We recently completed an interesting project outside of Toronto, Canada. The owners had purchased a log cabin on a beautiful wooded property and added a very contemporary addition which features a “silo” with a glass domed observation deck at the top.

On the interior of the silo is a spiral staircase that ascends to a small round room at the top covered by the glass dome. The room is a 13’ diameter retreat, just big enough for the owners to escape from earth and watch stars light up the night sky, clouds sail past and the sun set over the trees on the distant horizon.

For years people have inquired if we had ever built such a room (a domed silo conservatory) but we never had, so I was delighted when Jon Goulding, the in-house architect for Mathew Sapera Fine Homes in Toronto, first called and inquired.

Here’s the dome starting its trip to the top.

Jon was great to work with. We had to make sure the room functioned as an actual usable space- for example, there needed to be enough head room at the top of the stairs to meet code, and Jon wanted it to have just the right look. The dome is one half of a sphere and there are twelve windows around its base. We settled on twelve facets because on the one hand, we didn’t want it to have too many facets- then it would seem too crowded and the windows would be too narrow for the view, but on the other hand, if there were not enough facets, the dome would not seem “round”.

Working with Jon, we came up with a good compromise, a terrific, unique project and another very satisfied customer.

Our installer’s artful depiction of the finished silo project.

One of our installation guys showing the strength of the dome.

I get a lot of magazines delivered to me, most of which I don’t remember ever subscribing to. The ones that really have nothing to do with our conservatory business I call up and have canceled, like the Journal of Welding (or something like that). I can’t imagine how I got on the list for that one.

But some are relevant and interesting. Of course there are the usual copies of Window & Door, Woodworking and Glass magazines that arrive monthly and sometimes even Fast Company or something really hot.

But recently, I found something called Smart CEO in my box. It was the Baltimore issue and apparently there is also a Washington DC issue. In it I found a lot of the usual stuff, stories of successful young entrepreneurs that make me feel sick with envy, business advice, much of which is common sense or already well understood by anyone who has managed to stay afloat for more than a few years and lots of ads for everyone who wants to help me do everything better.

But in this April 2009 issue, one item stood out. A column called “Interior Matters” written by Alicia Rodriguez. Alicia is founder of Sophia Associates Inc., an “international executive and leadership coaching practice”.

The title of her column was “Creating Mindfulness- running on autopilot will get you to the same old destination”.

I have heard of lots of new age jingle jangle business stuff over the years- and even been involved with some, however I sense that Alicia has digested something quite real.

Her premise is that in today’s uncertain, complex and fast changing world, the clarity and understanding that is required to take qualitatively better action, must come from what is not already “known”.

She talks about the cultivation of a quality called “mindfulness”, which definition she quotes from the Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center as: “ paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

She says: “At its core, mindfulness is about being present to what is right in front of you. It is a quality of attention and heightened awareness, both of your internal landscape and external environment…”

She goes on to note the benefits: “It is only by cultivating this heightened awareness that you can recognize your default patterns and purposefully choose alternative actions rather than react out of …(the same habitual patterns of thinking and behavior that have actually created the situation to begin with).

I was interested to learn that Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

In short, Alicia points out that “…creation and innovation only occur in the present moment, not in the past and not in the future” and that attention to the present moment is precisely what the cultivation of “mindfulness” is all about.

Her closing remark says it all: “If you think that cultivating mindfulness is just new age fluff, think again. On second thought, don’t think. Just pay attention!

Alan

Unbeknownst to me beforehand, Tanglewood Conservatories made it onto the cover of Custom Woodworking Business magazine this month! What a surprise when I opened the package with the issues of the magazine and saw the great cover shot of our conservatory interior.

Michaelle Bradford wrote the three page article on Tanglewood Conservatories titled “Bringing the Garden Inside- a Maryland company creates a ‘fantasy’ room for the home”. The piece focuses on how Nancy and I began the company and is the latest in Michaelle’s section called “Winning Niches”.

Michaelle is the Managing Editor of CWB as well as of several other Vance Publications and has the great job of flying around the country interviewing interesting people and writing about their stories.

I first met Michaelle in Germany last year when we were touring woodworking facilities and machinery manufacturers in the Black Forest region. I thought she had a great job then and I am even more impressed now.

Custom Woodworking Business magazine is an interesting publication geared towards; well- custom woodworking businesses. I had never heard of it before I met Michaelle. It addresses business issues, technical and production issues, marketing issues and strategic issues all highlighted using case studies involving “industrial strength” woodworking business (as their cover notes).

For example in this issue, there is an article on Terry Bostwick’s custom furniture line. Terry first gained national recognition for his “Art Nuvo”- style furniture but has more recently moved towards more modern pieces such as his “Slab” series. He’s got some cool looking stuff.

Then there is a column on Management Strategies titled: “The Full, Fast Truth” which talks about running an efficient woodworking business, and another profile of a company in Colorado that manufactures some very nice high-end custom doors.

And finally, there’s an article about airbrushing techniques and an “equipment spotlight” column.

A nice little niche publication.

Thanks Michaelle.

Alan