When I was an awkward teen in middle school, I remember looking forward to retreating in front of the television on Saturday mornings, and being able to watch one of my favorite shows from back then: TLC’s Trading Spaces.  It was one of the first original “decorating” shows and was the start of an Interior Design Show revolution.  Onsets of many Home Decorating shows were soon to follow on HGTV.  One of my favorite designers from Trading Spaces was Vern Yip.  His rooms were always very clean, classy, and simple.  He infused his Architectural background, “less is more” philosophy, Asian inspiration, and attention to detail to create beautiful rooms for his clients.  I would have never thought in my wildest imagination that I would (10 years later) get the chance to meet him and work with him right here at ccino, in Omaha!

My exciting celebrity meeting goes a little like this: At 10:30am a lovely, nice husband and wife came into the store and were looking at our gorgeous Milford Sectional. The clients had heard that we carried Sunbrella, a very durable fabric that can be used indoor or outdoor s, and is known for its ability to be cleaned with diluted bleach and water.  We had sifted through many possibilities and found a very warm neutral color combination that worked well together.  They had mentioned that their designer was meeting with them later on in the day, and that they would like to check out the swatches for the designer’s approval.

Right at closing time, ccino got a unique phone call asking if we would be willing to stay open late for a “famous HGTV star”.  To my surprise, in walks the lovely couple I had worked with in the morning and accompanying them was my favorite childhood idol: Vern Yip, who had flown into Omaha from Atlanta!  All of the designer’s here in the store were swooning and knew right away who his majesty was.  His presence was very charismatic and he had a certain contagious happiness to him.   He was very pleasant to work with and we finalized on selecting two sofas designed by another HGTV personality, Joe Ruggiero. True to Vern Yip style: the selections were timeless, clean-lined, and the fabrics chosen were natural, calming, and timeless.  Thank you to the husband for such a thoughtful anniversary gift for your wife, she is truly lucky to have such a caring husband; I can die peacefully now knowing I was in the presence of such design greatness.

Here are the final selections:

main body is done in Sunbrella pattern Lace color Oat, Side pillows in Duralee Turquoise/cocoa,  Accent pillow in a Candice Olson

Drapery in a rich dark Espresso color purchased at z gallery.

So come to ccino…it’s where the famous people shop!

~Ginger

Metro Community College has turned out some of Omaha’s finest when it comes to the Interior Design Program.  One important part of education is giving students an opportunity to partake and witness first hand real world scenerios, such as internships, fieldtrips, or field studies.  As part of the ID 1210, an introduction course into Interior Design, Instructor Grauberger brought the students to CCINO and had them utilize their sketching skills by accounting for examples of the 6 principles of Design:  Balance, Rhythm, Emphasis, Scale, Proportion, and Harmony.  These six principles can be seen in everyday spaces, items, objects, and even in the natural world!  The students were required to find examples of Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, and Radial Balance.

Here’s a more detailed description of the six Principles:

1.  Balance = Equilibrium

• Symmetrical
• Asymmetrical

·        Radial

2. Rhythm = Organized   Movement

(Repetition, Progression, Transition, Contrast)

3.  Emphasis = Giving proper significance to each part, to the whole, calling more attention to the important parts than to those of lesser consequence, and introducing variety that will not become chaotic.

4.  Scale = deals with the absolute size or character of an object or space compared to other objects or spaces, such as 20 feet to 10 feet-generally described as large or small.

*The success with which scale is used depends on some consistency. It is not simply a matter of similar sized-of placing small furniture in a small room–but of harmonious relationships.

5. Proportion = relates to the size and shape of things in relation the surroundings; describes the ratio

6.  Harmony = agreement among parts

• Results when unity and variety are combined
• Unity: achieved by repetition, similarity, or congruence of parts in a composition
• Variety: brings vitality, diversity, and stimulation to design

One of the root causes of our environmental problems is hyper consumption. We simply buy too much of what we don’t need and often even what we don’t really want. In fact, the average American buys 53 as many products as someone in China and one American’s consumption of resources is equivalent to that of 35 Indians.  Over a lifetime, the typical American will create 13 times as much environmental damage as the average Brazilian (Sierra Club via CNN).

Here at ccino, we do our part in helping our good mother earth: We offer a variety of Eco-friendly furniture lines and products, as well as print all of our receipts on recycled paper.  In addition to recycling our glass bottles, cans, and paper at the local HyVee, our bags (shown above) are also made of recycled paper.

Plastic bags in general take anywhere from 20 to 1,000 years to breakdown in the environment. This is a very long period of time; however, eventually they would breakdown and disappear. Once in a landfill though, they never breakdown.

This picture just breaks my heart!

Speaking of bags, check out these cool bags—made of recycled cotton from  etsy.com

Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaasssse take the extra time to invest in a few good cloth bags and take them anytime you go shopping. If EVERY person did this simple conversion, think of the waste we could save on!!

Besides, isn’t this much more stylish? (found at www.haleytrikes.com)

-Ginger

Sustainability is more than just offering an eco-friendly product. Our main manufacturer here at ccino creates long-lasting furniture that is made in the USA. “Green” features of the product include: soy-based cushions, recycled fiber fill in the pillows, organic and natural fabrics, FSC and SFI certified wood frames, and water-based finishes.

Check out some of the items that could be yours from our new green line…

The longevity of our furniture prevents it from being discarded into landfills, thus leaving a smaller environmental footprint. Because when you buy for quality, you buy to a better world!

Here are some fun finds that have incorporated reusing existing
items to recreate functional yet beautiful pieces:

CD chair made by Belen Hermosa

Plastic shopping bag chair by Ryan Frank

Plastic bag chandelier by college student Tyler Velten