It's About Value(s)

Cindy Allen -- Interior Design, 1/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Our first issue of 2005 is dressed for the New Year, the projects sparkling with wit, élan, and an unfettered creativity built on expertise matched to innovation. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself. (That's one of the reasons you pay for your subscription, by the by.) To me, our January stories are evidence of positive change, whether it's a question of a Chicago real-estate tax consultant moving into a deluxe Alex Gorlin–designed dream house or a group of indigent craftswomen knitting their way to a secure livelihood with the help of James Tufenkian's new Armenian hotels.

Things are rosy in the manufacturing arena, too. About this time of year, I start revving up for a season of product premieres. Milan and NeoCon, lurking just around the corner, promise to be as exciting and encyclopedic as ever.

Gazing at the bigger picture through our industry's most powerful lens, I can clearly make out interior design and architecture looking more concerned, more involved, more globally conscious. In just one small example, Architecture for Humanity, which benefited from funds raised by our recent Hall of Fame awards dinner, has been putting some of those dollars to work for tsunami survivors. In terms of overall trends, I'm pleased to report that sustainability has reached a mature stage of development—in countless shapes and sizes.

All these points prove that, in our great world, the thirst for forward thinking remains unquenched. Or do they?

I must confess to feeling a tad mystified at the great dissonance between the real achievements presented by this magazine and some other national "realities." According to our cousins in the news media, there's been a massive earthquake in values. (I missed it, because I was probably flying somewhere.) It seems that, for a good number of folks, it is no longer OK to be different. Questioning is a waste of time. Foreign is downright suspect. In some quarters, they're actually reconsidering Ape versus Eve.

If you were wondering what all this has to do with the color palettes in Milan, the answer is: everything. It has to do with the very foundation of our profession as interior designers and architects. We believe in knowledge, freedom, change, and exchange—and, finally, we believe in style.