Category Archives: Design + Inspiration

Spotlight on Knoll Furniture and Office Resources

We’ve been working with Heather Rowan of Office Resources for years when it comes to the piece of interior design dealing with the furniture. We recently outfitted COVE – Cooperative Venture Workspace in Portsmouth with an array of Knoll inspired furniture options that really make the space “pop” and bring it to life. And while it’s stylish and eye-catching, it also serves its primary function: Comfort. Not sure what “Knoll” furniture is? Click here to learn more. Check out our Q&A below with Heather and Office Resources, one of our…

Escher at the Currier

Ah, Escher — the man known for his impossibly wonderful, wonderfully impossible drawings and prints. He’s a man, as the director and CEO of the Currier Museum of Art, Susan Strickler says, “whose works are instantly recognizable, but whose first name is less well known.” The works of “M.C. (Maurits Cornelis) Escher: Reality and Illusion” exhibit is on display through Jan. 5 at the Manchester museum. And it is well worth the 45 minute drive from the Seacoast.

Granted the exhibit is highly visual, and that is only enhanced by the supply of magnifying glasses stationed at points throughout. There’s something about having a magnifying glass in your hand that makes you feel like a detective, a detective on the hunt for what it must have felt like to draw the tesselations and geometrically impossible works in each piece. (Pointer: If you don’t see a magnifying glass at the beginning, hustle to the end and grab one from the return station. They’re popular.)

Bold and Brash (and almost over!)

Get to the latest exhibit at the Discover Portsmouth Center. It’s “Bold and Brash: The Art of John Haley Bellamy.” And go, even if you don’t like eagles (the exhibit consists largely of eagles carved of wood.) The exhibit, as well as the people who created it and tend to it, are quite captivating. The Discover Portsmouth Center is located in the home of the former Portsmouth Library, on two floors. Upon entering, you will first be struck by all of the winged splendor, but you will also see autographed…

Adaptive Reuse: More Prevalent Than Ever

Chinburg Builders, Newmarket, NH, is a strong example of adaptive reuse on the Seacoast. Courtesy photo. SOMMA is a wealth of knowledge for design, art and architecture, and one topic near and dear to Jennifer Ramsey’s heart is adaptive reuse. We picked her brain and were left wondering about the architecture of Portsmouth’s future, built on Portsmouth past. For more information about SOMMA, visit www.SOMMAstudios.com or contact them at design@SOMMAstudios.com Q: Can you give us a quick definition of adaptive reuse? A: Adaptive reuse is a term used to describe the…

Historic Happenings

Of Portsmouth’s many groups and creative crews, one of SOMMA’s favorite nonprofits is the Portsmouth Historical Society, which now calls home the space once filled by “the old library.” While its physical home is contained to 10 Middle St., its reach is felt all over the Port City. The group operates the museum and Discover Portsmouth visitor center in downtown Portsmouth, publishes books, manages the Black Heritage Trail and advocates for historic preservation. Below, is just one of the many activities of an historic and architectural nature, that is slated…

“Here’s to History!”

“Bold & Brash,” the highly anticipated exhibit at one of Portsmouth’s hottest new “old” spots, was an excellent opportunity to ask one of its sponsors some history-tinged questions. Jennifer Ramsey, architect, of SOMMA Studios, in Portsmouth, was excited to share information about “Bold & Brash: The Art of John Haley Bellamy,” which opens April 3 at the Discover Portsmouth Center. First, the nitty-gritty, for your date books: WHAT: “Bold & Brash: The Art of John Haley Bellamy” art exhibit WHEN: Thursday, April 3, 5:30 to 8 p.m., VIP doors open…