Deborah Dietsch
Deborah Dietsch is a journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering architecture, art and design. She is the author of Live/Work: Working at Home, Living at Work, an inspirational book featuring 30 live/work environments from cities and towns across the US. Trained as an architect, she has served on design review boards and architect selection panels for government agencies and private building owners.
Deborah's book on live/work examines a variety of solutions for integrating work and domestic spaces in new houses and recycled buildings. She is also author of a number of other books on design and architecture, and lectures widely on topics related to live/work.
Deborah brings a personal perspective to live/work, having worked at home as a freelance writer and a consultant for more than a decade.
Contact Deborah for expert advice on the types of design that live/workers most value, or for writing projects that require specialist live/work knowledge and experience.
EXPERIENCE
As a journalist, Deborah has worked for newspapers, magazines and television. She is the art and architecture critic for The Washington Times and has written for The Washington Post, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Cottage Living, House Beautiful and other publications. From 1989 through 1997, she was editor-in-chief of Architecture magazine and won numerous awards for its editorial content and redesign.
More recently, Deborah wrote and produced episodes of "Dream Builders" and "Building Character" on Home & Garden Television (HGTV), including segments on live/work architecture.
She has written several books, including Live/Work: Working at Home, Living at Work, Architecture for Dummies and Classic Modern: Midcentury Modern at Home.
In addition to writing and editing, Deborah has worked as a consultant on building projects. She has helped select architects for federal courthouses and advised on the design of commercial buildings and college dormitories. As a member of the urban design and architecture review panel for the city of Baltimore, she made recommendations for the proposed development of downtown neighborhoods, including live/work projects.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Numerous awards for arts criticism, magazine editorials and graphic design from the Society of Professional Journalists, American Business Press and other national and state press organizations.
Selected by the American Institute of Architects for an honorary membership and national service award.
Appeared on CNN, C-Span, CBS and quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post and other major newspapers
Organized lecture series at the Smithsonian Institution on contemporary architecture and design.
First graduate from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation to receive master degrees in architecture and historic preservation in the same year.
SERVICES OFFERED
Creative consulting on live/work concepts and design of live/work environments;
Advising on architect selection and development strategies for building projects;
Marketing of live/work projects to communities and potential owners;
Conceptualizing, writing, editing and design of promotional materials for live/work projects.
CONTACT
Deborah Dietsch
Tel. (202) 966 0707
REFERENCES/QUOTE
"Deborah's wonderful book, "Live/Work," is the first step in helping to bring new design notions out into the open so that all of us who choose to work from home can do so in style, in comfort and in our own uniquely personal way."
Sarah Susanka, FAIA, author of "The Not So Big House" book series
http://www.abramsbooks.co.uk/index.php/d///0810994003/
PERSONAL MESSAGE
Having worked at home for years, I understand both the rewards and challenges of live/work. The freedom to set your own hours and enjoy a comfortable work set-up is often accompanied by the social isolation of not being around colleagues to discuss ideas.
Writing a book on live/work opened my eyes to new ways of solving this dilemma. I was inspired by owners, architects and developers whose dedication to live/work is reflected in imaginative spaces - many built from the ground up.
My research revealed the demand for live/work environments is far greater than the supply. Too many people are just making do with an extra bedroom or basement as their work space. We live/workers need better alternatives than the typical single-family house and I am excited to help make that happen through this network.
Please share your own live/work experiences with us. I look forward to hearing from you.