Northwest Chapter's Inaugural Lecture Series with Thomas Jayne & Michael Imber

Two lectures at the beautifully appointed Rainier Club in Seattle kicked off the Northwest Chapter's inaugural lectures series this past August.

Thomas Jayne (left) traces his roots to Seattle. With an international roster of clients, the designer still draws on his early influences: his mother was a well-regarded Pacific Northwestern painter, and his early memories are of seeing treasured family objects that had been brought to the West Coast by her family. In a nod to his Pacific Northwest audience, Jayne began his talk by showing familiar-feeling images of turn-of-the-century scenes of the timber industry here. He advocates keeping pieces that have the patina of age and memory and mixing them creatively with newer things.

In a second, wonderfully complementary talk, Michael Imber focused on the importance of place. Imber's successful architecture practice is based in San Antonio, Texas. His beautifully illustrated lecture made the point that classicism is not necessarily about a style or traditionalism, but that thoughtful design addresses aesthetics as well as relationships to the land. the true meaning of sustainability, and longevity.

Michael Amber wove in details from historic Texas structures, images of paintings by contemporary artists painting the vast Texas landscape, and his own plain air watercolor sketches to build up to inspiring examples of his own work. He clearly made the point that understanding the materials, craftsmanship, and history of a place can only make design better.

The rapt crowd at the late-summer lecture.

Walter and Vonda Moberg of Portland's Moberg Fireplaces (far right) with fellow attendees, Suffer Wait of Red Leaf Stonemasonry.

ICAA NWW Board Member, Robert Laney (left), with his fiancee Amanda Rubeck and her father, Al Rubeck.

ICAA NW Chapter President, Duncan McRoberts (center), Craig Keist, and Suzanne Millis-Berselli.

Attendees Stephen Poulakos, Michael Schmidtt, and Jonathan Winslow enjoyed light refreshments between lectures.

Thomas Jayne's sumptuous interiors inspired more than one audience member to buy his book after his lecture.

We've posted more photos of this event on Facebook. We hope to see you at our next event!