Event: Visual Strategy #2: A Creative Workshop



Building on the success of our initial workshop, we held our second session in collaboration with Floricane and Ansel Olson. Working with a group of key influencers from the city, we presented the same premis- think differently and we offered a few tools to facilitate that work. Over a few hours we engaged the group with these tools to expand on the subject of Richmond’s assets.
As always, we were intrigued by the results. Pushing through the convenient and facile solutions, the group expanded to some visionary territory. 

The notion of Richmond as an incubator and generator of business and creativity as well as a place that reveres and creates history are not necessarily new. The narrative we found the around the character of the environment was an exciting revelation- the physical composition of the city was revealed in a dynamic way.

We will continue our investigation and share the work. The results- well, we don’t know yet. What we do see is inspiration and that is a great path to follow.

Inspiration: Sketch Book

I was revisiting some old sketchbooks the other day and realized the power of previous explorations. Our projects afford us unique opportunities to saturate our minds with the things that have impact. It's why we build the blog around people, places, things and ideas that inspire us. These transformational components make good things great, everyday magical and improve our world. Revisiting the sketchbook was refreshing- it brought me right to a place of transformation and I realized this little block of paper is my archive, the way I remember and communicate experience.

I encourage everyone to tap into a vehicle like this. Some like photography or writing, others music or stories- they are all great. Take a few moments to savor the qualities of experience, I bet you will find yourself looking a little deeper each time.

Ideas: Hospitality & Design



We were invited by NEWH to present our case study- Revolution not Evolution to a group of professionals in the hospitality industry. The event was hosted by the Charles Luck Stone Center and was held at their studio location. We challenged the group by suggesting this premise- I bet you are not in the business you think you are- and challenged them to imagine the way hospitality and design professionals can capitalize on their expertise in this shifting emerging economy and culture.

Hospitality has long understood the nature of a brand promise and delivering on this promise consistently in every facet of your business or organization. We were thrilled by the response. This attentive group embraced both the big concept as well as the specifics. We feel rewarded when presenting to such an audience, feeling confident that thinking differently and elevating the quality of design and experience will ultimately improve all our lives.

Check us out in R.Home this month!


The blog is our platform for sharing people, places, things and ideas we find inspiring, but today we will take exception and engage a little unabashed self promotion. We were thrilled to be recognized by R Home magazine on their ‘hot list’ of innovators in the area. We have been fortunate to work with some excellent clients allowing us to develop this unique position as Design Strategists. Design is our vehicle to communicate and articulate our client’s brand, and an integral part of a comprehensive strategy. We really enjoy our work and the creative disposition our clients rely on us for. We look forward to continuing to build on our vision- we love design, we are relentlessly creative and we think design matters.

People: VCU MFA Student Exhibition










Dropped by the opening of the MFA student exhibition last week. We are inspired by emerging designers and creatives and love to see new work. The show show featured painting, photography, film and interior environments. We captured a few shots, especially of the process work and studies. Congrats to our good friend Chris Arias, who looks forward to completing his studies this semester!

Event: Visual Strategy: A Creative Workshop







Yesterday morning we kicked off our first creative work session in collaboration with Floricane and Ansel Olson.

The simple premise- think differently. About our communities, businesses and our city. We decided to pull together a group and see what it might yield.

Bringing together 20 really sharp people, we worked to navigate around the subject of our city. Richmond is a city of many treasures and intangible assets. The history, character, culture and diverse interests betray the size of the city.

We were thrilled by the work of the group. From simple notions of engagement and reflection, the character of the places in between and the ownership of the truth and history, the group articulated Richmond as a vehicle- a metaphor of many stories, interests and a rich history.

We look forward to continuing to build on this idea of thinking differently with Ansel and John. It’s the inspiration of change, growth and vision that is relevant to Richmond, but also our businesses and communities.


People: VCU Interior Design Students



The emerging role of designers and creative thinkers. 40 students filled the Charles Luck Stone Center yesterday and after an excellent tour from Brooke, Jamie and Shannon they got some pizza and a chance to learn about the design process.

The project serves as an excellent example of the complexity in design and the success that a strong Owner/Design Team relationship can have.

Charles Luck has been an inspiration to our "Revolution not Evolution" speaking series for a variety of reasons. The first message to us- we want to revolutionize the stone industry. Second- we want the design team to make us uncomfortable, push our boundries. Clients like this are rare, indeed

Three years later, the studio is a tangible articulation of this directive and an excellent place to speak about the value creative thinkers bring to companies and organizations. We left the group inspired, the parting message- do what you love, do it well and make it meaningful and relevant.

People: Photographing the Photographer





I went to the completed Mountain Lumber showroom yesterday with collaborator Ansel Olson for a photo shoot yesterday. He is an excellent photographer and while my SLR setup does well for process and inspiration, its clear that Ansel is much better suited for final documentation. He has a great facility with the equipment and an excellent eye for composition. Can't wait to see the final shots!

Inspiration: Visual Strategy: A Creative Workshop


On April 22, we will partner with Floricane and Ansel Olson to deliver a public workshop focused on new strategies and tools to guide organizations through the frenetic landscape of our modern economy and culture.

We will be investigating a path to revolutionary change in organizations and the Richmond region. The workshop is a dry run for a series of community events we hope to offer on an ongoing basis. This will be a highly interactive session focused on using our tools of Visual Strategy, Vision Articulation and Strategic Design to help imagine possibilities and think dynamically. We are thrilled by the possibilities.

Register HERE

Place: Charles Luck Stone Center- Charlotte






The culmination of many efforts resulted in the opening of the newest Charles Luck Stone Center in Charlotte, North Carolina this past week. This is the third location, and opening of each is equally eventful. The final week had everyone in high gear with the continuous rain, but somehow it all pulled together, and the studio looks great!

We had the great fortune to work with some excellent collaborators on this project..

Chase Architectural Metals worked with us on the custom studio stools
Sicis provided the mosaic hearth created from our drawing
Karn Custom Woodwork made the conference table and walnut credenza's
Specialty Drapery fabricated the drapery of fabric from Maharam
The Millwork Specialist made the hutches at the end of the studio tables and against the studio walls

Place: Mountain Lumber Install




We made it up to Charlottesville yesterday to install the chandelier, artwork and emeco furniture in the new Mountain Lumber Studio. Everything is coming together quite nicely. The large curving backlit heart pine wall is very impressive and a great contrast to the dark herringbone patterned floor. The long crystal chandelier gives just the right 'zing' to the space and is perfectly set over the stunning "Bamboo" marble table top. We got many passing curious looks while installing these items. Some even poked their heads in with questions about who was moving in and we even got some compliments on the chandelier already. We have really had a lot of fun pushing ideas around that challenge conventional thoughts around reclaimed lumber.

Willie, the founder of the company, came to us with this almost translucent heart pine material, and got us very excited about creating some inventive way to use it. We quickly got to sketching around some wacky ideas and landed on the big curving wall. The material is actually heart pine thats has too much resin in it to use for lumber, so it would normally be waste. We designed the wall with thinly sliced sheets of it that are backed with plexy and slide into a frame made from the same material and then finally backlit.

We hope the studio succeeds as a catalyst for a new brand identity for Mountain Lumber and introduces more national presence in the design community.

see more pics on our flickr site.

Place: Building Anticipation







The excitement for the opening of the Charlotte location of The Charles Luck Stone Center could not be dampened last week although literally, everything was damp. Sometimes wet, sometimes thoroughly soaked.

The last few days had an army working on the the studio and they yielded amazing results. We had to depart before the cleaning crew arrived, but I hear they did an amazing job. This is one of the best parts of a project- the point where all the design work is realized and comes together as a whole and it gets turned over to build on the vision.

We captured a few shots but look forward to better ones of the finished work.

Design (Process): Crystal Chandelier





We are drawing closer to the install date for the Mountain Lumber showroom. 
Today was final fabrication of the crystal chandelier.  The contemporary fixture is in good company with the rest of the design. We worked the design of this small space to utilize material in unusual, inventive ways.

As always, we love the process of design and in this case extended that into fabrication, not to mention taking the time to photograph a bit. Can't wait to see the results. We will be in Charlotte for a couple of days for the install of the Charles Luck Stone Center, but then its up to Charlottesville with Mountain Lumber. 

Inspiration: Richmond Pro Cycling



We spent the evening at a Fundraiser for Richmond Pro Cycling. The event was excellent with a great group attending. We continue to draw inspiration from RPC leader Craig Dodson- he is building a vision that challenges the classic perceptions of professional cyclists and the role of a team.  He has carefully assembled a dynamic group of excellent athletes and hardworking stewards of their mission. 
The Faison School, RPC partner and sponsor, has long been an inspiration to us. The challenges of educating and advocating the autistic community is underpinned by hardworking, passionate people.
The RPC/Faison School partnership will do great work. We are proud to be a party to the growing vision and look forward to chronicling the path over the coming year.  

Vision, Identity, Brand, Environment. A case study of The Charles Luck Stone Center



This morning we gave a presentation for the Creative Change Center Breakfast Club.

We began the (very early) morning by giving the talk some context- our presentation is relevant to the current economic challenges we all face. The best strategy right now is to think creatively, to embrace a strong vision, develop tactical and strategic paths to both manage through the current climate and to prepare to emerge in recovery. If businesses are not in some dimension of reinvention, they will fail.

It is fair to say 'recovery' will have us all working in many different ways. There is significant cultural change afoot and to some extent for all of us, the nature of our product or service business will change.

The Charles Luck study is a great example of Vision, Creativity and a Distinctive approach.

In the beginning, there was a clear and audacious vision- Charles Luck will redefine the nature of commerce in the stone industry. This was the message from Mark Fernandes, the company president. This is What he wanted to do. The Where, Why and How were yet to be determined.

We mapped the process- word, sketches, connectivity diagrams, touchpoints. All of the contributing components of articulating a vision. This point is crucial- we conducted a charrette that engages the owners and their representatives- from executives to front line. We create and objective forum that facilitates the creation of a design language- authored primarily by the owners.

The Conceptual Master Plan- Defining the Brand Environment- We work in the cross section of Architectural and Brand 'Master Planning' because it is the careful integration of these perspectives that makes strong work. The resulting Master Plan becomes a tool for the Design Team, Owner and other consultants to refer back to during the entire project

To wrap it up we displayed a wall of touchpoints- all the ways you might encounter the brand

Like a our communication diagram we posted a while back- these points are interconnected, and there is no clear hierarchy. With a strong base in your vision and strategy, the path to defining these touchpoints will be clear(er).

To bring it full circle- we encourage everyone to assess their unique irreducible assets- something you own and own alone. Consider your marketplace- how can you redefine the paradigms in your industry to expand and grow your work in ways previously considered impossible. It's this kind of activity that will keep your business relevant and positioned for future success.

C3 Event

In collaboration with the Richmond Creative Change Center (C3) we will be presenting a case study of the Charles Luck Stone Center. The case study will be particularly relevant given our current economic situation. For those of us thinking strategically to both manage though the lean economy and position ourselves for recovery, this presentation outlines a good approach, regardless of your business size or type.

Hope we see you all tomorrow morning for this exciting event!



Also, coming up with will be giving a similar talk with NEWH . Stay tuned for details.

Metalwork Progress



We made it over to Robert Chase's workshop today to pick up a chandelier frame and some rounded corner raw steel frames for artwork he built for the Mountain Lumber project. The stainless chandelier frame he built and wired for us and we will purchase and hang the crystals for it. We also got a chance to see the Charles Luck stools in production. They had all the steel pieces cut and in a pile ready to be welded together. Their sweet, scraggly shop cat was wondering around the pieces as we were taking shots :)