Slow Design… or Just Good Design?

I take a deep breath, followed by a sip of coffee. You’ve just asked me about slow design, and I’m contemplating an answer. My silence typically throws people off. I need time and quiet to consider what I want to say.

“Slow design. I keep seeing this phrase used in newspapers and magazines. What does it actually mean?” you ask.

Do you want the short answer?

“Yes.”

It’s another trendy term used to describe thoughtful, conscious design,  a practice many of us have incorporated into our work as designers for eons. But in order for it to be embraced by the mainstream, a phrase has to be coined to embody this way of designing.

And now it’s a trend.

Sadly, it may become misused, much like terms such as sustainability. Will slow-washing become a new phrase with time and overuse, just like greenwashing? I hope its deeper meaning isn’t lost over time.

I’m already seeing labels from companies claiming something was “slowly designed.”

Seriously?

It all risks becoming a gimmick, and the true intention behind it becomes lost. Lost in consumerism, lost in the noise of making money and making your mark in the world, your “legacy.”

Slow design should be about love and giving back to people, the community, and the earth.

That’s how I like to design.

With time.
With love.
With curiosity.
With history.
With joy.
With nature surrounding me.

That’s what I’ve been guided to do for years now.

Feeling the soul of the house.
Understanding its history and the family’s history.
Taking the time to understand the home and my clients at a deeper level.
Considering our environmental footprint and how we can be gentler with nature.

Slow design,  that’s what it’s all about at its core.

In the meantime, I will continue to do what I’ve always done: design with deep intention. If you want to call it slow design, so be it.

“Hmmm. Thank you for that. You’ve given me lots to ruminate on.”

I take another sip of my coffee.

“Now, let’s finish going through your needs and wants for the space.”

Good design, it all starts here.

Not doing. Just listening and absorbing the information.