It’s all about me

Since I’ll be invading Bob’s blog on a semi-regular basis, I figure that I need to get to know you all a little better and in turn have you all get to know me (not the “hey, we should go grab a beer sometime” kind of way but more along the “you should read what I have written about myself below” kind of way (A man can only grab so many beers with random strangers before he’s viewed as an alcoholic)).

I am passionate about design and I have been since I was a wee child.  One of my earliest exposures to art and design was with one of my childhood friends…we would take a huge sheet of paper and draw a war scene on it…my half of the page against his.  He would have his army men, tanks and helicopters and I would draw canons, machine guns and paratroopers jumping out of jets shooting up his side of the page.  I’m not really sure what we were trying to accomplish there but it had something to do with the inevitable mortality of stick figures.  I clearly remember drawing these epic battles with a black pen (my mother wouldn’t let me use a red pen because “it made the reality of war a little too real”).

My natural yearning to draw made me gravitate towards design and was ultimately one of the things that brought me to the field of architecture.  The environment that I was raised in, along with my life experiences, have made a huge impact on they way I perceive design.  I find it interesting to see how the paths of other architects have shaped their style and the way that they design.  As a result, I think that an architect’s design sensibilities tell a lot about who they are.  I often wonder what type of furniture other architects have in their house?  What kind of car do they drive?  What kind of art do they own? Would going shopping for a rug with them be just as painful as my wife says it is with me (“no honey, that carpet is leaning a bit towards the cool gray side but maybe with the incandescent light bulbs in the bedroom it might look okay”).

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Having said all of that,  I’ve put together some questions that I feel are a good indicator of my design sensibilities that will allow you to understand me a little better (maybe I can get Bob to complete the same list in a post later down the road too).

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Favorite piece of furniture:  Eames Lounge Chair

I have a mild obsession with mid-century furniture.  I will not hesitate to rescue a totaled slightly damaged piece of mid-century furniture left out on the curb during big trash day (much to my wife’s chagrin). Out of all of the mid-century pieces ever made this is the one I cherish the most.  Introduced in 1956 by Charles and Ray Eames, the lounge chair continues to be a style icon … it is a symbol of creativity, ingenuity and craftsmanship … oh and it’s pretty darn comfortable too.

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Favorite pen: Paper Mate medium, blue ballpoint stick pen

Why would I use this cheap a$$ pen to draw with you ask?  Thanks for asking. Well, when I was growing up I would draw on paper place-mats at restaurants.   Without having any prior notice for our dinner outings, I’d always have to ask my parents (or the waiter) if I could borrow a pen so that I could draw while my parents gabbed about grown up stuff … for some reason they always had these pens.  Why do I still use one?  Thanks for asking.  Well, unlike a pencil, when the ink dries it doesn’t smudge.  Unlike a liquid ink pen or marker you can actually get contrast in the line weights and with a little crosshatching you can get some decent shading.  Using this pen, here is a drawing that I did for our Taylor Christmas card this year:

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Favorite designer item that I am saving up to purchase: Evans Products Company Plywood leg splint by Charles and Ray Eames

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Commissioned by the US Navy these leg splints were one of the first examples of molded plywood in mass production.  Designed to be a medical device used to minimize movement in a patients leg during transport, it has become a highly sought after sculptural artifact.  If you have one laying around your attic that you’d like to get rid of please give me a call.

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Favorite car: BMW 2002

In high school, one of my friends dad had a bright yellow BMW 2002.  I remember getting to ride around in it from time to time – until the day my friend took it to school and totaled it.  It looked a lot like the picture above except the front was all smashed in and there was some broken glass and tears streaming down my face.  There is something about German engineering and simple yet sophisticated design that makes this a classic.  If you have one laying around your attic that you’d like to get rid of please give me a call.

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Favorite poster: Lebowski Fest, Richard Nixon Bowling by Shepard Fairey

This is a two-fer, meaning it combines the talents of one of my favorite artists (Shepard Fairey, “Obey Giant” and “Obama Hope” fame) with the essence of my favorite movie, The Big Lebowski.  These posters were limited to an edition of 300 hand pulled and signed by the artist and I was lucky to grab one for $30. The jpg above doesn’t do it justice….it is a crisp graphic beautifully presented with deep red and gold paint and it really ties the room together … does it not?

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Favorite Architect: Carlo Scarpa

If you don’t know who this man is, please, please, look him up.  Carlo Scarpa was a visual poet who created masterpieces on the macro and micro scale.  His projects show an unmistakable understanding of the clients needs and of the craftsman’s hand, designing details that are exceptionally unique and appropriate. If you are ever in Italy, I highly suggest you make a point to see some of his work.

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I hope these images give you a better understanding of who I am and what inspires me.  I am very appreciative of the creativity, skill and sheer brilliance that these object and people represent.  I can only dream that someday maybe one of the things that I am doing now will end up on someone else’s list.

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-Scott

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