Differentiated Design

Hey Reader,

In defense of different.

What is the point of designing something and making it look a certain way? If starting a huge project like a condo building or something small like a living room, what is the end you are trying to achieve?

Most of the time, what gets chosen is "to look like a living room" or "to look like a modern development." Ultimately, the aim is Fitting in and Blending into your surroundings and the approval of your peers.

You shouldn't do this.

Be Different.

Rather than play it safe, you should do something that few people do. Why? Two reasons:

1. Because you'll be happier with the outcome. You get only a few opportunities to "make your mark" on the world, so why not have that mark be a unique signature instead of copy of someone else?

2. Because the market will respond.

Think about famous places that people like to visit.

Venice. Paris. Tulum. NYC. Mexico City.

Why do people want to go here? Because it it looks and feels DIFFERENT that your normal surroundings. It breaks the pattern in your life.

Your projects should be a pattern disrupter that people want to visit because it makes them special.

And if you execute them well, it will make them easier to sell too.

"Cool, but how?"

The right approach, for most residential applications, is to split the difference.

Every great new product launch straddles what consumers understand & what they don't yet know. The intersection of Safety versus Bold. *Note: If you are designing a bar/venue/boutique hotel, you might want to go much bolder. Another topic for a different day*

So, combine what people are used to with something unique and exciting.

Specific ways you could split the difference:

• Neutral white living rooms But with big sculptural art & colorful furniture
• Modern farmhouse But dusty rose exterior w/ black windows (instead of white exterior w/ black windows)
• Traditional landscaping But interesting outdoor suspended pendant lighting (or maybe some funky lawn chairs)
• White craftsmen courtyard townhomes But with bold checked tile pool
• Minimalist interior But light blue-green paint on walls & ceilings
• Traditional 4 square home But with arched cased openings & rounded corners everywhere
• Beachfront airbnb But with mountain retreat style amenities (cedar hot tub & sauna)
• Loft apartment But with thin brick tile floors throughout
• I am doing it here in this newsletter. Minimal layout and text But slightly different tan background.

Build a bag of tricks over time

I think the key as a Designer is building up a big bag of tricks that you can deploy for high impact. If you have a "normal" looking space you want to elevate, you reach for these.

This takes time and will feel like stumbling around in the dark for a while, but it's necessary to get good (and totally worth it!!). Find things that work for you (maybe it is "orange furniture," it was for me) and don't be afraid to use them again and again.

It only takes 1 or 2 choices (paint + furniture) for something to FEEL vastly different than your average house. Those high impact choices you discover are your tricks.

Use 1 or 2 of these tricks in each room or comprehensively across the whole project, and I promise that your end product will be eye popping.

Finally, make sure you create and follow a Theme

A theme is just a few rules.

If you set those rules at the beginning of the project and follow them all the way through to the last final details, it will FEEL like a cohesive intentional thing.

So make a few choices. Here's an Example Theme if you were doing a house or a couple rooms:

• Color: main: cream/ accent: pink & charcoal & medium brown wood
• Hardware: brass & black
• Architectural references: Art Deco & Roman Villa (you might implement in the tile you choose or the trim or the light fixtures)
• Furniture style: chunky post modern
• Art/Accent Objects: Biophilic, lots of plants

Now you have a design bible. A real theme. Commit and roll with it all the way down to the end of the project - through the very last details. Make sure you are bringing a few of these elements/rules into every space & room.

This is the basic framework for how I think about design. Hope this is helpful. Love & appreciate any and all feedback.

Cheers,

-HANS

See you next week!

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