nick a considerable amount of money, with the only expenditure being the worktops.

A professional was booked for this tricky job that requires specialist tools and if bodged, would have set them back financially.

Once the major renovation, structural and installation work was complete, then came the fun part; the interior design.

The couple looked to the house itself for that first spark of inspiration.

Clara says: "After renting for a decade, we were so sick of magnolia walls and brown carpet!

"We wanted our home to reflect our personalities but also to be a place where a happy atmosphere is created. We also wanted to tie our style into the home.

"The windows and the front door have stained glass and the colours are red, green and yellow.

"Were not huge fans of red but we used pink, green and yellow as base colours for the house and tied in shades of grey."

Now each room has its own identity and personality and yet fits effortlessly into the overall interior design scheme but this was not particularly planned.

Clara found inspiration on Instagram but she also gave herself the freedom to be spontaneous and try things.

She says: "Im not one of those people who plans or uses moodboards as Im far too impulsive!

"I usually decide on the atmosphere I want to create in the room and go from there - I think you need to get a feel for each room and then go from there.

"For example, I wanted our bedroom to be calming so I went for a dark green as I associate that colour with nature.

"Other rooms, I actually began with a piece of furniture so in our living room, we already had our blue sofa and then I bought our rug, so I planned the living room around those two items."

The overall look the couple continuously had in the back of their minds was to create a feeling of warmth and happiness in every space, in every room.

The shades and tones in the stained glass in the front door were the first step to injecting the once drab home with a welcome shot of colour and visual sunshine.

Clara says: "I wanted to walk through our front door at the end of a long day in work and feel instantly pleased so I chose colours and styles that make me feel happy."

And the couple have certainly achieved that.

From the moment the sunny yellow front door greets you and you walk in, you know this is a home full of joyful colour and intriguing personal design statements to enjoy.

Clara says: "I definitely have a thing for pink, green, yellow and grey! I think they are colours that complement each other well, this colour palette is running through the house.

"I love to have lots of cosy things like cushions, fur and throws. Personally, I think it makes the space feel much cosier and more comfy."

But despite the lack of planning, or maybe because of it, there are multiple interior connections between each space in the home as well as individual rooms with individual personalities.

There's a palette of strong colours but teamed with muted tones and neutrals, black accents and tactile soft fabrics and eye-catching metallics, the scheme is successful in creating balance.

Each room has zones and each space in that zone has intrigue.

The sunny yellow front door greets you and is offset by the dark grey wall up the stairs that sets a dramatic backdrop for an eclectic collection of wall art and mirrors, drawing the eye up to the first floor.

The stairs are colourful pastel stepping stones that are given extra impact being next to the dark grey wall and being framed in white.

The hall itself has a welcoming display of plants, instantly connecting the nearby outdoors to the indoors.

The lounge is a comfortable and inviting space, wrapped in a cocoon of Farrow & Ball's Sulking Room Pink shade that brings warmth coupled with the soft, tactile fabrics found throughout the space.

Drama is created by the introduction of jewel colours, with the emphasis of darker tones of green and blue.

Finally, the fireplace might be the bargain feature of the home, with the biggest expense being just the time to strip the wallpaper, remove the old gas fire and rip the plaster off.

And what a most appealing central feature it is, perfectly toning with the on-trend tones of dusky pink that is the backbone of the design in this room; and cheap to achieve.

The kitchen diner, now opened up, connects to the other spaces by continuing the tones of green and pink.

The use of the dark green in the dining space is dramatic but it is working hard to visually zone that space, create a more intimate atmosphere in this corner especially by painting the ceiling and connecting the room to the rest of the house.

The dark tone is also a perfect backdrop to the added wall art. Who knew one pot of dark green paint could work so hard and achieve so much?

The open-plan kitchen uses a more neutral palette of white, grey and black to create a bright and inviting space.

High shine worktops bounce light around, there's a nod to the age of the property with the choice of a Belfast sink and of course there are 'pops' of pink and green to catch the eye.

Arguably the kitchen has two main features that are instantly engaging; the central and sociable island unit and the cooker area.

Recessing the black cooker into the old chimney breast frames the space and successfully allows the installation of hidden, integrated lighting.

The statement tiles behind the cooker ensure that the eye is drawn across the whole kitchen, to the end of the room; it anchors the space.

Softness is introduced into the area through the cushions on the black metal breakfast bar stools, the plants and flowers. The choice of metallic hanging lights adds a touch of glamour to the space.

The kitchen diner has gone from two dark and lonely rooms to a bright and inviting sociable space.

Upstairs the three bedrooms have been shown some interiors love too.

The third bedroom, currently a dressing room, illustrates the impact that just a slice of dramatic wallpaper can bring to a small room without overwhelming it.

Using the wallpaper above the picture rail and on the ceiling gives the room a cosy feel but as it is elevated it is an accent.

If the wallpaper were used as the main interior feature on all the walls in a room this size it could feel rather overwhelming.

Clara's idea is cheaper too as it uses less wallpaper, although she says it was a challenge to paper the ceiling.

Clara has then created a band of candy pink under the picture rail before the soft pink takes over on the walls.

This banding is another clever idea, creating a gradual journey from a strong pattern to a soft pastel. Without the layer of candy pink, the transition between strong pattern and pale pastel might have visually looked too jaring.

The choice of yellow chair not only adds a focal point at ground level to balance the dramatic ceiling, it also visually connects to the stained glass panels in the window.

The master bedroom features the jewel-like dark green that can be spotted around the home and again it provides a perfect backdrop for art work and informs the colour choices of cushions.

Painting the slim panel of wall by the window - not stopping at the corner - is another great idea to pinch.

It creates a more visually dramatic effect by almost hugging the end of the bed that would not be there had the painting stopped suddenly at the corner.

Softness is created in the space via velvet cushions, a soft grey accent, plants that mirror the art work and the fluffiest of central light fittings.

The second bedroom illustrates that you can create a stunning effect by using paint creatively, and is a cheaper option than buying enough wallpaper for four walls - all you need is some paint and some water.

Decant the paint into a separate container, start painting at the bottom of the wall including the skirting board, add a small amount of water for the next layer up and blend. Patience is required but the final result is soft, inviting and engaging.

By not continuing the dark blue paint effect up to the junction of the wall and the ceiling, Clara has created balance in the room between the white floor and the white ceiling.

Colour fading into white creates the visual effect of extra room height, as the eye follows the paint's journey up the wall to its white destination.

Accents of pink and white, touches of metallic gold and tactile accessories such as cushions, wall art, plants and strings of light all add extra layers of softness and visual interest.

And then to the despised bathroom.

During lockdown the couple decided to tackle the bathroom, a space they were so unconnected with that they spent as little amount of time in the room as possible.

The couple decided to brighten up the bathroom as a temporary measure with only a budget of 180 to spend in this space.

Clara says once they have the budget, time and materials they will eventually rip it out and start again.

Clara says: "The bathroom was so dated. It was a place that we didn't really want to spend any time in. Ideally, we would have loved to rip it all out, however, it wasn't a priority as it was all fully functional.

"We decided to give it a budget makeover to try to make it a nicer room but it actually ended up much nicer than we thought possible."

So collecting the materials for a colourful transformation were gathered together.

In total Clara and Nicholas, 35, and originally from Shropshire, spent a week brightening the budget bathroom.

They got the materials from Homebase, with Ronseal One Coat tile paint on the tiles and the walls painted once the floral 1970s wallpaper was stripped off.

The shower curtain became a cheap and cheerful focal point from Amazon and the mirror was sourced from Dunelm.

Clara says: "We used Ronseal Diamond Hard floor paint on the floor boards. The grey paint for the bath panels and the pink paint for the sink unit were both paints left over from other parts of the house. The stars on the tiles were made from my Cricut machine and we used permanent vinyl.

"The main challenge was that Nick had to remake the bath panels as I accidentally threw the old one in the skip months before. So we bought MDF, cut it to size and then sealed the edges with PVA.

"I hated the old sink unit. It had a fake marble top and it looked so bad. However, by painting the unit pink and painting the fake marble top white, it totally transformed it and now I absolutely love it."

Clara remembers that fitting the kitchen was probably the most challenging project as the couple felt they might be stretching their very recently learnt DIY skills.

Read the original here:
Incredible budget transformation of dated semi-detached house into a colourful and popular Instagram home - Wales Online

The 50 States Project is a yearlong series of candid conversations with interior designers, state by state, about how theyve built their businesses. Today, were chatting with Charleston, South Carolinabased Cortney Bishop about how her firm has survived tremor periods, how she found her perfect photographer, and which Oprah quote has influenced her staffing strategy.

What was the moment you knew you wanted to be a designer?My family moved about every two years for my fathers job when I was a young child. When she was about 30 years old, my mother said, I want to stop moving and [have] my own career, so Im going to keep the girls in [one place] and you can commute from here. She is a very creative woman and had always wanted to have her own business, so she decided to take a chance and launch an interior design firm. She was a one-man show with a thriving business downstairs in the basement. I think that was probably the first spark.

I love that. Did you pursue design right away yourself, then?My father was a huge businessman and it was always about economics with him. And I was quite an entrepreneur as a childI would have lemonade stands, or make and sell braided barrettes with ribbons, or stationerywhatever I could do to make money. He pushed me to continue to get my business degree and go into the corporate world. Once I graduated from the business school at [the University of Georgia], I went to work for [a] consulting corporation, where I was selling beautiful beach club memberships to high-end resort communities. I was doing very well and I loved it, but then I met my husband in Paris.

We were there to see a rock band that I loved at the time, and we hung out in Paris for about 10 days and I fell madly in love. By the time we came back to the States and had our courtship, I decided to marry him. I moved to Bozeman, Montana, with him, and we [eventually] came back to the South and settled in Knoxville, Tennessee. I had a new husband, a new life, a brand-new community, and it was at that point that I decided this was my chance: I wanted to go into either fashion or interior design. They both seemed in line with what I felt capable of doing, but I chose interiors based on the opportunity to do it for the rest of my life and knowing that I was in a community that would engage and support it. Plus, I felt like I could bring something to the community at that time that was a little edgier.

How did you take that leap?I found a job at a design gallery that sold beautiful furniture and art with a design firm connected to the business, and I attached myself to one of the designers and learned everything I possibly could for two years. And then I asked her to leave with me and start our own business. For five years, we [ran] Barlow and Bishop together, and we were great. And then, 16 years ago, my husband and I moved back to Charleston, [near where I spent summers as a child] on a barrier island named Kiawah Island. [Thats when] I decided that it was time to go out on my own.

What is that like, starting fresh?The business degree really paid off. I enjoyed building the business almost as much as the work itselfstrategically thinking about how to grow a brand was so exciting to me. The outreach part felt like it always came naturally. We threw beautiful costume parties in town for nonprofit events, and I just continued to keep my name out there and be involved in the community. We bought a lovely home on Sullivans Island and I was able to renovate and decorate it myself, and then, as people started to come over, my name started to get mentioned.

A warm, inviting living area by Bishop marries classic and modern influences.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

What drew some of your initial clients to your work?At the time, I think I just had a different perspective. I wasnt formally trained, so I didnt play by any rules, and it might have paid off that I was able to mix things up. It caught on through this renaissance of younger, fun, different types of people moving here that were wanting something Southern but a little more modern. [Not playing] by the rules wasnt great when I was growing up, but it served me in the end.

Weve built our business slow and steady. I always felt that we took a more modern, edgy approach to Southern design. Theres a beautiful Low Country aesthetic here, which I appreciateI mean, my mother was a very traditional designer, very influenced by Europe. She was very organized, everything was on point, and everything was holistically designed in one period of time. But I went in with a more relaxed, bohemian mentalitythats how I live my life. Theres nothing pristine or perfect about me or my home and family life, and I think that was refreshing at the time. We played this wild card in a town that is very traditional.

It sounds like there was an audience that was ready for it.Floor plans were changing, formalities were breaking down. Parents were wanting to spend more time with their kids instead of having parents in the formal room and the kids [somewhere else]. Things were starting to happen in architecture that alleviated those compartmentalizations, and we started doing things like deeper sofasthe more European-depth, relaxed furniture. Nothing oversized, but playing a little bit more with frames and sizes. Islands were at countertop instead of bar heightthose kinds of things were becoming quite appealing here. Also, this is a beach community, with barrier islands everywhere, so I think that coastal L.A. vibe is also something that was slowly growing here through our work.

Classical architecture, rustic elements and modernist shapes cohabitate seamlessly.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

Do you still feel like an outlier in the Charleston design vernacular, or has the look and feel of the city caught up?When I moved to Charleston, there was an old guard of interior design firms that were extremely talentedand then the next jump was to people my age, this younger guard of women that were in our 30s. There were three or four of us trying to gain steam and do something a little differentand that was all before social media. And then [there was] the social media explosion with Instagram and everybody caught oneven the do-it-yourselfers caught on. Its just a matter of evolution of lifestyle and design, and I do feel like everybodys catching on to a little bit more relaxed living.

What has your approach to Instagram been?When I moved to Charleston and started out on my own, I knew that having good photography was extremely importantnot just somebody who could take a good picture, but a photographer that really captures your light and your vibe. Id already been working with a couple of photographers who I loved when I stumbled across a young womanshe was actually shooting a piece on my home for Rue magazine and showed up at my doorstep. She came in so nonchalantly with her backpack on and was like, Im just going to shoot your house. I was like, OK, great, what can I do to help? And she was like, Oh, nothin. And she toured around and took these incredibly bright, happy, vibrant shots of the house, and it just clicked. In that moment, I was like, This is my girl, shes getting my vibe. She got the energy behind it.

I think its extremely important to get a photographer who really can capture that for you and then invest in it. Invest in the photography every time you can, because you only get the opportunity to really shoot something one time before they live in it, right? To have her as a partner in building the business, and later in building social media, has been great for us. For me, its about putting out a quality interior design shot every day and trying to be a little lighthearted about itbut showing the work consistently. We really do try to do one post a day; thats the expectation that I hold for myself. Though its starting to get a little more complicated ...

With COVID?With everything reopening, yes. Weve got to workweve got to design these homes and make our deadlines and make our clients happy. And I realized that social media [could be] a full-time job, so were starting to fill those positions in the firm now, which is something I never really thought we would do[hiring] somebody in charge of making sure these projects are shot all the time, and that theyre capturing the lifestyle of the design firm as well as informing the community about what were doing and whats coming up. That is a full-time job, and it is extremely helpful. I would say 80 percent of our clients were coming from Instagram until this year, and now its a lot of people who are moving to their beach houses permanently until this COVID disaster ends.

What does the rest of your team look like, and what are you working on now?I have an incredible team: two lead designers, who each have assistants that are really partners in the choreographing, budgeting, and making sure that we stay in our number and on time. I also have a commercial team that helps me with the boutique jobs, plus a business management team. I really love residential, but I also continue to want to execute something for the community to enjoy, so this year, we have signed on for a lot in the Charleston area.

What kind of projects are those?We designed the Longboard restaurants in St. John and St. Thomas a few years ago, and now were doing one in our hometown on Sullivans Island, which has been really fun. Were also renovating an old hotel on Meeting Streetits going to be really hip and energized, definitely not the formality that Charleston is used to. Weve also partnered with a wonderful development company to do a big Kiawah project of oceanfront condominiums along with a beach club. Ive always wanted to do a beach club out there, so its kind of full circle. Im excited about all the opportunities that have come my way, but Im also biting my nails all the way to the holidays.

A breakfast area with ample natural light.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

A whitewashed living room.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

Left: A breakfast area with ample natural light. Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design | Right: A whitewashed living room. Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

As youve gotten busier, how has your role in the firm changed? How hands-on are you with each project?I think thats the hardest thing. But the team that I have here, theyve been with me awhileone for 10 years, others for seven and five. We have a family of girls that we can trust.

Im a little ADD, so I like to do a lot of things at one time, and this career, it works for me. I can jump from project to project, I can have my thoughts in many different places, and it somehow turned out to be a gift. I remember Oprah once said, Surround yourself with people at the same tempo as you. I know Im really quick, I like to do a lot at one time, and they get that and are there to support me creatively and logistically so that I am able to be involved in every project.

Now, do I know how many projects is the max? No, I have no idea. Im always looking at them and saying, Oh, shit, Im so sorry, what have I done? They know when to look at me and say, OK, Cortney, thats enough. And when I get that cue, I know that I need to back off. This year has been an especially interesting one, right? We all dont know what comes next.

I feel like were all reassessing what our boundaries and limits are right now.Absolutely. We just dont know. Im grateful for the workload, and for the opportunities that weve received throughout this pandemic, but Im also almost scared to choose what my next year is going to look like. I dont know what I want. The one thing Ive decided is that were not going to travel to other locations for a home build or a commercial project unless its with one of our tried-and-true partnerssomeone who understands how we work.

How much were you traveling before?Weve had so much fun being able to traveljust the access we have in the modern worldand I was riding that. I was flying to Morocco for rugs, going to Paris for the design shows, and now thats all gone. It went away in one year, so were recalibrating. Were also going to pause on [taking on] homes in New York or Atlanta or wherever it may be along the East Coast. Were going to take a little break from that and focus on our own community. Theres so much opportunity here, and its fun actually being home. Thats something that Ive realizednesting is good.

Recalibrating. Thats such a good word for it.Trying to decide the best way to not stress, right? To live our lives the best way we can and appreciate what we have.

The wood ceiling adds a soft glow to a dining room with a view.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

I love that your team has stayed with you for so long. How have you cultivated that, and how did you know when it was time to grow?I never could have been an interior designer on my own. My mother managed everything on her own, but I need that person to bounce things off of, whether it was my original partner or my very first hire, Leigh, whos still here. I needed somebody by my side. That one person turned into another person, which turned into another personand even if we didnt have the jobs to support three or four people, we still figured it out and made it fun. [Sometimes that meant asking] if someone could work part-time for a while, but we somehow held it togethereven through the economic crash, [when we were] doing nonprofit events or parties to hang on. And then things started picking up.

I always call those tremor periods. I feel like God tests youthrows a million things at you, and if you can break through that without having a nervous breakdown (or maybe you have one or two, but you still keep going), you have to push yourself to make those moves. Ive always put myself in risky situationsI love to push the boundaries and see what Im capable of, and so just going for it [is a big part of it for me]. I get the looks from the girls, like, Really, did you just sign on for that? But you never know until you try! And I dont feel like failure is actually a failureits more like: Oops, well I learned from that. I wont do that again.

What was the most transformative change you made along the way?The best advice I ever got about hiring was from Holly Hunt. My mother-in-law was at a lunch event with her in Colorado, and she said, My daughter-in-law has been working so hard and her business is growing, what one piece of advice would you give her? And Holly said, Tell her to hire a business manager no matter whatit will pay for itself by saving her so many headaches and getting her out of the logistics. So six years ago, I hired Blair. She processes all the money and gets all that office stuff off my plateand thats the best money Ive ever spent. Shes a great adviser, she cuts all the checks, she makes sure the checks are correct, that Im not paying too much for shipping or tax somewhere, and that were competitive when were pricing out shippers. Shes also human resources now for the team and can make sure theyve got their IRAs and insurance set upall the things that they deserve, and that I wouldve never been able to process without her.

And you hired her because of Holly Hunts advice?Yes, of course! It was a godsend. I asked my CPA to put the word out, and then Blair walked through my door and said, I hear you need somebody. And shes been perfect. Shes the biggest cheerleader for us, and its helped us get to the next level. And now weve grown again with a few more hiresfor social media, as well as for things like the Harwood House fabric line and building that brand with a second collection.

A stylish set of bunk beds with plenty of storage.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

A dark ceiling makes a statement.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

Left: A stylish set of bunk beds with plenty of storage. Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design | Right: A dark ceiling makes a statement. Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

How have you landed on the right processes for your business?One of the things that taught me a lot was getting somebody in here that wasnt in the business. Hiring Blairshe understands business management, and she listened to my ideas and helped me break them down. We did a whiteboard diagram and she asked me: What makes your clients happy? The first thing I said was: Coming in on budget and on time. And if thats the ultimate goal, then how do we make sure that the client is comfortable with the money that theyre spending [during] the entire process?

And you retooled your business around that idea?We made it a priority to create processes to track our budgets, and now we have an incredibly strong business structure. When clients are interviewing us, we can pull out all the spreadsheets, starting with what we recommend the builder spend on finishes, whether its tile, appliances, cabinets or hardware. We give the budget numbers to the builder with the client in front of us, so theres no under-bidding the jobif theyre going to hire us, they know that the tiles going to be $60,000, and the plumbing is going to be $45,000, or whatever it may be. We give the builders numbers that we think are appropriate for the job, and on top of that, we continue to give the clients spreadsheets that allow them to follow along with the process.

From there, we do the furniture plan, then the RCPs, and then we provide a lighting budget that correlates to the lighting allowance, and then do spreadsheets and budgets for every line item. [Whether its] the bed, pillowcases, household essentials, or art and accessories, theres a line item budgeted that theyve agreed to. At the end of the job, they land at $450,000 (or whatever the budget is), turnkeythey know thats the number and were not going to go over it unless they find something thats, like, a $50,000 piece of art we werent expecting.

Were all working from a [shared] document, so theres not all this, Oh, heres another hourly bill that you werent expecting. Or, Heres the shipping costdid you know about those? Or the receiving cost? All of that stuff is not good business. We wanted to be black-and-white. Especially with money, its never good unless everybodys on the same page.

How did that require changing the way you worked?Its a lot of work on the front end, and we put in the time. We did a two-week workshop to find the holes in the system and [figure out] how to create a safety net for our clients to feel comfortable. Then we created the templates and the spreadsheets. We all go by the same process and everybody is aligning to that budget spreadsheet at all times. The budget spreadsheet also carries ETAs, locations, lead times, where is the product at this momentthats what the lead designers assistant does, shes calling the vendors to ask, Is this going to be in on time? We only have four weeks until install! Im grateful that my father pushed me so hard for that business degree, because its really helped me. If we have a reputation for anything with our clients, Id say its that were really organized and thoughtful about their money.

Did instituting this new system change the way clients reacted to the process?Absolutely. Its unbelievable how blown away they are. I see it on their faces. I think they just werent aware.

That so much was happening behind the scenes for their project?I think theres always this concern clients have that its going to be extremely expensive, and how do we keep it from getting out of control? It doesnt matter what the budget is, everybody should feel good about knowing where theyre going to end up. And that, to me, was extremely important in gaining their confidence and loyalty.

An ethereal bedroom blends a medley of textures in soft hues.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

Did that spreadsheet and road map change the way you talk to clients about money?Absolutely. I start the conversation by saying, Youre driving this train. You hired us, you like the work that we do, and this is what that typically costs for us. But youre in charge, so if $350,000 isnt what you want to spend on your home, then lets talk about it. Is it $250,000? OK, this is what we can do for that amount of money. Theyre going to have to understand where maybe the quality versus the luxury is going to playwe love the high-low game, but we have standards on design and like to work with people that we love who want quality work.

We also ask for money upfront, because you know how fast you have to get things moving, so its really important that we get the money invested in the company to keep the wheels turning for them. We will say, Your total budget is $550,000. Were requesting $350,000 now, and well request another 25 percent in six weeks, all lining up to their installation date.

Whats the biggest thing you wish you had known when you started your firm?How much I would be invested in it emotionallyhow much of a toll it would take on me. Were intuitive people; were trying to create this beautiful environment for [our clients] to live in, whether theyre creative or not. Which, by the way, some are, and they can see things three-dimensionally. Others are like, I dont understand. It looks dark, but the walls are all white. You have to build it for them, and thats really tough, and I get really deflated when I hear them say that. Im like, No, its going to be so beautifultrust me! You want them to ride the ride with you, and sometimes its more difficult and you sacrifice some of the design because of that. I get so emotionally attached to their feedback. Its like always wanting to be likedyou feel like youve done something to disappoint them, and thats hard.

A playful kid's bedroom is fun yet sophisticated, complete with a pale pink pattern on the ceiling that echoes the rug.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

What business decision has been the happiest surprise?One of the best decisions I made was to start a receiving company with my husband about three years agowhich was really incredible for streamlining the logistics of the company. It was so easy, and the reason we did it was because I wanted my own installers who were at my beck and call. Its all about the reveal, right? You work so hard and you want that moment to be so special, but we were realizing that things were broken, things were lost, we didnt have accurate data about what was being received at what time. It was extremely disorganized.

I just decided one day to look for a warehouse for rent. Had I known that it would be so successful, I would have looked to buy, but at the time we didnt have the cash. We found something right up the street from my studioits 5,000 square feet, and everything is received there. We have one warehouse manager who stays there nine-to-fivejust oneand then we invested in a Sprinter van and a 30-foot truck because we were working hard enough that there were plenty of deliveries.

Building that company has been really fun, but the benefits are really for the design firm. The level of satisfaction for my clientspoof, one second their house is sticks and bricks, and then in three days its fully furnished. Were able to take away their furniture that they want to consign, and its all organized for them. It alleviates any of the issues. Its a really great asset and service that weve added to the design firm.

Do you contract with other design firms locally, as well?Yes, we do. The goal was to gather four or five of my best design friends and take their business on. Unfortunately, Ive taken up most of the warehouse, but there are plenty of deliveries that my husband has choreographed with his team to subsidize the rent.

When is the right moment to take on something like that?I think a warehouse space is always a good investment in thriving cities. Were looking to buy one, but its impossibletheres nothing available. But if youve been in business in your community for three to five years and are continuing to get work, and are really excited about where your career is headed, I would say nows the time. Theres nothing worse than having four storage units with furniture stacked up to the ceiling, where you dont know what you have and there are lamp parts everywhere.

For me, it paid for itself in the quality we can deliver and our ability to build our inventory. We of course have those budget spreadsheets, and were specifying all the furniture along the way, but there are always those line items at the bottom of the spreadsheetthings like accessories or bedding. I hate to see something and then say, I should have bought that. If you have big home installations all year like we do, its worth it for me. I can also go ahead and pull the trigger on beautiful, unique pieces that are reasonably pricedquilts and bedding and beautiful textilesthe things you might not find at the last minute. We enjoy buying pottery from our vintage dealers. We probably install 15 to 20 pieces in every home, but we dont specify it until we install.

A subtle pattern on the wall creates soothing movement.Courtesy of Cortney Bishop Design

You also have a fabric line with Holland & Sherry. What made you take that leap?The fabric line was quite serendipitous. I always knew that I wanted to design textiles. I started to dabble in it four or five years ago, collecting fabrics that I loved. I started to drawyou know when you buy graph paper and start coloring, and you dont know how to get there but you start thinking about it. I talked to some people who knew mills that were good at printing on linens, but nobody knew how to do wovens, or where I would go to find a weaver. It seemed like I would have to travel, possibly even out of the U.S., to really get down and dirty and understand it. And so it was just this dream that was out there.

How did it all come together?I always knew in my heart of hearts that Holland & Sherry would be the perfect partner for meI dreamed of it. Honest to God, I did! I love menswear. My dad was always dressed to the nines in three-piece suitswhen we lived in England, he used to take me to Holland & Sherrys mens store and wed have his suits made there. I just thought, I want this oversized houndstooth and these pinstripesI want to make classic patterns edgy, so those were the woven scraps that I was collecting. I had tabled it because I had no idea how I was going to do it, but I was starting to gather the information on an investment to figure out how much money it would cost, when [Holland & Sherry president] Bryan Dicker called me and said, Hey Cortney, were so grateful for your business with Holland & Sherry, would you mind if I stopped by? My heart was just pounding, leaping out of my chest. Id never heard from him before, but I was like, Oh, my gosh, this is my opportunityand hes going to be here in 30 minutes. So I [decided to] gather the guts to say something to him.

He walked in and noticed the rugs in my studio. Within 30 seconds, he said, Youve got beautiful rugs in here, would you ever consider doing a rug collaboration with Holland & Sherry? And I was like, Yes. The lightbulbs are flying off. I was like, I dont know if Im ready to do rugs, but I would love to do a textile collection with you guys. And he was like, Well, hell, lets do it! You want to go have a drink at the Dewberry? So we chatted about business in general and I asked a few questions. I didnt want to freak out on him! I met him later that night and we never stopped talking about it.

The collection literally came so serendipitously. It was right after my father died, so I think he had something to do with it. The first collection was named the Cardinal collection in honor of him, and the fabrics are really inspired by those old suit pieces that he used to wear. So it really just came full circle for me, and Im so gratefulI could not be happier with the partnership.

Thats such a beautiful story. When you look ahead, where do you see an opportunity to grow? Or, what does success look like for you in this moment?I used to think about that a lot, but now I feel like Im just enjoying it. I feel like every day is successful in its own way. I get so much joy being in the studio with the girls here. Im really happy and I feel like the work were doing is excellent. I feel a lot of gratitude when I see how happy were making our clients and partners. Theres really nothing that Im dying to do at this point besides more of what Im doing now.

To learn more about Cortney Bishop, visit her website or find her on Instagram.

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Why this South Carolina designer launched her own receiving company - Business of Home

TipRanks

If the stock markets ups and downs this year have taught us any enduring lesson, its a repeat of an old stand-by: the importance of setting up a steady income stream, to keep the portfolio profitable no matter how the individual shares move. Dividends are a key part of any investment income strategy, giving investors a reliable income when its needed most.All dividends are not created equal, however. Investors should seek out companies with one of two advantage or preferably both: a commitment to maintaining the dividend, and a high yield. The second is not hard to find, considering the Federal Reserves policy of keeping interest rates near zero, while the first attribute may take some research.With all of that in mind, weve opened up the Stock Screener tool from TipRanks, a company that tracks and measures the performance of analysts, to find stocks with high dividend yields. Setting the screener filters to show stocks with "strong buy" consensus rating and a high dividend yields exceeding 9% gave us a manageable list of stocks. Weve picked three to focus on.New Mountain Finance Corporation (NMFC)The first stock on the list is New Mountain Finance, in the business development niche. New Mountain invests in debt securities, including first and second lien notes and mezzanine securities. The Company's portfolio includes public and private equity and credit funds with a total worth well north of $28 billion.The company reported 30 cents per share in net investment income for the second quarter, down 4 cents sequentially. At the top line, revenues came in at $76 million, a healthy turnaround from the first quarter revenue loss of $174 million. As far as the data can show, New Mountain has turned around from the coronavirus losses incurred early in the year.New Mountain kept its dividend payment stable in the second quarter, at 30 cents per common share. At the current level, the $1.20 annualized payout gives a high yield of 11.5%.Wells Fargo analyst Finian OShea is comfortable with NMFCs dividend policy, writing, Having reduced its $0.34 dividend to $0.30 last quarter, coverage appears solid after the BDC has sustained its impact from nonaccruals, de-leveraging and LIBOROShea believes NMFC shares have room to rise, noting: "NMFC trades at 0.82x, about in-line with the WFBDC Index despite its history of top-quartile returns, improved leverage profile and portfolio level performance so far through todays recessionary environment."To this end, OShea rates NMFC an Overweight (i.e. Buy), and his $11.25 price target suggests it has a nearly 14% upside potential for the coming year. (To watch OSheas track record, click here)Overall, the Wall Street consensus on NMFC is a Strong Buy, based on 4 reviews including 3 Buys and 1 Hold. The shares are selling for $9.88, and the average price target of $10.92 implies a one-year upside of 11% for the stock. (See NMFC stock analysis on TipRanks)Plains GP Holdings (PAGP)Next on our list, Plains GP, is a holding company in the oil and gas midstream sector. Plains assets move oil and gas products from the well heads to the storage facilities, refineries, and transport hubs. The companys operations move more than 6 million barrels of oil equivalent daily, in a network extending to the Texas oil patch and the Gulf Coast. Plains also has assets in California and the Appalachian natural gas fields.The crisis in the first half of this year put heavy pressure on Plains revenue and earnings. By Q2, revenue was down by two-thirds, to $3.2 billion, and EPS had fallen to just 9 cents. As part of its response, Plains slashed its dividend by half from 36 cents per common share to 18 cents. The cut was made to keep the dividend within the distributable cash flow, affordable for the company and kept up for shareholders. Looking at numbers, PAGP's dividend payment offers investors a yield of 11.7%, almost 6x higher than the average yield among S&P 500-listed companies.Tristan Richardson, covering the stock for Truist, sees Plains in a good spot at present. Noting the difficulties faced earlier in the year, he writes, Despite cautious notes on recovery and general industry commentary that reflects the tepid growth environment, Plains remains among best positioned, in our view, amongst volumetrically sensitive business as a dominant Permian operator We believe the units/shares should find some support over the near term on the inflection to positive free cash flow and gradual de-levering.Richardson gives this stock a Buy rating and $12 price target, indicating an impressive potential upside of 80% for the next 12 months. (To watch Richardsons track record, click here)The Strong Buy analyst consensus rating on PAGP is unanimous, based on 5 recent reviews, all Buys. The stock has an average price target of $11, implying an upside of 65% from the current share price of $6.82. (See PAGP stock analysis on TipRanks)Sixth Street Specialty Lending (TSLX)The last company on our list recently underwent a name change; in June, it dropped its old name TPG in favor of Sixth Street. The ticker and stock history remain the same, however, so the difference for investors is in the letterhead. Sixth Street continues the core business of providing credit and capital for mid-market companies, helping to fund Americas small and medium enterprise niche.The economic difficulties of the corona crisis were easily visible in this companys top line. Revenue was negative in Q1, due to a curtailment in loan collections and reduction in interest income, although earnings remained positive. In Q2, EPS rose to 59 cents per share, meeting the forecast, and revenues returned to positive numbers, at $103 million.Sixth Street adjusted its dividend during the crisis, but that move did not raise any eyebrows. The company has a long history of dividend payment adjustments, regularly making changes to the common stock dividend in order to keep it in line with earnings, and giving supplemental dividends when possible. The current regular payment is set at 41 cents, annualizing to $1.64, and giving a strong yield of 9.45%.JMP analyst Christopher York believes that Sixth Street has as solid position in its niche, noting, we think the company has historically proven, and subsequently earned investor trust and credibility to underwrite and structure complex and special situation investments to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns.Regarding the dividend, York is optimistic about the future, writing, [The] supplemental dividend is likely to return following two quarters of no distributions as a result of the mechanics of the supplemental dividend frameworkIn line with his positive outlook for the company, York rates the stock as Outperform (i.e. Buy), and his $20 price target indicates confidence in a 15% upside potential. (To watch Yorks track record, click here)This stock has another unanimous Strong Buy consensus rating, with 5 recent Buy reviews. The stocks current share price is $17.33 and the average price target of $19.30 suggests it has room for 11% share price growth ahead of it. (See TSLX stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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