Three visionaries who were always exploring notions of design and truth are Cleto Munari on the left; his mentor, collaborator and friend Carlo Scarpa in the middle, and Ettore Sottsass, who’s on the right.
Design and Truth
In his book Design and Truth, Robert Grudin shares an anecdote by Ettore Sottsass that expresses so wonderfully how we feel about exemplary design here at Hand & Grain: “To drink water from a waxed paper cup on the highway and to drink it from a crystal goblet are different gestures. In the first case, you almost forget that you exist as you drink. In the second…you realize that you have in your hands an instrument that makes you reflect upon how you are living at that moment.” Leave it to Grudin, whose books I’ve admired for years, to find a premise that speaks so eloquently about quality.
This is the first in a series of musings I will share that will feature some of my favorite books expressing our philosophy or presenting the subject of design in a soulful light. These are on message for us since we are a company dedicated to producing remarkably well-made furniture with human heart behind each piece we make. I was inspired to begin with this book because there is so much wisdom in it. After sharing the above anecdote, Grudin goes on to explain how Sottsass feels design must make a statement that lends excitement and dignity to an implement’s use. I would apply that same point of view to furniture because it serves as the foundation for the activities that take place inside our homes.
Palazzo Te is on Grudin’s list of positive design statements. Image courtesy WikiMedia and Marcok.
I was fascinated with his definition of truth in the chapter “What Design and Truth Say about Each Other”: “What is truth?” he asks; his simple answer is that truth encompasses the laws of nature as we experience them on earth. For instance, “truth determines that our bodies do not float like birthday balloons; truth asserts, without fear of contradiction, that light of a certain spectrum makes things visible; that pleasure is sweet and plain is a drag.”
Wrapping up his exploration, he reflects back upon the ground he has covered in the mindful book. “We look down a canyon of contrasts,” he writes. “To one side are arrayed the instances of poor design that we have visited…” Each of these, he notes as he lists the examples, were linked to a quest for power and money alone, which makes them complicit in a culture of lies. “To the other side we contemplate a less massive but much more graceful medley…” he adds, listing the exemplars he has discussed.
A courtyard at the Ducal Palace in Urbino, Italy, surrounded by an elegant arcade, is among Grudin’s positive picks for design and truth. Image courtesy WikiMedia and Gaspa.
Though his examples of good design also owe their existence to money and power, he adds that money and power were neither the message nor the goal with the standouts of design excellence he reviewed because “They speak to us directly of life.” If you value a brilliant mind exploring design, I highly recommend this book. As a teaser, several images in this post represent things he has included on his “graceful medley” list. As I came to the end of the narrative, I realized that we at Hand & Grain are very conscious that all of our furnishings constitute a graceful medley and I’m grateful to Grudin for giving me a descriptor that so eloquently describes our handcrafted furniture.