Our latest issue has landed – on challenging the norm, finding new solutions to familiar briefs and exploring game changing new approaches to design.
2 min read
Dear Mix readers,
Challenging orthodoxy: though not by design, that’s arguably the theme that runs through this issue. Our interviewees all, in their own way, have pushed against established norms in creating spaces that are both original and which innovate. As the founders of Astet Studio attest, the job of designers is to find new solutions to familiar briefs – the only way to deliver genuinely provocative and ground-breaking projects. For Linda Morey-Burrows, founder of MoreySmith, disrupting the industry and adeptly reacting to changes has been the foundation of her work across three decades of helming her own studio. We see it also in our case studios, from a landmark new higher educational facility to a bank HQ – the former reimagining the student experience, the latter encouraging its employees to ‘vote’ on the design scheme that most resonates and, in turn, making the business of creating a workplace an exercise in democracy. Then there’s our newly introduced Fast Forward feature, in which ROAR Design’s Pallavi Dean explores why generative AI could be a ‘game changer’ for designers, as established practice is turned on its head.
Enjoy,
Harry McKinley
Managing Editor
Mix Interiors
For this issue’s cover design, Conran and Partners was inspired by the purpose of Autex Acoustics‘ Lanes collection, using the textured and angled product profiles and a simplified colour palette to visualise a sense of quiet.
“Our starting point for the cover design was exploring the purpose of acoustic panelling,” explains Conran’s Helen Topham. “We had three initial ideas each playing with the positioning of the acoustic panels and creating interest through shadow and relief. Our final concept was developed through the graphic play of the acoustic panels and the more reserved calm of the floor. We hid ‘M’ ‘I’ ‘X’ using the textured and angled product profiles and the shadows cast by the light shining through. We pushed the concept further by using a simplified black-and-white colour palette instead of using the bolder colours that the panels come in, as we believed it would create a better sense of softened sound and quiet.”
conranandpartners.com
autexacoustics.co.uk
Inspiration for your next read
The latest issue of Mix Interiors is out now, highlighting pioneering, risk-taking design and fresh new concepts.
With the help of graphic designer Amanda Arnal Artiaga, we explore the creative process behind our latest cover with SODA Studio and Impact Acoustic.
This issue we explore the relationship between timelessness and the timely.
