Häfele Trendsetters Symposium
"Is the house big enough for both technology and design?" asked host Philip Martin at the opening of the second annual Häfele Trendsetters Symposium in San Francisco, September 23-24. Five distinguished speakers addressed this hardware design and function question. Larry LaFata, West Coast marketing manager for GE Appliances, said homeowners are most accepting of technology that offers protection and sanitation, pointing to water filters, freshness filters and clean air packages. Joseph Kaye, member of the MIT Media Lab, described a few examples of future technology adapted to client needs, including a kitchen that knows when a child enters and is able to lock down unsafe areas, such as the knife drawer. He also espoused the value of technology in assisting those with heart conditions, diabetes or food allergies by analyzing a food product.
Kaye noted the need for technology to be subtle and Jane Langmuir of Rhode Island School of Design agreed, noting materials used to encase technology should showcase the client’s taste, be they a modernist or traditionalist. Eliot Sefrin, publisher of Kitchen and Bath Design News added, "Formal detail work such as mullion doors, elegant crown and dental moulding, fluted columns, ceiling treatments, architectural carvings, unique decorative hardware and textured surfaces can also provide focal points other than appliances." Steve Hurley of Tech Lighting pointed to advances in low-voltage technology allowing correct lighting to become a design element in this regard.
Langmuir and Kaye both stressed the importance of digital interface (talking) technology, but agreed that it must be integrated into design for technology not to depersonalize an interior. Kaye released a study finding this technology ten years away from affordability in the homes of middle-income Americans.
Please contact webmaster@modernwoodworking.com with your comments.
|
|
