Everything Needs to Be Designed
Even space stations. To acknowledge the 55th anniversary of man walking on the moon this Saturday, we thought we’d boldly go where we have not gone before in this blog – space!
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Practicing a Plastic Free July
We all know the evils of plastic (contributes to climate change, damages marine ecosystems, harmful to our health) and we’ve all heard the call… Go plastic free, opt for sustainable products, aim for zero waste. Nevertheless, since July is “Plastic Free” month, we thought we would take this opportunity to remind us all of ways to use less plastic.
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Favorite Summer Cocktails from SweisKloss Staff
Summer means backyard barbecues, picnics with friends and relaxing poolside. We thought we would share some of our staff’s favorite summer drinks (including non-alcoholic and kid friendly ones) to help make your gathering more festive and fun.
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“Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy” - Gershwin Said it Best
Today is the official start of summer!! So, now is the perfect time to transform your backyard into an oasis you can enjoy throughout the season (and beyond). These features will not only elevate your space, but also allow you to enjoy the outdoors in comfort and style all year long.
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Googie architecture… no, that’s not a typo
Anyone living in Los Angeles has seen or maybe even eaten at Norm’s, the iconic diner located on La Cienega, with a sweeping roof, bold use of glass, neon and steel, and most memorable, a sawtooth sign. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Norm’s is a stellar example of the Googie architect trend that was the rage in Southern California in the mid-twentieth century.
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Amenities that Improve Property Value
Whether you’re preparing to put your house on the market or interested in increasing your home equity, strategic amenities and upgrades can increase your property’s value. Research conducted by Zillow and The Harris Poll in November 2022 found “that 65% of sellers who have sold a home within the past two years take on at least two home improvement projects to prepare their home for sale” (Zillow).
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What’s Old Can Be New Again
Once uttered only by progressive designers, the phrase “adaptive reuse” seems to have worked its way into mainstream conversation these days. This is a positive evolution for an industry that can be quite wasteful when not intentionally sustainable. In the US, we “generated over 600 million tons of construction-related waste in 2018” (EPA) which includes concrete, asphalt, wood, and other building wastes. The EPA estimated that in 2018 “construction and demolition projects filled US landfills with almost 145 million tons of waste.” (See blogpost … for California’s efforts to reduce construction waste).
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How Do They Do That?
As a design + construct firm we select and order building materials with our clients every day from marble slabs to wood flooring. Did you ever wonder how these construction materials are made?
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Riding the Rails in Style
Recently, a co-worker journeyed along the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to Seattle on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. From her sleeper car, Jessica and company gazed at the Pacific Ocean along the central coast, and snow-covered peaks of Mount Shasta. She likened her Roomette to an RV, where every space is smartly utilized -- two comfortable seats by day transformed into beds by night, large picture window, a shelf doubled as a step stool to the upper berth, and storage was tucked under the seat.
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Don’t Let Your E-Waste Go To Waste
An ancient iPhone, an old TV set, remotes that belong to tech you no longer even have in your home, all those extra power cords in the junk drawer…. This year don’t just discard those unwanted electronic items. Several locations and organizations throughout the city make recycling e-waste easier than ever.
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Two Steps Forward, 1/2 Step Back
We’ve all heard the pitch: Buy an EV car, switch to electrical appliances, install solar panels– environmentally responsible changes consumers are encouraged to make to help combat climate change. But it isn’t always that straight forward.
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We are Talking and Walking
We are proud to be a Santa Monica Certified Green Business since 2018. We worked hard for this accolade. We don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk, and our office and our projects show it! This Earth Month we want to show off.
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Going Green Can Save You Green or May Have You Seeing Stars
My assignment seemed simple – research and write about incentives for “green” home upgrades in celebration of Earth Month. We hear all about city, state and federal rebates and tax credits homeowners, and even renters, can receive for “going green.” However, after spending hours reading various articles, government websites and utility company programs, I was completely frustrated and more confused than ever! Which programs were available to me? How does one qualify? Do they actually work?
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Geometric designs, colorful prints and lively patterns aren’t just for Easter eggs!
Wallpaper can be a creative and inexpensive way to transform a room. Wallpaper allows you to express your individual style in ways that painted walls alone cannot, adding a touch or personality, energy and imagination. Here are some on-trend wallpapers that caught our eye.
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Viva Las Vegas
Innovation, comfort and style were all on display in Las Vegas last month when our SK design team attended the International Builders Show and Kitchen and Bath Industry Show. Here are some products that were big winners with our group.
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Spring Forward
This past weekend we moved the clocks ahead, and besides losing an hour of sleep, we all know this means spring is around the corner. As spring is a time of growth and bloom, March is the perfect time to “spring” into action in your garden.
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Tough as Nails
Meet Natalie Cervantes, a 29-year-old single mother of four who is an Electrical Inside Wireman (Local Union IBEW 11), and Catherine Dillon, who learned basic welds from her father and is now a welder and Eighth Period Apprentice (Ironworkers Local 433).
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“A Little Slice of Heaven Near the Beach” - Phillips Chapel
In honor of Black History month, we are celebrating the oldest African American CME (Christian Methodist Episcopal) church west of the Mississippi, Santa Monica’s Phillips Chapel. Built at its current location at 4th and Bay Street in 1908, the church is remarkable for both its architectural style and deep roots in Santa Monica’s African American community.
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“Here Comes the Rain Again”—The Eurythmics
The “Pineapple Express” on Sunday, February 4th, and Monday, February 5th, brought record rain falls to Southern California. With an atmospheric river drenching the region this week, this February is the fourth wettest one in Los Angeles since 1878, according to WNBC News!
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Celebrating the Past & Present this Chinese New Year
In honor of the Chinese New Year, we are celebrating the oldest surviving Chinese building in Southern California, Los Angeles’ Chinese American Museum (CAM). It is the first such museum in the region dedicated to the Chinese American experience, history, and culture.
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