House Thinking (4)

I have a confluence of ideas running through my head regarding this next entry. Maybe it is because I spent the weekend with many artists friends and that always inspires and excites. And the spring weather is in full swing and I've had several lovely evenings in my garden proving once again to me that yes, environments greatly impact how we think, feel, act.

And then there was this spot on article in Sunday's NYT that did what powerful articles written by skilled writers can do: it really made me think. I've been thinking about it all week since reading it.

The article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/magazine/18wwln-lede-t.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=peggy%20orenstein&st=cse&oref=slogin) is about how women in impactful roles are perceived and I couldn't help but be pierced by it. My grown children (one male, one female) will be influenced in big ways by the way in which roles among women are changing.

So what does all this have to do with design?

Quite a lot, I think.

If we believe, as Winifred Gallagher suggests in her book "House Thinking" that we first shape our environments and then they shape us, then the development of people -- particularly those that inhabit the spaces that are designed, should be the key issue when designing spaces.

And so as we set forth in designing spaces for young people how do we do that best to encourage them to develop in ways that are conducive to creativity, imagination and intelligence?

That's a big question. Some might think that it is to cram all the latest technology into a space. Others might say open fields and simple accessories. Still others might imagine spaces that are devoid of any distrctions.

And all would be right.

Because for design to be "right" it has to first be personal. It has to fit the occupant and it has to be theirs. This takes a lot more than flipping through magazines and finding things that "look good" to make design functional and pleasing. It takes thought, effort and a willingness to know oneself or one's clients.

Tough stuff.