Design Matters More Than Ever
Every Saturday morning, usually coffee in hand, I open my friend Hans’ Differentiated Design newsletter.
Hans Lorei never misses.
But this week, after the California fires, his words hit differently.
FIRE & SNOW
I flew back out of LA on Tuesday, the day the fires started. The whole thing is incredibly tragic. Some of the most beautiful and storied neighborhoods in the world are on fire and we are watching history burn. On Monday & Tuesday, for many in that area, their focus may have been tending to their landscaping or preparing for an event or what they were going to cook. And then all of a sudden, life goes up in flames.
I used to work with a man, Turner, whose parents home burned down. I remember asking him about it in the following days. He told me their greatest pain was not health, shelter, insurance or financial related. It's just that your whole life, everything you've built, is immolated in a few hours. It's a feeling of being exposed and robbed and totally vulnerable.
A home is so much more than a structure. It is your life and refuge. Sometimes I go back and forth in my mind, "is design just vanity - or does it matter and what's its proper place?" I know beauty matters. I am an unabashed advocate for that - we don't have nearly enough of it. But home matters a LOT - and good design is just simply making a beautiful functional home. Where is the line between your home and your life? Impossible to define, they are woven together. That's why design matters.
Assuming your house didn't burn down, we're all very blessed to able to continue to improve and enjoy our homes today. I don't take that for granted, and it's moments like these I realize how fragile and transient it all is. Tomorrow is not promised.
Hans has this special gift for explaining what makes spaces interesting. While he’s blown up on Instagram lately, his writing is even better. His newsletters are so good that I keep a special folder for them.
I thought it would be fun to go back through the past year of his letters and share the best nuggets I’ve gleaned.
These principles have totally shaped the way I see (and create) things. I’ve distilled them as much as possible.
Developing Taste:
Become an intentional observer. Cultivate the knack of noticing. The spaces you love the most - what makes them unique? The way trim wraps a doorway. Light patterns dancing through trees. The warmth of layered lighting. Perfect proportions. So many daily observations make us better designers and creators if we let them.
Taste is both innate and cultivated. Like Rick Rubin and Ian Schrager, trust your instincts while constantly honing them through observation.
Take more walks. Nothing better to recharge the battery, notice neglected beauty, get inspired, and stay healthy!
Travel exposes you to new normals – design solutions that feel revolutionary in one context but traditional in another.
Inside a Brooklyn brownstone Hans and a friend recently renovated
Core Design Principles:
Every inspiring space needs a theme—colors, textures, materials, design periods. Mix and match until it feels right, then create your “design bible” to reference in every project decision.
Lines of sight are powerful. Basic formula: choose focal point, then use decor/furniture to frame them horizontally and vertically.
Create enclosure. Rugs, furniture, and lights inside. Trees, plants, and courtyards outside. Even an illusion of a boundary feels much better.
Echo elements and motifs throughout your space.
Embrace simple shapes. Look at old cars and homes. Less ego, more cheerful. Just like a kid would do it.
Creating Atmosphere:
Make people feel something—that’s your job as a designer. Great design moves you. That’s why nostalgia has such a vibe.
Everybody loves water. Fountains, pools, bird baths, or lakes—people are drawn to it.
Hardly anything as magical as a great courtyard. Lush plants, warm light, crunchy gravel, flowing water. Utterly enchanting.
Start with one perfect corner. A room in your house, or maybe a sitting area outside. Care for it obsessively—make an oasis. You’ll get immense satisfaction, and then watch it spread.
Embracing Character:
Blend old with new. This will help you avoid trends that’ll embarrass you in 3 years.
Facebook marketplace is full of vintage pieces that add depth.
Lean into richness! Even in minimalism, people crave warmth, mood, textures, and patina.
Welcome imperfection. It’s not a bug, it’s what makes spaces human.
Go for it! Colors on a house, the shirt you wear, the interior of your car. In a play-it-safe world, sometimes we should “go for it” more.
Find a sounding board. Intuition is great, but fresh eyes to run stuff by gives you confidence and perspective. Find yourself some of these folks.
Lucky to call Hans a dear friend, and I hope these tidbits serve you like they have me.
Hans graciously flew down to record several lessons of the masterclass with me back in ‘23. He contributed so much gold to the lessons on design…
Design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about creating spaces that make us feel alive. And we can start small.
Maybe my favorite principles from above:
Start with one perfect corner. A room in your house, or maybe a sitting area outside. Care for it obsessively—make an oasis. You’ll get immense satisfaction, and then watch it spread.
May that inspire you as it does me!