Is it possible to foresee the physical and psychological effects of any given space?
It certainly comes down to more than the design attributes of architectural products. Collaboratively, it is our team’s purpose to study and explore how human beings experience the places we inhabit.
Whatever the desired aesthetic, and however complex the constraints a designer must work within, there is always an opportunity to put emotion, beauty, and meaning into an environment. It is this vision, this implementation of creating a space that ultimately improves people’s lives. Interiors have a profound ability to permeate a message sent in the form of scale and proportion, color and shape, texture, and detail.
How then do we create spaces that send the right message as well as serve our many purposes?
Aga Artka is a LEED Accredited and NCIDQ certified professional interior designer that has worked with Inpro for more than ten years. Each year, Aga applies her extensive knowledge of commercial interior design and visual creativity to develop the four palettes that make up the year’s full design collection. We sat down with Aga to learn about what goes into the development of a collection and what we can expect from the 2020 Centered Collection.
How Is an Inpro Design Collection Created?
Q: What are the steps involved in creating a collection?
A: There are many steps I take to come up with a collection, and each year it has been an organic process. While there isn’t a clear-cut, step-by-step series of actions or a technical book that walks me through it, much of what I do initially is driven by research. Once we have a vision for the elements included, we create a story that evokes the feeling and emotion desired for the full collection and each of the four individual palettes.
The creation of each collection’s story is very much a team effort. As much as I am involved in crafting the stories behind the color selection, there is great influence from Inpro’s team members as they are equally informed, and very much in tune with the users of each product.
“We try to marry all of the factors and information available to come up with messaging that is fresh, new, and on-trend.”
The one thing I enjoy most about creating a collection is the freedom of starting with a new concept and arriving at a palette that I didn’t envision from the start. It’s a creative process that starts with a couple of swatches and turns into a family of palettes, that when they come together, surprise even me.
The greatest thing you can do is surprise yourself.
How Is A Design Collection Used?
Q: What are some of the required elements of a collection and how does it cater to the needs of designers and building managers?
A: With the development of every collection, we look at it as a complete package that a designer, a user, or a facilities manager would be able to develop an interior around. I think about how the products would be used in a space.
Every collection, therefore, has enough options for wall finish, wall protection, textiles for windows or privacy, and options for solid surface. Sometimes there are blinds or a privacy system that is introduced or other elements depending on what the palette demands.
Elements that incorporated are on-trend, but they are also very timeless. For us, that is an important factor because Inpro’s palettes have a long lifespan in terms of how they are utilized as a resource for architects, designers, and more.
“We want each collection to be a tool that can potentially be an inspiration for the project at hand.”
As much as each collection needs to be fresh and communicate colors that are here and now, I want a designer to be able to look back to a collection of years past and still find elements that are a perfect fit for their project.
Interested in seeing an Inpro design collection and product installation at work? View a selection of products, patterns, colors, and materials at the Bridgeport Health Care Center in Bridgeport, WV.
What Is the Evolution of a Design Collection?
Q: How do collections evolve each year and what contributes to their evolution?
A: Each year, the collection incorporates a new set of palettes. However, trends don’t just stop and start fresh at the beginning of a new year. We’ve seen some commonality in regard to how trends transition over the years. For example, the concept of seeking inner peace and balance started three years ago. We were talking about this then, and we are still talking about it now. I think we’ve done our jobs if we are addressing a trend that is continuing to evolve and be relevant in our society.
The topics we highlighted years ago are still factors in our everyday lives. It’s just that we may now be drilling down deeper into some of these concepts and giving them an entirely new visual.
Q: Does anything make you nervous at the launch of a collection?
A: As a creative, I put myself - my soul - into everything I do. This collection incorporates a lot of my feeling and heart. I always sincerely hope each collection is well-received, and users find it to be a valuable resource. I’m always nervous before a collection is introduced because I created it with the best intentions.
Ready to be inspired? Get free color samples, education credits, and ideas delivered to your door. Or screen. Get our 2020 Inspiration Book.
What Are the Steps to Creating a Palette?
Q: What are some of the aspects that go into the creation of a palette?
A: Some of the factors include researching trends in colors, fabrics, and prints, and then looking at what gets specified repeatedly. In addition, considering what products are popular right now in the market, and marrying these elements together to come up with a new way of looking at Inpro products - with a spin that is on-trend.
One important consideration is that collections and the corresponding palettes are just suggestions.
“We do our very best to incorporate elements that work well together, and that users may not have the eye, or time, to correlate with a group of finishes.”
But they are by no means the only way to work with finishes. A user may like the wall finish options from one palette, and the textile finishes from another. Everyone is welcome to marry any of the looks together, and we are happy to help them create a look that is the best fit for their space.
Q: What are the steps involved in the palette development, and who contributes to the story of a new palette?
A: For me, it’s been an organic process that involves research into each individual palette theme, which is often then scaled back to include what is feasible within Inpro’s product family. We start with an overarching theme, but each palette is given a more direct focus once we know what it looks like visually. This process is a team effort and as I mentioned earlier, as much as I try to drive the color stories, the messaging around the palettes is a great, collaborative process.
Teamwork makes the dreamwork.
Q: What inspires you as a new palette is created?
A: As a designer, I get inspired by a lot and find myself always trying to translate that inspiration into new palettes for Inpro. It’s really a dynamic between travel-driven inspiration, a lot of publications that I read, and product introductions or photo installations - a compilation of many visuals introduced to me.
Additionally, inspiration comes from conversations I have with clients as I gauge what is on their minds and what they think is trending. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a color-driven trend, but anything I translate into a visual.
Wondering how to create a flawless interior? Check out our whitepaper on seeing your facility through the eyes of a newcomer.
Order of Palette Introduction
Q: How do you determine the order a palette is launched within a collection?
A: We strongly take into consideration how the year fluctuates from an emotional standpoint. There are many environmental, political, and social factors that may be taken into consideration.
What will consumers be looking for, and what will they be in tune with?
For the beginning of the year, we like to introduce an inspired palette with a big impact. In January, we are ready to hit the road and put the last year behind us. We start the year fresh with renewed energy, and this is what we want our first palette of the year to always represent. As we move into spring, summer, and fall, consumers change in feelings and their perceptions, which drive the elements of the palettes that are launched next.
Are you starting a new architectural project and need design inspiration? Inpro’s 2020 Centered Collection incorporates color, design, texture, and print ideas that may bring a fresh perspective to your project. Contact Inpro’s knowledgeable team for expert consultation.