Working for the future
As frustrating as it is to work harder for less, many of us knew that the unprecedented wave of construction was not going to go on forever. What we want now is to figure out the best way to remain optimistic while using our extra time but fewer resources in innovative ways.
For designers these new realities are an especially big let down as the extravagant products created in the heyday end up in the dust heap of material goods that seem unrelated to today’s realities. But in many ways, the unraveling of the excess in products can mean the beginning of your own creativity as you look at ways to make simple things work better than before.
Take basic wall tile, for example.
Who wanted to use a standard glass mosaic ($2.25 per square foot) when you could specify a dazzling handcrafted pattern in the colors of your choice?
Well, I for one see many benefits in the former rather than the latter, and I think that even the customers visiting these projects understand that timelessness right now is a higher value than “latest and greatest”.
Does this have to scream “locker room/ lowest budget”?
At $2.50 per square foot, great sizes grouted in chic and easy to maintain cool grays can feel clean and new and modern rather than cold and impersonal. Look for “crafted” tiles in that price range (yes, you can!) and demand well edited products that while not custom are aesthetic and sophisticated.
I for one feel that although it is very sad to see people struggling personally, design will not be ill-served by the market bending to today’s realities and if you demand that your vendors provide great design for less you will get it.
