MARY GOLDEN
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MARY GOLDEN  |  DESIGN STUDIO

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Residential  Commercial  Contract

​Known for artistic ideas and sustainable solutions, my specialty is creating beautiful designs that are not only timeless and on trend but healthy.  At the heart of my work is a devotion to creating warm, luxurious interiors.  My work with natural plasters has been featured in several Rochester area publications and in the book Space Matters. With over eighteen years of experience my residential projects range in scope from new constructions and additions to remodels and home décor updates. With a collaborative and approachable style, my intent is to make the design process an enjoyable and memorable experience.

​Company Overview

Recognized nationally as a natural building specialist, I established Gaiatecture Design Studio in 2002, the first company in Western New York to specialize in the design of natural buildings and custom clay plasters. The company grew to include sustainable interior design and hybrid projects integrating mainstream construction technologies with natural systems.  With the evolution of the company to Mary Golden | Design Studio in 2013, interior design services provided for custom residential, small scale commercial, retail and restaurant clientele. Today, each residential design solution is tailored to meet the functional requirements of the client and represent their unique aesthetic. Services may be contracted for the full interior design package or customized to meet the customer's needs and budget.  Residential designs can be phased to assist clients in realizing their full dream but at a pace and price they can afford. In addition to full service interior design, construction management services, brand management and merchandising are provided to compliment standard offerings for commercial and contract customers.

Select Projects

​Residential 

Peace   Relaxation  Nature

Inspired by the serene fifty acre site the client, a stone sculptor and landscape designer, requested that the interior of his home exude the same tranquility as the property.  To appeal to his artistic sensibility and love of nature the four elements: stone, wood, water and metal were expressed in refined, upscale materials. The color palette references the hues found in the landscape to seamlessly expand the interior spaces into the surrounding vista.  Hand applied, natural clay plasters radiate texture and warmth in the monumental hallway to soften the entry.  A massive stone fireplace embellished with custom carved walnut mantels references water flowing in between layers of stone.

Features

Sustainable finishes throughout
Bamboo floors
Slate and porcelain tiles
Clear maple hardwood doors and trim
Mixed maple hardwood living room ceiling
Clay Aliz plasters
No VOC Paints
Custom maple and walnut European kitchen cabinets with granite and walnut counters
Custom cherry master bath vanity with granite top
Custom slate tiled rain shower with pebble stone floor
Custom designed, artisan crafted walnut mantles
Wool and natural fiber carpets
Bosch appliances
​George Kovac light fixtures
Wendell Castle table

Cabinetry and Casework 

Elegant  Inviting  Efficient

Entertaining family and guests sparked a pair of empty nesters to update their kitchen.  Elegant materials and a semi-custom cabinetry collection are complimented by the expanded illumination from the new patio door and boxed bay window over the sink. Creamy hues based off the Italian marble and a subtle punch of plum complete the sophisticated scheme.

Features

Energy efficient door and window bay
Semi-Custom cabinetry
Quartz countertops
Italian marble tiles: floor and wall
Quartz wall tile
Engineered Hardwoods
No VOC Paints
“Green” wallpaper
Pendants and Chandelier(not shown)
LED under cabinet lighting
Energy Efficient Appliances

Natural Plasters 

Tactile  Luminous   Sustainable

This seemingly typical home is anything but ordinary. Inside the protected exterior shell is a straw bale wall system that super insulates the interior from the environment. This was the first straw bale home constructed in Honeoye Falls, New York and at the time of hire the walls were "rough coated," or had only a base layer of protective plaster, covering the bales. Gaiatecture Design Studio was hired to remediate some areas of failed base coat, complete the "brown coats" or remaining layers to ready them for clay aliz, a naturally pigmented clay plaster. The aliz plaster materials, rich in luminous mica a silicate mineral, were hand harvested by Mary Golden and Tracey Vogel, of Tactile Interiors, from clay veins in northern New Mexico. The robust color of the hand applied clay aliz creates a warm, rich palette making this unique home truly special. 

Listen 

​Take a tour inside this home ! ​"Go Green" WROC Channel 8 News


​View 

Space Matters by Kathleen Cox
Chapters: “Function and Ambience-Match them up” and “The Healing Touch of Nature”. Stewart Tabori and Chang, New Jersey: Oct. 2007.  Pgs. 48, 49, 72, 73, 121, 129.
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Retail Design 

 Personal   Casual   Upscale

The Havana House project was an opportunity to completely renovate not only a space but a brand image. The Owner was interested in expanding his existing storefront to include a new smoking lounge. The overall intent was to update the retail store to attract a broader clientele and create a social destination with the lounge.  A complete remake of the store included  taking an inventory of merchandise and designing custom casework with upper displays and ample storage below.  Narrow tables and vendor displays showcase high end merchandise in the center of the store.  The custom checkout counter includes built in displays, a glass case in the countertop and practical storage below the cashier.  Comfortable furnishings, bistro tables, a game table and a large flat screen make the lounge an exciting environment. Personal Humidors add convenience for regular customers and artwork from the Nan Miller Gallery completes the casual, upscale atmosphere.

Features

​Custom tile floor design
Lounge carpet and runners
Furniture selection
Custom maple tables
Lighting design and selection
Custom cherry cabinet displays 
Custom cherry checkout counter
Low VOC paint finishes 
 Linen wallpapers
Finishes and accessories
Inventory display and arrangement
Custom wood blinds
Stylize full Interior

An Award Winning Design

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J Newman Diamond Crown Lounge, Grand Opening Event, 2008
ProSource Fantastic Floors, First Place Commercial Category, 2006

Contract Design 

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Sleek  Active  Engaging 

Tammy Brackett, Chair of the Digital Media and Animation department, and I were invited to design an  active and engaging entry wall for the main lobby newly renovated Allied Health Sciences Building at Alfred State College. We proposed a maple wood panel system supported by standoffs with a series of five interconnected flush mounted, flat screens. The intent was to create a sleek, technological media system to display an ever changing flow of student activities, a series of images or a continuous, interactive image across five screens. We proposed the technology be integrated with the  lecture hall beyond so that guest lectures and special events could be streamed into the lobby for campus engagement.

View 

Design Video

Press

Erwin, K., “Go Green: Building with Straw Bales,” Rochester WROC Evening News, June 19, 2008.
 
Lute, A.M., “Clay, Sand and Row Houses” Metroland, Features section. Vol. 29 No. 12 Albany, NY ed., May 2006, pp.
 
“Connections,” National Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, NY., April 24, 2005, 9:00-11:00am.
 
Bowker, J.A.,  “Straw Bale Home,” At Home Magazine in Democrat and Chronicle, Winter 2003, pp.
 
Loviglio, J., “The Straw-Bale House,” City Newspaper Rochester’s Alternative Newsweekly, October 9, 2002 edition, pp.
 
  • Home
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  • Mary Golden | Design Studio
    • Mary Golden | Design Studio
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