Behind the Scenes: DXV Lofty Visions
There was so much pressure and so much intensity of this project with American Standard. It was a complete whirlwind. And it was so much fun and an experience of a lifetime. To see the full details of this project, you should really click here, but I figured I it would be cool to show off a few behind the scenes of the project and a bit behind my process, because this was a remarkable project. I will say this, it is really difficult to have your work "up there" as a designer, to be judged as a creative person for the entire world to critique. It can take a bit of a bruising to the ego because it is an extreme amount of pressure. Although I earned my chops in art school, and I'm just coming off another big announcement in the works, I look at this as a really successful design experiment of sorts. It is an honour to be joined with a tour-de-force of design, some pretty big names with some pretty big ideas, but thankfully no big attitudes presented themselves. This group of designers are so professional and so likeable that it's hard to imagine anyone else doing anything else.
Here are some behind the scenes of this entire project and I hope that this gives a glimpse into the bigger picture:
A couple detail shots of the renderings I worked on for the project. All done by your's truly - no outsourcing here!
I think the photographer was the glue that held it all together. Sometimes he'd send me shots as the set was being built, much like this one, for approval. I do the exact same thing with the contractors I work with so the process was fluid and easy for me. Bibbidi bobbidy boo.
One of the best decisions I made was to work in Evernote with the entire team at Kendall Photography and shared all my notes, pictures, construction drawings, and specifications. It worked really well because when I made a change everyone was notified immediately. Subsequently, when things happened, much like life, and we couldn't get something I was able to quickly update everyone with a note, a new specification, or add in the emails that I was receiving with my responses and approvals.
Marilyn and Cheryl had way to much time on their hands - brushing up agains my industrial post.
I think this is the obligatory self-photo. It was hard to resist, to be honest, surrounded by all that beautiful wood.
Kirki - amazing. She pulled together the theme I was looking for and with only 4 hours to dress the space she was more than fantastic as sourcing towels, fluffy stuff, and the like.
The amazing Veronika Miller. Seriously, she's amazing. And this random woman who keeps popping up in my life in the most fascinating of ways.
I really do have to thank Meredith Heron for the excellent shot. She felt as though my styling was missing a bit of glam; I was tempted.
Some people have asked how long this project took, and there really isn't a precise answer for this, but it took a few weeks of planning and a few weeks of construction so nothing outside the normal project timelines. Times six designers and six spaces.
Thank you to Marilyn for catching this shot; it really personifies the extent and energy that was all over the place with everyone on these sets.
Before I sign this off, I owe an extremely special thanks to Veronika Miller and DXV American Standard for letting us be creative, to run the show, bring our visions to life, and to work with me on this truly collaborative effort. The process was the creative, the creative was the force, and the force was all in that little inspiration of a faucet. Part of me thinks that something this cool won't come along ever again and I need to treasure every second in memory, but then the other part of me is so grateful that it did and that I can release this out to the world now.