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Cleverly Quarantined

How These 3 Designers Are Making The Most of Their Time in Isolation

Throughout the design community, installations are delayed, projects are halted, construction sites cant be visited, client meetings have gone digital, staff may be furloughed or laid off— those are just a very few of the changes and challenges that the influx of COVID-19 has wrought. While every designer's situation is vastly different during this time, were inspired and uplifted by those creatively making the best of the situation, any way that they can. Here are three designers brightening our days with new creative challenges, podcasts and digital design advice.  

 ALISON PALEVSKY @palevsky_co

Alison Palevsky, the dynamic owner and principal designer of Palevsky Co, frequently travels to Mexico, Manhattan, Miami and more for projects, finding inspiration in the places she sees and people she meets. While shes not boarding any flights right now, for obvious reasons, the designer, art collector and entrepreneur is, in addition to running her business, dedicating her time to examining creativity. Palevsky, along with her partner Robyn Casady, just released their long-awaited podcast, Creativity Deconstructed.

The podcast features a diverse set of creative luminaries with the goal of uncovering the secret of turning their passion into profitability. To date, guests include Simon Haas of The Haas Brothers, David Alhadeff of The Future Perfect, Thomas Hayes of Thomas Hayes Studio, What’s Up Moms founder Brooke Mahan, and Gallerist Nina Johnson

Palevsky shares a toast with us and talks about her latest venture in a short video below.


“A lot of ups and downs this week but one of the ups is I had the time to actually focus on a podcast I began 6 months ago with Robyn Casady called Creativity Deconstructed where we interview artists, entrepreneurs and disrupters and we pick their brain about how they turned their creativity and ingenuity into profitability. Basically, how does a creative person take their creativity and make money or a sustainable business model out of it? Because the two do not necessarily go hand in hand. Each person that is on has an individual story and we have uncovered some incredible things that led them there. We hope you will join us and tune in all the typical places you get your podcast.

Here’s to checking off some of those things on your list that you’ve wanted to do but haven’t had the time. Happy quarantining and getting things done!”

Palevsky’s recent cover feature in Luxe Los Angeles which mentions the “Wolf range is from Snyder Diamond”. 


RYAN WHITE @ryanwhitedesigns

Ryan White found his calling as a designer after many years in the fashion industry, modeling and acting, experiences that honed his discerning eye for his signature sophisticated yet comfortable interiors. His L.A. and Malibu-based firm, founded in 2012, counts dozens of entertainment industry giants, celebrities and CEOs among its clients—interiors for actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler and her pro baseball player husband, Cutter Dykstra, are among his published projects.

The designer, of course, is currently quarantined, with much of his regular design work on pause. So he decided to take action to keep his creative mind busy by creating a short Instagram-hosted show” hes calling Design Quarantine (find past episodes here). Typically posted weekly, each one features a guest with a design problem, with White offering candid advice and ideas to solve. My minds gonna go crazy if I cant get my creative energy out in some way, shape or form,” he says in episode one, posted March 26th. I want to help my friends, family, or anyone whos having design dilemmas out right now.” 

Catch the design chats live or on White’s Instagram @ryanwhitedesigns. White overlays the final versions with playful emojis, graphics and GIFs in cuts that are a light-hearted yet informative treat to watch. Snyder Diamond writer Kelly Phillips Badal even got involved in the third episode below.

 


 


TRACY METRO @tracymetro

 

After two decades in the spotlight, recently as the star of House Doctor (available on Netflix), L.A. designer Tracy Metro has mastered the art of a creative challenge. Energetic by nature, shes recently fixed her design eye on crafting chic, custom virtual home backdrops for her clients and fans. Dubbed #BombAssBackground, these pretty roomscapes seem more believable and authentic than, say, adding a serene Fiji ocean backdrop to your Zoom call—and may even inspire real-life changes down the line.  Metro’s “distance design” consultation was even picked up by the New York Post.  

And thats hardly the only idea Metros come up with while sheltering in place. Just in time for Earth Day, Metro is hoping to inject the rest of us with a dose of fun, productive, creative energy while drawing attention to Zero-waste principles. Her #Cardboard Chair Challenge – An Enlightened Place to Sit: The Cardboard Conundrum – challenges designers to funnel their creativity into crafting a chair or a chair model from their own excess cardboard boxes (FYI: sanitize em first, of course). 

The challenge culminates on Earth Day, April 22nd, and includes cash prizes and, for the top 10 designs, an opportunity to show and sell the chair in a gallery show at The Loft at Lizs in September. Check here for more details on entry and some very inspirational imagery, and follow along @tracymetro.

 


 

 

 


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