As part of a delightful academic diversion, I have recently been researching interiors shown on film – with a focus on the Elrod House in Palm Springs, designed by John Lautner between 1966-68 for Interior Designer Arthur Elrod. This interior was used in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever, directed by Guy Hamilton in … Continue reading Finding Connections Between a Film Interior and Reality
“Clouds of Colour”, artist Amanda McCavour’s recent installation in the main entrance foyer at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, uses spatial techniques to activate an unruly public interior. Continue reading Spatial Effect in ‘Clouds of Colour’
Recently, I organized my garden tools. The activity of making spatial sense of my garden toolshed, and its spillover effect on my work in the garden, has prompted me to explore the larger lessons of this task. What can I learn by placing gardening and blogging side by side? Gardening is a hands-on creative practice … Continue reading Organizing My Tools: Research as a Source for Blogging
Recently – over the course of four weeks – I spent more than 24 hours of productive time attending the online BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Colour] Design History Class: “Black Design in America: African Americans and the African Diaspora in Graphic Design, from the 19th to the 21st Century” (https://bipocdesignhistory.com/). Organized by a collective … Continue reading Lessons Learned from BIPOC Design History Class
The Canadian woman who is frequently described as Canada’s first designer, Kate Reed (1856- 1928) the decorator of Canada’s Railway Hotels, was born nine years before Elsie De Wolfe (1865-1950), that famous American usually thought of as the first successful professional decorator in America. While De Wolfe had a very different life story and body … Continue reading Kate Reed in comparison – Canada’s first interior designer
Books about kitchens dominated my reading list this summer, and one of them featured an innovative approach to the subject. Toronto-based John Ota has worked in the field of architecture for over 40 years as a writer, designer, historic preservationist, and curator. In his recent book, The Kitchen – a journey through history in search … Continue reading Summer Reading: The Kitchen
One of my areas of study is the history and practice of design research. As Victor Margolin noted in 2010, design research encompasses a broad selection of activities that generally coalesce around two general goals: either to understand design’s place in the world; or to improve the results of design activity. One example that covers … Continue reading Design Research in/on Julia’s Kitchen
It’s a hot summer day in the city and we are dreaming of the cool waters of Ontario’s lakes. Fair weather boaters might take it for granted that boat design is simple – keeping the boat afloat is the main goal, right? But a closer look at the designed object with an eye to problem … Continue reading Ready for the Weekend: Boating, Vikings and Bailing
A colleague is currently posting on social media about his pilgrimage through Northern Spain, and I am reminded of the enduring lessons of Romanesque pilgrimage churches in that area of the world, especially how the built environment can be shaped to support ritual and user experience. Today there are many people who undertake a pilgrimage … Continue reading In the Footsteps of Others: Planning the Pilgrimage Church
During a recent trip to Ottawa, I toured the National Gallery of Canada’s feature show – Gauguin: Portraits. I was with my 14-year-old son and we were both impressed. Not only did the exhibition invite us to re-consider what can be considered a ‘portrait’, especially in the context of Gauguin’s artistic project, it featured engaging … Continue reading Talking About “Gauguin: Portraits” at the National Gallery of Canada
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