Design Has Deeper Meanings

            by Saxon Henry 

DC: You have said that you see design as their "thirdskin," how do you help cilents develop the consciousness to understand theconcept? Do you illustrate your point with particular products or interiorsthat you deem successful, or do you help them embrace the idea philosophically?

NK: We have designed our showrooms to feel that way. Ashuman beings we have an innate ability to “feel a space.” Let’s take theexample of the interior of your automobile, which has been very carefullydesigned. We “feel” very good inside the bubble of the “third skin.” The desireto replicate the small bubble into larger ones in your home and office occur ifthere is awareness. When you travel, you seek out places that have takenextreme care to replicate this phenomenon. As your sensibility develops, you take greater care of the details.

DC: Have you always seen design in such a profound way ordid this ability develop over time?

NK: I was influenced by the Bauhaus at a very young age andalso through traveling to Europe, touching and feeling what had been on paperwas such a turning point. As Luminaire developed I was always in very closecontact with the whole discipline of design, which is intricately intertwinedwith my life. I am, and will always remain a student of Design. There is nosuch point at which one arrives. It is the state of the mind.

DC: I would imagine that being exposed to so much designtalent is life enriching. Is this the case?

NK: Absolutely. It is so fulfilling also to meet people whofeel the same way as I do. Last weekend I chaired a session at the DesignSymposium in Indianapolis, and I met some incredibly talented people who I hadnever met before from countries as far away as Sweden. They came up to me andtold me that they felt the same way and that their lives had been enriched byDesign.

DC: If you were to identify some type of progression ofdesign you've seen during the past 35 years, what would that be?

NK: When we began Luminaire, Design was marketed as anobject, not a way of life. It was extremely difficult for consumers to haveaccess to good design. Design was sort of elitist, and not to be embraced as away of life. We were among the first design resource to provide open access tothe public, and the ability to truly experience and acquire good design

Today the scene has changed. Design is offered as a way oflife, whether in everyday objects or through the increased synergies between architectureand design. The American consumer is able to experience design on an everydaybasis through showrooms like ours, the endorsement by the media, great museums,design fairs and incredible content on the Internet.

It is the exposure which generates awareness, not an innatetaste, which is mistakenly the label the world would like to put on Americans.Practically every industry has been touched by design, and design is the mostimportant driving force behind innovation.

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