It is such a privilege to be joining you here on the pages of Interiors & Sources. Robert Nieminen and the editorial team have carved out a unique space for this publication in an industry full of compelling stories. Now, as the magazine prepares to enter its 30th year, I hope to honor that history as we continue to forge new ground for the I&S universe.
I love that this is our community issue. For all the grandeur our industry evokes, it is really quite a tight-knit group. We all work together to continuously shape a better future, and some of the best work I’ve seen comes as a result of close friendships.
Not to say that we don’t have our differences! As we hear from Marcela Sardi in our trend story on tech-integrated spaces, complex teams can lead to complex arguments. Segmentation and specialization is natural among people whose professions require such precise expertise. We see the world in different ways. We get stuck in our own habits. But get enough people willing to loosen their grip, readjust their glasses and step into the collaboration ring, and our differences become an asset.
The design industry is also an incredible force for giving back to the larger community. Throughout this issue, we learn about pro bono work booming around the country, we see volunteers springing to action in the wake of tragedy like the Boston bombings, and we meet Connie Duckworth, a former Goldman Sachs trader whose hand-woven rug manufacturing program for women in Afghanistan is increasing literacy, decreasing maternal mortality and rescuing traditional woven patterns from extinction. That’s powerful stuff.
So much of what we see in print or online is final—the finished product, the unveiled project. But designers spend most of their time working through the chaos of day-to-day life, affecting real change and facing challenges that ultimately lead to a better way of living.
Those are the stories we want to tell, and to do it we need to hear more of your voices. Send in your questions and share your ideas. Tell us what you’re doing! We’re just the writers, after all. The real story is up to you.
