Dawson Design Associates have asked me to advise them on the opening of their London office, which is happening in September. Aside from helping them to find staff, I was invited to spend ten days in the Studio in Seattle, looking at working methods, documentation, FF&E suppliers etc..
I jumped at the chance to work in Seattle for ten days, staying at the rural home of practice Principal, Andrea Sheehan-Dawson, who I hope to be introducing to many suppliers during the Sleep event in November. Andrea is a very committed designer, as is shown by the 6 design awards the practice has won since 2005. She lives with her University student daughter Emily, two cats and a 3 legged dog in 15 acres of wooded land across Puget Sound from Seattle. The commute I have joined her in is a delightful ferry and bus ride, taking just under an hour door to door. Emily drives us to the ferry in the family 4×4, stopping to let the horse from its loose box. Emily achieved prominence locally by her campaign to save the little people that had populated the metalwork of the local ferry terminal, now removed to enable maintenance. To her delight I pointed out that some had survived the cull…
