Contract Magazine - October 2018 - 22

PROFILE

Cristina Casañas-Judd and General Judd, left
careers in the film and TV industries to pursue
design. Today, as owners and principals of Me and
General Design, their work includes private homes,
restorations of existing buildings, commercial
projects ranging from dermatology offices to
restaurants, and amenity spaces for multifamily
residential developments, such as Hoyt & Horn
(below) in downtown Brooklyn. Their portfolio also
includes product design-an extension of their
business that they hope to continue growing. Notably,
the pair recently collaborated with Wolf-Gordon
to create SO GOOD (above), a curated wallcovering
collection boasting edgy, geometric flair.

What were the key factors for you in deciding
to start your practice?
While Cristina was managing a successful career
as a set decorator for film and TV, and I was acting
as a Blueman for the off-Broadway production of Blue
Man Group, we were approached to assist designing
model apartments. From that point on, we were sought
out for larger and larger projects. Recognizing we
both had a passion for design and were good at doing
it together, we created Me and General Design.
How do your backgrounds inform your design
practice?
Cristina worked on feature films and TV productions
such as "Adventureland," "The Messenger," and "Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy," and I was a set dresser on
various productions in North Carolina before moving
to New York. Thus, our approach to our projects is
unique in that we apply the same techniques we used
in designing film and TV sets.
What is unique about your work and overall
design approach?
We build a script around each project based
on the information given at the onset from the client,
marketing department, architects, and developers.
We then create characters based on the end user
and begin to view the space through their eyes. This
method informs us in selecting every finite detail
from the wall treatment to the books on the nightstand.
Is product design an area of your business that
you plan to expand?
Yes! Having created the SO GOOD wallcovering
collection in collaboration with Wolf-Gordon, and our
original SWICK Board, a patented WiFi Bluetooth speaker
housed in a 7-foot surfboard, we are looking forward
to what else is on the horizon for us in product design.
What, in your opinion, is important in design today?
Collaborating and mixing the platforms of design-
from fashion to architecture, music, and industrial
design-to inspire one another to create something
original and sustainable that also elevates one's
own expectations.
What are you working on now?
As far as projects, we are currently working on a
restaurant in Brooklyn, a residential building conversion
on Wall Street, and a new multifamily residential
development in White Plains, New York. In the M&GD
studio we have a design for a SWICK Boutique Hotel
on the table, which we are gearing up to develop.
contractdesign.com

OCTOBER 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY: EMANUEL HAHN (HEADSHOT), CLAIR ESPARROS (HOYT & HORN), AND JAMES SHANKS (SO GOOD)

Designers
You
Should
Know
Me and
General
Design

http://www.contractdesign.com

Contract Magazine - October 2018

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