GOOD design, like beauty, is in the cye of the beholder. {tthe answer were that simple, this would be a very briefarticle indeed. But creat- ing a home or designing a chair does not start with acs- thetic beauty or the decorative touches, but with a much more prosaic word: function. Have you often been annoyed at having to put down an armful of packages to open a door? How much casi- er it would be if, instead of freeing one hand to turn a door knob, we could simply use our elbow ro push down a fever. These lever handles are _ available now, thanks to design for the disabled. And why, if furniture designers have at their disposal all the data on human body measurements and how humans move, sit and relax, do we still have to sit in chairs that are beautiful to look at but give us a backache? Good design is functional, like Venetian blinds which allow us to control daylight; cupboard space that utilizes corners; smooth circulation patterns; pull-out shelves; and height-adjustable furniture for children. Other criteria that con- tribute to goad design include simplicity and appropriateness, and finally, beauty, character and style. The most desirable (and often most expensive) garments are very simple; they need no “dressing up” because they distinguish themselves by the style of their cut and fab- tic. Excellent design is also - deceptively simple. Many designers know that to achieve simplicity they must start with the complex and gradually whittle down. Unfortunately, we often stop at the “com- plex” stage and forget about the time-consuming whittling- down process. Function and simplicity are combined in an oblong fish serving dish of Seandiaavian origin; the tid has a gentle curve, both ends are turned up slightly - they fune- tion as handles. The shape isa simplitied line of a fish lying on its side. Any added decora- tion would distract. The beau: ty is in the shape of the object and the soft gleam of the stainless steel, We recognize excellence of design in many buildings and objects. Think for instance of the Museum of Anthropology at U.B.C. it blends into its surroundings and is so decep- tively simple that at first glance, the interior seems just like a suitable background for the display of magnificent totem poles. Only after you have seen the totem poles and become aware of the space do you notice that you came down a relatively narrow and dark entrance passage which gradu- ally revealed the great hall with its immense height and floor- EXCELLENT design, like this floral farmp, is deceptively simpie. to-ceiling windows and the beauty of the soft and chang- ing light. The absence of color allows you to fully concentrate on the display. Good design is appropriate and doesn’t pretend to be whar it isn’t. Typical examples date to the 1950s and 1960s — clocks in the shape of vio- lins, fake plants, restaurants in the form of a take-out carton, or music piped into giant cedars, In my tiny garden, a previ- ous owner left one of those white-painted concrete statues, a poor replica of a Greek water bearer with shapely curves. The sculpture is simply inap- propriate in a fenced garden the size of a postage stamp. But I gave up the tdea to recy- cle her when T found out that she weighs over two hundred pounds and that it tukes-nvo friends to move her to the edge of the tlower bed. Tfappropriate design is impossible to achieve, I believe ina sense of humor. She now looks quite good with a basker of trailing plants on her urn, an old necklace around her bare navel, and ivy growing up her ankles. Appropriate design fits into its surroundings as if it belonged it doesn’t pretend to be what it isn’t. Beauty, character and style differ from function and sim- plicity in that they are an expression, of individualism and personality. Some of the most wonderful homes flout all the principles” and “rules” of good design. They simply reflect their owners’ personali- ty and taste — a love for music, art, for books, color, photography or plants. It is a pleasure to be in such a home where you sense the owners’ enjoyment of their own world. William Morris, the 18th Century British architect said: “We should have nothing in our homes that isn’t cither beautiful or useful.” And that, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. And isn’t that an inspiration to clean out the attic and the basement? The lady in my garden should definitely go, but I have come to enjoy her. Edith Sautkamp is an inte- rior designer who teaches Design and Decoration on the North scraper’s design (above). 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