PLiNTH & CHiNTZ: The online interior design magazine for current students, new graduates, established designers and those just plain curious about this crazy, far-reaching, dynamic industry. Focusing on the people and the process, not the project, we feature industry profiles, sage advice, helpful links, and a visual dictionary – all packed into one seriously entertaining site. New interior design industry content for July 2009.
 Notes From NeoCon
After securing our sous chef to stand in for us in 2008, we’re back cooking with Notes From NeoCon for 2009. We were among tens of thousands of product-hungry conference-goers who swarmed Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, the world’s largest commercial building and certainly the biggest one that has earned Silver certification status under the USGBC’s LEED Existing Building rating system. To provide you with a taste of what you most likely missed, we have prepared a savory show slice – deep-dish, of course, in honor of the hospitable host city – via an album on our Facebook Page. It not only includes photos, but accompanying notes and a link for every source. From tile to textiles, we’ve tried to season it to everyone’s taste…
Read more | satisfy a few design cravings here.
 Angela M. Hinton
Angela M. Hinton, LEED AP has dressed stage sets for budding stars, and now she is one herself – albeit in the interior design industry. After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design & Production from the University of Central Florida, her mother encouraged her to go back to school to purse a career in interior design, making use of her full cast of talents and interests. She did just that at Daytona State College, and even though she has completed that dramatic Second Act, she continues to challenge herself with additional educational pursuits. Take some direction from this rising star [cue spotlight], who is carving out a career by writing her own script...
Read more | run some lines with Angela here.
 Big [Green] Dreams | Part 4 – Real Progress
contributed by Julie Weber [designer / explorer / cubicle expert]
EDITOR’S NOTE: We would advise that you read Parts 1, 2 & 3 of the Big [Green] Dreams series before you dig into this fourth and final installment, or you are going to be as confused as a cow on AstroTurf.
I stood in front of an icon to all environmentalists: a recycling station. This set-up was unlike anything I had seen before in my Midwestern community. From left to right there were two huge compost bins the size of city garbage containers: one large bin for glass and plastic, one bin for aluminum, one bin for paper waste and, finally, one tiny round can for “trash.” This center was fully equipped, mind you, with a volunteer to help you figure out which bin was the right one for your waste. I stared. I was in awe…
Read more | celebrate Julie's [green] victories here.
 The Initial Consultation | Part 2
contributed by Amy Haupl [owner, Respite Home / experience design consultant / list-maker / free time enthusiast]
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you missed Part 1
of Amy’s advice on The Initial Consultation, then catch yourself up here because we’re diving right in to Part 2.
During this critical time, gather as much information as possible. You absolutely must gain an understanding of what this prospective client expects from a designer. What will they be looking for you to provide? Find out if they have worked with a designer in the past. If so, what kind of experience did he or she have? If they say it was not a good experience, provide reasons why their experience with you will be different, backing that up with concrete examples. Ask questions that give the prospect the opportunity to discuss their current and future needs, what they like and do not like and how they see the project unfolding and progressing…
Read more | understand how to make that first meeting count here.
 NCIDQ&A: NCIDQ Announces Exam Incentives
contributed by The NCIDQ Crew
Are you taking Section III of the NCIDQ Exam this fall? If so, you can get a Practice Design Problem from NCIDQ at no cost when you register for Section III by July 10, 2009! NCIDQ just announced that it will mail their newest practice design problem (Culpepper Building) to anyone who registers for Section III (the design practicum) and pays online (via credit card) by July 10. This is your chance to get their newest study material and save more than $65, and you don’t even have to pay shipping costs…
Read more | find out more about this deal here.
What In The World? [lots of new links]
There's a lot of info out there on the World Wide Web. Let us do some of the searching so that you don't have to.
Instead of posting links directly on P&C this month, we want to direct you to our Facebook & Twitter pages. Since we released our last issue, we’ve posted close to 20 links directing you to helpful resources [large scale murals, design competitions and more] and articles ["Are you a toxic leader like Attila the Hun?", “Slow is the New Fast” and more]. Back with more direct links on P&C next month.
Design Speak [5 new terms]
Impress your interviewers / professors / co-workers with interior design industry jargon.
breezeway | egg and dart | Gantt Chart | LOHAS | NTS
Say What? [3 new words]
Speak more intelligently when presenting and networking by incorporating some new vocabulary.
cosset | interpolate | truculent
Rant & Rave
Keep those comments coming. Email us at contact@plinthandchintz.com, and read more rants and raves here.
You are still on top of this industry! Packed full of great sites to visit and information. I was very pleased finding two of my lines mentioned in What The Spec: Appenx signage and Bolon woven vinyl flooring.
--Bill Bost, Manufacturer's Representative – Bost, Inc.
Just For Fun
If you are one of the number obsessed who will purposely circle your neighborhood for an additional 14 minutes just to make sure you see your car’s odometer turn to 23,456 or 111,111, then set your alarm. At five minutes and six seconds after 4:00 AM on July 8, the time and date will read 04:05:06 07-08-09. Now the Europeans are a little different, as they designate their dates in a DD/MM/YY format instead of MM/DD/YY, but don’t let that spoil the fun for the rest of us.
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