Not content to remain comfortably ensconced amid familiar surroundings, he moved in 1993 with his wife, Ana Larrea, and two daughters, Blanca and Lola, to New York City, where he has been working ever since.

Guerrero rides his bike to his Brooklyn studio every morning, paints all day, and returns in the evening to “cook wonderful dinners for my family and occasionally my friends.” Guerrero says that his work “reflects how he, as a Spaniard, views life in New York.”

His work is often muted, sometimes colorful, always attractive, and frequently abstract. Despite traversing a less-traveled and risky road, he seems well on his way to living happily ever after.

Here are seven questions for Arturo Guerrero:

1. What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a series of paintings of which the main subject is the wind. As it passes through the trees or it runs over the surface of the water. Right now I’m also painting urban landscapes at twilight hours.

2. Which of your projects are you most proud of?

“The Chinese Papers,” a series I painted between 2006 and 2009 after returning from a trip to China. Painted just from memories, one painting guided me to the next in a non-stop journey during almost four years of crazy work at the studio. I’m still feeling the mental fatigue derived from it.

3. What inspires you? Where do you go for inspiration?

I go to my studio for inspiration where I try to bring out from myself all the memories that come from looking at things. This is always my working process. I have nothing in the studio, no computer, no books, no distractions, just memories. What kind of things do I look at? It´s hard to say what kind of things I have an eye for, but mostly a mix of aesthetic and sentimental feelings. Where? Anywhere.

4. What work do you most admire by another designer or artist?

Picasso’s approach to painting and his creative attitude when he was in his 20s.

5. What would be your dream project?

To build a studio with my own hands that would allow me to paint an endless painting. In the center of this studio there would be a woodstove on which I would cook for all my friends and gather them around a big table with the painting as our background.

6. What place in the world would you most like to visit?

Venice. My wife and I had planned to go 25 years ago, but we went first to Florence, and we were dumbstruck by the beauty we found in Tuscany, unable to go forth with our travel plans.

7. What one thing do you want to accomplish before you die?

To be able to speak English as I speak Spanish.

Of the 52 experts who participated in the poll, including 11 Pritzker Prize winners and the deans of eight major architecture schools, 28 voted for the Guggenheim in Bilbao, a building, which, you may or may not recall, brought Philip Johnson to tears when it was unveiled in 1998. He later called Gehry “the greatest architect we have today” and his museum “the greatest building of our time.”

“Bilbao is truly a signal moment in the architectural culture,” said the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Paul Goldberger, author of Why Architecture Matters. “The building blazed new trails…it was one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all united about something.”

Gehry also received votes on three other projects: the Walt Disney Concert Hall, in Los Angeles; Millennium Park, in Chicago, and his own house in Santa Monica.

Read more about Gehry, the Guggenheim, and other top ranked buildings in the August 2010 issue of Vanity Fair or on the magazine’s website.

Photos courtesy of Mary Ann Sulllivan.

The 2011 Buckminster Fuller Challenge is an annual international design competition that awards $100,000 to support the development and implementation of a strategy that has significant potential to solve humanity’s most pressing problems.

It’s a big deal. And, according to former Herman Miller President and CEO Max De Pree, so was Fuller.

For example, De Pree explains in his book Leadership Jazz the influence of his friend, Buckminster Fuller, on Charles Eames: “But the key question he asked himself consistently was ‘What would Bucky say?’” He adds, “By choosing Bucky as the ultimate judge, Charles certainly set his standards high.”

Fuller (1895-1983) was an inventor, writer, architect, visionary, engineer, and environmentalist. He also was intimately connected to the rise and development of industrial design from the 1930s through the 1970s.

He designed and manufactured his famous Dymaxion (from “dynamic + maximum + tension) car in the mid-1930s. He also collaborated with George Nelson and Eames for the Moscow exhibition in 1959, designing the geodesic dome that housed the U.S. section.

So to those who are planning to submit an entry to this year’s competition, just remember: “What would Bucky say?”

Photo 2 credit: Buckminster Fuller Institute

On its way to Saugatuck, Michigan, for a stop on its Electric Summer Roadster Tour, Tesla visited our Design Yard facility with its new Roadster.

Long-time admirers of our environmental goals and achievements, those at Tesla thought it would a neat experience to show us what they’re up to.

We’re so glad they did.

On a sunny Friday afternoon, several employees gathered in the parking lot to ogle, admire, and even test drive the Fusion Red beauty.

Some got a little carried away.

Even a local reporter joined the fun.

It’s unknown if anyone was able to validate the car’s ability to get from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, but it looks like a few of them had fun trying.

This was an event that we had been planning for weeks. It took 10 days to collect donations, 30 minutes of driving time, and 14 wonderful children to make that one day really special.

We first met with the manager to drop-off our donations, and then we met the kids. To our surprise, the kids greeted us by standing up, folding their hands (trust me, it was very cute), and saying their names one-by-one.

After we introduced ourselves to them, they talked to us about the things they like—daily activities, favorite foods, and many other wonderful, innocent things.

After lunch, we played a few games with the kids. Soon thereafter we had to leave because it was time for them to meet with their painting teacher. She was a young girl who volunteers her services to Ashraya on weekends.

Because of this experience, a few of us also decided to spare some time every weekend and teach something to the kids.

And it all began from just one Saturday morning.

Enter Herman Miller’s Space Utilization Service. Space Utilization Service makes it a lot simpler to gather accurate occupancy data and create the workplace you visualize.

Before Space Utilization Service, the typical method of gathering data was to walk around with a clipboard and count heads. Then you multiply the number of heads by some standard allocation of square feet per person, and voila, you get an estimate of space needs. But that’s exactly the problem. You only get estimates.

With Space Utilization Service, you get accuracy. A small, wireless motion sensor is attached to your work chairs to detect occupancy. The sensors transmit data continuously for six weeks so you can measure, track, and study occupancy and get a precise picture of your space usage. You can analyze on any level you want—entire buildings, conference rooms, common areas, individual workstations.

Using this information, Herman Miller can help you rationalize your real estate and tailor it to fit your people and how they actually work. These days, for example, that often means more support for collaboration and touchdown work, smaller workstations, and less floor space allocated to individual work.

Whatever the case, your real estate will work harder and your people will be more productive. Even better: use Herman Miller’s Energy Manager, too, and reduce your energy costs.

Healthcare environments can be very stressful and exhausting environments. And, because of the nursing shortage, there is a tremendous incentive to recruit and retain valuable staff. Creating healing environments for nurses is a powerful tool to aid that effort.

Places of healing and respite might be as simple as including discrete areas within the nursing unit to sit and take a deep breath. Sometimes, however, nurses just need a place to get away.

Creating a single occupancy respite room would allow staff to recharge the spirit, rejuvenate the body, and replenish the soul. No televisions or phones. Possible soothing features would include a lounge chair, aromatherapy, a water feature, dimmable lighting, and soft music.

These respite spaces must be thoughtfully and adequately programmed so that staff has room to breathe. And just like we provide access to natural light for our patients and families, we must also give our nurses this same caring treatment. Some staff spaces are being designed with access to outdoor space adjacent to the staff lounge. Having space to be outdoors where nurses can get a breath of fresh air can be very curative.

As designers of healthcare environments, we have a fabulous opportunity to be the change agents—and create healing environments that will help recruit and retain nurses.

Like when the American Girl doll company asked her to create a winter fantasy forest with 12-foot oak trees looking like they were lining Michigan Avenue. Or when companies like Glade and Herbal Essence want her to create flowers for their packaging that don’t really exist in nature. “I go to the hardware store and find things that are made for one purpose and use them for something else,” says Toppel. “I love to let my eye expand, to look at (an object) and then morph it into what it needs to do for the particular situation.”

She says she has a “wild passion” for her work and enjoys the small jobs as much as the large ones. “I still like doing corporate work because it keeps my hands in the real world, seeing what the trends are, what’s happening in real life. When you’re working on films, it’s like ‘acting’ with flowers; it’s more about the whole show; nothing should pop out at you.” The arrangements she did for Herman Miller, however, did pop out at you – in a good way. “NeoCon is almost a visceral experience for me,” states Toppel. “It’s like the Superbowl of floral design, demanding the highest attention to detail and quality. And I have to say, working for Herman Miller is a true honor. There are certain design standards in the industry that are considered exceptionally important, and we all know where Herman Miller stands on that.”

Toppel says she’s humbled by her success, especially in the film industry. “I actually have a degree in film production so it’s interesting how I turned left and wound up in the center, you know?”

It is. And Ron Howard, among others, is probably pretty happy she did.

New York Strip Steak au Poivre with Avocado Butter
8 8-ounce strip steaks, seasoned with course ground pepper and salt
¼ pound soft unsalted butter
1 avocado, cubed
1 lemon, juiced

Avocado butter:
Place butter, avocado, and lemon juice in a food processor. Mix until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the butter onto a long sheet of cellophane wrap (about 12 inches long). Roll up butter in the cellophane to form a log. Place in the refrigerator for one hour.

Season steaks and grill them to a desired temperature.

Slice butter into half-inch medallions and place on steaks.

Enjoy!

When nurses are retrieving medications from the med room, they have to wait to access the automated medication dispensing machine. Storing medications at the patient room would eliminate that wasted time spent waiting and would enable nurses to spend more time with their patients.

And then there’s waiting for the nurse to return from the med room. While nurses are waiting to access the automated medication dispensing machine, patients are waiting for them. This isn’t a good situation, particularly if the patient is in pain.

Storing medications in the patient room is part of creating flexible and adaptable environments for nurses. We architects must create spaces for nurses that help them deliver quality care.

But we aren’t alone in preventing those carbon emissions. We are one of 50 organizations, including businesses, cities/municipalities, universities, and nonprofits, recognized by the U.S. EPA as Green Power Partners. That means we’re one of the top purchasers of renewable energy.

According to the EPA, in 2009, the top 50 Green Power Partners used more than 12 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power. This amount was equivalent to having prevented the release of CO2 emissions from the electricity use of more than one million average American homes for one year.

I think it’s safe to say that doubts around the viability of renewable energy are now a thing of the past. And we’re happy to be a part of making that a reality.

It was available from Tigrett Enterprises’ Playhouse Division until the company went out of business in 1961. Herman Miller reintroduced it in 1994.

Herman Miller’s Gregg Vander Kooi chose to feature the Hang-It-All as this year’s Select item because of its whimsical appeal.

“Plus,” he adds, “walnut is a fairly neutral wood that fits with almost any décor.”

The Select Hang-It-All carries a minimum advertised price of $249. It will be available from the company’s global network of dealerships and retailers.

Hurry! It’s only available until February 15, 2011, or while supplies last.

This delicious Green Bean Salad recipe from Marigold Lodge is a perfect summertime side dish.

Green Bean Salad
3 pounds green beans, blanched
2 ears of fresh sweet corn, washed and cut off the cob
1 pint pear or grape tomatoes
½ small red onion, minced
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1½ cup olive oil

In a small mixing bowl, add vinegar and oil and mix well.
Set aside.

Add all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add vinaigrette and toss.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

The traditional equipment cleaning process includes pushing it throughout the hospital to another department for cleaning. This means that a potentially contaminated item could be moving throughout the hospital. This isn’t a good idea.

Hospital staff already clean the patient’s bed, overbed table, bedside stand, and family furniture in the patient room. Adding equipment to the list would remove several steps from the equipment cleaning process. It also would improve operational savings and infection prevention rates.

Keeping and cleaning equipment in the patient room would significantly reduce staff travel distances, too, and eliminate hunting and gathering. And, it would allow nurses more time for their primary passion–taking care of their patients.

Some top-flight universities, including the University of Notre Dame, have long recognized the latent market potential in the labor of their researchers. They now are proactively creating an environment where that potential can blossom.

Innovation Park at Notre Dame is one place where that alchemy happens. Innovation Park is a businesslike three-story building across the street from university’s campus and within sight of its golden dome. It contains labs, offices, and all the support services to transform a bright idea into a viable business. The building is intended to be bright and open, mobile and versatile.

The Greenhouse, for example, is the first-floor space where people meet, ideas collide, and the most tender businesses take root. “Virtually everything is on wheels,” says Dave Brenner, CEO of Innovation Park.

Taking flexibility to the max, the Greenhouse not only is outfitted with Herman Miller’s most mobile furniture, it also is equipped with a “programmable infrastructure,” which gives the user ultimate control over lights, outlets, data and power, and even the window shades, from a personal computer or a two-button wand. The result is a space with enormous flexibility and the capability to reduce energy costs.

Watch for another recipe from Marigold Lodge next week!

Cantaloupe and Tomato Soup

Serves 8.
Preparation time: 20 minutes.

4 small ripe cantaloupes
6 ounces orange juice concentrate
4 large tomatoes, peeled and cored
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup whipping cream
½ cup Grand Marnier
Mint sprigs to garnish

Peel cantaloupes and remove the seeds.
Cut into 1-inch chunks.

Puree cantaloupe and tomatoes in a blender or processor until smooth.
Stir in remaining ingredients, except mint, and mix well.

Chill thoroughly.

Serve in chilled stemmed glasses or glass bowls.
Garnish with mint sprigs.

Click here for more recipes from Marigold Lodge.

My recent job shadow of a med/surg nurse proved enlightening. It reinforced my belief that there should be a space available either directly inside or outside of every patient room to store supplies and equipment. Decentralizing important items to these areas would enable nurses to work more efficiently. And it would cut their travel time to supply areas and equipment rooms.

Storing supplies in or near patient rooms will require those spaces to be maintained, but this responsibility should not be shouldered by nurses. Their job is to care for patients, not to hunt and gather supplies.

There also should be a place in every patient room to store select pieces of equipment, such as IV poles and pumps. Patients now are sicker and the equipment storage needs for them has increased. The equipment might vary depending on the specialty of the unit, but this step would make it immediately accessible for use.

We architects already allocate and plan space for supplies and equipment in labor delivery recovery/postpartum rooms. If we use this same approach and reallocate the square footage that typically would go into an equipment room, that space could be used to provide storage in or near the patient room. This would eliminate wasted motion, give nurses what they need–where and when they need it–and allow them to focus on giving care.

How so? Sheer numbers, for one. In 2006, the latest year for which data is available, there were about 7.6 million businesses in the U.S., and 81 percent were small businesses, with 100 employees or fewer.

Or, consider job creation. Firms with fewer than 500 employees accounted for 64 percent (or 14.5 million) of the 22.5 million net new jobs (gains minus losses) between 1993 and the third quarter of 2008. In every recession over the last three decades, businesses with fewer than 100 employees led the recovery.

This time around, small businesses face even bigger challenges. But some things remain the same. Their work moves fast. They need to stay focused on their customers. They must watch their finances. And when it comes to furnishing their offices, they need to buy it, love it, and get on with their work.

The Herman Miller S3 program is designed to do just that. It moves fast. It makes the process easy and affordable. And, with our local dealer presence, it gives small business owners as much guidance as they need. Which, when you think of it, is much better than a hug.

The desk in my dorm room now is stored in the dorm’s basement to make room for a couch and coffee table. And if I’m not studying in my dorm room (sans desk), I’m usually at a nearby coffee shop for the Wi-Fi, caffeine, and comfy seating. It’s a great place for study breaks, which often involve listening to music and catching-up with friends.

I also like to study at the campus library, especially during finals week. Its rooms and desks, however, quickly fill-up during this time frame, with other students quietly cramming for their exams or writing their last research paper for the semester. This isn’t the time for being distracted by Facebook or socializing with roommates.

These locations each serve different student needs, so how should colleges and universities adapt to these needs? Several campuses across the country are creating multi-functional spaces, which is a step in the right direction—as long as they have moveable desks.

We’ve made a lot of progress since then, and report on our performance each year. Primera—“a couple of guys who started with nothing,” according to Noel—has also grown. With hard work and guidance from us on logistics and lean manufacturing, it is now a Tier 1 supplier for us and the largest Hispanic-owned company in West Michigan.

Primera is not alone among our diverse suppliers. At the end of last fiscal year, our total spending with minority-owned businesses reached 14.5 percent.

“That translates to just under $100 million last fiscal year,” notes Kimberly Coffman, Herman Miller’s manager of Supplier Diversity. “It may not seem like a big number, but on a percentage basis, we’re in the same league as the DiversityInc Top 10 companies. They averaged 13 percent of their direct contractor spending with minority-owned businesses.”

Coffman says Herman Miller isn’t about to dwell on the 20th anniversary of its Supplier Diversity Program. “We have an ambitious 17 percent goal for spending with minority-owned businesses for this fiscal year,” she says. “It’s within reach too, because we don’t just believe that a diverse community makes for a stronger company, we act on it.”

Another action step this year is our new Supplier Diversity Advisory Council. “Our CFO is the executive sponsor,” says Coffman. “I think that says a lot about our commitment to developing a diverse supplier base. For us, doing good is synonymous with doing good business.”

This amount of walking is caused mainly by central workstations and longer, inefficient circulation paths to single patient rooms. This was the case during my shadow experience. Not only was our travel route inefficient, it also resulted in greater activity at the workstation where concentration and limited interruptions are so important. 

Single patient rooms are advantageous and preferable for a number of reasons, but the resultant unit configurations have created even longer travel distances for nurses. These rooms are larger and when located side by side, the distance increases from one patient to the next. 

This activity could be remedied by decentralizing supplies, equipment, and medications to the patient room. Or, another strategy would be to design narrower support cores with more cross circulation.  Designing more circulation paths through the support core would enable nurses to work cross corridor and reduce their travel distances.

Decentralizing supplies, equipment and medications, and designing narrower support cores with cross circulation are key to reducing travel distances and promoting safe and efficient nurse environments. Plus, the additional time they save could be spent with patients—a win-win situation for all.

Top photo via: Flickr.com

When I meet with Herman Miller’s customers to talk about the different generations in the workplace, I usually face a group that represents the focus of our discussion. This group includes Baby Boomers, GenXers, and Millennials who work together. 

A Baby Boomer might be the leader, a Millennial the established expert, and a GenXer the newest member of the group. Or perhaps the Millennial is the leader of the group and the Boomer is the expert?

I’ve learned not to assume anything about anybody. Keeping an open mind about others should apply to our dealings with the world beyond the workplace, but it often takes an eye-opening experience to realize this.

My eyes get opened all the time.

Editor’s note: This is the first post in a six-part series that will focus on improving caregiver work environments.

It’s been more than 20 years since I went from a career as a nurse to being an architect. So when I recently had the chance to shadow a nurse for eight hours, a number of things about his work environment surprised me.

I was sure that advances in technology and equipment would make work for nurses less demanding. That would give them more time with patients. I was wrong. Nurses are working harder than ever for longer hours and with sicker patients. And the number of patients they treat is increasing because of a nursing shortage.

Considerable attention has been given to patient-focused and family-centered environments. But only limited focus has been given to creating sustainable environments for nurses. Their environments remain stressful and inefficient, which unfortunately can lead to medical errors.

I wasn’t surprised when I saw a survey indicating that more than one-third of nurses would not recommend their profession to young people. The physical demands are great—six hours went by before we sat down for the first time—and the emotional stress can be exhausting.

As a nurse, I understand the demands faced by caregivers. As an architect, I believe my profession can respond to those demands by designing safe and efficient nurse environments that also provide respite and rejuvenation.

In part two of her series, Cardon will focus on decentralizing the nursing unit.

Photo via: WorkingNurse.com

I’ve also been collaborating with my husband, who is an architect, on a LEED for Homes addition to our house on Cape Cod. This has involved lots of research on sustainable technologies, processes, and materials. The project will include passive solar, photovoltaic panels for electricity, a solar hot water collector, a rainwater collection system for irrigation, and eventually a vertical axis wind turbine that will mount on our roof.

2. Which of your products are you most proud of?
I am very proud of the Capelli stool for Herman Miller. It came about during a time when I was working on a long, tedious, engineering focused project. By contrast the Capelli stool provided an outlet where I could focus on something creative and much more free of constraints.

3. What inspires you? Where do you go for inspiration?
For me, inspiration comes when I can be completely in the moment, and I’m able to let everything else go.  For instance, I am an avid windsurfer, which can require complete concentration, and frequently this is when ideas for projects that I am working on will come to me. Observing the way nature solves problems is another source of inspiration that I draw on. I love exploring new processes and materials, and experimenting with ideas that grow from that exposure. I’m always looking for ways to cross-pollinate ideas from one industry to another.

4. What work do you most admire by another designer or artist?
I am fascinated with the work of sculptor Anish Kapoor. His experimentation with surface tension and positive and negative space forces me to think differently about our three-dimensional world.  I especially enjoyed his installation “Memory” at the Guggenheim in NYC.

5. What would be your dream projects?
My dream project would involve designing a product or system that supports and improves one’s health and well being, makes true advances in sustainability, is beautiful to look at and be around, and is something people would want in their lives.

6. What place in the world would you most like to visit?
Rapa Nui (one of the Easter Islands). Basically, I am interested in traveling anywhere that I can experience indigenous culture and food.

7. What one thing do you want to accomplish before you die?
To have a farm by the ocean where I could grow vegetables and raise chickens, cows and pigs. The farm would have a brick oven for making bread and pizza and a cheese cave where I could make and age my own cheese. Most importantly, it would be a place where people would gather to talk, design, share, and connect with others all while eating delicious local food.

Sure, there are problems, to put it mildly. I admit that often while driving past the many bleak remains, I’ve thought it would be best to just bulldoze the crumbling husks and start over. Make a new city: smaller, well planned, green, with room to grow.

Trouble is, there are lots of buildings that may look ready for the wrecking ball, but are actually historic, architectural treasures that beg for preservation as the city is remade. But which ones stay and which ones go? The Detroit Free Press lets you express your opinion in an article called, “Be reasonable: Should these vacant Detroit buildings be saved?”

Be sure to check out the reader comments. You get a broad sense of people’s anguish, love, hope, and hopelessness. And while you’re at it, read this wonderful article by Free Press columnist Mitch Albom writing for SI.com: “The Courage of Detroit.”

This summer, HGTV’s Design Star began its fifth season. Twelve creative professionals compete in fast–paced design challenges for the opportunity to host and design for a new series on HGTV. Acclaimed interior designers Genevieve Gorder, Candice Olson, and Vern Yip do the judging.

Candice attributes the show’s success to several factors, including the challenges, the array of talent, great design, and—of course—the drama.

She’s amazed by what the contestants accomplish in the challenges with so little time or resources. “We’re really getting them to flex their design muscles,” she says. “It’s more about what inspires you. How does it manifest itself in the design?”

She admits that the judges had a very difficult time selecting the winner. It was such a close competition that they had to leave the set for a few hours to determine who would receive the grand prize.

“It’s a reality show, but in this case something happens after the filming is over,” she adds. “There’s no other show where you win the opportunity to host your own show. That’s a huge prize. The winner is catapulted to something that took me 15 years to achieve.”

Her advice for aspiring interior designers who crave success?

“Don’t expect to graduate and be successful without a whole lot of work behind you. It’s a business. Get out there and market yourself or run and grow your business. You need to understand the business side of it, otherwise it’s just a hobby.”

Photos via hgtv.com

According to Doug Bazuin, senior researcher for Herman Miller Healthcare, the Compass design team interviewed more than 550 clinicians, administrators, facility managers, and healthcare architects and interior designers to determine what healthcare issues are most important to them. Four key concerns kept rising to the top:

1. Support changing technology
2. Improve nurse efficiency
3. Improve the family experience
4. Be healthcare appropriate

In this video, Bazuin discusses how this research was applied to the final product design.

Launched in June at NeoCon, the award-winning Compass system is ready to help healthcare professionals navigate change. That’s the benefit of going the source.

Most people going to South Africa in late June went for the World Cup, but not all of them. My reason for going was to take part in the FORTUNE Global Forum. It was an international gathering of business, government, and NGO leaders. Most attendees came from China and North America and, of course, the African continent.

The China representation wasn’t surprising, since that country is one of the biggest investors in Africa. The continent’s natural resources are one reason. Here’s another: the rate of return on foreign investment, according to a McKinsey Global Institute report, “higher in Africa than in any other developing region.”

Even with the problems African nations face, their economies are developing fast, almost as fast as the BRIC nations. To keep development going requires innovative thinking. I was privileged to be part of a panel discussion on “Innovation by Design.” We discussed how design can make products, buildings, and even villages better. I shared my thoughts, as did architects Frank Gehry, Rodney Harber, and Luyanda Mpahlwa.

And speaking of innovation, we were able to feature Herman Miller’s latest innovation, the Embody chair; 400 of them filled the main conference room, along with our classics and Setu chairs in the lobby, thanks to the efforts of our local dealer, AllOffice. All in all, it was a great experience, although I didn’t get a chance to buy a vuvuzela.

Photo via David Rogers/Getty Images