Owl's Head Design

    My life has been guided by a common thread - an unwavering inquiry into the question “What constitutes the highest principles of truth and beauty and how can they best be incorporated into everyday life?". This inquiry has led me to study multiple disciplines including, organic agriculture, international methods and styles of cooking, traditional European textile design and construction, Classical architectural principles, natural dwelling design and construction, and via music - the subject of resonance and the effects of sound and vibration on living beings. Accompanying this inquiry process has been an ongoing commitment to live a life that is informed and guided by nature’s rhythms through seasonal activities including gardening, animal husbandry, food preservation, fabric creation, and construction projects. From these lifestyle experiences I have come to understand that connections between the natural world and humans are enhanced and invigorated when people spend time in spaces that integrate nature’s wisdom and materials into their designs. I use this knowledge to inform my approach to the design and building processes.

     Fabrics: My experience with fabrics began at age 8 when I was taught to weave by my Swedish grandmother.  She came from a lineage of tailors and weavers and received a master's degree from Columbia University’s school of Interior Design (called Home Economics) in 1925.  She designed and built several houses throughout her life and I was fortunate to have experienced some of the processes involved with the final one in Rockford, IL., built using the principles of Frank Lloyd Wright. Her houses integrated functional designs with furniture and fabrics to create places of beauty and amazing form. She also integrated extensive gardens around each dwelling.

      Wood: My knowledge of building grew as my immediate family's homes were remodeled. I had an insatiable curiosity about building processes and ran home daily from primary school in order to see as much of the construction work going on as possible. From my father I learned about the unique qualities of lumber ascribed to the various species of trees.  Although he practiced medicine, he loved working with trees, and in our farm house he had each room paneled with wood from a different species of tree, sourcing the lumber with horses from our farm's forests. The wood was finished with oils so grain was visible, and we children were drilled in the grains, colors, qualities, densities, and appropriate functions of each variety of wood. As a family, we planted thousands of trees each spring to reforest the farm fields. A vacation at home or abroad, was filled with tree identifications. Needless to say, the properties of wood were “ingrained” into my psyche!

      Architectural Style: Travel abroad in my formative years exposed me to the art and architecture of Old Europe, where I discovered that careful attention had been given to every detail of design and construction and that architecture could be stunningly beautiful.  While I had had some exposure to German building styles in my childhood city of Milwaukee, it was clear to me the quality and style of the contemporary buildings going up around me was in stark contrast to those I had seen in the older parts of Europe.

      Textiles: For a year during college I attended a textile school in Sweden.  Upon graduating, I spent time in New Zealand studying sheep and wool production.  There, I began in a sheep shearing shed sorting 1000’s of fleeces, learning from a Scottish master, the subtle differences in the quality of wool fibers.  Traveling around the country I visited farmers raising a variety of sheep breeds, learning from them breed specific fiber qualities and characteristics as well as sheep raising guidelines required for optimal quality wool production.  I then visited spinners and weavers of fabric who used the local wools in their production. I came back to the US and began to raise Corriedale sheep and Angora goats.  While initially following conventional agricultural practices, I soon began exploring natural methods to manage my animals’ health, ultimately finding ways to raise organic animals.  From my exposure to conventional methods of animal fiber production, I was introduced to the chemicals and processes involved, realizing that residues from these practices had no place in a healthy world or in healthy environments. I have continued to work with natural fibers ever since, through weaving, knitting, sewing, etc.

      Construction Experience: Simultaneous to raising animals, I began my first building design project, that of building an Inn on our farm in California. As the property was quite remote, my husband and I did nearly all of the construction ourselves. I learned how to design and install both AC and DC electrical systems, how to create water systems and do plumbing, how to frame, tile, sheetrock, trim, paint, decorate, etc. I explored natural wood finishes, found organic and chemical free bedding, searched for pure wool carpeting, in short, made every effort to create a naturally healthy environment. I was also introduced to the subject of Feng shui and began to implement its principles. Building the Inn was a true initiation into the world of creating spaces!

      Rich Environments: While running the Inn/farm and engaging primarily with guests from the San Francisco area, it became clear to me from our first year's 40% guest return rate, that many of these urban dwellers were longing for a deeper relationship with the natural world and a nourishing environment. The Inn, in both its form and function, provided a unique experience for the guests, combining high quality spaces with outdoor activities and honest food. The creative process involved in forming the structure was guided by my life experiences and involved the combination of traditionally informed design principles and techniques with traditionally used natural materials and patterns. Adding to these an awareness of structure and form, the environments created generated unique richness and depth.

      Feng shui, Building Biology®, Vāstu, and BioGeometry®: I went on to raise a family and continued to study Feng shui, added the study of Bau-Biologie or Building-Biology® as it is called now, began the study of Vedic Vāstu, and for the past 10 years, have concentrated on the study of BioGeometry®, a subject that has provided me with a better understanding of the subtle energy of space and form, and how it can impact our human experiences. I have incorporated BioGeometry® principles into several houses I designed and modified for my family and others. In 2018/2019 I used the conceptual framework of BioGeometry® to inform my approach to design in a year of Interior Architecture graduate school at Endicott College in Massachusetts. I have since worked on several design projects, the most recent being on a landscape in Los Angelos designed specifically using BioGeometry® principles.  I  I look forward to sharing the process with you!

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