simple facades
I recently created this video about window proportion and symmetry. I did not attend architecture school, but I have some understanding of classical architecture principles.
A straightforward, easy way to make a large building look good is to line up the windows proportionally, starting with the tallest windows on the bottom and going slightly smaller as you go up. This is called "Graduated Fenestration."
The Mason Condos - a brand-new building in Philadelphia
I am amazed by how great super simple buildings look when you nail proportion and symmetry.
McAlpine Architecture
Art Deco, Vienna Secession, and some Hollywood Regency styles are more recent examples of this, but this idea of window proportion and symmetry is a timeless principle that has been in use for thousands of years, connecting us to a rich historical tradition.
You don't always need to get smaller as you go up. Just a base layer and then proportional uniformity the rest of the way. This building below is a good example. Simple, but in my opinion, pretty attractive.
116 University Place - Morris Adjmi Architects. The Deco windows are the chef's kiss.
A few architects have been able to do something else successfully. But for the average Joe, the people's architect, the modern apartment developer - getting window symmetry right is a pretty easy way to make something look classy and likely increase the value of the building.
Can we have an emperor-with-no-clothes moment here: what is the long-term trajectory of something like the below?
Probably wise to avoid it.
It's funny, but we've cycled all the way back around to the place where the way to stand out as an architect edge lord might be to build a Neo-Classical building with a bunch of ornamentation.
lights and bites
In Common With is a Brooklyn-based boutique lighting studio. I have been a massive fan of their work for a long time. Particularly love the Saga Pendant.
Photo: William Jess Laird
They recently launched Quarters, their showroom in Manhattan, where they sell their lights and lots of incredible furniture, and it's also a small cafe & bar.
Photo: William Jess Laird
Doesn't seem like an easy business, but it's certainly easy on the eyes. I have not yet had the chance to visit, but I definitely will be making it a priority the next time I'm in NYC.
orchid
Kevin Parker, the brain behind Tame Impala, built up heavy anticipation for the release of this synthesizer/songwriting machine called Orchid, which sold out in a matter of seconds.
The video is one of the best marketing pieces I've ever seen. It's educational, aspirational, and nostalgic all at the same time.
Selling things in drops, with a waitlist and a robust video marketing campaign, feels like the future of boutique brands. It's an exciting time in Ecom & Retail, things seem to be changing. A lot of people are talking about live shopping; we'll see how that pans out.
The Amazon effect has created the expectation that everything is immediately available and infinitely customizable.
Taking the opposite approach is what I'd do if I were launching a product.
Do you remember waiting for a movie to come out when you were a child? Or ordering something from a catalog? The release of a video game or toy and the elaborate evocative advertising that preceded it? That's what this feels like.
Storytelling and delayed gratification.
It turns out that many things that used to work still work pretty well for products and building facades.
Sometimes the most innovative approach is understanding why certain things have endured, then finding fresh ways to apply them.
