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CHAPTER NEWSThe past year has been incredibly challenging for everyone. As we moveinto 2021, we are facing similar challenges but, as one of the most activeASID chapters in the nation, we are finding ways to make it work. Andmake it work, we are!!We are continuing the Industry Partner Drive Thru Series until ourmembership feels more comfortable being in a group setting at chapter meetings.These Zoom presentations give us the opportunity to learn about our industrypartners and their businesses from the comfort of our home or office. Join usas we present local and national guest speakers. Look for information aboutupcoming presentations in The Buzz!MARAUnderfootbig thank you to Gary and Shelly Lester, Deanna Miekle and Stan Upitor! They were amazing hostsof our March DriveThru event. Shelly began by walking us through their huge showroom filled witheverything you could imagine (or can’t even imagine!) for flooring and wall coverings.Shelly introduced us to Garrett Leather, a family-owned company in Buffalo, NY. They import fine Italianleathers, many of which are available with short lead times and great pricing.You can select full and half hidesfor your projects. Their newest creation is "Nurtured by Nature" great for wall panels, headboards, etc. They offerleather welting and wovens and leather bindings for rugs which can be fabricated for any rug in Underfoot’sonsite workroom. Pressed leathers are also available. Amazing!Underfoot offers the largest selection of wool carpet in the southwest. They have an infinite array ofbroadloom carpet and rug options in all styles, colors, materials and budgets. They have 10,000-15,000 sampleson site! See a broadloom option that you really want to have as a rug? Gary can make that happen. Underfoothas many outdoor options as well. Wide widths are available for large projects. They have woven vinyls that aregreat for residential gyms and other uses. Their natural grasses and hair-on-hide options are customizable. If youcan dream it, they can make it happen!Deanna discussed area rugs and their wide range of size availability. They are easy to view and arrangedby color and style. There are many wools, synthetics and natural products available.You can easily add bordersto your selections, backings and customized pads. Most of the rug options are in stock with short lead times.Underfoot’s workroom provides an array of services to make creative designs and full customization so easy!Stan discussed Underfoot’s hard surface products. They have a tremendous display of engineered woodflooring-over 2000 samples. Underfoot works with a local company to provide herringbone or chevron patternsfor manufacturers who don’t offer those options. Their porcelain tile and natural stone options are incredible.Large format selections are available. There are metal, wood and mirror details that can be added to any design.Other materials include cork, rubber flooring for gyms, waterproof vinyls, bamboo, etc. They have manycompanies who offer fully customizable sizes and colors for tile. Their wood-look plank tile selection is huge.They offer mosaic tile for backsplashes, pool tile and laser cut tile that is gorgeous!Check out Underfoot! Gary, Shelly, Deanna and Stan are knowledgeable, professional and so great towork with.6 D E S E RT D ES I G N S P R / S U M 2021

AT BRIZO.COMCOLLECTIONThe Kintsu Bath Collectionhonors the rich heritage of wabi-EXPLORETHEFULLsabi design with an exquisite motifof broken geometries.SIMPLE,yet I N T R I C A T E .B R O K E N , yetP E R F E C T.APRArizonaFireplacesJ. CARROMarketing Ideals CompanyOn Friday April 9th in partnership with Arizona North Chapter of ASID, Arizona Fireplaces had thepleasure of hosting the March DriveThru event featuring Ross Morrison,VP-Marketing of StellarHearth Products, an industry leader in creativity, advanced technology and one of the most extensivelines of luxury fireplaces available for both indoor and outdoor hearth projects.Whether you are adding a grand single-sided fireplace to your room or using a multi-sided fireplace as aroom divider to help break up an open concept layout, clients choose from seven different design configurationsto identify the perfect fireplace for any living space. Beautiful fires demand to be seen and Stellar’s GalaxySeries provides taller viewing areas and more BTU’s of flame than any other in its class.If Stellar Hearth Products is known for its innovation and design, Ross Morrison undoubtedly is thevisionary behind the operation. Hailing from Minneapolis, MN, Ross’ sales career in the fireplace industrybegan in 1990. His in-depth knowledge, experience and creative mind took him straight to marketing with aposition shift to Marketing & Product Development for a competing brand. He served as CMO for eight yearsbefore conceptualizing the Stellar Hearth brand in 2009, developing a presence in the gas fireplace market andcontinued on page 12serving a premium, affluent clientele.SPR/ SU M 2 0 2 1 D E SE RT DE SIG N 7

CHAPTER NEWSRoundtableThe Power of Staying ConnectedThroughout the winter and into spring, the Arizona North Chapterhosted a monthly Roundtable Discussion over Zoom. Theseroundtables are traditionally part of our monthly chapter meetings buthave been hosted separately over Zoom while we haven’t been able tobe together in person. FEBRUARY ROUNDTABLEDEDE RADFORD, Allied ASIDFor our February event, Dede Radford, Allied ASID shared her vast knowledge of color with us. Dedejust recently retired after a long career working in the world of paint. Here are some of the highlights ofwhat we learned in Dede’s discussion: As designers are always using color, understanding tones and tints is a vital component of selectingthe right color for a project. There are so many undertones of color especially with grays and yellows andunderstanding these is an important skill to develop. Paint is tinted using the RGB color space or RGB color system, this system constructs all the colors fromthe combination of the Red, Green and Blue colors. Using this system there are 16,777,216 possible colors!It’s no wonder selecting the perfect one is so hard. Luckily, professional paint tinters can mathematically matchcolors from fabric samples or other swatches. For an easy resource check out https://www.easyrgb.com/en/where you can match, compare or convert color data.Dede also explained that there is a science to shadows and sunlight and how it affects color in the space,be it morning, noon or night. Understanding how a color looks in a space in all kinds of light can help avoidmaking a mistake when selecting a paint color and having to repaint. The one aspect of paint that manydesigners fail to take into account is light reflective value and yet it is one of the most important things toreference. There are many CEU’s on the subject available in the ASID Academy. MARCH ROUNDTABLESherry Hauser, ASIDPast President, Arizona North ChapterFirst of all, we would like to thank, Sherry Hauser, ASID for volunteering to help us as the CommitteeChair for the Roundtable events. She has been lining up Past Presidents to share their expertise.Sherry herself hosted the Roundtable in March where she discussed client development. A few tipsshe shared about building clientele are being involved in your community, perfecting a style or focusing on ageographic area. She recommended that you can build exposure by being at your children’s events, generallygetting out and meeting people and old-fashioned networking. Some designers also specialize in a certain styleof design and sell their services focusing on that expertise. And of course, it can be helpful to stay focused in acertain area of the valley in order to build a concentrated clientele.It is important that once you develop your client base that you maintain it by meeting their needs andexceeding their expectations then getting referral business based on consistently delivering excellence. If yourdesign is solution based, fast and efficient then you only have to please your clients.Another way to attract clients is to do massive amounts of advertising and open a brick-and-mortardesign studio where you can meet with clients and other professionals. Regardless, if you go big to start ornot, developing strategic relationships around the Interior Design business with developers, architects, andcontractors will help you achieve referral business. Ultimately, what you want is referral business based onexcellent performance. Work toward being as good as you can be.8 D E S E RT D ES I G N S P R / S UM 2021

14190 WEST VAN BUREN STREETGOODYEAR, ARIZONA 85338623.535.7655www.EstrellaCabinetry.comROC # 301973MONDAY – FRIDAY9AM TO 5PMSATURDAYS9AM TO 1PMIt’s important to showcase your work with professional photography to prove what you can do and havea presence with a website on social media. It’s fun to see how good it can look especially staging a recentlycompleted project. Then entice the clients to purchase the items used in those photos as well.For Sherry, many of her clients have become her friends which makes working with them even moreenjoyable. In her career she finds that every project is different, so every day is different too. As she doesresearch on products for these new projects she shares her findings on her blog at LuxeSpecs.com so be sure tocheck out her helpful specifications. APRIL ROUNDTABLELuAnn Thoma-Holec, FASIDPast President, Arizona North ChapterLuAnn Thoma-Holec, FASID is the owner of Thoma-Holec Design, a national award-winning seniorliving design firm. She is known as an expert in the field of senior housing. She explained that to build anew senior living community from start to finish it takes almost three years. A remodel is normally six totwelve months.Due to the pandemic, senior living communities (SLCs) dropped in occupancy by 70% to 80%. In order tobe profitable, they need stay at 90% occupancy. To help boost occupancy again, some have started to requireemployees be vaccinated. The growth market for senior living communities is Baby Boomers aged 55 and over,who are choosing SLCs for their parents based on their vicinity to their personal residences.Even before the pandemic, technology was becoming a major aspect of design in senior housing. Thesetechnologies can be used in wayfinding such as color changing signage and sensors under carpets among manyother applications. These sensors can take residents’ temperatures to detect infection or sense if a resident’s gaithas changed signaling a stroke or other physiological injury. In many SLCs, WIFI will be amped up to ensureconnectivity in all rooms and all residents will have iPads and smart televisions to keep them entertained and intouch with family.Other fun facts LuAnn shared are stairways in senior living communities are not for the residents but forthat “homey feel” yet only the staff and guests use them. Wall coverings are not used only for aesthetics but aremade three dimensional to help hide acoustic systems behind art. Special touches LuAnn likes to include in herdesigns are fun and elaborate ceilings using clouds and other decorative elements.SPR/ SU M 2 0 2 1 DE SE RT DE SIG N 9

CHAPTER NEWSInterior Designer for HireKick Off!Our signature program, Interior Designer for Hire (IDFH), kicked off to a great start this year inJanuary. Our PR partner, Evolve Marketing, promoted the program through interviews, and articleswere published across the Valley in local TV channels, newspapers, magazines and social media.Year afteryear this program has continued to grow, and we look forward to the seasons ahead. IDFH has helped manydesigners build their businesses over the years and we have touched countless lives, bringing them beautifuldesigns and functional spaces. Profits from IDFH remain earmarked for student scholarships and educationalprograms, includingfunding of chaptercommunity efforts.With theconcerns aroundCOVID-19 stilllooming, wereached almost 90%of our projectedgoal. While ourfundraising goalswere not met,our campaign wassuccessful in thepromotion of ourdesign communityto the public. TheInterior DesignerFor Hire Program10 D E S E RT D ES I G N S P R / S UM 2021

CHAPTER NEWSis our big fundraiser forthe year, encouragingdesigners to volunteer theirtime to benefit studenteducation, the scholarshipfund, and to support ourcharity, Stepping Stonesof Hope. SSOH providesprogramming for grievingfamilies. Such exposureincreases the brand identityof the Arizona NorthChapter of ASID andultimately, the value of yourASID appellation.On behalf of the chapter,we would like to extenda heartfelt thank you toall the designers whocontributed their time andtalents towards the IDFHconsultations.Visit Emser Tile’s showroom for more inspiration & full product lines!2604 S. 38th Street, Phoenix, AZ 850345255 W. Phelps Road, Ste 3, Glendale, AZ 8530615500 N. Greenway-Hayden Loop, Suite 1, Scottsdale, AZ 85260www.emser.com Photo Featuring Parkview ASID AZPHX quarter page May 2021.indd 15/10/21 10:49 AMSPR/ SU M 2 0 2 1 DE SE RT DE SIG N 11

M E D I A PA R T N E R N E W SASID MediaSponsor The Artist WithinSpotlightArtists are magicians and I have always envied those that can take a brush to canvas, achisel to a piece of marble, a pen or pencil to a piece of paper and create an incrediblepainting, sculpture or sketch seemingly out of nowhere. The ability to start fromnothing and create something beautiful (or at least attention-getting) is a true gift and one thatI have always admired. Mostly, because when I’m given a blank canvas, my lack of visual artisticskill becomes apparent pretty quickly. My creative talents lie elsewhere (some considered myathleticism on my college soccer field to be art, but I’ll let history decide).For some, their creative art is highly visible with painters, photographers, graphic artists andothers that create a vibrant world for everyone to appreciate. Of course, interior designers fallinto that category, as well. I continually watch the artists of ASID who look at four blank wallsand create art that people can live within every day. To create a room or an entire home to beappreciated by their owners, friends, and family for the years to come is a real talent - a talentthat many people claim they have, but only a few truly do. As ASID members, you have elevatedthe artform and proven yourselves as true artists.Art is something that unites everyone, and an interior designer often has a unique assignmentto integrate two individual’s styles into one cohesive work. Many times, the interior designerbecomes a marriage counselor, negotiating and compromising between the two parties. I knowthat in my own house, there is a constant tension between differing styles and tastes (mine isgreat and his is less great). A truly talented interior designer will know how to navigate thoseconflicts and ultimately create something beautiful that both parties can appreciate. I wouldconsider that artistry of an entirely different level.I think it’s safe to say that if you’re reading this letter in this magazine you would consideryourself to be an artist, or at least, a creative.Your ability to conjure together something fromnothing is nothing short of magic and I am excited to be watching you perform your magicshows year after year.LAUREN STURMANGroup PublisherModern Luxury ScottsdaleInteriors ScottsdaleScottsdale Art Gallery GuideCustom PublishingApril DriveThru continued from page 7Stellar Hearth grew quickly and as a result, was acquired by Hearth & Home Technologies.Hearth & Home Technologies (HHT) is an operating division of HNI Corporation. HNI isdedicated to delivering long-term value to its shareholders, exceeding customer expectations andbeing a responsible corporate citizen.Today, the company innovates and manufactures for the fireplace industry, earning recognitionfor their award-winning indoor and outdoor fireplace products alike.Experience the Stellar Galaxy, up close and personal only at Arizona Fireplaces’ showrooms.Two convenient locations serve designers, architects and builders, featuring a knowledgeable salesteam and customer service division that is second to none! Keith Richardson is President of bothArizona Fireplaces and AF Distributors - industry leaders in retail and 2-step distribution centersthat serve the southwest. These two companies represent the largest combined part of the familybusiness. The other related companies include AF Steel (fabricators and installers of structural steelin metro Phoenix for large commercial and residential builders), Modern Flames (manufacturerand international brand of electric fireplaces), and Grand Canyon Gas logs (manufacturer of gaslogs and burners).Learn more at Arizona Fireplaces.com. View the Stellar Galaxy at either showroom.12 D E S E RT D ES I G N S P R / S U M 2021

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I N D U S T R Y PA R T N E R N E W SIP SpotlightARIZONAAPPLIANCE & HOMEJJessica Gessler is the Director of Sales for Arizona Appliance & Home. Shehas been in the industry for over 20 years and is proud to lead their tenured salesteam. They provide a consultative selling atmosphere where the team gets to knowtheir customers and help them build their dream kitchen. E.A. Thomas founded Arizona Appliance & Home(previously Arizona Wholesale Supply Co.) in his early days as an appliance distributor, strapping MaytagTMwashing machines to his Pierce-Arrow car and driving them to ranches and farms, letting residents try outthe machines in-person. Today, they continue this tradition of hard work and excellent service with over 30legacy brands including Sub-Zero/Wolf TM, Whirlpool, Perlick, GE, Thermador, LG, Blue Star, Monogramand many others. They offer complete delivery and installation for all brands to ensure that appliances areinstalled to the full manufacturer guidelines.You can visit them online or in-person at well-placed showroomsin Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tucson. For over 75 years, Arizona Appliance & Home has been the state’s premierprovider of appliances and more since 1944.ARIZONA TILEIIn 1977, John Huarte started Arizona Tile with one small location in SanDiego. Forty-four years later, Arizona Tile has locations in eight western stateswith more coming soon, making it one of the largest independent importers anddistributors of natural stone and porcelain/ceramic tile in the United States.Roland Arnold is an Outside Sales Representative for Arizona Tile (and pastboard director for our chapter) and has been with the company for more than 23years. He adheres to the Huarte family’s directive that, “no job is too small, everycustomer is important.”Arizona Tile supplies tile, stone and quartz to production builders, commercial projects and customresidential throughout the United States, but mainly focuses on the West. This regional concentration allowsthem to maintain stock and the ability to move material quickly from one of their distribution centers towhere it is needed quickly. “We don’t think it’s boastful to say, that in our opinion, no one does this better,”says Roland, “I think it’s because, we never lose sight of the final user, and that’s the homeowner.”Roland is also sure to keep his eyes on another important clientele, adding, “The design community,especially in Arizona, caters to such a diverse clientele, and does it so well, we’re truly honored to be even asmall part of it, and always will be.” It is his goal to make Arizona Tile one of the most dependable suppliersany designer can use.14 D E S E RT D ES I G N S P R / S UM 2021

I N D U S T R Y PA R T N E R N E W SIP SpotlightDAL-TILEDDal-Tile is the country’s leading manufacturer and distributor ofhigh-quality porcelain, ceramic, glass, mosaic and stone tile, natural stone,quartz, installation product and more. For the team there, providing thebest products and overall experience will always be a top priority. TheirCommercial Architectural and Design and Residential/Builder FieldReps are happy to present the latest products from their brands and toass

technology and interior design. She is now a junior in the NAU Interior Design BS program. Marwah also works as a Design Consultant at Facings of America. Membership Director CHRISTINE RHODES Industry Partner Rep, Facings of America membership@azn.asid.org Originally from southern California, Christine moved to Arizona while still a child. She