i+D - January/February 2018 - 28

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Contributors

Favorite things. Our contributing authors share their thoughts on well-designed
cities-the focus of our cover story-and the design perspective they gained
in researching and writing their topics for this issue of i+D.

2. Michele Keith,
The Demise of the Dining Room
Two bits of info Michele learned from her research
on dining/living spaces really captured her attention.
"The first is how different the design processes
are for doing a great room versus a proper dining
room, combining the 'hard' elements of a kitchen
and 'soft' elements of a living room into one
space, for example. The second is the enormous
effect technology has had on people, reaching
much further into the home than I ever realized,"
she says. Her favorite city? "Paris has it all,"
she reveals. "Who but the French can combine
old with new, sleek with elaborate, and casual
with elegant to create such beautiful buildings and
neighborhoods? Add in well-cared-for parks
and gardens, window displays that are nothing less

than art, food and flower markets that please the
senses, and a metro system that is both clean and
efficient and what do you have? Near perfection."
3. Brian J. Barth, A Tale of Four Cities
An author who lives exactly where he wants
to be, Brian says his favorite city is "Toronto, my
adopted hometown, because of its colorful, diverse,
walkable neighborhoods. And, the fact that it has
recently developed such an active and innovative
design culture." For his article on cities and design,
he learned how civic leaders are taking design very
seriously. "That's trickled down to foster a lot of
envelope-pushing design studios run by young
folks who, in the past, would have found it hard
to become established without joining a large firm
and working their way up," he explains. Even
though he lives in Toronto, Brian was surprised
to discover numerous new projects in the works
he was unaware of, including some very inspiring
ones, because "the transformation of the Toronto
waterfront is happening so fast."
4. Diana Mosher, One of a Kind
Knockoffs are a problem in every industry,
including interior design. During her research,
Diana found the construction methods that
differentiate the real thing from the knockoff
fascinating. "Organizing demonstrations to show
how the authentic products are made is a brilliant
way to explain these differences. The work that
Be Original Americas is doing to educate customs
officials, the public, and designers is much needed
and they have built an impressive membership
in a short time," she notes, citing that organization
as a valuable resource and a powerful deterrent as
it "maintains information on [its] homepage related

i+D - January/February 2018

to knockoffs spotted in the marketplace." Although
she clearly states she loves all cities, Diana declares
Berlin and Chicago as her two top favorites.
"Both are so walkable with varied architectural
styles, the most amazing river views, and lovely
pedestrian bridges. Riding public transportation
is an interesting way to connect with locals in their
natural environment while seeing the city from
a different perspective."
5. Barbara Thau,
See, Like, Buy: Design in the Digital Age
Technology is such an ingrained part of every day,
that its convenience-and resulting expectations-
can diminish the value accorded to the creativity
and individuality of professional services, including
those from the interior design community. When
interviewing her sources for the article on design
in the digital age, Barbara found their description
of their work-the notion of interior design as
art-particularly intriguing. "Their descriptions
of the client/designer process and the skills, macro
design knowledge, and personalization of spaces
they bring to a project were endlessly interesting,"
she says. However, interior design is a business,
Barbara notes, adding it was thought-provoking
to learn about "the granular view of the business
side [and] profit model consideration." As far as
her favorite city, this New Yorker didn't hesitate:
"Although [New York City's] soul has been bruised
by over-development of luxury everything and the
loss of character and characters, it's what shaped
me and where my family is."

Image 1: Kirk Condyles/Image 2: Andrew French/Image 3: Christine Nobel/Image 4: Glen Mosher/Image 5: Dan D'Errico

1. Ambrose Clancy,
ICONic Profile: Carol Jones
Ambrose reveals he has two favorite cities:
"New York, which I came to when I was 18 and
have never recovered from the first overwhelming
feeling there was something important going on
around every corner...As they say, just by living in
New York, you get smarter every day. And, Dublin,
where I lived for two years and found it to be the
most hospitable big city I've ever experienced. Its
charm is made up of Georgian architecture, mild
(if wet) climate, reverence for language and the
past, and people who value wit and companionship
above almost anything else." Ambrose enjoyed
writing this issue's "ICONic Profile," describing
Carol Jones as "sure of herself, funny, and eager to
talk about her life and work." One surprise was her
ideas on aesthetics and "that different cultures have
different values about what makes a design work."

i+D - January/February 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i+D - January/February 2018