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Friday Five with Laura Guido-Clark

Laura Guido-Clark is a designer whose passion is to make the human response to products more meaningful through color, material, finish and pattern. Through her trademarked process, Climatology, she researches and tracks relevant changes on the social, political, economic and emotional fronts. She distills these collective traces of the consumer consciousness into a thesis about their needs and unfulfilled desires — figuring out what people really want and why, often before they even know it themselves.

Her multiple disciplinary design studio, with locations in Berkeley, CA and Milan, collaborates with companies like Kodak, HP, LG and Toyota — as well as start-ups across industries such as automotive, consumer electronics, and home furnishings. Her textile and pattern design include work for HBF, Pallas, FLOR and Uncommon. As a result of her expertise, Laura has been invited to speak both nationally and internationally on design, and was an expert design blogger for Fast Company magazine.

And you must check out her website and play with the drawing feature — it’s so fun!

My favorite things inspire me because of their of their integrity, beauty and craft. I look for things that create a sensory experience and that have a sense of human hand. Ultimately I enjoy objects or moments that make one feel more alive, happy and connected to life.


Photo: Magnus Anesund for Elle Interiör

1. Rainbow Cupboards
I love the idea of treating each cupboard as a separate color. Collectively this palette has tension and yet it is balanced. It is interesting that the last two colors are close in value creating the look of a wider proportion.

The look is simple, clean and amazingly powerful. It would be hard not to be happy while you cook.

2. Vibe Harsloef
Vibe Harsloef’s work is timeless yet unpredictable.

I enjoy the element of surprise you find in her use of materials and finishes. When she uses color, it is is always simple and powerful. The way she mixes elements is lovely.

3. Thomas Voorn
Love the playful installation pieces of Thomas Voorn’s garment graffiti. I am taken by the use of simple everyday garments to create his messages. I love the use of color, particularly the jolt of black in the letter M.

4. Tanya Aguiñiga
I appreciate the handiwork of Artist/Activist Tanya Aguiñiga. Each of her pieces is special, whether she knots, twists, braids or dip dyes. You know she understands her medium well and works with the properties that make them unique. I particularly love how raw these bracelets look almost as if they were freshly dipped.

5. Coventry Stool
The stools by Studio Dunn are beautiful and considerate. They are respectful in the way they utilize materials. The wood is sourced from sustainable forests. It is exciting to support them in the return to the art of American craft and industrial manufacturing.

Jaime Derringer, Founder + Executive Editor of Design Milk, is a Jersey girl living in SoCal. She dreams about funky, artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things—running, reading, making music, and drawing.