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word q.
A query for the creative class
RULES WERE MADE TO BE BROKEN—BUT IS THERE ONE DESIGN LAW THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER MESS WITH?
“Our only real rule is that good design begins with a
STRONG CORE CONCEPT—
that’s the root of all decision-making on the project, and it allows us to edit with conviction. After that, anything goes.” Matt McLeod, designer, pictured with partner Lisa Bovell, McLeod Bovell Modern Houses, mcleodbovell.com
“DURING ART AND DESIGN EDUCATION, YOU LEARN RULES SO THAT YOU KNOW WHEN TO BREAK THEM. NOW WE HAVE JUST ONE RULE, AND IT IS ENCAPSULATED IN OUR TAGLINE: ‘WE MAKE YOUR WORLD FUN TO LIVE IN.’” Laura Zeck, interior designer, Zinc Art & Interiors, zincartinteriors.com
“Balance is critical to composition. With every piece I design, I look for general symmetry in the object’s visual weight. Even in asymmetrical designs, each shape, pattern, or texture needs a counterpart, creating a composition that is both dynamic and balanced.” Emily Counts, jewelry designer, St. Eloy, st-eloy.com
gray loves
Art and function merge seamlessly in a new collaboration between Vancouverbased furniture designer Jeff Martin and Montreal-based artist Zoë Pawlak. The lacquered and oxidized maple credenza, designed and built by Martin, showcases an oil landscape that Pawlak hand-painted on its cabinet doors.
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GRAY ISSUE No. TWENTY-THREE
Maple, lacquer, and powdercoated steel credenza, $9,800, through zoepawlak.com and jeffmartinjoinery.ca. Custom orders available.