
A new “hard-surfaces” design showroom, in Petaluma
Representing the concretist and operated by Monica Binsfeld
A new “hard-surfaces” design showroom, in Petaluma
Representing the concretist and operated by Monica Binsfeld
Places We’ve Been
People Who Love Concrete
And Working With What You Find There
Most places that I’ve traveled to, the concrete has taken me there. And when I’ve returned, sometimes, it’s been because of the concrete. And, sometimes, it’s been ‘cause of the people. And, sometimes, it’s been because of the concrete and the people.
Whilst Back In San Francisco… The Clock Strikes Midnight And The Ed Hardy Building, The Iconic Pumpkin, Transforms Into The Gray Fog Of Restoration Hardware
Similar situation to U.C. Davis. The Ed Hardy Building is an iconic terra cotta Tuscan-esque castle, in San Francisco’s design district. Ed Hardy, like so many, fell upon difficult times, over the last couple of years and had to close its really large doors.
Kelley and I had previously designed and installed a floor make-over at the food services area (cafeteria, etc…) at The University of California, Berkeley. This job was a challenge, as we endeavored to create a transparent make-over. The re-finished slab was a testament to it’s history, warts and all! There was no hiding of spalls or re-filled trenches…
Here, Lyndsey Morel and I return to apply colors and initial finishes to the Daffodil Terrace. Re-construction of the original Tiffany super-structures continues over our slab. I return a bit later and daughter, Karley Miller, and I repair minor construction-related trauma and apply final finishes. Karley is through with her field biologist gig, with The Nature Conservancy, at Tiger Creek, near Lake Wales Ridge, Florida, so, she and I make our way back to California. Our only agenda was a stop in Dallas, to inspect a potential penthouse remodel project, and, another in Boulder, for a quick meeting with Whole Foods, AND, to stay on back-roads and off the interstates!
I was recently in Florida, art directing the placement and finishing of the concrete flatwork, for the latest wing of The Morse Museum… The Daffodil Terrace. The Morse Museum is focused primarily on the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. We were happy to be back, as we had previously produced the concrete floors of the last wing… The Chapel. This gave us a chance to renew old acquaintances and review the performance of our work.
The trip to Arizona, and spending time with Emily’s recent art, reminded me of site installations we’ve done together… Site installations which incorporated bits of colorful scattered broken glass, in a matrix of either Colormaker skims (overlays) and/or Sur-Tec epoxy.
AGAVE LIBRARY, PHOENIX, AZ by architect, Will Bruder + Partners
THE INSIDE
More AGAVE LIBRARY… There’s a lot of sensory concrete here to love. I’m not sure if Will Bruder was aware of or thoughtful about this as he envisioned it, or whether a lot of this was just a lucky accident, but, either way, it’s really cool!
And here’s yet another New Leaf Community Market, in lovely Half Moon Bay, California. This was the first one we did for New Leaf. This was a remodel, but of another old beat-up and vacant market. So, it was similar to new construction; however, we only had a three day weekend to complete our scope, approximately 15,000 square feet, from skimming through water-color art through sealing and application of floor finish…
Here’s another New Leaf Community Market, their Pacific store. This was a remodel, installed late at night. The store was open and operated as per usual during normal business hours. These shots feature our simple rendering and design references, and the installation… process and circumstances.