I always find it a little strange judging other people’s work mostly because I don’t like people judging my work. Over the last few weeks I have been a judge in three different contests and I know people are going to come down on me like a ton of bricks for saying this, but I am really surprised by the submissions.
In general the work seemed to lack imagination, they looked more like showroom set ups than something you would find in a home. I also had a hard time finding a cohesive design aim. This bothers me because I know there are incredibly talented people out there…possibly these competitions don’t appeal to them? I was sadly disappointed, as I wanted to be blown away.
One of the competitions did have some amazing landscape submissions, where the designers had limited budgets and extremely limited space. To me the most impressive designs were the simpler jobs that required a great deal of imagination and thoughtfulness and I am happy to say, they did blow me away.
Hey Vincent. I agree – it’s a tough one to judge if you truly understand, as you do, the work that goes behind something. However, I’m sad to hear the work didn’t blow you away. I’d love to know what you think makes a space really stand apart and the type of things you would have liked to have seen with the submissions? martine
I am not a designer but love “all things beautiful”, and I am more often then not, letting go of the design magazines that I use to like… I think I am changing and what use to appeal to me only seems lacking now…. It is as if “no one is home” in the design… I can not feel the person or even the “vibe” of the rooms… You are right, in that, it is the “SIMPLE” in design that seems to move me and I think I am just not impressed any more with mere looks and names branding… Did not even know that I was impressed then, but now I have some distance and can see…
xxoo
melisssa
I get what you’re saying… no one want to have their job judged, but unfortunately we’re always judging what we see. Not in a bad way, but in a kind of “taste” way. This is for me, this is not. Simple as that.
People want to see new, but not different. People want to see whatever they already saw, but in a different context. People are easily shocked with really great new ideas and that can make the world of design a bit boring at times.
Enjoy your 1st day of Summer!!!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
re: limited budgets
Once went to a showhouse in Greenwich and the most appealing room to me was one in which the designer limited herself to these challenges: all the fabrics chosen under $25 a yard and the furniture was second-hand. The room was so fresh and enchanting. What I remember were the floors were painted white with green willow-like branches painted around the borders. There was a chaise reupholstered in a quilt in the corner. It was light and graceful and welcoming–not staid and formal like the other rooms. You realized ingenuity can trump expense.
I used to judge photography and it is tough but I believe we should learn from other people comments, even if negative. Hope the people in the context will understand and learn from it!
I think the point is not so much the judging, but quality of the work being judged. Thank you, Vincent, for speaking up on this. As a professional designer, I often feel the same way & wonder where the creative work IS — it’s There, but not often seen. —and I agree with Brillante.
For me, judgment is never about good or bad, pretty or ugly, whether I love it or hate it, it’s about whether it – be it a room, a meal, an article, a piece of art – makes me pause and think.
“Good” is when I rack by brain trying to deconstruct the composition.
“Great” is when I can’t possibly figure it out.
At a time of warp speed and blur, I live for the times I am stopped in my tracks. My definition of instant gratification.
I believe that giving or receiving thoughtful, honest critiques is a wonderful thing. An architect-designer friend and I meet often to comment on each others’ work. I value the challenges as much as the compliments. I also think there are certain eras in the arts that explode with creativity and others that are periods of consolidation and synthesis. I think there’s a lot of terrific architecture, interiors, landscape, art and music out there today, but that we are more in the second type of era. I do think, however, that this historic time of financial and energy austerity will introduce a period of great adaptive creativity, especially in urban planning and landscape design as the urbanization of suburbs and the greening of cities begins a shift toward shorter, less-costly commuting distances and shared public spaces. And moderate budgets shouldn’t be feared. They force one to focus on form and content rather than fine finishes. – Gary
I think the majority of people, when asked to do a competition or a show, just do whatever they have to do. People don’t seem to want to put their best effort into things. Don’t know why, lazy? I have seen this so much in art shows. Just drag out something you did 5 years ago or do something fast…we are always judged in life and sometimes that extra effort brings surprising results.