Slow Home Report - January 30, 2008

Sanity and Sustainability meet good design. I hope this movement has a future as outlined by the introduction to this website. Slow Home.

The Blur comes to the Built Environment

Much esoteric philosophizing and intellectual building goes on in the architectural world, for material suppliers questions of the validity of some of the ideas and how they will manifest is always in the forefront of their product planning. As a consultant, I regularly wrestle with how culture, technology and design ideas will combine into new forms. I realize that the influences and outcomes are never linear, but rather more organic, often even spiral. On my return from Art Basel Miami, I have been obsessing over how THE BLUR will affect the built environment. Of course, it already has - Diller + Scofidio created a building for the Swiss Expo 2002 called the BLUR Building that was essentially a scaffold with mist created by 31,500 high-pressure nozzles. Their description states: "Upon entering the fog mass, visual and acoustic references are erased, leaving only an optical "white-out" and the "white-noise" of pulsing nozzles. Blur is an anti-spectacle. Contrary to immersive environments that strive for high-definition visual fidelity with ever-greater technical virtuosity, Blur is decidedly low-definition: there is nothing to see but our dependence on vision itself." Ah! but this rarefied thinking doesn't translate to my clients, nor do my clients make water.

So I am no wiser, I keep searching and realize that one of my previous presentations held the answer - the ribbon building I was showing as a new new trend in a 2005 presentation at Coverings showed what blur would look like in the built environment. Surfaces will no longer be distinct, floors will meld into walls and flow into ceiling and technology makes it all possible. Now that is something my clients will understand - a new way of seeing their material with more square footage to cover!

Always looking for confirmation, I found it on a most spectacular architectural website: Iconography: In a post called "The Endgame of Minimalism," Michiel van Raaij states, "For the first time in architectural history the floor, wall, and ceiling not only had the same color, but became part of the same surface." He also sees "the end of paint, stucco, or foil" putting all but concrete, metal and glass manufacturers out of business. If I follow his reasoning, I guess that I'd better put less emphasis on color and more on texture, it 's all seems rather blurry to me.

It was inevitable

It is amazing how quickly some trends run the race. I have no idea who is most responsible for much of the "lighting as material" in the built environment but I suspect that Color Kinetics, recently bought by Philips Solid State Lighting Solutions, played a large part in the growth of the incorporation of light into and as a part of architecture. When I presented their Lightwasher wall washers and keychains as Christmas presents in 2002,(only a few museum shops were selling them) the recipients didn't buy into the amazement and effusive enthusiasm I showed for the product. Needless to say, they did not share my view of how important this technology could become in our industry. I am even more amazed at the skepticism of the of the writers for Live Design in their report on the Spring Lightfair 2003, who professed it would prove to be just another fad "Some industry insiders predict that it will be five to 10 years before LEDs are mature enough to replace other light sources" was their take on the subject less than 5 years ago.

This is where technology met architecture, and moved it along the trend curve much faster than the usual speed of change in the decorative segment of the construction industry - and the public adores it, with youtube leading the way.

Louis Vuitton Staircase

This is the most recent of the dozen videos on youtube of the staircase at Louis Vuitton in Rome. Light is now as much "material" in design and architecture as more traditional surfaces. Viral marketing is becoming an important part of every business segment and content is an important part. (None of the dozen image sequences on youtube are the same images.) LV's viral store design is no surprise, as they have relied on the viral marketing of their logo from the very beginnings of their business.

A picture is worth 1,000 words

Sam Berlow and Cyrus Highsmith of The Font Bureau Inc., Boston composed a defining article for the 2008 election in the Boston Globe. The article: "What Font says 'Change'?" speaks in terms of graphic design, but what the public sees on bumper stickers in the months ahead and what it says about each candidate really hits you in the face visually with little further explanation needed. In terms of graphic design Obama is the clear winner. Kudos to the writers for showing us so clearly how images affect our lives.

Pepsi Jazz Ad in People Magazine

Advertising goes beyond a flat sheet of paper. This Pepsi ad in people magazine has sound, smell and 3-d pop-up at a cost of over $2 per.

Marketing to the IKEA Generation

If your are marketing interior finishes or furnishings to the demographic that IKEA serves, (Generation X and Y and second home owners) spend some serious time online with Design Sponge to see how this generation lives and what they love for their homes. This blog speaks volumes in this generation's language. Design Sponge is immediate, authentic, candid, personal and entirely delightful.

Light focuses the blur of materials

As with most products in he marketplace today there is a glut of products and the only way to differentiate is to be either CHEAP or "remarkable." according to Seth Godin. Graniti Fiandre lets light create the focus for their new porcelain tile - Luminar - the surface design interacts with light to make the metallic finishes appear unique and truly "remarkable."

Gender Roles coming into Focus

The days of defined gender roles have come to a screeching halt. When I came home to my neighbor and her daughter building a concrete block wall, I knew the world had changed in some inexorable way. (It is totally beside the point that I stripped my own roof 30 years ago - I was-after all-invincible, I was one of Bob Vila's sidekicks on This Old House and we were a little wacky and way ahead of the curve.) 30 years later, we have PINK suede tool belts and steel toe work boots for "her" available at Home Depot Canada and Porsche Design Kitchens by Poggenpohl for "him." Trends in the construction industry take a long time to establish themselves, but who would have guessed 30 years?

Day 1 - Mark Moves Into IKEA

The BLUR of Art Basel Miami and Design Miami

There was a pervasiveness of BLUR at the art shows - in our culture, life seems to blur in many ways. For example, there has been a full generation of the blurring of gender roles, more recently it is the blurring of gender itself. On the beach side stage was a performance by the performance artist Donald Urquhart and his high camp "Palace of Tears" which left gender irrelevant. This fall there were three prime time television characters with ongoing roles whose gender was more than slightly bent. TV may not offer the high art of Art Basel, but in its cultural perception, it is art. The art in Miami expressed the ambiguity of our times.

Freud touched on the topic over a century ago: “Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity.” Does art help us cope with the times? Taking up art appreciation certainly beats taking tranquilizers or hours on the couch. So, ambiguity is one of those topics best left to the arts community, rather than to marketers. Although the photographer Michael Prince shows how marketing may tap into this trend through blurring in this photo shown in Miami by the David Gallery . His photo called Push forces the viewer to focus on the topic at hand in an almost ethereal way.

In the built environment this blurring trend will lead to more subtle and less defined transitions from one surface to another for the moment. Like every other fashion cycle, this blurring will eventually lead to a new (as yet undetermined) FOCUS. Stay tuned.

The LIGHT of Art Basel Miami and Design Miami

I still can't get my head on everything that went on at these shows, other than it was all fabulous. For a marketer, the age-old question prevailed: Does life imitate art or does art imitate life. The best that I can ascertain from my days in Miami is that "art" has to be watched because, often unknowingly "art" is first with the perception and expression of what is happening in the culture. Photography is an immediate art and is often first with the impressions of what is important in the culture. Lynn Bianchi's photographs shown by the Joel Soroka Gallery, besides being gorgeous, made some important points:

• Light becomes the object, rather than as a way to light other objects, just as we are seeing light as material in the built environment.
  
• The booth showed only her body of work, this singular focus conveyed a much more powerful presence than displays of various artists in many of the booths.

Marketers are so often tempted to "show it all," often loosing impact, again proving the power of editing.

Hi-tech, Hi-concept, HI-DESIGN

Apple stores have become an icon of an era - according to a recent New York Times article: Inside Apple Stores, a Certain Aura Enchants the Faithful. Design IS the differentiator, in the case of the Apple Store - design of the product, design of the interior and most important of all - design of the EXPERIENCE. Two days after Christmas, I was in a "lifestyle center," I didn't even have to stand in line for an exchange, but the Apple store next door was hopping. And don't underestimate the design of the graphics - the iPod product poster explained the different types at a glance. There isn't a better example of an edited product selection at retail and it is highly successful and profitable for Apple - they generate sales an unheard of $4,000 per square foot in their stores with revenue increases of 42% from 4th quarter 2006 to 2007 according to the article.

"Evoke" York Minster Illumination

The lighting patterns on the cathedral are generated by the voices of the public. Truly interactive art designed by Haque Design and Research. Lighting is both a new medium and material for art and architecture.

The Artless informs Art, Advertising and Design

Tattoos and Graffiti...There is no longer any question that the "artless" or as some label it "outsider art" informs all forms of expression in our visual world. It is simply amazing how quickly it jumped the shark to the luxury marketplace. Is there even the slightest bit of irony intended or should we take this all at face value? I guess it is just an attempt to stand out in the crowded marketplace. Interesting development, some lovely images, but I wouldn't bet my brand and reputation on it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I actually covet an Ed Hardy tee - if only it flattered this boomer body of mine.

Is it finally time for the jewel box house?

"The built environment accounts for up to half the world's energy use, material consumption and toxic emissions." Bill Valentine, HOK

I have been waiting in vain for my demographic cohort, the boomers, to start building their promised "jewel box" homes. What I saw instead for the newly empty nests was a rush to McMansions - the bigger, the better. With the recent emphasis on building green, maybe the time has finally arrived. I recently discovered Bill Valentine's article on the Greener Building website: Voluntary Simplicity: Making Smaller Better, he asks that we "invest money into quality instead of size." As chairman of the large architectural firm HOK, he states the case succinctly and as a design architect, he knows that "innovative solutions have emerged from being forced to plan smaller, tighter, less expensive buildings."

Now, if all the NIMBY's of the world will only allow that to happen...

What is real?

What is authentic in today's tricked out world? Getting past faux-ness in the world to the real thing is an age-old dilemma - but more so today than ever. I was reminded recently how wonderful a truly authentic experience can be at the mineral springs at Ojo Caliente in the New Mexico desert about an hour from Santa Fe.

Deemed sacred by indigenous Native Americans of Northern New Mexico, Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs has been a gathering place and a source of healing for hundreds, even thousands of years. Ojo Caliente is the only hot springs in the world with a remarkable combination of four different types of mineral water: lithium, iron, soda and arsenic. For the spa aficionado this is an experience not to be missed. While there are no rusty wheelchairs or weathered crutches littering the landscape like at the Santuario de Chimayo, despite the "quiet" signs in all the tubs, the stories of regeneration from those who frequent the springs were inspirational. Warning: This is not to be confused with a luxury spa, rather it is an entirely authentic mineral springs experience.

For marketers it is critical to remember what is authentic. We too often get caught up in the stories that we tell about our products , and who is there to call our bs. The only way we find out is if the consumer doesn't buy it and our products.

Trends gone awry

I am a trend analyst for materials that go into the built environment, not a trend forecaster. For those of you who want to see trend "forecasts" from the past century gone awry visit the Paleo-Future blog. It is great fun!

Back to the Future

On a recent trip to the New Mexico desert, I realized that my original blog posting contains all the seeds of success for selling materials for the built environment both interior and exterior. The houses that are "one" with the desert floor make for stunning architecture. And...the graffiti strewn landscape seen throughout the area is not art! Why make your customers slog through hundreds of product choices when a much smaller selection may be appropriate for your marketplace. Remember that manufacturers create products to satisfy the entire marketplace, which is now often global in scope. For your local palette- go out and get your hands dirty, scoop up the local soil and vegetation before creating your marketing materials. Benjamin Moore paints has offered a collection called America's Colors for years. This palette will help you find your regional colors without even getting your hands dirty.

• Continue to look to nature for inspiration.
  
• Edit choices in a customer-centric manner.
• Make it local!

Top Five Trend Watching Tips

I couldn't have said it better: Top Five Trend Watching Tips tell you everything you need to know to be on your way to watching the trends that are important to you. When I have a minute, I will distill this interesting but lengthy piece.

Inspiration for Kitchens and Baths

It used to be said that "a picture is worth a thousand words." How quickly the internet has changed that. We used to be happy with those pictures in the shelter magazines or what Tom Wolf called "plutography." Now still pictures are not enough, we have come to expect to see the world in video - and here it is, my favorite bath in video format - "Clodagh talks about baths." Kohler has a wonderful set of short videos of interior spaces in every imaginable style on their website. I've always loved the pictures I've seen of this bath, but the designer, Clodaugh narrating this video makes it so much more real. If you love minimalism take a look at the Dwell magazine video of a Harlem brownstone renovation on the Kohler site - simply fabulous!

Sicis in New York: An Italian touch... a showroom of colors.

Consumers actually watch this Valspar Ad

What a mesmerizing ad for the colors of an interior finish! According to Business Week people with Tivo are actually choosing to watch some ads, and this Valspar ad is one of them. What various pundits have said is true - "make ads interesting and they will watch." Maybe it is because I am in the business, but I took special note of what product the ad was promoting the first time I saw it because it so intrigued me. Such a simple concept -so well done! (Even the music is uplifting.)

The Laws of Physics

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, globalization had to bring back the local. We are afraid the eat seafood from Asia, and if you have ever tried to eat California peaches in New England, you know that fruit picked before it is ripe in California often isn't even edible once it reaches East Coast stores. The local is returning in home furnishings as well, and it it about more than "carbon neutrality."

For example, we are no longer excited about centuries old bucolic toiles. Today we buy local - seafood, fruit, and toiles. Studio Printworks offers a delightful collection of scenes like the South Beach Toile by Given Campbell and the Harlem Toile de Jouy by Sheila Bridges for those of you for whom these scenes are local or even hold fond memories. Why? Because, like eating a ripe peach, it is a much more satisfying experience.

So many choices...So many decisions

It has been fascinating to follow the blog of the couple building a house in Florida in the New York Times. The couple has just begun to think about the selection process and are already overwhelmed before they even begin. "As soon as I saw the Kraftmaid cabinet display my confusion got worse. Several years ago I renovated a kitchen, but I don’t remember having to make so many choices." The Internet gives us insight into the mind of the consumer, as never before possible.

If you involved with home furnishing finishes - whether for a starter home, a luxury upgrade or anywhere in between, read the initial posting in this blog as a reminder of how important it is to edit your product offering for the particular market segment to which you are appealing. Keep in mind that consumers will long remember the buying experience - it becomes a part of every product - it becomes a story to be shared over and over - just as the story in the New York Times blog will be shared.