We often talk about how design can influence behaviour and impart a feeling. There’s nowhere this is more apparent than in kitchen and bathroom spaces. Kitchens and bathrooms are essential in their function, but they both have the power to elicit very different moods. There’s an inherent duality at play – the lively hub of the kitchen versus the serenity and peace of inhabiting the bathroom.
Putting this Kitchen & Bathroom special issue together had me contemplating the things that linger, the details that stick with you long after you’ve experienced them. Why is it that some things are more memorable than others? I think there’s a case for the way an architect or designer can craft spaces that create a feeling. And it’s this emotional connection that endures.
The notion of rooms with a mood came up when I spoke with designer Craig Nener, the founder of Grotto Studio, whose first project graces the cover of this issue. “I wanted to create several atmospheres: multiple moods within each space,” he shares on the design thinking behind Shadow House.
Another residence we feature that sets out to change behaviour and spark a relaxed mood is Cabin House in Bengaluru, India. Designed as a weekend escape for the owners, photographer and writer Aaron Chapman shares his first-hand account of this exceptional house and the way it felt to experience its calming influence.
Taking a future-forward approach, we do something unexpected in this issue. The debate around A.I. has been a growing area of interest, and seeing the experiments of Melbourne photographer Tom Blachford with Mid Journey prompted some conversations that have led to a first for Habitus – a series of specially-created kitchen and bathroom A.I. images. We talk to Tom about the rise of A.I. and where he predicts it might go.