oecommunications.buzzup: Talking Design

oecommunications.buzzup: Talking Design: a conversation with New Orleans Interior Designer Denise St. Etienne Designs With Finesse  Owner Denise St. Etienne invites buzzup re...

Talking Design

a conversation with New Orleans Interior Designer Denise St. Etienne

Designs With Finesse Owner Denise St. Etienne invites buzzup readers inside stylish digs. 

Rhodesia Jackson

Writer

NEW ORLEANS--Who doesn't think that s|he can do her|his own interior design, especially after watching years of  diy network programming? Some may even feel that it's earned them an honorary degree of sorts.

Why it's easy: 1, 2, 3 and a room is transformed from drab to fab.  After all, they do tell you which stores to shop and share all the tricks of the trade; there's no reason to pay a professional.

DIYs mislead
Don't be so mistaken, warned Interior Design-extraordinaire Denise Felton St. Etienne. Often times, these programs act as consumer traps for advertisers.

"I think these shows give people an unrealistic idea about interior design," stated St. Etienne, proprietor of the New Orleans-based Designs With Finesse.  "Where are they going to find fabric at $2 a yard…contractors to provide the labor? And what about the rest of the house?

"It's a way to get people locked up into trends -- spending money and frustrated."

St. Etienne, whose lush, warm, exquisite, visionary work graces the interiors of financial institutions, governmental lobbies and the homes of A-list clients, knows what she's talking about.

The dining room reflects impeccable neoclassical design.

achieving good design

"It's easy to be swept away thinking that you can do it yourself," conceded St. Etienne.  "What I do isn't rocket science; but when you take into account time and money for a person who's working, it might take me 2 hours, whereas s|he might spend two or three years."

That is hardly a stretch of the imagination.  St. Etienne cited one client who spent an entire year trying to figure out a style for the space and who finally got sick of visitors complaining about how empty and awful the place looked before calling Designs With Finesse to the rescue.

contracting a professional

"If you not getting a cohesive result for a particular space and you've already put in a lot of time and money, it's one sign that you need a professional," explained St. Etienne. "I am going to come in and do it all -- assess, develop a budget and game plan, shop, set up and you will be happy."

Taking a timeless, highly personal approach, St. Etienne likes to pick up on a person's "vibe" and then push that client to go beyond the usual. "My skill infused with their personality gives edge and style to the space," she stated. 

The second-story entertainment room affords
comfort, leisure and sophistication. 

the benefits
"Good design and aesthetics are important in so many ways," added St. Etienne.  "It's important to one's environment, productivity, function and health."

Studies have proven that cluttered environments breed harmful mold, dander and dust contributing to allergies, asthma and bodily injuries.

"Interior design is not a luxury -- it's a needed benefit that's more affordable than you think," assured St. Etienne.

great tips
But if you must, St. Etienne shared several tips:

• Don't live by trends; they are too unpredictable.
• Look for color: orange, grayish/blueish green neutrals.
• Less is best.
• Think green and re-purpose (chair, rugs, etc.).

For more information about consultation and services, contact Designs With Fitness at 504.913.2686 or dsaint1@cox.net. To visit DWF website, click the following link: designswithfinesse.com

oecommunications.buzzup: Meet the Akinlanas

oecommunications.buzzup: Meet the Akinlanas: Father and Daughter run self-defense school Pictured (l-r) Sola Akinlana and Baba Marcus Akinlana, an international artist/muralist a...

Meet the Akinlanas

Father and Daughter run self-defense school

Pictured (l-r) Sola Akinlana and Baba Marcus Akinlana, an international artist/muralist and martial arts artist.

Rhodesia Jackson
Writer

NEW ORLEANS -- What if someone grabbed your hand, your wrist, your arm forcefully? Would you know what to do?  Would you know how to react? Supposed they pulled a weapon on you like the fatal case for Trayvon Martin? Would you know how to take away the weapon?

The Avalanche JA Self Defense & Combat School celebrates its one-year anniversary this month with a valorous showcase demonstration.  

Like warriors.
The day began for performers with body painting, warm ups and stretching exercises. Together, teachers and students demonstrated the results of superb levels of training and discipline -- engaging in judo combat battles, falls, sparring, flips and O-soto heel kicks. 

Founded and operated by a father and daughter duo, Marcus Akinlana and Sola Akinlana, Avalanche JA teaches a holistic self-defense philosophy that focuses on intense conditioning of mind, body and spirit.

"These are violent times, which have people feeling fearful and tense," explained Sola.  "This training helps people to feel nice and safe and confident.  To a would-be attacker, they are a surprise."

Fear attracts fear.

Concerned about the great proliferation of violent crime in the City of New Orleans, Stacy Andrews, a grandmother, enrolled without hesitation after seeing a presentation last year.

"That was the number one factor for me, because you never know if you will be in a situation," she stated.  "The awareness that I have now along with the technique and skills, I can protect myself and my grandchildren -- it's priceless."

"The first thing Baba teaches is that there is no need to be extra aggressive," explained Sola, (baba is an Asian, African, Eastern term for father). "So, lesson number one is to run and avoid confrontation. Only when you are left with no other choice....life and death...do you defend yourself."

"This is my philosophy: It is a basic human right to protect and defend yourself," added Baba Marcus.  "It's an absolute necessity of life and is the foundation to peace and tranquility."

Rooted in the Asian Martial Arts Culture, Avalanche JA combines the traditions of Taekwondo, Hapkido, Judo and boxing to develop good character, code of conduct, deep meditation and mental and physical strength.

These are no ordinary push ups: Apex push ups require students to use every muscle in their bodies while lifting from the fingers and toes.

Body is weapon.

"I do not like or believe in victimization," stated Baba Marcus.  "This school is about empowerment of young people, women, families and is an extension of the protection I provide for my own family."

Avalanche JA especially hopes to reach "ruffins," the low-income, young urban males in the New Orleans area who have gone astray and compose a disproportionate high percentile of alarming crime stats and incarceration rates.  

On all fronts -- socially, economically, environmentally and educationally, particularly the school system which now acts as a feeder to the industrial prison system, society is failing these young men.

This is the group Baba Marcus wants to encompass in his vision for Avalanche JA. "There would be a visible and concrete difference in what is happening to these young men if they were exposed to this way of life," he stated.

A way of life.
In response to some proponents's fear that this might make them more dangerous, he answered:

"If you look at the mixed martial arts scene here in the West, one might think so.  But we adhere to the traditional Eastern culture where there is a spiritual basis for character, meditation and code of conduct.   

"There's a difference between skilled and belligerence.  Weakness is a choice," he continued. "With these principles and techniques, we can show them how to channel positive energy and how to become a light for goodness."

Enrollment is open now for weekly, monthly and one-on-one training for ages 9 years old and up.  The Akinlanas also offer self-defense seminars to groups, organizations and businesses.  For more information on costs and fees, contact Baba Marcus Akinlana at 905.6347 or join the Avalanche JA facebook page. 

oecommunications.buzzup: Hometown favorite

oecommunications.buzzup: Hometown favorite: The fans still love him. NEW ORLEANS --Never know who you might run into at the grocery store.  Former N.O. Saints wide receiver Joe H...

Hometown favorite

The fans still love him.

NEW ORLEANS --Never know who you might run into at the grocery store.  Former N.O. Saints wide receiver Joe Horn recently signed autographs during an in-store promotion of his bbq sauce.  A memorable moment in Horn's stellar career is the infamous "cellphone celebration."

After scoring a second touchdown during a 2003 ESPN Sunday Night Football game, he retrieved a cellphone from the goalpost and made a call from the endzone. The commission later charged him a hefty fine for unsportsmenlike conduct, but the antic forever cemented him into the hearts of fans and the annals of football legends.