Tag Archives: Stefan Marchant

Wade Weissmann | An Architect’s Blueprint for the Creation of Lively and Experimental Spaces

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As the founder and principal of Wade Weissmann Architecture, Wade has spent the last twenty-five years designing classically inspired estates of many genres around the world. His firm’s work has been highly praised for its fine attention to craftsmanship and design detail, and for lending homeowners a feeling of resort living, right at home. On all projects, Wade believes wholeheartedly that a collaborative approach to design always yields the greatest results. Wade Weissmann Architecture has a central office in Wade’s hometown of Milwaukee, as well as offices on the East and West Coasts to best service projects throughout the United States and beyond.

In this episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast, Wade shares what drives him and his firm and how the outdoors has been a guiding principle in his work throughout much of his career. He discusses the core value of environmental stewardship and what it means to create healthy spaces that are built to last. Wade doesn’t shy away from sharing the nitty gritty behind a project, and he discusses how this dynamic approach to architecture is at the heart of his work. Finally, he elaborates on crafting indoor and outdoor spaces that serve as platforms for rich experiences and treasured memories that help tell the story of the homes’ inhabitants.

This episode of The Fireside Chat podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit www.urbanbonfire.com.

Wade Weissmann Architecture – https://wadeweissmannarchitecture.com/


#UrbanBonfire #YourKitchenOutdoors #WadeWeissmannArchitecture

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Kristianne Watts | Bringing Southern Charm to Southern California

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Upon establishing KW Designs in 2007, Kristianne Watts quickly became one of the most highly sought-after interior designers in Southern California, working with the region’s most respected architects and contractors. KW Designs promises to turn its clients’ inspired spaces into a reality, and Kristianne does this with grace and professionalism to offer her clientele more than they could have imagined.

In this episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast, Ryan Bloom speaks with Kristianne Watts about growing up in Alabama, receiving her interior design degree from Samford University, and the early years of KW Designs. She shares how her southern roots shaped her resourceful and creative design approach to creating beautiful and functional spaces without compromising on quality. She discusses the evolution of her role in the recent years as her clientele has increasingly requested her expertise in the activation of outdoor spaces.

Since winning first prize at the highly-esteemed American Society of Interior Designers at just 28 years of age, Kristianne has perfected her ability to realize, even enhance her clients’ dreams for their remodel or new structure, whether a home or commercial building. She discusses with Ryan how she strives to create a cohesive design that reflects her clients personality and yet, challenges them with her creative and refreshing ideas and inspires them to bring spaces to life with a wow-factor.

This episode of The Fireside Chat podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit www.urbanbonfire.com.

KW Designs – https://www.kwdesigns.com/

 

#UrbanBonfire #YourKitchenOutdoors #KristianneWatts #KWDesigns #California #IndoorOutdoorLiving

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John McClain | A Journey Through Design with a Complete Design Professional, Inside and Out

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Born into a family of talented craftsmen and home builders, John McClain spent his childhood immersed in the world of design and construction. As a teenager, he converted his parents’ garage into a living suite, and later bought and remodelled his first home at the age of 20. Before long, John began remodelling and designing home after home, combining his family’s trade with his natural aesthetic ability. Shortly after his career launch, John appeared on HGTV; and through this experience, his personality and design perspective were visible to a larger audience, and he was soon designing homes across the country. 

 

Today, John is a speaker, writer, entrepreneur, and principal designer of the award-winning firm, John McClain Design, with offices in Los Angeles, California and Orlando, Florida. John’s work has been featured in numerous publications including Elle Décor and Traditional Home; and John is a contributor to outlets such as Martha Stewart Living, Interior Design magazine, Apartment Therapy, the Wall Street Journal, and most recently Us Weekly magazine. John and his team pride themselves on establishing a partnership with their clients to bring their vision to life with expertise, knowledge, transparency and authenticity.

In this episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast, John shares his journey of making a career out of his passion for design. He sheds light on the process behind designing his own collection of products, John McClain Home, and the challenges presented by the commercialization of a product line. He discusses the rise in demand for outdoor spaces and in turn, how this has prompted him and his team to embrace the outdoors, and position themselves as an all-inclusive design firm, rather than limiting themselves to the interior.

This episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit www.urbanbonfire.com.

John McClain Design – https://www.johnmcclaindesign.com/

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XTEN Architecture | How Swiss Roots Lead to Exceptional California Crafted Modern Architecture

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This week on The Fireside Chat™ podcast, Ryan Bloom welcomes President and Founding Partner Monika Haefelfinger and Principal Scott Utterstrom of XTEN Architecture, an award-winning international architecture firm based in Los Angeles, California, and Sissach, Switzerland.

Born in Basel, Switzerland, Monika Haefelfinger’s interest in art and design deepened during an apprenticeship with her father’s architecture firm in Sissach. At the age of 21, Monika moved to the United States with the intention of spending a year there with her mother, a California native, and fell in love with California living. Following her studies at the University of Southern California and Columbia University, she worked for architectural firms in Switzerland and in the US. In 2000, XTEN Architecture was born in partnership with her partner and late husband Austin Kelly.

Scott Utterstrom was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2003. During this time, he spent a year abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, and traveled throughout Europe to visit prominent architectural works. After working for the Los Angeles office of AGPS Architecture, he continued his studies at UCLA, before joining XTEN Architecture in 2007. He was named Principal in 2015, and has played a key role in the firm’s many award-winning projects.

In this dynamic conversation, Monika and Scott discuss the architect’s role in articulating their client’s vision, even in smaller spaces in densely populated urban areas, the commonality between Californian, European and Middle Eastern clients in their wish to create a comfortable and welcoming home for their families, where they seek inspiration, and how they bring the progressive and experimental spirit of Los Angeles into their projects.


This episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit https://urbanbonfire.com.


XTEN Architecture – http://xtenarchitecture.com/

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Michael McGowan, KAA Design Group | The Dynamic and Ever-Changing Playing field of the Landscape Architect

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This week on The Fireside Chat™ podcast, we’re thrilled to welcome Michael McGowan, Landscape Architect and Associate of the KAA Design Group, a Los Angeles-based design studio dedicated to advancing the California lifestyle through contemporary architecture for over 30 years.

Michael McGowan joined KAA in 2011, and has been overseeing the design and implementation of a broad range of custom residential, commercial and institutional landscapes. In addition to his design work on numerous estate residential landscapes, some of Michael’s notable projects include: The Eastern Columbia Building, TreePeople Center for Community Forestry, Santa Monica Village and One Santa Fe.

In this conversation, Michael shares how his connection with nature started in his early childhood in Maryland, and how this informed his career choice many years later. He discusses the fundamental shift he is witnessing in client requests and trends as it relates to the outdoors, and how he articulates ideas into plans, and eventually creates ever-evolving outdoor spaces for his clients.

The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe on Apple podcasts, Spotify or Google podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit https://urbanbonfire.com.

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Brian David Roberts | This Seattle-Based Functional Designer’s Unique Philosophy to Space Planning

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Brian David Roberts was determined to become an architect from the age of 12. But after a year of studying architecture at university he realized it was not what he thought it was. He transferred to the field of Industrial Design, specializing in Furniture and Product Design at Brigham Young University in Utah, where he was designing for use and creating products that, when utilized, delighted the end user.

A few years later, while working for a design firm on the east coast, a mentor introduced him to space planning, functional design and proper consulting… and this is where he found his true calling. Brian morphed his love of space and structure, which originally led him to architecture, into an unprecedented design process and philosophy that profoundly improves the lives of his clients within their homes.

In this episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast, Brian shares his journey from architecture to space planning, and what it’s like to live, work and design in the Pacific Northwest with his life and business partner, Virginia. He discusses his wonderfully unique and inventive philosophy on space planning and functional design, and his approach to incorporating lighting into the homes he designs, both indoors and out. Finally, he elaborates on the kitchen as the modern family room, and what this entails for proper space planning.

The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit https://urbanbonfire.com.

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Felipe Londono | This Miami Based Company Brings Glam to Outdoor Living in True South Florida Style

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With over 15 years of experience and nearly 3000 completed outdoor projects in South Florida, Luxapatio is one of the leaders in the outdoor living and entertaining industry. Following the footsteps of iconic brands like Restoration Hardware, their impressive 35,000 square feet indoor/outdoor showroom in Miami, Florida is an immersive outdoor living experience where retail meets lifestyle. The showroom is a true testament to their belief that today’s customer still wants to see, touch and feel products in order to visualize their own outdoor living space. Luxapatio’s experts take tremendous pride in their work and are passionate about activating outdoor spaces that bring family and friends together and help create lasting memories.

Ryan Bloom had the pleasure of speaking with Felipe Londono, Director of Sales and Marketing at Luxapatio. Felipe shared Luxapatio’s refreshing philosophy on the outdoors and the importance of a rich retail experience for the customer. He explained how he focuses on design, functionality and usage of the space when working with his clients. He shared the story of how his parents, his brother and him have grown Luxapatio since 2005 from a 2000 square foot warehouse into one of the finest outdoor showrooms with stunning merchandising, incredible products and unparalleled expertise.
This episode of The Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit https://urbanbonfire.com.
Luxapatio – https://www.luxapatio.com/
#UrbanBonfire #YourKitchenOutdoors #Luxapatio #OutdoorKitchen #Miami #Florida

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Sandra Vlock | An Architect Turned Artist, Transforming Outdoor Environments into Extraordinary Experiences

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As an architect of contemporary architectural design now working as an artist, Sandra Vlock’s focus is to engage people in a shared experience; capturing an authentic sense of place, context and narrative. Sandra Vlock views the integration of Fine Art and Architectural Elements as a natural evolution of that vision; one that enables her to design evocative steel sculptures that inspire memorable experiences and create unique environments for social gathering, quiet reflection, and visual delight.

Each piece by Studio Vlock is made of repurposed objects and sustainable materials and tells a story—real or imagined—that is inspired by nature and shared experience.
We spoke with Sandra about her shift from contemporary architecture to art and her artistic process of using metals, flames, texture, light and shadow to create meaningful pieces for her clients across North America. We discussed our shared love of fire and flames and their power to bring people together and our common passion for transforming outdoor environments into a canvas for extraordinary experiences and memories.
This episode of the Fireside Chat™ podcast is hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you enjoyed it and love great design as much as we do, please subscribe. Follow us on Instagram @UrbanBonfire or join the conversation on Linked In. To find out more, please visit urbanbonfire.com.

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Douglas Burdge | The Future of Functional Outdoor Living Spaces

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Douglas W. Burdge AIA and his team of designers are recognized for their diverse architectural styles, including Spanish Mediterranean, Traditional, “Rustic-Modern” and cutting-edge Contemporary, from Malibu to Sun Valley to Los Cabos, Mexico. Burdge has become the preeminent architect of Malibu, having designed and built over 300 projects in the region, for notable clients including entertainment moguls, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Sophisticated homebuyers commission BAA, knowing that working with BAA will result in a distinctive coastal home that reflects their individual personality. 

We spoke with Douglas about his design philosophy, the growing trend of merging indoor and outdoor design and what makes Malibu the perfect backdrop for creativity and design. We touched on the work he’s done around the California wildfires, which led him to co-found Buhaus, a container home concept where luxury and utility intersect to create beautiful and functional living spaces with a small footprint.

We hope you enjoy this first episode of the Fireside Chat podcast, hosted by Ryan Bloom, Co-Founder and President of Urban Bonfire. If you love design as much as we do, please subscribe. Join the conversation on Instagram and Linked In @UrbanBonfire. To find out more, visit urbanbonfire.com.

#Architecture #YourKitchenOutdoors #UrbanBonfire #Malibu #Buhaus

 

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The Fireside Chat | Preview | A Podcast About Creating Memorable Outdoor Living and Entertaining Spaces

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This is The Fireside Chat, a podcast presented by Urban Bonfire and hosted by Urban Bonfire co-founder and president, Ryan Bloom. The show was created to share amazing and wonderful design being produced across North America and beyond.

Ryan Bloom and Stefan Marchant started Urban Bonfire in 2013 with one simple idea and a question, the kitchen has always been the heart of the home so, why isn’t Your Kitchen Outdoors® treated the same way? They set out to provide beautiful, luxury kitchens that can be customized to fit any outdoor space, architectural style or design.

Every episode of The Fireside Chat will showcase design luminaries with a fresh approach to designing and activating outdoor spaces. You will hear from guests like Allison Pickart, Douglas Burdge, and Michelle Lisac. These are just a few of the incredibly talented creatives you will hear on every episode of The Fireside Chat hosted by Urban Bonfire co-founder and president, Ryan Bloom. Thank you for listening to this special podcast preview. I would like to invite you to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss a single episode of the show. You can also join the conversation on Instagram and Linkedin @UrbanBonfire and find us online Urban Bonfire dot com.

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