OLD PRAGUE AND NEW Built on seven hills and intersected by the meandering River Vltava (Moldau), Prague offers a stunning array of architecture. From Romanesque and Gothic to cubist and functionalist, the Czech Republic capital is one of the few cities where so many diverse forms of architectural expression coexist comfortably. Every era of the city's history is reflected in its buildings. — Published 2002.0417
	MULTIPLYING LIGHT Two years ago, seven architects in Portland, Oregon were invited to design chandeliers in collaboration with artisans of the Bullseye Glass Company. Architecture critic Randy Gragg was the curator of the resulting exhibit, "Multiplied Light." — Editor Dictionary defined as a lighting fixture hung from a ceiling with branches for candles or light bulbs, what we call the chandelier, most likely began with a pine knot hung on a strap of skin. — Published 2002.0410
	MOUNT VERNON CONSERVATION After almost a year’s worth of conservation work, the smaller of two dining rooms at Mount Vernon is again fully furnished and open to the public. In the course of this work, the 1743 Fairfax County, Virginia mansion, home to George Washington, revealed secrets of its original construction and of its many subsequent makeovers. — Published 2002.0327
	LEBANESE DOMESTIC VERNACULAR The vernacular dwelling is the unconscious expression of a people's culture. More than the architecture of secular or religious institutions, houses mirror the needs, desires, and living habits of a time because they are the direct result of the interaction between people and their environment. — Published 2002.0306
	SOURCING CUSTOM FURNITURE In the world of furniture, sometimes "good" isn't good enough. Whether you're buying for yourself or for a client, sometimes you need something really special, something at the very top of the quality ladder. You can't find that work in a furniture store or a manufacturer's catalog. You have to go to the source, to the men and women whose refined sensibility and meticulous craftsmanship enable them to produce truly distinctive furniture. — Published 2002.0220
	ARCHITECTURAL ALMANAC The Almanac of Architecture & Design is an annual compendium of architecture and design facts, award winners, projects, firms, rankings, schools, and other information. Architecture critic Robert Campbell wrote the third edition's foreword, in which he refers to many of the resources available in the book. — Editor — Published 2002.0206
	A CONTROVERSIAL RESTORATION Boldt Castle, on one of the Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River, between northern New York State and eastern Province of Ontario, ranks among the largest and most prominent houses in the United States. The seven-story granite structure, comparable in grandeur to Hearst Castle in California, has sparked debate about the appropriate goals of historic restoration. — Published 2002.0123
	DESIGNING A HOME WORKPLACE When I first started working from home in 1994, I began in what I now call a "first-step home workplace." I commandeered a den on the first floor of our house and moved in office furniture and computer equipment I already owned, shuffling them around to achieve the best fit given the existing conditions of the room. — Published 2002.0116
	THE TEA ROOMS OF MACKINTOSH Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh is famous for his tea rooms, and he deserves to be. The Willow Tea Rooms in Sauchiehall Street were among his most original buildings and the most complete in their scheme of decoration and furniture. In the Salon de Luxe, the inner sanctum of the Willow, the waitresses even wore chokers and dresses designed by Mackintosh. — Published 2002.0109
	NURSING UNITS EVOLVE Acute-care units in U.S. hospitals face challenges: low satisfaction levels for patients and caregivers, ineffective materials flow, lack of storage, inefficient use of beds, and a shortage of nurses, technicians, and other health workers. Reduced reimbursements don't help, nor does a diminishing supply of operational capital. To top things off, design has often magnified these problems, when it should be helping to alleviate them. But how? What should the acute-care unit of the future look like? — Published 2001.1219

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