About Design, Bitches
In a profession where men still dominate, (According to Zippia: 76% of all architects in the US are male and of the 23.3 % that are women they earn 92% of what men earn) Catherine Johnson and Rebecca Rudolph are making quite a name for themselves, designing both residential and commercial spaces. I had a great opportunity to meet with them to discuss the state of architecture and interior design today.
Q&A
Q.) How did you come up with your name?
A.) “Design,Bitches” was born over a decade ago as a response to a question posed by the AIA Los Angeles (American Institute of Architects). They presented a competition prompt inviting young architects to answer the question “Architecture is______”- in a time when we determined the profession was taking itself perhaps far too seriously, our response was “Architecture is Design, Bitches”. To our surprise and delight we created a stir and received an honorable mention by calling out the AIA as the inaugural bitches (and even better they have been avid supporters of our work ever since).To us architecture incorporates all aspects of design and while we take our work very seriously we believe architecture and design can and should also be joyful and irreverent.
Q.) You do commercial (like restaurants), residential and brand design. How would you describe your style?
A.) In short, we design places and experiences where people want to BE. We are equal parts creative risk takers and optimistic pragmatists. Our projects are all totally unique to each of our clients’ vision and intention but certain themes weave across all of our work. We embrace color & the use of natural light, scale & proportion and have a deep love of materiality and texture. Our experimentation and exploration of how they all weave together within a project is key.
Q.) How is designing a restaurant different than designing a home?
A.) Conceptually they are similar- our favorite restaurants feel like eating a great meal at the home of a friend. They are uniquely tied to the food & creatives in the kitchen just as a home should feel uniquely tied to the people who live there. Restaurants however need to be much more durable in terms of the materials we choose to use so creating that same sense of warmth in a tough environment is a challenge that has fueled some compelling material exploration over the years.
Q.) Who inspires you design-wise?
A.) Honestly, we are consistently inspired by creatives across genres and look most to musicians and artists for inspiration. The craft of layering in any creative pursuit is endlessly inspiring to us. Es Devlincomes to mind- her experimentation with light, color and how she shapes the stage and the experience of each performance is pure magic.
Q.) Favorite Design Trend?
A.) Rather than selecting a current trend I’ll pose a trend I’d like to see more often- taking inspiration from a multitude of design eras and styles cleverly mixed together to create something new and unexpected, especially in residential architecture and design.
Q.) Favorite architect other than yourselves?
A.)Hands down a Brazilian Architect namedLina Bo Bardi–her work and her own home is endlessly inspiring.
Q.) Favorite recent project?
A.) B+B House- a ground up house & studio we built for an inspiring and creative family in Venice. Was one of the greatest creative journeys of our careers thus far- such a joy.
Q.) Do you have a favorite paint color that people can check out?
A.)Two favorites from the project above selected for their ability to subtly transform in the Southern California sunshine throughout the day & throughout the seasons–Benjamin Moore “Nocturnal Gray” and “Velvet Cloak”.