"A history of architecture
is both less and more than a grand tour. It does not have the
immediacy of walking through the streets and public places of
towns as diverse as Isfahan and London, or stepping into covered
spaces that range in mood from the dappled, swarming tunnels
of Muslim suqs to the single-minded sublimity of the Pantheon
in Rome. That is how architecture is meant to be known. As the
material theater of human activity, its truth is in its use."
—Spiro Kostof,
"A History of Architecture"
This month we meet four living home designers
whose work is truly defined by its use. Beate Bosch, McDonald
Heard, Kate Nei, and Martin Swinton could hardly be more different
in style and temperament, but they all share the ability to
make houses that understand you and embrace you and serve you.
All of them create houses that shelter you and act as intelligent
companions. In the words of Wimp Chandler, this quartet designs
"friends that harbor you for life."
Our "rising stars" hail from
four distinct cultures on at least four separate continents.
Beate comes from the Old World, yet brings an especially modern
view to her housecraft. Her themes are tactile and material
in character. McDonald grew up everywhere there is a frontier
and his work embodies the unsettled essence of the open road
and water. Kate grew up in the often introspective Far East,
but creates remarkably open and inviting refuges. Her designs
are elemental and spiritual. Martin is a homegrown American;
however, his work draws its inspiration from a broad array of
native themes, many of which are as old and foreign as the African
veldt, Asian steppe, or Australian outback. Passion drives his
creative process.
Together, they present an amazingly
varied sampling of styles, tools, and techniques employed for
one particular purpose: the creation of living homes. It is
what they are all about that this magazine seeks to explore.
Join us as we focus on their individual philosophies and portfolios.
