July Edit Letter: Out of Office
It’s summertime! Fun in the sun, R&R, and all those sweet do-nothings that dance in everyone’s head. Or at least in remote, guilty corners of it. Don’t you agree?
Now I know what yer thinkin’: She’s going to wax lyrical about jetting off to some high-design getaway. But you would be wrong. (Well, for now, at least.) Contrary to popular travel fantasies, I firmly believe that some of the most effortless brilliance happens right here, right now. It’s that Newton + Apple gravity thingy, and here’s how it works. 1. You thoroughly prepare, lining up all your duckies, getting all your bits, and forgetting none of your whatnots. 2. You drag yourself dead-tired, presumably from overachieving, to your highly merited vacation, be that a prolonged period or an extended weekend. 3. Battling hassles raised to the nth degree, you reach your designated spot. 4. You finally assume your fave position—for me, it’s poolside for sure—and wait for absolute zen relaxation and blissful enjoyment to sweep over you. 5. And you wait. A moment at first, then a few more, a little while longer. And what happens, while you are waiting for those two characters to show up, is that you discover your vacation is already over.
For yours truly, tho, it usually takes all of five minutes on the lounge chair to be roaring back to planning stories for our next special issue, working out the details for an event, doing quick lists in my head of designers in need of a call, and so forth. My work is my relaxation, too. For you designers, it’s that slow creep toward a notepad, a walkabout for a pencil, just one quick sketch before you try to lie down again. . .and wham. It’s magic time! You get an irresistible idea that needs instant developing, and very soon thereafter I get a great new project to publish.
Speaking of great new projects, especially with a travel slant, I actually have some right here in this issue. Still looking for zen? You’ll find plenty, with a capital Z, at Hall of Fame member Clodagh’s hotel in Miami. Prefer the drama of Sicilian myths and legends? A palazzo hotel by Studio GUM is overflowing with them. And out on the remote islands of Cape Verde, Ramos Castellano Architects gives contemporary forms an African vibe.
No matter where you are this summer, far away or around the corner, take a breather, take a splash, and don’t forget to take design.
> See more from the July 2017 issue of Interior Design
