After a very late night (or early morning) post Blackhawks game at Timmy O'Toole's, we revived a bit with some breakfast at Yolk. My friend Jess (who FYI won second place in the NKBA design competition for her Small Kitchen entry) and I headed back to McCormick for a design panel, Form that Functions, sponsored by Brizo.
On the panel: fashion designer Jason Wu (he designed Michelle Obama's inaugural gown), Brizo/Delta industrial designer Judd Lord and Cheryl Kees Clendenon, FL kitchen designer. Author/designer Johnny Grey unfortunately was grounded in London due to the Icelandic volcano eruption and didn't make it.
I loved that Jason stated that his job was to make things prettier. As an art school student I often struggled in my classes because I generally just wanted to make beautiful things. Instructors would always ask about my thought process or seem to expect some deep inner meaning, and to me, I just wanted things that were beautiful to look at. Often this left me feeling superficial. A fellow student would be praised for his series of photographs of still images of Valley of the Dolls playing on his TV, but my gorgeous pinhole photos not so much.
As a kitchen and bath designer, I don't have to struggle with deep inner meanings anymore, just improving and enhancing the lives of my clients. How many of us have been sucked into wanting a home for its gorgeous kitchen, only to find that the kitchen does not function well for our needs?
Part of my passion for universal design is breaking away from many of the 'molds' that are often instilled in me. A counter does NOT have to be 36" tall, in fact most of the time it shouldn't. A kitchen with varied counter heights is visually so much more interesting and functions so much better for users of all heights. Rather than your typical base and wall cabinet combos in a U or L, some of the most beautiful and interesting kitchens I have seen lately almost use cabinets as furniture pieces, as if they are heirlooms that have been passed down. A 63" tall bank of cabinetry, perhaps holding some appliances on one side, and say bookshelves or interesting glass cabinet on the other can act as a room divider in the large open spaces we are now so accustomed to seeing. This is a way to both create intimacy but still leave a room open to light or flow, and also puts appliances at a height that is user friendly.
Now armed with some great ideas and new product information, I'm excited to go home and start implementing my new knowledge into my work. I absolutely love this faucet that Judd designed and am hoping to work it into a glamorous bath for a new client (would love to use it with some totally fabulous Ann Sacks tile). Must put down the laptop to board my plane out of O'Hare but more thoughts later...
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