Femininity and feminism don’t need to be antonyms. Now that’s a mouthful, yet there is no better way to put it.
Identity is so important. Aside from belonging, humans need to know who and what they are and who do they resemble. We need assurances, constant check-ins that what we do and how we do it is ok. I’m glad I live in a time when this is spoken out loud, where inclusion is a celebrated norm and curiosity is positive.
On days like today, I’m grateful to be both, a woman and a creator. I am open to being inspired by people and empowered by their knowledge. From strolling the pleasant streets of Pompeii to climbing the CN tower structure for the first time, I walk a path that I control and enjoy and most importantly, I use its discoveries daily to carve the paths of others.
Like any creator, a bit of me finds its way into my designs. What I strive most is to be sincere and true to what I make. There is no design for design’s sake. There is always a meaning, always a reason, always a way that is the way, and twenty that are not.
So I thought it fitting to showcase today three examples of some of the most feminine details I’ve designed and how they relate to different stereotypes of what women are or have been, at moments in time.
THE DIVA
In late 90’s and early 2000’s printing technology was just starting to develop endless possibilities of attaching images to any surface known to man from canvas to ceramics, from metal to concrete. Graphic images are now a mainstream design trend but fifteen years ago when this shower was imagined, this was in its baby days.
An homage to the Diva era of cinema this project is a play on that iconic image of femininity that we’re all so familiar with. It represents the post-war era of longing for family, peace and the beautiful normality of the everyday. The women then embodied that longing. And after, when it became irrelevant, they were ready to take it down with a jackhammer. But as we all know, that proved more difficult than initially thought.
THE DIPLOMAT
There is no formal dinner that does not require diplomacy. All dining rooms are a stage for high expectations of taste and pleasure on all levels. Stimulating conversations, good quality gossip, and not the least, fabulous food are what make the night a success.
While women as hosts are predominantly the negotiators of these experiences, it all starts with the space. I consider myself fortunate to have developed great recipes specifically for the design of dining rooms, my thoughtfully understated contribution to the party.
When I tackle a dining room, I always take a theatrical approach. Walls are the background set for the scene to take place. While the decor can vary with each act, the backdrop has to have sufficient detail and interest to give each guest a pleasant view and also, position them in their most favourable light when the gaze of others is cast their way. Unlike a stage, this set is not only there for you to look at, but also for others to look at you.
THE NURTURER
In a home, there is no other place that is more stereotyped as feminine than the kitchen. In spite of the obvious untruthfulness of this, the indisputable talent and the abundance of male cooks, this is one tall mountain that has not yet crumbled. Maybe one reason for that is the fact that we tend to confuse some issues here: home kitchens are not about food, but about nurture. This may be a reason for which the connection to the softer side is so hard to detangle.
Like it or not, the nuclear family has been the model for western societies for so long, that most of us are not yet ready to consider the alternatives. In this model, the woman-spirit is the nurturer, the hand-holder, the peacemaker, the comforter.
For her to be so in today's times, the kitchens need to have an airiness and brightness that exude peace of mind and ease of use. For someone to be that emotional pillar in a family requires them to first be confident, loved and feel good in their skin.
All kitchens that I design are clutter-free because I believe nothing is more harmful to a kitchen than not having the place ready for food prep at all times. Everything has a place that is not in your way and there is a flow that ensures that neither function nor aesthetics are compromised but work together in perfect symbiosis.
Happy international women’s day everyone!