Behind the Scene: Quatrefoil Island Back

Today, I want to take you deep into the trenches of my brain behind the scenes of the quatrefoil island back I designed for this year's Luxury Living Show Kitchen.

Last August I was mid flight on my way to SubZero Wolf training in Madison, Wisconsin when I busted out my pad and started brainstorming for the Luxury Living Show. August may seem a bit early to begin thinking about a project that would debut in February, but you never know how long the design process will take. Plus, starting early can kind of take the stress off. So, I doodled and ended up with this:

It's rough, yes, and a lot of things changed from this original brainstorm sketch to the final product, BUT you may notice one thing that remained the same...the quatrefoils! Can you tell that's what those green blobs are near the top? Don't judge a doodle, I WAS ON A PLANE!!

Anyways, I'd been a long time fan of the quatrefoil. My sister, Candace introduced me to the shape years ago and I've admired the design ever since. Luckily, I acquired two pairs of quatrefoil earrings last fall, one from a little shop in Elijay and the other  from my friend Katie as a bridesmaids gift. So, when the time came for me to present Mike (my boss) with my concept for this year's show I showed him my drawings and brought in my earrings. Props always help drive a case home ;)

The idea was a hit, and we immediately began working through how to bring the concept to life. There was a lot to consider concerning proportions and scale in addition to how to make the quatrefoils out of Mahogany which is what the entire island was going to be constructed of.  With a lot of Bell Kitchen & Bath Studios team effort, specifically from our CAD designer Wanda who spent an hour bending lines to create the initial quatrefoil so I could visualize, and our engineer Richard who played and played with the scale and specific shape of the final quatrefoils, we finally got it right. Before I knew it my quatrefoil island back dreams were coming true before my eyes.

This is a shot of the island in our shop before it was stained. 

And here she is in all her glory, smack dab in the middle of the mall:

Isn't design a funny animal? One minute you're doodling on a plane, and the next you' re staring at your doodles alive and real in the middle of the mall. A designers dream for sure!

P.S. This island and the whole Luxury Living Show Kitchen will be up at Phipps Plaza the rest of the month, go by and check it out in person if you're in Atlanta!

All photos are my own.