PAINTSQUARE BLOG CONTRIBUTORS

Relax with a Cool-Colored Wall, or Not?
By Jill M. Speegle

Color experts have long said the colors we paint our walls can affect our psyche and it appears some of those ideas are making it into the mainstream.... READ MORE

UK Architects Sound Alarm for Space
By Jill M. Speegle

British architects say they are fed up with “tiny rabbit-hutch homes,” with the release of new findings on the size of homes in the United Kingdom.... READ MORE

Designer Reinvents Aging Farmhouse
By Jill M. Speegle

Here’s a farmhouse with a modern twist, seriously. Twist Farmhouse, in Falls, PA, was not only a project to meticulously restore a rundown 1850s homestead to its former glory, but also a journey to pr... READ MORE

A New St. Pete Pier Design Up for Vote
By Jill M. Speegle

Residents in St. Petersburg, FL, may soon see their 42-year-old iconic waterfront landmark replaced after more than 10 years of debate and one previously unsuccessful attempt.... READ MORE

Wright’s ‘Hollyhock House’ Blooms Anew
By Jill M. Speegle

The Hollyhock House—Frank Lloyd Wright’s first venture into architecture in Los Angeles—is blossoming once again following a $4.3 million, seven-year restoration program.... READ MORE

Award Honors Curtain-lifting Restoration
By Jill M. Speegle

A revamped Art Deco movie theater on Long Island is basking in the glow of an award for its historic preservation.... READ MORE

One Hotel, 19 Architects
By Jill M. Speegle

Where can you admire the architectural genius of Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and David Chipperfield all in one place?... READ MORE

‘Nobel’ Design Matches Prize Prestige
By Jill M. Speegle

An elegant, slender building clad in shimmering brass along Stockholm, Sweden’s central waterfront will serve as the new home for one of the world’s most prominent award ceremonies—The Nobel Prize.... READ MORE

Theater Designs Worth Applause
By Jill M. Speegle

A $5.4 million performing arts center that blends into the slopes of a volcano in Hawaii and a one-of-a-kind jazz venue in California are among the theater projects recently honored for their prestigi... READ MORE

Waterlogged Wright Home to Relocate
By Jill M. Speegle

A rare home designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright will be getting a new zip code and a lifeline come 2015.... READ MORE

Shack Interacts, Lights the CA Desert
By Jill M. Speegle

It’s difficult to imagine a house more connected to its landscape than this desert abode in Joshua Tree, CA.... READ MORE

Sliding Façade Exposes House in UK
By Jill M. Speegle

After being abandoned for 11 years, a four-story house in Margate, England, is now the site of an unusual art installation—a brick façade that appears to be sliding off the building, exposing its decr... READ MORE

Hotel Packs a World Record Paint Job
By Jill M. Speegle

A recent makeover for a hotel in St. Petersburg, Russia, features a paint job worth... READ MORE

A Glass Ship for Vikings Unveiled
By Jill M. Speegle

It’s airy, yet enclosed. Love it or hate it, the recently unveiled, HKS-designed Minnesota Vikings Stadium is sure to turn heads.... READ MORE

Paint Adds Pride to Florida City
By Jill M. Speegle

Replacing blight with beauty is a common goal of public art projects these days.... READ MORE

Architectural Charm from a Wright Roof
By Jill M. Speegle

Attention architecture and jewelry lovers! For just shy of $50, you could be the lucky owner of a piece of handcrafted jewelry—and architectural history—salvaged from a design by none other than Frank... READ MORE

Attic Discovery: $30M in Artwork
By Jill M. Speegle

When the two investors bought the run-down cottage in Bellport, NY, for $300,000, their plan was to flip the home for profit.... READ MORE

Q&A: Conservation Layers Art, Science
By Jill M. Speegle

Whether she is restoring a massive painted wall or a small family heirloom painting, Chantal Bernicky takes skill and love for conservation to a new level.... READ MORE

By the Book: NY Public Library Project
By Jill M. Speegle

Historic buildings that house volumes of literary marvels deserve to be preserved and restored to their former glory… even if we are in an age more attuned to scroll than flip. ... READ MORE

‘Wait, Wait Don’t Implode,’ Judge Says
By Jill M. Speegle

Hold the explosives! A Nevada state judge has put the kibosh on plans to implode a structurally unsound hotel in MGM Resort International’s $8.5 billion CityCenter project in Las Vegas.... READ MORE

Hadid Shines as ‘Woman of the Year’
By Jill M. Speegle

Hey! Who says architects can’t be glamorous? Dame Zaha Hadid, 62, was just crowned Glamour Magazine’s “Woman of the Year 2012.” ... READ MORE

Bright Idea? Enhancing the Wall
By Jill M. Speegle

Wish your walls could do more? Maybe even emit light?... READ MORE

Raise a Pint, Paint by Facebook
By Jill M. Speegle

With the help of spray-painting robots, Facebook fans have helped Guinness paint two giant murals in Singapore and Ireland to mark the legendary brewer’s birthday.... READ MORE

Working Ahead: Office Designs for 2020
By Jill M. Speegle

So long, cubicles! Hello, hackable buildings and b(Hives)! The high-performance office buildings of the future will surely include advanced features, materials, and technologies that will enable emplo... READ MORE

In the Loop: Q&A with Paint-Recycling Guru
By Jill M. Speegle

When an Ontario-based hazardous waste company hauled its first paint can in 1997, little did it know that some 15 years later it would operate a successful recycled paint business.... READ MORE

Doing Good: Enforcement’s Brighter Side
By Jill M. Speegle

When companies run afoul of environmental laws, they typically pay a fine, clean up the mess, and move on. But sometimes, they do more.... READ MORE

Olympic Trials in Architecture
By Jill M. Speegle

As athletes continue to break records and crowds cheer at the London 2012 Olympics Games, many of the architects, engineers and suppliers involved in Olympics-related work are muted.... READ MORE

Steven Holl Offers Tour of His ‘Art on Water’ in South Korea
By Jill M. Speegle

With water as the art’s foundation and an abundance of “perfect” light, a new gallery and house in South Korea designed by Steven Holl Architects represents a “mini utopia.”... READ MORE

Modern Renaissance: Dynamic Color Scenario Seen in Glance Ahead
By Jill M. Speegle

How would you describe a modern renaissance? Do the terms “extreme salvage,” “restrained luxury,” and “reimagined circus,” come to mind?... READ MORE

The Ideal and the Real: Firm’s Youthful Principal Blends Artistry and Utility
By Jill M. Speegle

Creating a space that enhances communication while providing visual appeal is key when it comes to designing commercial interiors, says Solomon Cordell Buenz director of interiors and associate princi... READ MORE

Testifying for Color: Celebs Relate ‘Stories,’ Build on ‘Habitat’ Assist
By Jill M. Speegle

When it comes to selecting paint colors to liven interior spaces, the indecisiveness bug often bites. Heck, the indecisive bug sinks its teeth in two or three times a day for me…selecting what to wear... READ MORE

Elevating the Design: Decorative Finishes Jolt the Voltage of Upscale Hotel
By Jill M. Speegle

Decorative-painting projects in commercial spaces can present a host of daunting challenges. But imagine creating masterful finishes in a bustling elite hotel in downtown Chicago.... READ MORE

Barbie and Zaha: Fantasy Versus Reality in Architecture; or Not?
By Jill M. Speegle

With the upcoming one-year anniversary of the debut of blueprint-wielding Architect Barbie® and Zaha Hadid’s recent winning of the Jane Drew Prize, a discussion of women involved in architecture might... READ MORE

Ready to ‘Check-In’ to Architecture? National Virtual Event Starts Sunday
By Jill M. Speegle

No flights, hotel reservations, or nametags are needed; in fact, you could stay in your pajamas and still enjoy National Architecture Week, scheduled to kick off this Sunday, April 8.... READ MORE

Vacation Planning 101: Safdie’s Riveting Museum Design in Arkansas?
By Jill M. Speegle

If you are in search of inspiration, culture, art and a dose of architectural magic, you may consider a trip to Bentonville, Ark., in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.... READ MORE

In the Limelight: ‘Vegan’ Paint Company Settles on Fresh Vision
By Jill M. Speegle

With ingredients like clay, chalk, lime, and Italian marble it’s not surprising Unearthed Paints, a recent entry into the eco-friendly paint scene, is building a grass-roots following.... READ MORE

‘Indie’ Paint Company Offers its Slant on the 2012 Color Hit Parade
By Jill M. Speegle

“Sprout,” “From Farm to Table,” and “Dusk to Dawn” may sound like a playlist of the latest “indie” music hits, and there’s good reason.... READ MORE

‘Argyle’ Positioned to Make Dramatic Entry at New Year’s Color Party
By Jill M. Speegle

Argyle, a true, earth-inspired green, will enter the color scene with considerable buildup: billing by one very influential color and design power as the “Color of 2012.”... READ MORE

Sugar-Based Specs: ‘Gingertown’ Designs Sweeten the Season
By Jill M. Speegle

Chocolate, sprinkles, jelly beans and gumdrops may not meet the specifications of your typical “building materials.”... READ MORE

D+D Asks: Do You Pin?
By Jill M. Speegle

Favorites, bookmarks, traditional scrapbooks or storyboards may soon be “old news” when it comes to design inspiration.... READ MORE

Hey West Coast, Don’t Fault Us for Being All Shook up
By Jill M. Speegle

Traditionally this space in our Friday e-newsletter is reserved for “Off the Wall” stories of the decidedly offbeat variety, but considering Mother Nature’s recent rattling of the East Coast, I felt c... READ MORE

Batman, Architecture and a Detour Drama
By Jill M. Speegle

Well, my usual morning commute was interrupted last week for the filming of a movie. Not just any movie: the third and supposedly final Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises.”... READ MORE