Turning Product to Service

I just read a great article from Fast Company about turning products into services.  Here is just a bit that I thought was particularly compelling.

Tap Into Time: Shift the financial model away from selling a “good” to selling “time”--uptime, time savings, speed of delivery, or anything else that taps into the value of time to create something new and compelling for your customers.

• Rolls Royce sells more than cars; they also sell airplane engines. When they revised their sales model and started charging service fees based on “uptime” (the actual time the engines are flying in the air), their airline customers were thrilled. Airlines prefer to pay as their own cash comes in from their passengers and cargo instead of buying an engine up-front. Rolls Royce sells “hot air out of the back of the engine,” not the actual engines.

Architect Barbie

I was recently given the opportunity to be a guest judge at the Design Institute of San Diego.  There project was to design a space for Architect Barbie. . . I was to play Architect Barbie.   After a phone interview with the whole class, they decided it would be more fun and beneficial to design for a real person,  thank you students.

Here are a few pictures of the event.

Check out the hand-colored photo mashup foam-core version of me.

 

It was a real honor to be a part of this and have these soon-to-be designers propose ideas to me. These ladies are talented and witty!  Cheers DI!

Skinny Bathroom

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Back in August we showed you a few concept boards for 3 bathrooms we were working on in West Hollywood. Two of them are almost complete and ready to be used.

The master bath called for some very creative space planning, it is a long skinny room with lots of requirements. We found this great Duravit Bath Tub to go against the back wall that has an angle to the front which allowed us to utilize more floor space. The tile is going in and being grouted this week.  I look forward to doing the

before and afters for you guys very soon.

Cold Patina, Please

Have you ever had a finish in mind that you can’t find? Custom solutions are
not always out of reach.

This is cold rolled steel that we hand distressed, painted and weathered for a outdoor BBQ
backslash. It is a fun way to add a bit of color and texture change to a backyard, alcove or interior.

You can see this display at Fixtures Living, San Diego.

For the Kids

Here is a little pro bono project we did for the kids at a local preschool.  We have been trying really hard to find a way to get more involved in the community and bring art and design to the neighborhood. . . legally.

It is a small start but it was really fun to contribute.

the "Circus of the Sea"  The preschool director wanted sea life, and if you know Traci at all you will also know it had to be more fun than just some sea creatures floating about.

the kids dig it!

Just a little inspiration

 

 

This  is a multidisciplinary design firm that architect Pitupong (Jack) Chaowakul established in 2009 in Bangkok.

  The idea for their office was "that inspires, is genuinely fun to come to everyday, and that didn't take itself too seriously."



The agency's move to the Sindhorn Tower, on Wireless Road in Bangkok, was part of parent firm Publicis's goal to gather its affiliated companies in one building for shared resources.





We love Supermachine's happy nods to motion and mobility. The reception desk is on wheels and resembles a big white bus. Bicycles work as the legs of a large glass-top conference table that is fully mobile. The meeting cabins that feel like train compartments. There is also the reoccurring visual theme in the shape of a racetrack, hockey rink or stadium.

Can't Find It, Design It

So there was a narrow space that needed a relatively tall step-stool for the kids to wash up by themselves. The challenges were: stability, space, a door operating properly and  happy shins.  Oh yeah, and above all DESIGN.   So after an extensive search it was clear we just need to to design/build this project.

Two, levels to climb up and down, extra tall for the little ones and build out of durable, surplus materials.

It is not really clear in the photos but on the back side there is a cleat that slips under the toe-kick to make this tall stool even more stable.  Happy hand washing, kiddos!

Taking Over the Garage

 

So I gave myself an extra project this week, I MUST take over the garage.  Right now it functions as part art studio, storage of over sized kid toys and lots of TOOLS.  Joe and I are always building and need a space that can house these things but store the toys. Now here's the kicker, I need a space to work, creating fabulous and creative spaces.  Which means I must have a fabulous creative space to be in, It's just the way it works.

This is what I have to work with

 a 10' x 19' room, a ton of pallets and our wonderful clients have a handful of black fruit crates

 

This is going to be sweet!  Please hold. . .