11/12/2024
IN OUR FIRST INTERVIEW, we visited our client here in Amsterdam. When got out of the elevator, the apartment’s door was already open, the matte black oak door contrasted with the white wall in the background and Pink Floyd poster in it.
-“Hello… I’m here”… nobody replied. “Hi, can I get in?” (as I slowly entered and stuck my head into the hallway).
-Suddenly our client appeared with a bare torso and black designer pants, black hair, white skin, Japanese tattoos on his arms and back, silver earrings in his ear; He had his cell phone between his head and shoulder.
-“Aha, mmh, I see” -he replied to his call while he lit a cigarette and told me with his hand that I could come in, I stood still for a few seconds (it was almost one of those uncomfortable moments when you don’t know exactly what to do) when suddenly he brought me to his kitchen while he continued on his call. With his body language (hands) he told me what I interpreted as:: “here is the patient, I’ll be back in a moment.” .
-I didn’t pay attention at all to the kitchen (which obviously needed to be replaced) but to the computers, audio monitor speakers, shelves with thousands of LPs and a sound system all around the living room. Immediately and as I usually do, I started to write down all the concepts related to what I see in the context: colors, textures, smells, etc. (elements that help me with the design later).
-Me standing in the middle of the living room I never noticed when he finished his call, from the hallway and with a firm step he enters the space (with an open, black, light silk robe) He walks right in front of me and before I could say anything he raises his hand as if pausing in the moment, with a Dalí-type look he leaves me standing there and continues his walk to his audio equipment, he took an LP and put it on his turntable:.
-Start Again- of Keeley Forsyth, album: Debris . At that moment I knew how special this project would be.
-without exchanging a single word we listened to that song several times. What happened next was the best brainstorming session ever for a kitchen.
Meetings later I found out that call was from a relative telling him that his father had died.
