Dental Office

Dental Office

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Optimista Foyer Area Rug Design

Spoke with a local custom rug maker about the area rug design just created for the Foyer at Optimista. Can't wait for it to be made and installed. Check out the photos below!

This new area rug design above for the Foyer at Optimista uses all of the elements and colors from the Foyer itself: Gold circular mirror, moon-shaped glass table with black metal corbels, and the stenciled pattern on the wall which comes from the door patterns. The sage half-circle shapes come from the half-circle window in the Living Room.

Optimista Foyer above with all of the design elements for the new area rug design: Gold mirror, glass table with corbel supports, and stenciled patterns on wall.


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Optimista Sunlight

The light changes all the time here at Optimista. We're still noticing sunlight, shadows, and reflections bouncing off of things all through the day. I happened to catch a small piece of sunlight reflecting off something and landing directly on the little St. Martin statue, making him "glow". So cool!


Monday, November 5, 2012

"Optimista" Open House!

Had a very successful Open House at Optimista this past weekend. Everyone commented on the house, great company, cocktails, and of course, the food! Thanks to http://www.mydinnerkitchen.com/ for such a tasty event!
 



 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Friday, October 26, 2012

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Dreaming Summit Animal Hospital

Just completed this 6,300 SF animal hospital on 1.25 acres near a residential neighborhood in Litchfield Park, Arizona. It's owned by veterinarian Matthew Hillebrand and his wife Kristi, who have a staff of over 10! The interior of this veterinary clinic is open, spacious, light & airy with lots of windows. All of the rooms surround a centralized Open Treatment Bay. The Dog Ward boards up to 5 dogs and even has its own TV! The Dog Kennel is large enough for 19 individual kennels. An expansive, fenced Dog Yard is in back with a grass area and even a small play pool to keep cool. Cats have their own room complete with individual cat condos and carpeted climbing tree, all visible through a generous full-height window to the adjacent Waiting Room with vaulted wood ceilings. A unique feature at this pet clinic is the drive-through window for quick customer service in picking up food, medications, etc.











Photos by Colin Edward Slais

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

"Green" Ways to Save $ and Our Planet

The following lists are simple, straightforward, lower-cost "Green" ways to save you money and help save our planet from further deterioration. This is a no-brainer because you save money while saving the Earth. If everyone did these things, we would greatly reduce our demand for energy/water/gas, which would reduce costs, carbon footprints, drilling, need for Mid East oil, depletion of resources. Conservation is cheaper and faster than alternative energy, at least at this time. We will have cleaner air and more fresh water. There aren't many win-win scenarios in life, but this is one of them. Take advantage of the small bit of knowledge gained here.

PLUMBING:
- Low-flow faucet aerators (1.0 GPM - gallons per minute).
- Low-flow shower heads (1.5 GPM). They are better quality these days to get shampoo out!
- Lower the water pressure @ hot & cold valves underneath sinks.
- Slower, longer, soaking-type ground irrigation instead of old sprinklers where evaporation occurs.
- Water-saving appliances (refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher, water heater, etc. - more available these days).
- Fill dishwasher/washing machine with full load for less use.
- Low-flow or dual-flush water saving commode.
- Rain water collection system w/ filter for grey water use (irrigation, flush commodes).
- Irrigate plants/lawn with condensate water from A/C unit.

ELECTRICAL:
- CFL (compact fluorescent) or LED (light emitting diode) light bulbs.
- Ceiling, desk or floor fans.
- Programmable thermostat - set to use more power at Off-Peak times. Turn up/down a few degrees according to season/comfort to save some $. Dress warmer inside in winter and cooler in summer.
- Reduce # of light bulbs in Bathroom/exterior light/ceiling fan fixtures.
- Portable heater units.
- Water heater timer or solar powered water heater.
- Solar panels.
- Good insulation in walls, roof, etc. Seal all openings/penetrations especially @ windows/doors.
- Turn off unused lights/devices and in unused rooms.
- Turn off power strip or unplug devices to reduce "phantom power" draw.
- Change HVAC filters regularly.

VEHICLE:
- Run engine for about 1 minute @ 1st use of day. It's less efficient when running "cold".
- Proper tire air pressure.
- Regular standard maintanence (oil change, filters changed, tire rotation, etc.).
- Cruise control if long distances on freeway.
- GPS and map out all routes for the day. Group your trips for efficiency.
- Carpool, bus, mass transit.
- Drive the speed limit - smoothly. No abrupt starts/stops.
- Fuel-efficient vehicle.
- Avoid rush-hour traffic if possible.
- Turn off engine when using phone if possible. Don't let it idle too long.
- Some gas additives may help improve mileage.
- Turn off engine immediately upon parking.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

"Optimista" Home Remodel - Living Room

Click on the "Optimista" Home Remodel tab for the Tuesday, August 21, 2012 post on the Living Room portion of our Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired whole-house remodel!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

"Optimista" Home Remodel - Master Bedroom

Click on the "Optimista" Home Remodel tab for the Thursday, August 16, 2012 post on the Master Bedroom portion of our Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired whole-house remodel!

Monday, August 13, 2012

"Optimista" Home Remodel - Office

Click on the "Optimista" Home Remodel tab for the Monday, August 13, 2012 post on the Office portion of our Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired whole-house remodel!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

"Optimista" Home Remodel - Bathrooms

Click on the "Optimista" Home Remodel tab for the Thursday, August 9, 2012 post on the Bathrooms portion of our Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired whole-house remodel!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

"Optimista" Home Remodel - Kitchen

Click on the "Optimista" Home Remodel tab for the Wednesday, August 8, 2012 post on the Kitchen portion of our Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired whole-house remodel!