Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show!

We enjoyed meeting you, learning about your projects, and showing off our portfolio. Your interest in our work was both appreciated and energizing! We are currently following up with people who left their names with us, so check your e-mail and voice messages!

Attendance seemed strong and optimism seemed healthy at our booth; perhaps this is a sign of a larger trend in the economy!

The Minneapolis Home and Garden Show is on for Wednesday, 24 February 2010 through Sunday, 28 February 2010!

VIVUS Architecture + Design will be there to meet you and discuss your project ideas. Find us at booth number 3544 in the Minneapolis Convention Center!

That’s the number of gallons of surface water sucked into power plants each day to generate this nation’s electricity.

Per DAY. That is a staggering number, even in the land of 10,000 lakes.

What does that look like?

That’s over half of the daily flow of the Mississippi River through New Orleans.

That’s like filling and draining the Metrodome four hundred forty-five times each day, including the arc of the dome.

Or, consider 4.6 times the water that crests Niagara Falls each day.

When you think of conserving electricity, think of conserving our waterways, lakes, and streams.

This colossal hidden cost lurks behind each kilowatt on your monthly utility bill for steam-generated power, whether coal or nuclear.

Ask what you can do to conserve electricity in your home and business.

We were thrilled to get the new Clay Squared to Infinity catalog in the mail yesterday and to find the Union Street project we designed on the inside cover. It’s a whole new feeling of personal satisfaction and joy to see a past project published. We hope the owners feel the same way and are excited about their project all over again. The “Cosmic” line of tile perfectly converged with the design of the kitchen.

This was not a big kitchen, but it had a lot of owner-driven detail: extra-deep cabinetry, a storage ledge, big windows/views, durable counters and clean lines. It also needed to be a work horse and easy to clean for a serious cook.

It was a fun and interesting project with a challenge: how do you add a kitchen and mudroom to a bungalow, not increase the footprint by much, make every inch count, and ….oh yeah…add a green roof? You can see other photos of the exterior and roof here.

We think the tile really complements the kitchen: functional, fun, and bright. Often times when we design the space, we leave areas like this backsplash available for personal touches. To set a plain white tile or just paint would have been a missed opportunity and we are thrilled with how the tile has become a focal point. Working with artists and other suppliers, we can help your project go from good to out of this world!

Friendly reminder: If you’re hoping to get a new project in the ground when the frost comes out, now is the time to be designing, pricing, and signing a contract for construction.

We will help you get your ducks in a row so your project gets prompt attention when the season for building blossoms.

Public Service Announcement: Federal $8,000 tax credit still in effect until 30 April 2010.

This could apply to you if you haven’t owned a primary residence for three years and can close by 30 April.

Here’s a link for more information.

May your new year be filled with peace, happiness and prosperity!

Peter + Mary