HOTA – Pronounced Hó-tah
Over the years, we have been asked about the name of our Studio and its origin. Well, let us shed some light as to where the name “Hota” came from and how it came to be. Being a newly developed Interior Design Studio, we wanted to create a name for our business that was unique enough to stand out when people were looking for us and easy enough to say. Having our last names be part of the Design Studio was never a thought. Although we tried a few things with our names, we felt like this is often done and was too common of a conception. We wanted to have a name that we can both relate to and yet still be something only we would have. After a few days of brainstorming, we came up with the name “Hota“. Pronounced (Hó-tah) in English, it is derived from the Spanish word “jota” which stands for the letter “J”. For those who might have forgotten Spanish 101 back in high school, the letter “j” in Spanish sounds like “h” when pronounced. Being that both Jose and I are of Hispanic descent, we tied back to our culture and settled with what you now see. Say it with me now, Hota Design Studio 🙂
Hota in Minnesota with Cambria
Hota Design Studio was selected along with a few other designers from around the country and Canada to participate in Cambria’s first ever “Style Makers” event June 25-27. We were proud to be the only design studio selected from Florida to attend this event. Cambria was a gracious host to us all; touring us through their facility plants and educating us on their product, even taking us to their suite at Target Field to watch a Twins – White Socks game (Twins won 4-1). It was great to see what was happening in the Midwest and to know that this family owned, family operated, made in the USA company was out there. Seeing the passion and drive that the founders and employees have for their company by hosting an event like this made us more aware of what they have to offer and more educated on why we would want to specify their product. Thank you Cambria! We had a great time!
GO SKATE DAY!
Today is “Go Skate Day” throughout the nation. As former skateboarders, we are looking forward to attending and participating with today’s event. We all need a creative outlet, and before design, during design and after design, skateboarding was ours. Today, we dust off our skateboards and roll around.
NeoCon 2012
Chicago is a great city to visit and especially during the time of NeoCon. The city itself is inspiring and knowing that the majority of the industry is gearing up for this event, makes the afternoons and evenings eventful. Major vendors such as Interface, Versteel, DIRTT, Shaw, etc… host get togethers at many of the wonderful restaurants, lounges or bars. If you are fortunate enough to attend one of these, you can find yourself mingling with not only your area representative, but also several of the chief designers or graphic designers who are tasked with coming up with the showroom layouts and designs. You just never know who you may be standing next to. Seeing new products by manufacturers can be overwhelming at times, so, if you plan to attend NeoCon 2013, you had better come prepared. Map out your route in the Merchandise Mart before hand and set up appointments with key vendors you want to see so you can ask all the questions you want. Don’t forget to make time to shop on the “Mile”, eat deep dish pizza, take in the sights and most of all, have fun! Its Chicago!