burnin' burnin' burnin'

A few observations about Goil and why in the end he just burned out.

1. Crafting

It has occurred to me that Goil basically isn't interested in decorating rooms or designing spaces. What he likes to do is projects. He does crafts.

Goil is a crafter.

I don't mean that pejoratively. Craft is a very diverse and rich area. It can include some silly stuff like painted rocks with googly eyes. But Craft can also be cool. And it includes the kinds of projects that Goil does. And Goil's projects are not necessarily interior design. Not on their own, separate from a good sense of the room as a whole.

2. Limited

The problem with Goil is that he is someone who has only a particular set of skills and they are limited. I say they are limited not because they are not strong skills or difficult or highly technical skills but because he is clearly unable to go beyond them. He painted every single room white. He was told to try certain things but he simply could not break out of his habits of seeing, thinking, acting:

• white wall
• light wood floor
• painted stripes
• basic primary color
• project that obsesses him and uses up his time

The good news is that this probably makes him a good architect because he has the exacting qualities of an engineer. Sometimes a person tries something and learns what they don't want to do: I see him as being very frustrated as a designer because he would be trying to do something that is going against his nature. He is someone who works better in the construction and not the decorative areas of design. I can't imagine him working very well with a client because he doesn't seem to listen very well and, for the reasons listed above, he is not very adaptable.

3. Literalism

Part of his limitation is an imaginative limit -- seen in his tendency towards literalism. He doesn't think like an artist. Artists don't think in such concrete terms.

As Margaret pointed out, "fire" and "hotel room" are not the best pairing.



However, he just needed to think about what fire might represent other than fire. Like, say, passion and desire.

In that sense, he had an easy challenge: one of the main reasons people go to hotels is for romantic getaways.

And I'm not talking about heart-shaped beds with a lot of frou-frou rosy decor and bowls of pot-pourri.

three possibilities

Sure, this is armchair designing. but for all the whining we heard I think it is fair for us to say "come on -- how hard is it?"

So here are 3 different style options for a romantic luxury hotel suite. The first two came from a quick google search. The third one is stuff everyone knows : the modern classics.

1. Google search term: Romantic Luxury Hotel
(I looked under Images to find a picture I liked)

Even on a more traditional level there is the simplicity of something like a Spanish style:

Hotel Castillo de Buen Amor, Salamanca, España

And it even has white walls! However the white is has a strong texture (stucco). In this room the dark colors pop: rich stained wood, black marble tile and luscious (buen amor) red.

2. Google search term: Luxury Hotel Thailand

One of the great new hotels of the world, The Rachamankha, owned and designed by Thailand's best architects, provides an excellent example of a hotel that brings together with traditional temple and modern design.

• The Rachamankha
• Concierge Best Of 2005

This is not from Rachamankha. It is a detail from a shrine in Thailand. It is so beautiful -- and a symbol of love -- that I decided to post it.

3. modern design classics

Steel frame "Parsons" Bed.
If you are going to have something forged have it be the bed -- that is where the heat is generated. For a more romantic feel you might drape sheers around it.



Modern Sofa
A comfortable couch that two people can sink into and just fall asleep or watch a movie in or just sit and relax and have a glass of champagne. Make sure there is only one cushion across the bottom.


Iconic chair
A bright red sexy sculptural piece of furniture:







Lighting.
Romance is all about the lighting. There is nothing like Fortuny but it may not fit the modern look.

Tube lighting of varying sizes can cast different levels of light and shadow.



Art.
None of this make-your-own crap (I'm talking to you, Kenneth Brown). Get some real art. Don't be asshole decorators : support the local galleries.

Mari Eastman Dinner Date 2007

Karen Lovegrove Gallery Los Angeles

Michael Schultheis, Folia of Descartes 06, 2006
Froelick Gallery, Portland, Oregon

Finally, for inspiration, there is one thing that I think of first when I think of fire.

So here's your Fire for you: click and hit play.