INTERIOR DESIGN

STACY DOWNS KC DESIGN WEEK

kcdesignweek.org 20 events April 12–20 Venues from the Crossroads Arts District to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Tickets go on sale March 15. Many events sell out that first day, and most sell out in advance of opening date.

Calling All Design Lovers.

Design has the power to inform, connect, and inspire our lives. It exists in our buildings, our products, our landscapes, our media, and our environments.

KC Design Week, in its ninth year, is a series of events that celebrates the value of design and highlights its impacts on our society. This collaborative experience offers the community opportunities to interact with all areas of design, including architecture, fashion, graphics, interiors, and planning.

Many of the events sell out, including the third annual Homes by Architects Tour on April 14.

Ranging from Cedar Creek in Olathe and with stops in Shawnee and Lenexa, continuing on to Brookside, there are four residential examples. Architects are lifestyle detectives, observing clues into how their clients aspire to live.

“The Homes by Architects Tour gives people a chance to see what’s possible when they work with an architect,” says Randi Mixdorf, co-chair of KCDW. “The houses are a beautiful partnership of the architects’ expertise and the clients’ dreams.”

In the self-guided tour, visitors can learn about their unique details from the people that designed them: KEM Studio, GastingerWalker&, McHenry Shaffer Architects, and Extraordinary Homes.

All homes on the tour were designed by AIA Kansas City member firms and selected by special committee. KC Design Week will correspond with ticket holders regarding the addresses of the homes closer to the event.

This year, KC Design Week has 20 events. Here’s an insider’s guide to some of the highlights:

Courage changes everything

The 2018 Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo is the future. Based on the successful sports saloon, the new version makes a profound statement in the luxury segment with its unmistakeable design. At the same time, the Sport Turismo, with up to 550 hp, is extremly versatile. And, it offers the perfect combination of everyday usability and maximum flexibility.

The new Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo

Aristocrat Motors

9400 West 65th Street Merriam KS 66203 (913) 677-3300 www.aristocrat.porschedealer.com

©2018 Porsche Cars North America, Inc. Porsche recommends seat belt usage and observance of traffic laws at all times.

DESIGN, FASHION, FUNCTION APRIL 12, THE NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART

A panel discussion on how design can solve problems in fashion and retail and how it can expand beyond typical concepts. Jennifer Lapka, founder of Rightfully Sewn in Kansas City, will moderate. • Lisa Choules, founder of Eleve Dancewear (Kansas City) • Matt Baldwin, co-founder of Baldwin and Standard Style (Kansas City) • Marion Parke, founder of Marion Parke (Minneapolis)

CONSTRUCTING COLLABORATIVE TEAMS WITH LEGO APRIL 13, HOLLIS + MILLER ARCHITECTS

Great design work typically results from great teamwork. But collaboration can be hard. Even the best and brightest people struggle to make the most of what everyone on a team has to offer. This hands-on, highly interactive session will be led by Idea Farm, Phoenixbased consultants who believe in having fun at work.

You will have the opportunity to use Lego Serious Play methods and materials to explore a collaboration challenge you are facing now. Gain insights about yourself and others while you build new connections and ways of thinking about collaboration. Yes, you will play with Lego — lots and lots of Lego.

EXPERIENCE DESIGN ON THE BOULEVARD APRIL 15, BOULEVARD TOURS & RECREATION CENTER

Guests will explore the Boulevard Center, completed in 2016 and featuring installations, way-finding, and environmental graphics created by Carpenter Collective through meticulous collaboration. The result is an authentic, unique guest experience that introduces the Boulevard story and identity to thousands of annual visitors. Attendees will enjoy educational tastings of Boulevard beers, beer hall snacks, and a presentation from husband-and-wife designers Tad and Jessica Carpenter of Carpenter Collective.

Carpenter Collective’s approach has led to clients ranging from Target to Coca-Cola to Macy's to Old Navy to MTV. Tad Carpenter illustrated the book cover for the best-selling book Wonder, and he has authored and illustrated more than a dozen children’s books himself.

RISE OF SNEAKER CULTURE + RETOOLING OF A BRAND APRIL 19, CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Brad Lacey, global design director for New Balance, will keynote this talk.

OPEN STUDIO NIGHT CRAWL AND CLOSING PARTY APRIL 20, CROSSROADS ARTS DISTRICT

Do you want to see the inside of one of those cool ad agencies? How about checking out some amazing architecture firms? Now’s your chance! Numerous design studios, architecture firms, and local spaces will open their doors from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and invite the public in for a free one-of-a-kind studio crawl.

After roaming through the studios, be sure to attend the KC Design Week Closing Party from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at The Guild. The Closing Party is a separate ticketed event. .

Stacy Downs writes about design and is a partner at MAD Creative, a branding and communications firm. She is a steering committee member of KC Design Week. These interactive events are a program of the Center for Architecture & Design, a group of local professional design organizations:

American Institute of Architects Kansas City (AIA Kansas City)

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA Kansas City)

American Society of Landscape Architects, Prairie Gateway Chapter (PGASLA)

Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)

International Interior Design Association Mid America Chapter (IIDA)

Kansas City Metropolitan Section of the American Planning Association (KCAPA)

With support from Kansas City Design Center

CORPORATE LUNCHEON

FOR ALL OF YOUR CATERING NEEDS Chicken Spiedini Will Travel!

HOLIDAY PARTIES

PRIVATE DINING ROOM/DELIVERIES/PICK UPS Overland Park | 913-491-8300 Downtown Location | 816-221-2455 Lee’s Summit | 816-554-2800