IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2016 - 46

Creating Classics

s a textile industry veteran, DOROTHY
COSONAS believes being able to predict the
future of design requires knowledge of the
history of design.
"I don't have a crystal ball, but I know that good
design always comes back," says Cosonas, creative
director for Knoll Textiles, New York, New
York, USA and 2016 IIDA Titan Award
winner. "I apply that principle to my own
work: Is it right for today? And is it classic
enough for tomorrow? If it is, it will likely stand
the test of time."
For textiles, she says companies will start looking
to incorporate all things cozy as they turn away from
bright, saturated colors and embrace a warmer, calmer
color palette.
"It's about pulling up a chair and putting your feet up to have
a conversation instead of sitting behind a desk," she says. "We're
looking at softer, cozier shades that offer a calming environment in
uncertain times."
She also sees exaggerated textures on walls becoming more
prevalent, something that 3D printing and digital technology
have been able to advance more rapidly.
To keep a forward-thinking eye on textile trends,
Cosonas doesn't look to the design industry itself.
Instead, she reads Women's Wear Daily every day,
scours fashion designers' posts on Instagram,
and gets insights from World's Global Style
Network, a website that monitors trends
in fashion.
"Fashion is a discipline that often leads
design," she says, "especially when it comes to
color and texture." -ML

Open-Space Opposition

hen a recent university client wanted its new science research
building to incorporate the latest FF&E design trends, it tasked
Interactive Design Architects (IDEA) with creating a variety of open student spaces without closed, fixed offices-
that is, until students tested out one of the potential spaces. "It turned out the students wanted a more traditional
setting," says DINA GRIFFIN, IIDA, AIA, NOMA, president, IDEA, Chicago, Illinois, USA. "They wanted more heads-down,
stationary spaces they could call their own."
The students didn't want to worry about finding a space to work each day, she says. And although the university had told IDEA it
could cut down on bookshelves because students were using fewer books, the first thing students requested was more bookshelves.
Griffin believes this example is a harbinger of what's to come: The trend of the flexible, open-space environment isn't always the best
option. "Clients that requested a Google-like interior are now finding that it doesn't work well for everyone involved," she says. "They're
moving back toward a more traditional cubicle arrangement while making sure those cubicles are functional."
Griffin isn't suggesting the clock is turning backward. "We're not necessarily going back to a traditional pool of offices or a sea of
cubicles, but we are going a little bit away from highly flexible living-room spaces with a variety of soft seating types in one space,"
says Griffin, whose firm was recently selected as associate architect to team with Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects to design the
Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. "It seems to be a little more traditional because that's what the user wants. That trend of going
completely open office is not necessarily lasting, because there's still a requirement for privacy and confidentiality." -Novid Parsi

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