Swedish luxury furniture designed by Svenskt Tenn

Accents of Silver and Glass

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How is “good design” determined?

What is good design?Using the above definition of design, determining “good design” is consequently determined by how a given society employs and accepts the design. The attribute of time is a crucial indication of good design, if a design is used for a long period of time without one of its given elements or ideas removed, more commonly known as being redesigned, then the design has proven itself. Time however is not the sole defining factor of good design. The ability for the idea to be easily understood by society and that the design is pleasing, both aesthetically and mentally also contribute to “good design.”

IKEA Hackers before and after

Paint and new hardware easy as that

The House

                Truly great architecture and design knows no trends and can withstand the passing of time.  Recently I took the opportunity to drive around the neighborhood and surrounding area I grew up in. this area in the foothills of Provo was at one time the prime location for homes in Utah Valley. Many of the homes there were built in the mid 1970’s and 80’s however I have noticed a stark contrast between these homes and the cookie cutter approach, however big the cookie, of more recent prominent building area.

 These homes built nearly thirty years ago are all unique and have stood the test of time. They were designed in a variety of architectural styles and their designers stayed close to the features of those styles. If it was a Georgian home it was symmetrical with beautiful brick work or if it was a Tudor home it has white stucco with dark brown half-timbering and stained glass windows. Such was the home I was raised in and while it may not have been at the top of Le Corbusier’s list of styles I believe that my home fit his description of what a home should be; not overly ornate, frugal, clean and disciplined. It is unfortunate that today I see many of these once beautifully timeless homes being “modernized” to fit the trends of society, in doing so the home owner is destroying the passion instilled in the home by its architect.

The Architecture of Happiness

 Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a love of architecture; however few know what drives that love. To me architecture has always been one of the foundations of life, or at the very least a way to interpret life. Through symbols in stone, grandeur of height, or reverence that encompass a structure I have found solace in my life. I believe that what Alain de Botton in his book The Architecture of Happiness is explaining, and expounding on the affection for architecture.

    As I mature in my study of architecture I am beginning to better understand that difference in and relationship of public and private space. As a child I imagined large and ornate homes for me and my family to live in, however as I better understand just what it takes to make a house a home I relish in Botton’s discussion of Le Corbusier.  That truly great architecture is “motivated by the quest for efficiency”, that home need not be overly decorated or ornate, rather frugal, clean, disciplined and aesthetically pleasing.  I believe that not all homes need be of the Bauhaus or Modern movements to fit Le Corbusier’s thought process of what a home should be.

           

  

Matallic Paint? Your thoughts?

I am trying to decide how I feel about these painted metallic finishes. I love the look of a real metal finish can bring, but is the painted version some kind of counterfeit or its own style altogether?

What are your thoughts?