I often wonder how Designers come up with names for their styles. In the home furnishings business we use popular names from film and TV like Sophia, Brittany or Helena. Inspiration can also come from flowers; names like Lily or Rose. And often we capture the ambiance of locations using names like Hampton, Versailles and Buckingham.
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| The Janine |
When I design a new lighting fixture I agonize over what to call it. Should I give it a style number or a name that evokes the era it was designed after? Hm mm - maybe a mid-20th Century design called The Eisenhower Chandelier? (just kidding). Wherever ideas flow from, they tend to be mostly feminine - like boats! I like to name mine after women I know. I have lighting fixtures named after a favorite aunt, Eve, granddaughter Alex, niece Gabi, and daughter-in-law Janine. Janine's fixture captures her perfectly. She is very strong. She does all the carpentry, painting, and yard work around the house, so the frame is stainless steel. She is tailored, so the shape has clean lines, yet she loves feminine touches - especially jewelry - so I've topped it off with graduated Czech crystal.
Recently, my daughter,
Rachel Wood, asked why I hadn't named a fixture after her. It occurred to me that I hadn't come up with anything appropriately befitting her personality. She is creative, has a great sense of humor, and is always on the run - experiencing new places and making new friends. Her style is harder to pin down. However, someone else beat me to it - she has a purse named after her! Rachel is a high fashion makeup artist who works with
Louise Roe, the fashion presenter and designer from the UK who is replacing Elle Macpherson on Fashion Star. Louise has her own line of clothing and accessories and she too uses names of women she knows for her creations.
Louise and Rachel also have a new show of their own called "
Beauty School". I'm so proud of them! Do you think they'd name a lipstick after me? Who wouldn't want to wear a lustrous red named B
ébé?
