The New Waiting Room: A Healthcare Asset

By Robert L. Titzer in "Medical Office Today"

Ever waited in your own waiting room? Ever sat in a crowded row of chairs against a bare white wall, leafing through a tattered magazine, before another long wait in a stark examination room? What impression does that experience leave on your patients? Do they care?

Answer: Yes. Studies show that patients do care about the medical office environment and that a pleasant waiting room can make all the difference in how they perceive your practice. Long a neglected stepchild of medical office design, the waiting room is receiving overdue attention. Increasingly, physicians recognize that the waiting room affects not only consumer perceptions, but also business efficiency and even health outcomes.

Until recently, physician practices had little motivation to focus on the waiting room; quality of care was the highest priority. However, today’s consumers expect more than just competency. Medical practitioners are beginning to act like retailers, which have long invested heavily in store design to influence consumer attitudes and behavior.

Superficial as it may sound, in today’s image-driven marketplace, patients are more likely than in the past to judge a physician’s abilities by the look of the waiting area. Dinged doors, dirty flooring, worn seating and dog-eared magazines can suggest that cleanliness is not important and a physician’s skills are not current—negative perceptions that can undermine patients’ trust.

For the complete article, please see: http://www.medicalofficetoday.com/content.asp?article=5085

Think Art!

Image courtesy of Richard Nagler, as discovered on brainpickings.org


This says it all:  Think art. 

Word on the Street is a fantastic collection of Nagler’s richest such images from the past three decades, which iconic poet Allen Ginsberg eloquently and accurately described as “visual poetics.” Sometimes shocking, often surprising and invariably compelling, these portraits invite you, with a wink, to complete the barely bespoken narratives and look for those hidden yet staggeringly obvious human truths that interlace with the fabric of mundanity.

Read more: http://www.brainpickings.org/#ixzz1CevMHfLB via NPR.

Lockheed Lounge - Aircraft Inspired Furniture

Lockheed Lounge by Marc Newson

Aluminum and fiberglass

35 x 25 x 60 inches

Edition of 10

As a (private) pilot, I love this and wanted to share with you!  Sleek design, cool composition, an amazing work of "working" art.  Artist Marc Newson has created dozens if not hundreds of cool designs, is extensively collected and highly exhibited.

For more details on Marc Newson's Lockheed Lounge, visit his website at:  http://www.marc-newson.com/ProjectImages.aspx?GroupSelected=0&ProjectName=Lockheed+Lounge%0d1986+-+Pod&Category=Unique Pieces

Coolest Hotel Lobby

La Purificadora, Puebla


The 26-room La Purificadora in Puebla’s historic city center has clear echoes of its past as a 19th-century water-bottling facility—nowhere more so than in its stunning open-air lobby.
Renowned Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta kept a portion of the original façade intact (including a masonry stone wall and arched gate) and fashioned a dramatic black volcanic stone staircase with a stream of water running down its middle. Legorreta also celebrates Puebla’s Catholic heritage: the sofas are a bold bishop purple.

For the complete article from Travel & Leisure, visit: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/coolest-hotel-lobbies/4

The Value of Hiring an Interior Designer

An interior designer can provide years of expertise, industry knowledge and artistic creativity to the client - some on an hourly fee basis, some on a cost plus/product mark-up, or a combination of both.  Know the costs up-front and the difference in billing styles - while the cost plus/product mark-up sounds harsh, in reality it can save you a great deal of money.  Some suppliers sell only "to the trade" and can offer discounts up to 50% off retail.  A designer may pass this discounted price to their client and add 10 - 20% as their "fee" - and the client still saves 30 to 40% or more!

If you're hiring a designer, make sure the contract clearly states all the costs, including incidentals such as telephone calls, internet search, and travel time.  Designers frequently know the latest and greatest products and materials out there, so they're not re-inventing the wheel with each new client - you'll have the advantage when hiring an expert.  Get recommendations and referrals and be sure to check references.  You'll be glad you hired an expert who can save you time and money on your design project.

For a referral, you can visit the ASID (American Society of Interior Design) web site:  http://www.asid.org/referral.htm

Acrylic Love on Valentine's Day

Love" by Amy Cohen-Banker
Original Acrylic on Canvas
30 x 30 inches

The perfect painting to show on Valentine's Day.  Amy's work is available for sale, rent or lease, call us at (888) 440-9260.

Building Healing Environments

Excerpt from Medical Office Today, by  Robert L. Titzer

Studies attest to the positive effect of the "healing environment," a concept that emerged in hospitals in the 1990s and has recently taken hold in medical office design. For example, a patient’s blood pressure tends to be higher when measured in a doctor’s office than at home, reflecting the anxiety many patients feel during even a routine check-up.

A comfortable environment encompasses not only artwork, but also furnishings, lighting, seating arrangements and even reading material. For the full article, visit:  http://www.medicalofficetoday.com/content.asp?article=5085


The photograph above is a Pediatric Children's office in a Minneapolis hospital setting, a client of Art Rent and Lease.  This client's artwork is soothing and cheery for patients, relaxing anxiety and fear.   For information on an art rental or leasing art for your office, call us for a free consultation (888) 449-9260.

World's Most Collectable Furniture Pieces

From Fastcodesign.com, Adam Lindemann's "Collecting Design" is your complete guide to scooping up the best 20th-century furniture!  This piece by Ron Arad.

For the complete article, please visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663125/9-of-the-worlds-most-collectable-furniture-pieces-slideshow#8

Travel & Leisure Top Awards - Best Mixed Use Venue

Travel & Leisure Design Awards 2011
Best Mixed-Use Venue
Designed by Herzog & de Meuron

More than a parking lot, 11 11 Lincoln Road is an open-air raw-concrete structure with, depending on which floor you happen to be on, seven- to 34-foot ceilings, as well as numerous hip retail shops and restaurants. Its developer, Robert Wennett, refers to the place as a “parking sculpture.” He also built a one-block extension of the pedestrians-only Lincoln Road Mall designed by landscape architect Raymond Jungles and Herzog & de Meuron and installed a new piece of public art by Dan Graham called Morris’ in honor of the late Morris Lapidus, the much-maligned, much-loved architect we have to thank for such Miami Beach landmark hotels as the 1954 Fontainebleau and the 1956 Eden Roc.

For the complete story, visit: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/tl-design-awards-2011/13

Interior Design Spacehacking: Chair Made of 8,000 Chopsticks Unfolds Into Sofa

By Maria Popova via BigThink.com
While this has nothing to do with renting or leasing art, I just think it's VERY cool!

The story:  Spacehacking is a common craft among urban dwellers who want to make the most out of their less-than-generous floor plans. From Japanese-born, German-based designer Yuya Ushida comes Sofa_XXXX – an ingenious chair that expands into a 3-person couch. Meticulously engineered and made of 8,000 custom-made wooden chopsticks of four different lengths, the couch took three months to build.

For more, visit: http://bigthink.com/ideas/26643 and see Maria's website at:  http://www.brainpickings.org/

Amazing Stained Glass Directional Wayfinding

From Fastcodesign, artist Paul Houseberg:

Color-coded wayfinding never looked so good!  The crux of Housberg’s technique is layering colors to achieve what he calls “an envelope of experience.” His goal is to “create an environment rather than a series of focal points,” he says, adding quickly: “Not to get too art-speaky here.”

Housberg has produced installations for organizations all over the map: Pfizer, CalSTRS , Marriott, St. Regis, and the California Pacific Medical Center, among others. For each assignment, he says, he likes to “create work that feels like it can’t be sited anywhere else.” He starts by feeling out the architecture. “I try to understand the space and the lighting the conditions and who uses the space,” he says. “That usually suggests a general approach, and then I develop a palette.”

For the complete article, please visit: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663116/the-21st-century-master-of-an-ancient-art-stained-glass-slideshow?partner=co_newsletter#1

Office Plants have Hidden Benefits

From ASID, Eye on Design.  Studies have shown that office plants may help improve indoor air quality, but new research suggests they may have other benefits as well. In a study conducted in Norway, the researchers determined that cognitive performance is better in offices with plants than without plants, even when the offices included desks next to a window that looked out over a natural landscape.

For the complete article, please visit:  http://www.researchdesignconnections.com/content/office-plants-worth-fertilizer-01-21-11

Shown above is a dental office reception area featuring blooming and green plants, cut flowers and an original painting by Rogers, provided by Art Rent and Lease.  Flowers and artwork help to lessen patient anxiety and brighten the space!

Google London's New Office is Happy & Fun

The office is the work of Scott Brownrigg Interior Design, who teamed up with Google’s Joe Borrett and Jane Preston to outfit the new 40,000-square-foot space in a whimsical “London-Brighton theme.” (For us yanks, that’s the rough equivalent of "gogo meets Coney Island.") The place has meeting rooms in timber beach cabins; and video conferencing stations in giant, primary-colored dice; and desks in bumper cars and red telephone booths.

To see more, visit: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663112/google-london-s-new-office-is-a-happy-kiddie-funhouse-slideshow?partner=co_newsletter#1

Thanks for the article, fastcodesign.com

Moving into a New Office - You'll Want Art on the Walls

Moving into a new office is hectic.  Sometimes, the last thing everyone thinks of is the artwork on the walls!  No problem, we can help you select paintings, photographs or prints for your space and have it installed within days.  We have consultants throughout the US, can ship nationwide, provide framing and installation services.  Let us know how we can help you with your move, contact us at (888) 440-9260 and visit us at www.artrentandlease.com for more information on art for your space, art rentals, art leasing and more!

Design is a Differentiator

from ASID Eye on Design:

Not even the Great Recession has trumped the importance and differentiation potential of design excellence. Leaders who responded to our survey reported a renewed client interest in quality and return on investment. Note that these characteristics are not mutually exclusive. Enduring performance and a holistic focus are important to owners. Geopolitics outside the United States is placing high value on the importance of design in our collective future — not just designing for problems that need to be solved but designing for prevention.

We can help you design your space with artwork that makes a statement, enhances your image and improves client retention.  www.artrentandlease.com


For the complete story visit: http://www.di.net/articles/archive/new_opportunities_but_little_recovery/

Forecasts on Sustainable Design

"Goldfish" by Andrea Bonfils

The folks at Inhabitat asked some of their favorite movers and shakers in the green design space to share their forecasts for what 2011 may mean for sustainable design, architecture and the natural and social environment. From the proliferation of share programs and bike culture, to eco-innovations in technology to make building and energy management easier, read what some of the most eminent minds in the green design world have to say about 2011. From ASID eye on design, visit: http://inhabitat.com/green-design-predictions-for-2011/2010billmcdonough/?extend=1

Shown above is an original oil painting on recycled canvas, with mixed media natural pigments and dyes, available for sale, rent or lease from Art Rent and Lease.  Visit our site at:  www.artrentandlease.com or call (888) 440-9260 for more information on sustainable artwork for your space!

Google Art Project is Born

Explore museums from around the world, discover and view hundreds of artworks at incredible zoom levels, and even create and share your own collection of masterpieces:  http://www.googleartproject.com/

Fantastic & Inexpensive Art Hanging System

I love this art hanging system from Gallery System Art Displays, and just quoted to a wonderful company in Philadelphia for their lobby rotating art gallery.  These are two of their sample installations.


For more information on a rotating art gallery in your building or facility lobby, call us for a free initial consultation at (888) 440-9260.


A rotating art gallery starts at just $200 per month and with this easy display system, changing out artwork is a snap!  To see the line offered please visit: www.gallerysystem.com

Master of an Ancient Art: Stained Glass

From Fastcodesigns.com:


Paul Housberg is rescuing stained glass from the realm of fusty old churches and giving it new life.

He takes the fusty old art of stained glass and updates it for hotels, offices, and universities -- those sanctuaries of the modern world.

The resulting installations are giant, geometric arrays of colored glass that owe more to abstract art than to the windows of a 13th-century cathedral. Case in point: Housberg’s latest project, a set of six backlit murals at Princeton University’s new Frick Chemistry Lab. The building is fiercely contemporary -- a study in glass and steel -- and Housberg’s work is designed to both echo the space and warm it up.

For the complete article, visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663116/the-21st-century-master-of-an-ancient-art-stained-glass-slideshow?partner=co_newsletter#3