Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The City of Lacombe has introduced a new Patio Policy aimed at making the process of building a new on-street patio easier for the businesses who apply, as well as the city staff who process the applications.

The new policy, introduced at the August 10th council meeting, lays out a streamlined process whenever someone wants to expand their seating to the great outdoors, something that's become more and more common in the pandemic era.

Director of Operations and Planning for the City Jordan Thompson said this policy has been in the works since before the pandemic as the desire for an expanded space increase, particularly for places that serve food and drinks.

We have an attractive downtown and the patios allow residents, visitors, tourists to take advantage of that scenery when they are eating. We wanted to ensure were supporting that through a fair approval process.

Thompson says the pandemic has certainly forced us to change how we think about a lot of things, and the City wanted to make it easier for businesses to adapt to these new changes.

We are seeing businesses inquire about innovative ways to use the space that they have. Innovative ways to use the outdoor space that may be available that previously was perhaps used for storage, or for kind of back-of-house type of uses that they want to clean-up and repurpose for more business purpose, and so we are exploring those applicants and ensuring that we can support those businesses the best we can through our Land Use Bylaw.

A number of on-street and private property patios have sprung up in Lacombe this summer, including at Tollers Bistro, Leto's Steakhouse and Bar, and an alley patio located behind Ugly's Pub and Grill. Cilantro and Chive have had their patio open for over a year now, and Boston Pizza has had outdoor patio seating since they first opened their doors.

As the current global pandemic is making people re-think the way they do business, restaurant's in Alberta are doing what they can to get as many people as possible safely through their doors.

It...

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Want to build an on-street patio for your business? Lacombe now has a Patio Policy for that - LacombeOnline.com

The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco hasnt forgotten about Disney fans and their relentless desire to continually learn about the people and events that make Disney what it is. That drive never sleeps.

So in this time of physical distancing, the museum, operated by the Walt Disney Family Foundation, is delivering talks with the folks who make the history directly to your computer.

Here are several of the upcoming bookings. See all of the details and more on their events page at https://www.waltdisney.org/calendar.

Ray Spencer

Art Director and Former ImagineerRay SpencerFri, Aug 21 | 5:30pm PT | Zoom WebinarFREE | Sign-up Required

Join Art Director and Former Imagineer Ray Spencer for backstage stories from his projects for Walt Disney Imagineering, including Buena Vista Street, Trader Sams Enchanted Tiki Bar, and the reintroduction of the Hatbox Ghost character to TheHaunted Mansion.

Bobby Moynihan

Actor Bobby Moynihan Wed, Aug 26 | 5:30pm PT | Zoom WebinarFREE | Sign-up Required

Join actor, comedian, and writer Bobby Moynihan for behind-the-scenes stories from his voice work on several Disney projects, including roles in DisneyPixarsMonsters University(2013) andInside Out(2015), Disney Television AnimationsDuckTales(2017present), Lucasfilm AnimationsStar Wars Resistance(201820), and Disney Channel Original MoviesDescendants 2(2017) andDescendants 3(2019).

Robert Kondo

Animator Robert Kondo Wed, Sept 2 | 5:30pm PT | Zoom WebinarFREE | Sign-up Required

Robert Kondois co-founder and president of Tonko House, a San Francisco Bay Area-based studio focused on creating animated narrative content. Formerly an art director at Pixar Animation Studios on films such asRatatouille(2007) andToy Story 3(2010), he lends his unique design sensibilities and passion for storytelling as co-director of the Academy-nominated short film,The Dam Keeper(2014). Originally from Southern California, Kondo graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena as an illustrator.

Tania Norris

Interior DesignerTania McKnight NorrisSat, Sep 19 | 1pm | Zoom Webinar$12 | Sign-up Required

Tania McKnight Norriswas born in Scotland and spent her childhood in the United Kingdom. She trained as an interior decorator in London before moving to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). In 1963, she moved to Los Angeles for her husbands profession.

Norris was hired in 1964 as an interior designer at WED Enterprises, the arm of Walt Disney Productions that covered all projects apart from films. She worked with many Disney Legends on projects spanning Disneyland attractions, original concepts for Walt Disney World Resort, and Expo 67 in Montreal. In addition to contributing to the overall design of New Orleans Square, one of her signature contributions to themed entertainment history was her design for the iconic purple wallpaper used in theHaunted Mansion.

In the 1970s, Norris became Project Designer for the RMSQueen Maryin Long Beach. This was followed by a move to central California where she opened an antique shop, anchored a weekly antique-focused radio show, and participated in antique shows across America.

Norris interests include gardening, photography, travel (she has visited over 130 countries), cooking, needlepoint, and botanical art. She is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, former President of the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, and created the Beverly Hills Rose Society. She also established an endowment fund for botanical art at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino and donated her rare collection of botanical books and Renaissance woodblocks to the Getty Research Institute.

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Walt Disney Family Museum "Happily Ever After Hours Talks" Just Where You Want Them - At Home - wdwnt.com

Studio Peregallis Swiss Vision

European charm is out in full force in this Swiss kitchen, which was created by AD100 firm Studio Peregalli for a publisher client. The kitchens wooden table and chairs were created in the countrys Engadine Valley. The star-shaped pendant light fixture and floral backsplash tiles were, however, another story. The latter, which are Portuguese and date back to the 17th century, add a charming sense of blue and white to the Alpine space, which Architectural Digest visited in December 2012. They are also evidence of the firms effort to use old materials whenever possible, because of their rich patina, as architect Laura Sartori Rimini said at the time. Other notes of blue and white can be seen elsewhere throughout the interior, from a statement dish here to a well-place dish towel there.

Giverny? No, but close.

A French Kitchen Reminiscent of a Famous Interiors Touchstone

For many fans of blue-and-white kitchens, the ne plus ultra example is the cook space of Impressionist artist Claude Monet. Located at his famous Giverny home, it gives the surrounding garden grounds of the property a run for their money. This kitchen contains many of the same hallmark elements. Black traditional built-in French range? Check. Blue-and-white tiles seen behind it? Check. A litany of copper pots and an overall embrace of wood? Check, check. Fittingly, this space, which appeared in a fall 2011 issue of Architectural Digest, is located in the country region of Auvergne, France.

Ahoy, this kitchen beckons.

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15 Dreamy Blue and White Kitchens from the Pages of 'AD' - Architectural Digest

Its hard to think of a decorator more associated with traditional than Sister Parish, whose use of striped ticking, floral chintzes, whitewashed antiques and patchwork quilts is widely credited with launching American country style into the spotlight by the 1960s. Funny, then, that in recent conversations with Parishs great-granddaughter Eliza Crater Harris, the topics were decidedly 21st century: Instagram Live, e-commerce, and even transparent pricing. Crater Harris was well aware of the potential irony. It may not be expected of us to embrace contemporary design dialogues, but in fact Sister was someone who loved change, she says. We often ask ourselves, What would Sister do?

We is Sister Parish Design, a fabric brand founded in 2000 by Susan Crater, Crater Harriss mother (and Parishs granddaughter). The family connections go deeper. At the time, Crater had just finished collaborating with her mother, (Parishs daughter) Apple Bartlett, on a book about the legendary decorator. From that experience sprang another idea: Why not resurrect some of the prints Parish and her business partner Albert Hadley had created for private clients? I think it was kismetwhich was also the name of one of our prints, says Crater. Launching the firm was about not wanting the Parish-Hadley legacy to die. Whats better than bringing the prints they did for their private clients into the marketplace? Otherwise, people might not have ever seen them again.

What originally started as a historical rescue mission has become a much more forward-looking enterprise, a process hastened by the 2018 appointment of Crater Harrisan interior designer who previously worked with Markham Robertsas creative director of the brand. I visited Craters home in Bedford, New York, this March, just before the coronavirus pandemic triggered nationwide shutdowns; as I sat down with all three generations of the Sister Parish legacy, it was clear that they were brimming with plans for the brandfrom new patterns and colorways to transparent pricing and plans for street-level retailand also that they werent planning to modernize Sister Parish Design at a hesitant, one-step-a-time pace. This was a confident stride into what the family sees as the future of design. And if they have to brush up against a few traditional industry taboos to get there?

If we are really listening to Sister, then our brand should not be an altar to the past, says Crater Harris. [It should be] a design studio concerned with how decorators work and design today, and how people live today.

Sister ParishCourtesy of Sister Parish Design

Parishs home in Maine, as featured in House & Garden in 1977Courtesy of Sister Parish Design

Left: Sister Parish Courtesy of Sister Parish Design | Right: Parishs home in Maine, as featured in House & Garden in 1977 Courtesy of Sister Parish Design

In 1933, a 23-year-old Sister Parish launched her design firm, finding early clients in friends who admired the unique sensibility she had deployed in her own home, in Far Hills, New Jersey. Nearly three decades later, she met the young Hadley while working on the Kennedy White House, and the pair founded Parish-Hadley Associates in 1964. Their work and style would dominate American decorating in the coming decades, and they continued to work together until Parishs death in 1994, all the while nurturing the next generation of great American designers. Like the push-and-pull between history and innovation the brand faces today, the Parish-Hadley relationship was often one of opposites attracting. Parish was known for her floral, feminine approach to decorating; Hadley was a modernist who prized an edited, architectural look. That yin-and-yang energy propelled their work to greatness, with a client list that read like the eras whos who: Astor, Getty, Vanderbilt, Whitney, Paley, Mellon, Rockefeller. She wanted to hire someone to take over. She wanted to retire, Hadley told The New York Times in 1996. Thirty-two years later, we never retired. We had a marvelous relationship.

The Sister Parish story, then, is Hadleys too. Indeed, the archives that inspire the companys patterns are a mix of textiles Parish collected on her travels and Hadleys original designs. That said, there are few exact reproductions in the line; each pattern has been updated gently to resonate today. We're not just resurrecting these textiles, we're also refining them, says Crater Harris.

Sintra in Fern, printed on grassclothCourtesy of Sister Parish Design

The rebirth of a pattern called Sintra perfectly illustrates the Sister Parish Design ethosa tree of life pattern on a piece of quillwork in the Parish-Hadley offices that the two designers would ultimately turn into a hand-screened textile for curtains in Brooke Astors Money Room. (So called because it was where she sat to write checks for various charities.) Albert designed Sintra from a piece of quillwork, but now we're printing Sintra on a piece of grass cloth, says Crater Harris. And the colors I've chosen for Sintra might not have been colors he would have chosen or that Brooke would have wanted, but were moving forward to serve the designers and clients of today.

Walking that tightrope balance between paying homage to a storied legacy and embracing the seismic changes that have swept the industryboth aesthetically and in how designers shopis no easy feat. Crater says that her daughters experience as a designer has shaped the companys vision as it positions itself for the future, unspooling some of the more traditional ways of doing business in favor of an approach that reflects the way young designers want to interact with brands today.

The most notable shift came earlier this month with the launch of a new website. We were working on updating our site pre-COVID, but the challenges of the last few months definitely accelerated the need for our company to offer more utility for the design trade online, says Crater Harris.

The website also reflects a shift in business strategy, including sample fulfillment, listed prices, and the ability to transact online. The new site makes it easier to shop Sister Parish fabrics, wallcoverings, and home accessories on your time, with better inquiry abilities for quicker responses from our teamall in an effort to untether our clients creative visions from an analog, 9-to-5 approach to designing, says Crater Harris. Adding pricing to our site is really just one of many other additions that makes it easier for our clients to do their work, and to shop as they please.

Posting pricing can be seen as a challenge to the showroom model, but Sister Parish designs are still represented in 10 showrooms across the country, in addition to its international representation. Instead of taking business away from showrooms, Crater and Crater Harris see their new site as turbocharged lead generation for their partners, delivering qualified customers to the showrooms while still allowing the brand to connect with design enthusiasts who love the Sister Parish story.

Crater Harris channels all things grandmillennial. The bedroom walls and window treatments are in the companys Dolly pattern.Courtesy of Sister Parish Design

COVID clarified our need for online support on many different levels, from e-marketing, to a better capturing of client interest, to providing additional support to all of our showrooms, said Crater Harris last week when asked how the sudden global shift had altered the familys business plans. We feel confident that this investment in our digital space will result in serious sales growth for our showroom representatives around the country and internationally. The world has changed rapidly, and this idea that a trade company that is represented at a showroom should not have an online presence is over, and our amazing showroom partners around the country understand that our ability to create energy online directly supports growing their leads and sales.

The company did recently exit the John Rosselli showroom in New York, though not because of any disagreements about distribution. Last year, the company brought its sampling operations in-house, operating out of a studio in Bedford; for now, the studio will manage order fulfillment in the New York territory, as well. Though the pandemic has delayed the companys plans, the next move for Sister Parish Design will be a street-level flagship in Manhattan, which they hope to open in 2021.

Like transparent pricing, street-level retail is part of the companys emphasis on tapping into the enthusiasm of a new generation of traditionaliststhe grandmillennials, if you will. The term, coined last September by House Beautiful, is associated with a love of ruffled florals, needlepoint pillows, and all things wicker among young people in their 20s and 30s, and hearkens unapologetically to the Sister Parish aesthetic.

The brands latest campaign was styled and photographed remotely by tastemaker Mieke ten Have. Here, a tablecloth in the new Titania pattern in Pink Green shares the spotlight with a new spongeware collection.Mieke ten Have

Its also a label that neatly captures the passions of a certain group of devotees that had been interacting with Crater Harris in the brands Instagram feed. Our brand has connected with the hearts of a new, younger audience that is highly engaged with us on social media, says Crater Harris of the excitement around the Sister Parish look among a group of young people perhaps not quite ready to hire a decorator or order custom drapery. When it went live, the site featured new ways for these fans, young and old alike, to access and interact with the brand: an online shop with hats in Sister Parish fabrics that sold out almost overnight; a selection of pillows and table linens; and a collection of spongeware plates, bowls and pitchers. A campaign featuring the tabletop products and two new fabric patterns was remotely styled (and shot on an iPhone) by tastemaker, stylist and editor Mieke ten Have in a COVID-era creative partnership brokered by strategist and consultant Sean Yashar, who felt that ten Have, like Crater Harris herself, uniquely embodied the grandmillennial sensibility.

Fabrics and wallcoverings will remain the heart and soul of Sister Parish Design as the company forges aheadCrater Harris sees the foray into home products not as a push to enter a new market, but rather as a service to an already-existing audience eager to be part of the conversation. Based on feedback [from our followers], we felt a responsibility to connect with them more deeply, but until recently, our product offerings were trade-only, she explains. With the site relaunch, we have also invested in a more diversified home accessories collection specifically to speak to our growing grandmillennial audience that wants access to the Sister Parish lifestyle through tabletop, linens, pillows and apparel.

A new storytelling initiative, Tell A SisterInstagram Live conversations between Crater Harris and like-minded creatives that are then recapped in a bloglike formatalso tap into the burgeoning passion online for that Sister Parish ethos. My great-grandmother really believed in a beautifully designed home, but also that that was really just a backdrop for a full lifea life filled with kids and dogs and a career, she says. I see this series as a way to connect with our clients and our community, bringing together designers to talk about those things.

For all of the companys bold moves, much of its business modeland core customer baseremains unchanged. Its a path forward that acknowledges both that the old way of doing things is still incredibly viable (no, the showroom isnt dead), while also leaning into the possibilities that come with building consumer loyalty around the brand. We are always guided by Sisters philosophy, which still runs through every decision we make, says Crater Harris. She said, Innovation is the ability to reach into the past and bring back what is good, what is beautiful, what is useful, what is lasting.

Homepage photo: Eliza Crater Harris, Susan Bartlett Crater and Apple Bartlett | Jonathan Becker

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What would Sister do? A traditionalist icon embraces the future - Business of Home

There are dream clients, and then theres the young family that Michael S. Smith helped settle in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue back in 2009. A veteran interior designer, he landed an interview to design the Obama White House through a series of connections and flashes of kismet. But he didnt officially have the job, of course, until he met the client. Thankfully, they hit it off. He said, Call me Barack, Smith tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of the Business of Home podcast. And ... that was the first and the last time in basically 10 years I ever called him Barack.

Interestingly for such a high-profile project, Smith has kept fairly quiet in the media about his experience as the first familys decoratorthere was only an initial press release, then an Architectural Digest article in the final months of Barack Obamas presidency. Now, however, hes telling the whole story with a forthcoming book, Designing History: The Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House, which he previews in this podcast. In it, Smith shares everything from the advice he got from Nancy Reagan to the secret code his staff used to refer to the Obamas.

Below, listen to the show and check out a few takeaways. If you like what you hear, subscribe to the show (free of charge!) and every week a new episode will be delivered to your smartphone.

High-Stakes DecoratingMake a faux pas in a normal project, and youve got an angry client on your handsmaybe youre out a few thousand dollars. Make a mistake at the White House and it can lead to a national media scandal. (Remember the kerfuffle about Trump and the Oval Office busts?) Smith, no stranger to high-profile clients, was well prepared. What you want to avoid is creating news, he says. If youve ever been in the middle of a celebrity divorce, you absolutely understand[its] great advance training for working [in] the White House. ... Theres that old [medical doctrine]: First, do no harm. [Here, it was]: First, make no news.

Checks and BalancesEverything about the experience of designing the White House, Smith shares, is a little surreal. That includes the process itself. First, theres the challenge of keeping the project under wraps, and making sure vendors dont send out a press release announcing their trim is on a pillow in the White House. Then theres the arduous process of actually getting stuff into the building. He explains, The person you buy a lamp from has to be vetted, to make sure that they arent a violent criminal[theres] all these different things, these criteria. Then it has to be delivered to an off-site location, where its inspected by security people. Heavily inspected. Then it has to come to the physical White House, then you have to find a time when the familys not around, when you can be there, when somebody can get into the building and get into the room, with security. Thats different than [a typical decorating job]: I go to the store and buy a lamp, I bring it over, and plug it in.

Big PictureOf course, designing the White House changed Smiths lifeand for a designer already obsessed with the history of decorative arts, participating directly in that history was a dream come true. But interestingly, he says, it didnt necessarily lead to a crazy rush of new business: In the world, presumably Im better known now, but I dont know. The majority of my practice is still clients that Ive had for a very long time. Listen, it doesnt hurt.

Homepage photo: Michael Mundy

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The inside story of decorating the Obama White House - Business of Home

If you are now finally ready to transform your dream home into a reality, you need the right home builder for your project. Should you have fancy house ideas that include stylish premium details and finishes, then you need to work with luxury mansion buildersthat have the right team, equipment, expertise, and supplies to give you the upscale and luxurious look you wish to see in your future home.

A house is a big investment, so picking the right builder will have a huge impact on the final output. If you choose a great firm, you will have a genuine and true partner who will bring forth to life what your heart desires. With the right team, you will avoid a construction nightmare! Instead, you will have a smooth and fun time building and designing your home, which will safeguard your loved ones and precious belongings. Here are some considerations you must weigh when selecting your construction builder:

Do Your Research

It is always best to work with referrals. You can start by asking relatives, friends, neighbours, and colleagues for recommendations. Chances are someone in your network will know or will have heard of a reputable custom home builder. This will make you feel at ease knowing someone you trust can vouch for a firm.

If asking for referrals doesnt uncover any superstars, go the extra mile and search on the internet. Be very specific and search for terms like luxury mansion builders near me. List down your prospects and visit their official website to peruse their past-work. Also check ratings, reviews and testimonials because these elements say a lot about the reputation of a builder.

Narrow Down Your Prospects

After conducting the initial research, you have to narrow down your list to top two or three choices. It would be best to contact these people and conduct more thorough interviews. Schedule meetings with their team so you can see more of their portfolio. Get to know the team members, suppliers, and subcontractors. Go with someone who is very polite, confident, and responsive. This will show their willingness to help and their professionalism.

Moreover, you want a home builderthat can stick to a timetable and deliver quality work on time. Include a site visit so you can see the quality of their work, the finishes, the job site organization, and other safety measures. You want to assess how hands-on the builder is when it comes to project execution because you want an organized team to build your dream mansion.

Ask Detailed Questions

You must ask detailed questions to find out if a custom home builder is the right one for you. Ask how closely they are willing to work with your chosen architect or interior decorator. You will want to go with someone who prioritizes collaboration. Find out how long they estimate the construction project to last. You want a builder who can stay right on target, so there are no unnecessary delays.

On top of that, you have to find out if they have the necessary permits, licenses, tools, and qualifications to finish the building style that you want. Do include a reference list so they can give you names of past clients. Asking these questions will tell you if the firm has the confidence and capabilities to finish your project.

Discuss the Budget

Money talks, loud and clear. You want a builder who will make a detailed preliminary estimate based on the current market price of supplies. Once your home plans and specs are finalized, you need a detailed budget estimate. Since you are building a mansion with premium finishes, you want to scrutinize this comprehensive list to ensure that you get your moneys worth.

Find out who the suppliers and subcontractors are because all of these have corresponding costs. You want a building team that gives you a concrete budget so that you will not get an unpleasant surprise when the invoice comes.

Final Word

Choosing a builder requires due diligence because this will have a significant impact on your life. Your custom luxury house is a place you will call home for a very long time. This house is more than a building structure, but it will also be a place where you will be building memories with your loved ones. After all, cliche as it may sound, but home is indeed where your heart is.

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How to Pick the Right Custom Luxury Builder - Cyberockk

Concept art by Doug Chiang and John Park from Season 1 of "The Mandalorian," for which the production design team often blended the physical with the virtual to create its look. (Lucasfilm)

To reimagine the world of "Star Wars" for Jon Favreaus Disney+ series "The Mandalorian," production designer Andrew L. Jones had to build sets that could exist both in the physical world and a virtual one. The series was partially filmed in Industrial Light & Magics new 270-degree Volume soundstage, where digital environments a desert planet, say, or the infamous cantina are projected on LED screens around the actors using game technology.

Id done some work with LED screens in camera before, but not with the tracking element, on The Jungle Book, says Jones, who was supervising art director on Favreaus live-action Disney film. Jon had started a lot of the early thinking for this process on that. We were using LED panels for lighting. We were building the sets and scanning them in VR. And then Jon took that further on The Lion King. It was an evolution, and by the time we got to The Mandalorian everything had matured enough that we felt we could make it work.

The technology meant that Jones, who was nominated for an Emmy alongside art director Jeff Wisniewski and set decorator Amanda Serino, and his team needed to design and build all the sets six weeks before shooting each episode to give ILM enough time to make the virtual sets look photo-real and to add in real-time special effects.

To do that, the team filmed tangible environments, including locations in Iceland, and created realistic scans of shapes, props and scenery. In the first episode, the Clients office was scanned from the interior of a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. Those digital backgrounds appeared on the screens of the Volume, a circular, 270-degree LED video wall housed at Manhattan Beach Studios; when it was time to shoot, Jones and Serino augmented each set with physical objects and props, including sand and dirt for the ground.

Thats a really good way to sell the illusion, to have something thats real in the foreground and then a duplicate of it in the virtual, Jones notes. If theyre lit and presented consistently, then its hard to tell whats real and what isnt.

Story continues

The set pieces also needed to be mobile, able to move in and out of the Volume quickly to keep up with the shooting schedule.

The Volume is not a huge space, and anything we want to shoot on there weve got to get it in and out easily, says Jones, who also built sets on several soundstages and on the studios backlot. For the sake of the schedule we cant build a set like you would do traditionally and spend three weeks putting it together and dressing it and painting it. Weve got to literally get that thing in overnight and do some lighting in the morning and then were shooting. Its much more like theater, where all the set pieces have to be on wheels. They have to break apart into pieces we can get through the door. As soon as ones out, the next ones coming in.

Despite having access to the latest digital technology, Jones wanted to ensure that the aesthetic of "The Mandalorian" wasnt too perfect or too manufactured. It needed to match the look of the first "Star Wars" trilogy, especially A New Hope, and Favreau was clear that the visual effects shouldnt overtake the storytelling.

When youve got ILM on board, we can do anything, Jones says. You can have the most spectacular skies and spaceships and visual effects. But then it would start not to be the world of 'Star Wars' and the language of 'Star Wars.' Those original films were really ground-breaking stuff, but it had a simplicity to it. We are definitely trying to respect the original aesthetic.

There are visual nods to the original trilogy throughout The Mandalorian, and re-creating the cantina was a particular challenge. Originally, the team wasnt sure such a small set would work on the Volume, but in the end they were able to make an aged replica of the space that was half virtual and half built set.

We wanted to be absolutely faithful to that set, Jones says. That was a bit of archaeology, finding what was there and how it was positioned and what would have happened in the intervening years that would have changed it. Its not the exact same thing its the same place but its later on. Theres going to be some storytelling in how things have changed since the fall of the Empire. Things have gone to seed a little bit.

When it came time to shoot the second season, which is set to premiere later this year, the team was able to bring in what theyd learned the first time around.

We found things that were successful that we hadnt expected and other things failed that we thought were going to be easy, Jones says. We learned a lot as we were going along. I think were starting to understand this process and get the hang of it. So Season 2 was just as difficult of a season, but I think we achieved greater things.

Link:
How 'Mandalorian' re-created its 'Star Wars' origins down to the cantina - Yahoo News

The Carrier Dome seats 49,262 people and sits on the campus of Syracuse University. Since its construction in 1980, the Carrier dome changed the skyline of the city with its pillow topped roof. It is the largest building of its kind on a college campus. When constructed, it was ahead of other colleges and universities which quickly allowed Syracuse University to break attendance records for major sporting events. That was then, now sports fans and industry observers all agree, its time for a new arena.

For observers, the new dome meant upgrades to what had long bothered many attendees, lack of air conditioning in a building bearing the name Carrier. Several plans were floated to replace the aging structure, one through Gov. Cuomo with over 400 million dollars received the endorsement of then Onondaga County Executive Joannie Mahoney. Dreams of a new facility were squashed when the deal was immediately rejected by then Syracuse Mayor Stephanie A. Miner. Ideas for extending the university to Erie Boulevard along with an aggressive multi-tiered development plan for Syracuse were shredded. The relationship between the County Executive and Mayor became synonymous with a treat sold at Wendys, Frosty.

The University sought different options for the aged facility; eventually the Board of Trustees decided to invest in a massive makeover of the existing Carrier Dome, eliminating the iconic pillowtop opting for a structural solution.

Syracuse University the ambitious plan to transform the aged facility into a state-of-the-art arena has a price tag of $118 million dollars.

According to Pete Sala, VP and chief facilities officer, The Carrier Dome Stadium Improvement Project will cost $118 million. Project includesnew fixed roof (secured via the crown truss ring around the top of dome exterior), new vertically hung scoreboard, air conditioning, improved accessibility, improved Wi-Fi. New restroom facilities (no trough) and new concession stands.

Sala continues, We are now in second phase of roof structure going up (first phase was crown truss, this phase involves the cables you saw in video and installation of the actual roof. There will be a rigid roof beneath a fabric roof. The big arches you see will support the fabric portion of the roof. (the middle of the roof you see in the artist rendering photo).

The Scoreboard

In center of building, the scoreboard. Its the 3rd largest in the country, made by Daktronics. Currently being built.

To get an idea of whats going on click on any of the following links to get a birds-eye view of the massive construction site on University Hill.

The Hayner Hoyt Corporation Presents-A New Stadium Experience The Hayner Hoyt Corporation Presents-A New Stadium Experience

Originally posted here:
The "Crown" of Syracuse Taking Shape on Syracuse University Campus - URBAN CNY

SEATTLE Sachin was all set, living the single life in his little two-bedroom place in Green Lake. He figured hed found his forever bachelor home, says Anna and then he met me. We had been living together and dating, but when out-of-town friends or his parents would come to town, it was very small.

Sachin had attended the University of Washington and suggested looking for roomier homes in Hawthorne Hills, where he used to run. As we were driving through it, I fell in love, Anna says. It reminded me of Somerset in Bellevue. It just instantly felt like home.

They discovered this 1948 brick daylight rambler, and, I loved it, Sachin says. When you walked in the front door, you were looking into the canopy of this huge Japanese maple.

They bought the house. And their affection kept growing. We fell in love with our neighbors, Anna says. Its kind of a mixed-generational street. It felt like we had grandparents and parents and kids. It instantly felt like we could live here forever. The first day we moved in, he proposed. We were married a year later.

Love of all kinds brought them here, and keeps them grounded. If we were going to be here for the long haul we felt really invested it was time for us to grow up the house a little bit, Anna says.

Those feelings, and that investment, have driven two remodeling projects, both designed to optimize and open spaces, reconcile varying-era inconsistencies and basically help an older home keep up as modern-day circumstances change (Sachin and Anna had two children in between projects), and both were with architect Julie Campbell, of CTA Design Builders.

Midcentury homes typically had separate rooms and hallways. Those 1940s-50s homes were by the dozens: warrens of little rooms, simple rectangles, Campbell says. The culture now is more communal living: communal eating, cooking, living. We knew it wanted to be a modern midcentury remodel, but not stark. Fir doors and fir trim became a theme we built on in Phase Two.

But perhaps the most significant thing they built on was the ground. While Phase One tackled living room/fireplace and cosmetic work, Campbell says, the more-intensive Phase Two reworked the functional but dated C-shaped kitchen and the bathrooms; re-envisioned the entire landscaping plan; and added an oasis of a master suite on the daylight-basement level, below a family room that had been built off the main-level kitchen in the 1980s.

That created a dark, unpleasant area underneath that structure in the backyard, says Campbell, who calls such dark unpleasantness a beer-can space. Beer can goes back to a professor I had in school. Its an unused alleyway or corner of a lot, where people sit [and toss beer cans]. When my professor used it, the context was: No space should be beer-can space. Every space should be a place. You dont want to have an unloved space.

No. Unloved does not work here.

In their quest for a bigger, brighter, upgraded bedroom, Sachin and Anna had considered building up rather than under. But if we had gone up, we probably would have spent all of our money and wouldnt have connected with the outdoors, Sachin says. I felt from the standpoint of the street, we wouldve been the house that stands up. and out.

That doesnt work here, either.

As we considered that beautiful Japanese maple just outside the back basement, we realized it would be the perfect focal point for a master suite tucked under the upper-floor addition, creating a rear courtyard that both floors could enjoy, Campbell says. (She credits landscape designer Scot Eckley for a key design aspect of this house: all-new landscaping, including the backyard courtyard and a very public patio in the former front yard.)

Overall, she says, Our remodel removed many walls, eliminating hallways and creating vistas throughout the house to the outside. The open stairway is now visually connected with the lower level so that going downstairs doesnt feel like leaving the main part of the house. But once in the master bedroom, with its very private view to that magical tree, it feels like a private retreat.

Private, yes, but for one day, anyway also very much public.

This might be a 1948 home, but with a new spare and limited (yet warm and relaxed) materials palette, Its very contemporary and luminescent, says Campbell. Its very minimal in floor plan and layout, and it feels large and more open.

Or: just as modern as midcentury.

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Modern Love: Home remodeled (twice!) on a solid foundation of deep affection - Times-Mail

Opinions on Netflix(NASDAQ:NFLX) as an investment are a lot like the content on the platform itself. There's never a shortage of perspectives available, but just like the streamer's seemingly bottomless content catalog, the quality of those ruminations isn't uniformly up to snuff.

The newsy Netflix nuggets that have trickled in over the past week are all over the map. A Credit Suisse analyst put out a bullish note on Wednesday, suggesting that the service is on track to exceed its conservative guidance for subscriber net additions during the current quarter. There's also a Marketwatch article detailing some isolated delivery delays in Netflix's DVD-rental-by-mail business. Finally, there was a social media outcry after promotional materials for an upcoming French film provoked criticism for sexualizing young girls. Netflix apologized and pulled the promo -- but for now, it's not dropping the controversial movie.

That all may seem like a lot to chew on for a Netflix investor, but it's pretty simple at the end of the day: Only one of those stories matters. The other two are largely irrelevant to the case for Netflix as an investment.

Image source: Netflix.

Let's start with the two stories that won't move the needle for Netflix. I covered the USPS situation at length on Friday. In a nutshell, this is a non-story for investors. The DVD rental service now accounts for just 1% of Netflix's revenue, and since the company covers the postage on its DVD shipments, it actually benefits its bottom line if deliveries were delayed in some cases.

The issue around the controversial film that's slated to debut on the streaming service come Sept. 9 is more nuanced. The French film Mignonnes (Cuties) is about an 11-year old Senegalese immigrant in France defying her mother's wishes by joining a local dance team, and it won an award at Sundance earlier this year. The culture-clash and coming-of-age film has won kudos from 82% of the critics whose reviews of it were compiled by Rotten Tomatoes. Some of those critics praised the film for how it tackles sensitive issues, but all of that went out the window when folks spotted the Netflix promotional art featuring the four pre-teen dancers in midriff-bearing outfits. The streamer's initial description of the film also played it up as an 11-year old starting to explore her femininity as she rebels to join a twerking dance crew. The film itself is obviously far more layered than either of those made it out to be, so Netflix apologized on Thursday.

This isn't the first time that Netflix has secured content that stirred up controversy. It won't be the last. In the long run, this minor brouhaha won't matter, and it's hard to imagine any service pulling a critically praised film that won a prestigious award at a major film festival this year.

The real story that investors ought to follow is the bullish insight that Credit Suisse analyst Douglas Mitchelson offered up in his research note to clients on Wednesday. His data shows that Netflix's net additions are pacing ahead of the 2.5 million that the company was targeting for the third quarter, but are still on track to come up short of the 6.8 million net streaming subscribers it added during the same period a year earlier.

Mitchelson is actually neutral on Netflix, and his $525 price target doesn't predict much upside from current levels. He also points out that global applications have been roughly flat outside of the Asia Pacific region. This is still a positive development. The stock moved lower last month after Netflix posted its second-quarter results, largely due to the weak subscriber guidance it was modeling for the new quarter. Exceeding that conservative mark -- especially after topping more than 10 million paid subscriber additions in the second quarter -- would cool a lot of bearish arguments.

There's never a shortage of news on this disruptive media company. Investors just need to separate the relevant from the fluff.

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Netflix Investors Need to Focus on What Matters - The Motley Fool