Kimball Office Mid Atlantic Blog: 9/20 Cosmo Couture

It's that time again and we here at Kimball Office are gearing up for all the Fall events coming our way! First up on our list is IIDA's famous Cosmo Couture. Not only is this event fun and fashionable, but all proceeds go to an amazing cause, My Sister's Place. Kimball Office wishes all the Design firms good luck tonight and we are very excited to be part of this years event. Enjoy!

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In The News!

Cosmo Couture

The IIDA Washington Metro City Center is pleased to announce that this year’s Cosmo Couture fundraising event will be held on September 20, 2012 at the Artisphere in Arlington, Virginia. Cosmo Couture fosters a direct collaboration between local Architecture and Interior Design firms and their manufacturing partners in the Washington DC area, to create garments reflecting a given theme. The garments are judged during a runway show and awards are given to design teams in different categories. The beneficiary for this year’s event will be My Sister’s Place. We are honored to have donated over forty thousand dollars to My Sister’s Place in DC over the past two years. Our success has been the direct result of the generosity of all those who have given their continued support to our events.

This year’s design inspiration comes from the enigmatic Red Star painting by Raymond Saunders, which is part of the contemporary collection at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. This artwork combines Saunders’ expressionistically worked surfaces with pop art of the sixties. Its random, yet structured composition includes powerful fields of vibrant color, calligraphy marks, stenciled numbers and a huge red star with an ampersand at its heart. It bridges an urban experience reminiscent of graffiti and an iconic image stripped of its specific political significance, provoking the viewer to decode its meaning. Does the star allude to a political symbol or is it merely a structural shape that provides order to the abstract background?

Red Star, Raymond Saunders

Check out our Blog next week for a follow up of who attended and what was worn on the runway!

For more information on Cosmo Couture, click here.

For more information on My Sister's Place, click here.

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Case Study
New Hire, Washington Group Sales
Denise Menaker

Denise Menaker, Business Development

Denise has over seven years of experience in the architecture & design industry with a professional focus on corporate interiors. A native of the DC area, she attended Bethesda’s Stone Ridge School, and continued on to get her bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College. After graduating, she moved to San Francisco to pursue her second degree in Interior Architecture & Design focusing on sustainability and innovative LEED practices. After moving back to the DC area, she spent five years with OTJ Architects in McPherson Square, embracing her role as a Project Manager and Senior Designer. She successfully worked with landlords and project managers to enhance the attractiveness of their local portfolios, as well as with tenants and their brokers to understand and creatively enhance their business goals. Denise’s clients include the International Monetary Fund, Shady Grove Fertility Center, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Technica Corporation, Optimity Advisors, and the Semiconductor Industry Association, to name a few. She became the architect of record on a number of DC addresses for firms such as Guardian Realty, Cassidy Turley, American Real Estate Partners, MRP Realty, Newmark, Grubb, Knight, Frank, and others. Her diverse background and client experiences make her a great resource for the Commercial Real Estate, Project Management, General Contracting, and A&D community.

Denise is thrilled with her new role as Business Development Manager with Washington Group Sales. She loves her new “furniture family” and meeting all of the new friendly faces. She is excited and eager to learn the industry from a different angle, while using her experiences and resources to strategically implement design and growth for both WGS and their valued partnership with Kimball Office.

Founded in 1988, Washington Group Sales is dedicated to helping our clients by providing innovative, cost-effective furniture solutions. WGS specializes in corporate and government offices, as well as health care, education, and hospitality facilities. We are committed to listening to and understanding each client's unique requirements and recommending the most appropriate furniture solutions.

Our mission is to operate our business with honesty and integrity and to provide our customers with the most responsive customer service in the industry.

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Product Of The Week!

HUM. Minds at Work.

"From I to we without changing pace. From I to we without changing place."

Furniture has always been made to fit our bodies. But why hasn't it been designed to fit our minds? That's the profound premise which launched over 5.5 years and 84,000 hours of research in the area of cognitive ergonomics. The result is Hum: a sustainable open plan system created for individual focus, collaborative tasks and everything in between. Hum works the way the mind works. It's manufactured to be a green building solution. And it includes configurations for every kind of workplace.

Hum is the sound of a team working well, individually and together. From moment to moment work tasks change and we need to adapt.

Furniture designed for minds at work:

Reflect personal work styles

Gather around multi-use spaces

Switch between individual focus and collaboration

Mixed materials for total flexibility:

Metal See Me screens

Wool felt central screens and modesty panels

Straight grain composite veneer

The Hum. Minds at Work. Research Book is designed to function as a tool for those charged with the task of creating and maintaining high performance workplaces. Its role as a communication piece is to provide evidence of the investigation, exploration and design process that led to the development of the Hum product.

This book provides insight into the specific product development of Hum. Minds at Work. and key drivers, including the changing nature of work and cognitive ergonomics. Order a copy of Minds at Work View the Hum Product Brochure Interact with Hum and experience additional information

For more information on HUM. Minds at Work., click here.

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Mid Atlantic Sports

WVU
WVU crushed JMU at FedEx Field 42-12. This week WVU will take on Maryland at home.

Washington Post

Nats

The Washington Nationals will be playing in D.C. until September 24th against the Dodgers and the Brewers. The Nats are coming off of a losing streak against the Braves, but beat the Mets previously.

Kimball Office D.C. will be attending the Friday night game on September 21st, Look out for pictures in next week's Blog!

Keep your eye on these key players - Zimmerman, Gonzalez, Jackson, and Detwiler.

Check out the 2012 MLB postseason Schedule here!

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Golden Triangle Events:

Check out these fun events happening near the Kimball Office DC Showroom!

September 17th - 21st 51st National Wine Week. In honor of Wine Week head over for a wine tasting at Smith & Wollensky! For more information, click here.

September 22nd- Oktoberfest kickoff party at Brewmaster's Castle. For more information on this fun event held at The Heurich House Museum, click here.
September 25th- Farmers Market at National Geographic. For more info, click here.

September 27th- Hickok Cole Architects, Art Night. For more info, click here.

For more information on the Golden Triangle and what is around the Kimball Office DC Showroom, click here.

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Recipe Of The Week!

Fall Salad

Crisp fall air means tailgating time and apples by the bushel. Our fall recipe collection includes the best autumn recipes from chefs all over the world. Prepare for fall "inspired" meals with our recipes for soups, salads, stews, desserts, and of course comfort foods!

Ingredients: Fruit, Vegetables, Nuts

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Level: Easy

Ingrediants

Candied Pecans:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup raw pecans

Maple-Balsamic Dressing

1 small shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head endive, separated leaves
2 hearts frisee, hand torn
1 large radicchio, torn leaves
1 red pear, sliced
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan

Directions

To make the candied pecans, set a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the butter and sugar and once it has melted toss in the pecans and continue to toss to coat and cook evenly, about 1 minute. Transfer to a sheet tray lined with waxed paper (use 2 forks to separate pecans) while you prepare the salad.

Make the dressing by combining the chopped shallot, Dijon and balsamic vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while you whisk to emulsify. Add the maple syrup and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Assemble salad by tossing greens and pear slices in a large mixing bowl with maple-balsamic dressing. Top with shaved Parmesan and candied pecans.

For more information on this recipe, click here.

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