IN THE MIXX Vol. 004: Details, They Make the Design…

Details. Eames had it right. If you don’t know the quote then go look it up. Educate yourself. Details are everything and in a good design they’re everywhere. Maybe even in the air. You been to a nice hotel lately? They don’t smell that lovely by accident. Aromatic detail. It’s a thing and Le Labo has it all figured out. 

Scents can definitely set a tone but surface level details are what move most of us. Trained eyes lock right in on the goods. We know. You know. The average onlooker knows too. They just don’t know it. Subconscious appreciation for details is why people love a spot even if they don’t know why. That place just feels good. Would you rather go sit at a corporate Starbucks to sip burnt beans and listen to A.I. generated 90’s top 40, or pull up to a homegrown coffee bar with some designer grit and a curated playlist of deep track bangers? Don’t get me wrong. Someone gets paid a shit ton of money to design Starbucks. They’re made to be comfortable. Nice and easy. But no one is sitting in a ‘bucks feeling all inspired to bend some rules or flex on some iffy design guidelines. I’ll take my brew from a grumpy hipster over the mermaid every time. Gimme that sensory appeal & a few inky baristas. Straight up too. No cream, no sugar. And I don’t care what you say, a good hipster is a societal gem. 

They’re artists, musicians, poets, and brew masters and you fucking love them. 

Admit it. They’re likely way cooler than you & you know it. They definitely appreciate the surface details & they’ve established every cool neighborhood you’ve ever had an avocado toast or an espresso martini in. Fact check. Check. 

As for the surface details? They light me up the same way that fabrication details haunt me. Fabrication is an art form of its own & it takes a borderline savant to really hone in & master what I’d consider to be the fine print of design. They’re challenging so it’s best to know when & who to concede to when the time comes. I know I do. Empower your strengths & embrace your weaknesses. Anyone who knows anything about anything knows you have to hire the best at the things you’re not the best at to really be good at anything. Read that again. Building a proper team of likeminds, able skills, & tempered egos is the only way to deliver at the highest level. Says me. If you think Frank or Mies or Frank or Zaha or Charles or Ray or Andy or  Shepard or Steve, or Mike or Tom or or or or orrrrrr did it all on their own then you weren’t paying attention. We’re all the sum of our partners. No one can do this stuff on their own & the sooner we accept that the sooner we can set ourselves free & the better off all our attention to the details will be.

So yeah, DETAILS. Every last one. I dream them (frequently). I sketch them (poorly). I manifest them (slowly). Then I work with the best teams to help me bring them to life. Fun (Mostly). 

This, in my humblest opinion, is what being a designer-builder is about. Dream it up. Manifest it in hi res detail, & build it with a dynamic team of people who’ll tell you when you’re blazing a sharp new trail the same way they’ll let you know when you’re about to swerve off the bridge. Just Say No to Yes People. You need partners who’ll give it to you raw. You need “no” people. 

For me it’s my wife. It’d be cool if she was my biggest fan but it’s cooler (sort of) that she’s my biggest idea killer. When they come as frequently as mine do you have to be good with the reality that most of your darts won’t hit the bullseye. Hell, a lot of them won’t even hit the board. B is for Bianca, not Bullseye or Board. She asks the questions that need to be asked. Sometimes it hurts. Fine. FINE! But we all need people in our orbits who help us step back, rub our eyes, and refocus on the program. She’s my “no” person and I’ve learned to be fine with it. And yes of course she tells me when I’ve done well. Her no nonsense approach just gives those yes moments some gas. 

Indeed, details a learned skill. And if you’re trying to bend the rules, challenge codes, or (gasp) do something that hasn’t been done, then the learning experience is never ending. Get down. Get dirty. Earn some calluses. Scars? They happen. Prepare for some failures and some hard “no’s” but just know that when you do it right you’ll know it and so will your no people. 

-XX