Inspiration

The first issue of the RAD Minimag

Oct 13, 2023

Welcome. Thank you for reading the first issue of RAD Minimag.

Hello there,

I used to write a newsletter and I loved it. It was usually a one-pager to announce new office babies or share when we got published - in one memorable post I detailed The RAD Calf, a terrible/wonderful intra-office lower-leg-only competition. Because I am a professional I did not compete or judge, but I enjoyed documenting the jolly and confident atmosphere of my office, and to this day I think of calves as the filet mignons of the leg, so we all learned from that post. Then we got busy, moved the office to Oakland, got even busier and moved again. We are now a mid-size firm in a beautiful space. I’m in my 40’s and prefer Substack to Instagram, and it dawned on me that maybe the grid is not enough! Do I have things to share? I think I do! Will I be reporting on the body parts of my employees? No I will not!

The subject of the first RAD Minimag is Inspiration. It’s fitting because that’s where every project (a house, a painting, a minimag) begins, it’s elusive, and it’s fascinating. To me it's a spark of noticing, attached to a sense, that becomes an engine. And if you pay attention, catalog, and follow-through you can turn it into something excellent. The Jeff Tweedy book How to Write One Song detailed how he collects sounds and words, and when he sits down to work he mines that trove and boop! He creates a song. My process is similar except it’s visual and tactile. I have an enormous collection of images, paint chips and ephemera, and when I start a project I sift and edit them to create a Style Guide and then boop! House is done. Just kidding, that's for the next issue, Perspiration.

I’m pulling back the curtain on a particularly satisfying Style Guide-to-Sneak Peek in this issue; a beautiful misty house in the woods where we wanted to conjure the atmosphere of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, but in a wholesome and non-murdery way. Read on to render your verdict, and thank you for joining me on this journey.

STYLE GUIDE

When I create a Style Guide at the beginning of each job, the images all come from a pool of inspiration that I've been collecting for years - it's my sourdough starter that blooms all of our projects. I select based on the client and the architecture and what I sense the house wants, and the deck that emerges becomes the DNA of the project.

This house is deep in a beautiful forest north of San Francisco, and we started with the the words woodsy, socialite, 1980's, Twin Peaks, ornament, busy motel-florals, totems, talismans, magic with a tiny bit of sinister, and very very happy.

Without further ado, here are the pages that express those ideas.

INSPIRATION: Sinister & Magical

I’ve been asked for this vibe precisely once in my career and I think we nailed it.

Creative types are high-fiving me for finding *the* perfect place for that glamour kitty portrait up there//Practical types are wondering if inspiration comes with a timeline and if so, how long will it take?

It’s about sunshine and moonshine, babies. Tan buns, monster plants, brass snakes and disco balls.

But let us not forget about spookiness, motel florals, pine trees, full moons and talismans.

The architecture is dark, camp-inspired, with outbuildings for fun and gardening.

SNEAK PEEK

PREVIEW: Occidental

Our nickname for this project is Twin Peaks on Prozac: dark and piney and so happy. Note the charcoal peaked roof lines! The cool 1980’s furniture, the preponderance of florals.

That's all for now on this woodsy wonder, I hope the connections between inspiration and final product felt true, this one was pure joy from start to finish for us.

Thank you to RAD Designers Anel Zarate and Veronica Aguilar; Contractor Andy Brucker; Photos by Laure Joliet; Styling by Yedda Morrison.

Finally and most of all, thank you to our clients who are off-the-chain inspiring. It is a kind universe that brought us together, and I'm grateful every day.

The last five things I saved to my private IG folder

You made it to the end! I’m thrilled! This took me approximately 300x longer than an Instagram post but it feels both meatier and less thirsty. Hoping the next issue comes together quicker now now that I’ve made those dang banners.

Anywho, the next issue is about the work - Perspiration! I’m giving a backstage view of what it takes to actually produce a project, and I have some sizzling insights on collaboration. Click below to subscribe, hope to see you there.