Letters to the Editor
Reactions 20 years ago No Comments

Keep those comments and suggestions coming. RANT & RAVE by emailing us at contact@plinthandchintz.com.

Jay T. from the Houston HOK office just sent me your link. I am very impressed with the web site. I am a young designer and would love to be a part of your site, should you need any help or contribution. I would love to talk to students about the workplace and about design and even fashion too. Love it all!
Gracie A.,
HOK 

Thanks you so much for coming to our ASID meeting and speaking to us. You’ve created a great site and many students, like myself, will be able to use a great deal. I will send some the site info and forward your newsletter to some of the vendors in IFDA, and hopefully, you’ll be hearing from them soon! Thanks again!
Magdalena V., student of
UNT 

…and much, much more…

Congratulations on your achievements from another Crosby County native who left the Caprock cotton fields for the excitement of the Dallas design world!
Jan Stockton Parker, FASID, IDEC
Director of the School of Interior Design
The Art Institute of Dallas 


Love your site! I am interior design faculty here at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and I was looking at your list of schools and just wanted to let you know that we do in fact have an IIDA student chapter here. Thanks!
Rebekah A., SCAD 


Wow! I have never seen myself like that! You did a great job. I am very proud of the article and want to thank you very much. I think the website is terrific. There is so much information and with such style and fun. Keep up the great work! I’m an avid reader of your newsletter! Thanks again!
Shannon Unger, STAR POWER subject and student of Rhodec 


Laura, I am so proud of you. This is a great source. I think you have done a great job.
Frida McKenzie, The Invironmentalists 


I love your publication! Thank you for remembering me. If there is an opportunity to contribute next year, let me know.
David Button, The Button Group 


This IS – without doubt – the most cutting-edge newsletter ever – each time better than the last! Thank you for keeping me on this emailing listing. I love reading all this good stuff! I especially enjoyed your segment on “You’re Hired!” Great!
Sandy Leners


I really appreciate your efforts and your fantabulastic website /newsletter. Keep up the excellent work.
Elizabeth B, student


Thank you for choosing me to be featured on your Star Power section. I will be happy to participate. I have visited your website, and I think is GREAT! There is very helpful information about the industry for both students and professionals in the field of Interior Design. It is such wonderful idea of yours to create this website! Since I am graduating soon myself, I will visit your website more often for inspirations and information. Thanks!
Tingting Shan, student of SCAD


I think you’re doing a very good thing, and I wanted the peeps to know!
Rob Brinkley, National Home Design Editor / Dallas Co-Editor of PaperCity 


It all looks great by the way….. love the website!
John Oldham, Wilson & Associates 


Is there any way of accessing previous newsletters” I missed an article about a fellow student of mine Kelly Garcia that was in last months ‘Learn Baby Learn’ section. I was one of the other team members that worked on the Dining by Design Event with Kelly in New York last February and would love to read the article and see her name in print!! Thanks and keep up the inspiring work!
Claire Pryce, student of Rhodec 

P&C response:
Claire, the only way to retrieve previously issued newsletters is by emailing us directly at contact@plinthandchintz.com. We will be happy to email them to you. However, keep in mind that all of the expanded content initially mentioned in the newsletters is kept archived on the site and can be accessed at any time if you are a Member.


I have taken the time out to write. Others may just dismiss you without you knowing why. Here goes. I am one of the design Professionals, Educators and all around Industry Members you seek to share expertise. I decided to create a profile in order to check it out first. Went to fill out the form and saw “age” as a required field. Are you serious” I am an adult. Count me out if I need to share my age with online visitors. As a matter of fact, I think “ethnic background” in the form to be in questionable taste also.
Cynthia Padilla, artist/educator

P&C response:
Hi Cynthia –

First of all, I want to thank you very much for taking the time out to write to me. I truly do welcome all comments and constructive criticism, and I want to explain to you why I have structured my registration process as I have.

Let me start with the last issue (that of the “ethnic background” designation) first. As you could see, this bit of information is left optional for the user, i.e. it is not required for registration. The reason that I included it at all is for future communication opportunities between members.

As you have most likely noticed, the interior design field is quite dominated by Caucasians. Even in a city as large and as international as Dallas, the number of Afro-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans participating in the industry is ridiculously low. My hope is that, but collecting information on ethnicity – for those who want to share it – I can eventually help bring those in the minority together so that they can share experiences, contacts, ideas, mentors, etc. As far as I know, there are no individual associations for certain minority groups within the design industry, so my site could eventually be used as a venue for those people to come together across the nation / world. I’m thinking big here, I know, but I’m trying to anticipate larger things down the road. Quite honestly, there are many aspects to my website that I just have not had the time nor the resources to develop, but I hope to get there eventually.

Now to address the age issue… The reason that I ask for users’ ages is two-fold:

1) When communicating with others, I think age can definitely be useful to know. It provides a reference point for one’s life experience and (hopefully) maturity level. If I receive correspondence (whether it be a question or suggestion) from someone, it is sometimes helpful to know where he / she is in life’s journey as it might help me tailor an answer that would be the most useful. Believe me, I celebrate age for accumulated experience and wisdom. For this reason I created PLiNTH & CHiNTZ. I am desperately trying to establish stronger connections between the student population and design professionals.

2) Right now PLiNTH & CHiNTZ is a labor of love. What does that mean” I have not made one cent off of it. All I have done is invested my own personal resources and am definitely in the red. It is now my primary business, and I am investing everything I have in it because I see a need / a gap in the education of designers and the education of the public about what we can do and why we are valuable. Obviously, I have to start making money some time soon or I am going to be forced to quit providing this service. The way in which I will have to make money is through advertising, and the kind of information advertisers want is demographic. Age is a part of demographics, and I am trying to gather statistics on my users to make myself attractive to advertisers and hopefully bring in some income in the near future.

Cynthia, I hope that you can understand and sympathize with the explanations I’ve provided. I applaud you on your commitment to education, and I hope that you will reconsider your stance on PLiNTH & CHiNTZ.

Laura McDonald, IIDA / ASID
Founder of PLiNTH & CHiNTZ

counter-response:
Hi Laura –
(Cynthia Padilla’s responses are listed in ALL CAPS.)

As you have most likely noticed, the field is dominated by Caucasians. I AM SURPRISED HOW MANY DON’T NOTICE.

My hope is collecting info on ethnicity –I can bring those together so that they can share experiences, contacts, etc. WONDERFUL IDEA!

1) If I receive correspondence it is sometimes helpful to know where he / she is in life’s journey as it might help me tailor an answer that would be the most useful. I AGREE. PERHAPS WE DESIGNERS AGREEING TO HELP CAN CREATE ONLINE BACKGRND/BIO BLURB SO YOUR VISITORS WILL BE DAZZLED WITH YOUR ROSTER OF PROS.

2) The way in which I will have to make money is through advertising. OK, NOW I UNDERSTAND.

I hope that you will reconsider your stance on PLiNTH & CHiNTZ. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO HELP IN ANY WAY.

FELIZ NAVIDAD ; )