Designing isn’t something we do - It’s Who We Are!

As I recall, I was born designing. From the living room walls to the first sheets of paper my mother gave me; my lines became shapes; shapes became objects; and objects, thoughts. Design is about seeing beneath the surface. It’s dissecting and understanding objects and the world in basic elements, fundamental principles and constant threads that makes it work, function and stunt us with it grace, brilliance and elegance.

I am largely influenced my Father- an Engineer/Architect.  The tools of design became the toys of my childhood. In an effort to protect his work, his tools, and keep me off his drawing board, my dad gave me my first drawing board at age four. His home office was out of bounds, unless he was in it. By this time I had destroyed countless measuring tapes, which double as work instruments and yoyos. To date, I have own a total of three drawing boards. I still have the one that started it all, in addition to other drafting tools my father gave me over twenty years ago - much of which predates me.

    Sharing a moment with my Dad.

 

Being naturally rebellious, I resisted my father’s encouragement to pursue a design based career. My life, however was always about creating order rather that following it; crafting solutions to solve problems; devising methods to accomplish chores easier and more efficiently; sculpting my room to operate around the way I lived, and enjoyed doing this. I bring this to all my projects. Designing is about problem solving, finding viable, personal solutions in the built environment to augment function, work and lifestyle of owners, occupants and end users.

Designing is blood in the veins. Inevitably, I embraced my passion and surrendered to what it is I was create to do. Designing is indeed a gift that cannot be taught. It can only be honed, refined, channeled and directed. Hence, here I am.

It is important that Design knows when to stop. Your hand was perfectly crafted with five fingers. The loss of one will significantly alter its’ functions. The addition of a sixth finger does nothing to improve function or dexterity. The hands’ Designer knew five was the perfect stop. Great design is therefore defined where it ends.  Hence a master designer must never do too much or too little. He must always recognize when the solution is found and when enough is enough.

Peter E.

http://www.peteredesigns.com