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International Design Center opens today for public sneak peek at designer tools
By Harriet Howard Heithaus
Saturday, May 20, 2006
In an era of do-it-yourself ambience from big-box stores, the International Design Center in Estero is a cygnet among the chicklets.
After opening tours today, only its stone-and-
marble ground floor is open to the public. To access the second and third floors in the 230,000-square-foot center, a designer � through whom purchases are made � must accompany the buyer. The concept follows that of trade-only centers such as Merchandise Mart in Chicago and the Design Center of America in Miami.
The latter has long been a destination for some high-end Neapolitan decorators and their clients. In fact, Margaret Miller, President and CEO of the center, said it was constant running to other places to furnish another of her company’s developments here that inspired the building of the center here.
“I needed furnishings and I had no place in this area to buy from,� said Miller. “I was going to New York. I was going to Europe. If I was suffering from this, I thought, many more people must be having the same needs.�
Miller can make a lot of tracks in her 4-inch high heels. Her company, Miromar Development Corp., created fashion’s mirror image of IDC, the cost-conscious Miromar Outlets, across Corkscrew Road from it, as well as nearby University Village apartments and the tonier Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club.
Three other developments are in Quebec and New York. A hotel and office park across from the IDC are in planning stages. Among other things, that hotel is expected to be a convenience for buyers coming here from other Gulf Coast or central Florida cities.
“We’ve created this for a regional market � Tampa, Sarasota, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Fort Myers, as well as Naples,� Miller explained.
What they’re coming to see isn’t all here yet. Joan Kearns Kauffman, general manager, says the 80 showrooms are at least 75 percent leased. But she agrees to an estimate that only around 20 percent of them will open today. Permits, licenses and everything else that takes time is taking it for the IDC as well, she said, adding an example: “First you have to get the certificate of occupancy for the building. Then you have to get a certificate of occupancy for each showroom in it.That’s 80 more COs.�
Ground was broken for the building in 2002. But its showrooms may not be at optimum capacity until its grand opening, scheduled for October. Among those showrooms visitors will be able to see today are familiar national names such as Ann Sacks, Baker, Kravet and Stickley. Baker, which has 10,000 square feet on the public floor, will carry mid-price lines such as Milling Road as well as its upscale lines like Thomas Pheasant and McQuire.
Several Naples businesses, such as Gallery on Fifth and the Wood Floor Company, are opening showrooms.
Others will be new names, specialty designers like Elegante Hardwood, the New York-based business of John Trione. Elegante specializes in hand-sawed imported flooring.
“I like Naples. I was coming down to Naples and saw all the higher-end homes that were being built. They’re the ones using hardwood flooring, which is what we do,� he explained.
Black & Lenet is a new name that may be here because of Kauffman. The Miami-based casual-outdoor furniture dealer, which carries lines such as Palacek and Lister teak, worked with Kauffman at DCOTA in Miami. Kauffman helped build DCOTA and served as managing partner for 21 years.
She moved here, she says, to be able to replicate the building process that helped establish high-quality entrepreneurs such as she knew in Miami 21 years ago.
“A lot of people who went in there became hugely successful, and a lot of that has to do with the person behind the operation of the center,� she said.
What makes a center successful, said Kauffman, is the right mix of design companies and specialties. So is having capable designers. The IDC allows designers to register for a nominal fee to bring their clients there, or reviews applicants from designers to become a “Designer on Call,� working with people who want to visit the upstairs showrooms. The first two hours are free; the designers charge their clients after that.
To avoid being a bazaar for browsers, the IDC requires potential clients to have floor plans and a general idea of the items they’re seeking before they start the process, Kauffman said.
The center, although it was a hive of painters, carpenters and finishers Tuesday, was designed for visual impact as much as its showrooms.
“It’s very, very carefully designed. I’ve never been in a center with this much attention to design,� said Kauffman. She and Miller pointed to the cherry atrium promenade facades, punctuated invisibly for the speaker system that will pipe in background music. Outside, a 28-foot-tall, 5-ton stainless steel sculpture by Swiss artist Housi Knecht welcomes visitors under a title Miller gave it: “New Beginnings.�
A Bosendorfer piano in the atrium will offer serenades for special events. It will flank the
marble-granite-polished
limestone floor design, a vision of Juan Montoya, artistic design director, for the project. However, the amber overtones � zebra wood information desk and anegre lobby walls � came from Julie Brezina, Miromar’s design coordinator.
The two flew to showrooms themselves to come up with colors and textures for details such as a gold suede archway, caramel-and-onyx tiled baths and the cliff-face French
limestone atrium walls. Just for a moment, as Miller and Brezina were discussing the design invested in the design center, their high-power business demeanor dissoloved to gleeful teens on a shopping trip.
“We’re FAST,� they chorused, laughing.
If You Go
What: International Design Center opening. There will be gift bags for the first 1,000 visitors and refreshments at some showrooms. The day will include several talks:
Noon: “The Value and Prestige of a Design Center� by Heather Schreckengast, managing editor of Florida Design magazine
1:30 p.m.: “Interior Design and Fine Art in Broadcasting,� from Linda Corley Webb, of PBS station WPBT
2 p.m.: “Interior Design: Historic Preservation and Restoration,� by Chip du Pont, featured designer on PBS and HGTV
2:30 p.m. “Design with the Environment in Mind�: Bernadette Upton, designer and cofounder of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Sustainable Design Council.
Where: 10800 Corkscrew Road, Estero; Southeast corner, exit 123 off Interstate 75
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today; hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a..m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays
Admission: Free; parking is free
Information:
www.idcfl.com; 390-5111
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 | | Marble | MARBLE: CHARACTERISTICS
This standard includes general information on the characteristics
and common uses of marble and identifies typical problems
associated with the material.
INTRODUCTION
Marble is an extremely hard, metamorphic stone composed of calcite
(CaCO3). It is formed as a result of the recrystallization of
limestone under the intense pressure and heat of geologic
processes. The effect of this process is the creation of a stone
with a very tight crystalline structure and small but definite
porosity. Because of its structure, marble can take a very high
polish and is a very popular decorative stone for architectural and
sculptural uses. The limited porosity of marble, especially
polished marble, makes it less vulnerable to the leaching effects
of water. Calcium carbonate, however, of which marble is composed,
is highly susceptible to attack by acidic agents. Marble is
readily dissolved by acids, even very dilute acids, however the
actual results of acidic exposure will vary with the nature of the
acid. Chlorides, nitrates, sulfates and other chemical compounds
react differently with marble and produce various by-products,
which have a wide range of solubility and impact on the durability
of marble. For this reason, it is always important to determine
the exact type of pollutants causing marble deterioration.
Marble itself can be of two types, one composed of calcite and the
other of dolomite. Dolomitic marble is much more resistant to acid
attack than calcite marble. The color of marble ranges from the
brilliant white of calcite to black, including blue-gray, red,
yellow and green, depending upon the mineral composition.
TYPICAL USES
Marble has many decorative and structural uses. It is used for
outdoor sculpture as well as for sculpture bases; in architecture
it is used in exterior walls and veneers, flooring, decorative
features, stairways and walkways. The way in which the stone is
used may be a factor in limiting or controlling the severity of
exposure. The use or function of the marble may also affect the
feasibility of applying certain treatments, but type of use is not
the primary factor in the major types of deterioration and damage
to which marble is susceptible. | |  |
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Linear Mode
